Now it is very chaotic, some people provoke trouble, some people know that they can't beat it, but they are afraid of losing face, so they turn around and hit another weaker chicken to show that they are still very powerful. This kind of operation reminds people of the ancient national essence --- the art of encircling Wei and saving Zhao. It is said that during the Warring States period, the State of Qi besieged the capital of the State of Wei, Daliang, forcing the State of Wei to withdraw its army attacking the capital of the State of Zhao, Handan, and saving the State of Zhao. Today we will talk about this historical allusion.
Historical allusions
In 354 BC, the Wei army besieged the capital of the Zhao state of Handan, and the two sides fought for more than a year, and Zhao declined and Wei was tired. At this time, the State of Qi responded to Zhao Guo's request for help, sent Tian Ji as a general, and Sun Zhen as a military division, leading 80,000 troops to save Zhao. Where is the direction of attack chosen? At first, Tian Ji prepared to go straight to Handan. Sun Bin believes that in order to untie the chaotic silk thread, you cannot use your hands to pull hard, you must solve other people's fights, and you cannot directly participate in fighting. Send troops to break the siege, avoid the real and the virtual, and hit the key points. He suggested to Tian Ji: "At this time, the elite troops of the State of Wei are concentrated in Handan, and the interior is empty, if we lead our troops to attack the capital of the State of Wei, Daliang, occupy its main traffic routes, attack its empty places, and march towards the capital of the State of Wei, Daliang, it will inevitably put down the State of Zhao and return to the division to save itself." Taking advantage of its exhaustion, the Qi army met the enemy on the way home in guiling, a pre-selected battle area, and the Wei army was greatly defeated, and the siege of Handan was lifted.
Sun Bing used the siege of the State of Wei to relieve the distress of the State of Zhao, which is a very famous example of warfare in Chinese history, and was listed by later military experts as an important of the Thirty-Six Plans. The tactic of encircling Wei and saving Zhao from reality has been appreciated by military experts of all generations and still has its vitality to this day.
The monarch of the State of Qi, King Wei of Qi, said that he was ready to immediately send troops to support the State of Zhao. However, the final result was that the State of Qi delayed the dispatch of troops for more than a year. Why?
The smallest price is achieved with the greatest results
In this regard, according to the records of historical materials such as the Warring States Policy and the Zuo Chuan, when King Qi Wei was preparing to send troops immediately, his subordinate Duan Ganpeng advocated delaying the dispatch of troops and taking "inheriting the evils of Wei" as a strategic policy. In the view of the general Duan Ganpeng, the State of Qi could send a small number of troops to attack the Xiangling of the State of Wei, so as to reassure the State of Zhao and prompt the State of Zhao to defend Handan with all its might. When both the State of Wei and the State of Zhao were exhausted on the battlefield of Handan, the State of Qi sent a large army to achieve the goal of defeating the State of Wei head-on and weakening the State of Zhao by the way. In this regard, King Qi Wei accepted this suggestion. It was not until around 352 BC, that is, when the state of Wei and the state of Zhao were at odds of more than a year, that the army was sent.
The Qi army deliberately delayed for more than a year before sending troops to rescue the Zhao state, which made the Wei and Zhao states almost lose both. Moreover, the Qi army did not directly rescue the capital of the Zhao state, but set up an ambush to severely damage the Wei army, so as to achieve the greatest results at the smallest cost.