Sun Tzu's Art of War (14): Stratagem

Original text:

Therefore, the first is to attack the enemy, the second is to attack the enemy, the second is to attack the enemy, and the second is to attack the city. The method of siege is a last resort. It takes three months to complete the repair of the oars, Benwen, and equipment, and it takes three months to complete the distance from the ridge. If the general cannot bear his anger and the ants attack him, killing one-third of the soldiers, but the city cannot be taken out, this attack will be a disaster. Therefore, those who are good at using troops should subjugate the enemy's troops instead of fighting, conquer the enemy's city instead of attacking it, destroy the enemy's country instead of lasting for a long time, and must compete for the whole world with the whole country. Therefore, if the army does not stop, it will be profitable. This plan is to attack The method is also.

Translation:

Therefore, the best military action is to use strategy to defeat the enemy's strategic intention or war behavior, the second is to use diplomacy to defeat the enemy, and the third is to use force to defeat the enemy. , the last resort is to attack the enemy's city. Attacking a city is a last resort and a last resort. It will take at least three months to make large shields and four-wheeled vehicles and prepare all the equipment for siege. It will take at least another three months to build up the mountains of earth for siege. If the general cannot suppress his impatience and orders his soldiers to climb the wall like ants to attack the city, but the city is still not captured even though one-third of the soldiers are killed or wounded, this is the disaster caused by the siege. Therefore, those who are good at using troops can make the enemy surrender without fighting, make the enemy city surrender without attacking the city, and destroy the enemy country without a long-term battle. He must use the strategy of "total victory" to win over the world, so as not to frustrate the national strength and military strength. , and gained the benefits of comprehensive victory. This is the way to attack.

Interpretation:

This part further emphasizes the idea of ??"no war" from both positive and negative aspects, and regards "conspiracy" as an extension of "no war". It is still the best strategy to defeat the enemy through conspiracies and friendships, and to defeat the enemy without fighting. Only when war is necessary, use conquest and siege.

It is emphasized that planning is the best strategy, and siege is the worst strategy. To siege a city, you need to prepare various combat tools, which takes a long time and costs the lives of some soldiers. In the end, the siege may fail. .

There is an old saying: "One general's achievements are worth thousands of bones." In ancient wars, most of the soldiers' lives were used to exchange for victory. Sun Tzu was able to have this kind of "subjugation without fighting". The idea of ????"soldier" is indeed at the leading level.

During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, during the "joint vertical and horizontal alliances", various countries sent envoys to each other, persuaded each other, formed alliances with each other, and became both enemies and friends. These were all manifestations of conspiracy and friendship. When the national power develops, no one is willing to obey anyone else, and they directly take up arms and kill each other. This is the conquest and siege mentioned above.

Han Xin, a famous general in history, is undoubtedly the typical representative of this part of "Sun Tzu's Art of War: Planning and Attack". There is no need to go into details about attacking troops and siege cities.

To put it more importantly, does Han Xin know how to conspire?

In the fourth year of the Han Dynasty, Liu Bang sent Han Xin to attack Qi, and at the same time he sent the envoy Li Shiqi to persuade Qi to surrender. This was a typical example of being prepared to attack troops and siege cities, but at the same time not giving up. The possibility of "conspiracy".

Li Shiqi used his sharp tongue to coax and intimidate, and Qi King Tian Heng was not sure of defeating Han Xin. In this way, Qi was persuaded and decided to surrender to Liu Bang.

After Li Shiqi persuaded Qi to surrender, Liu Bang did not instruct Han Xin to stop attacking Qi with force. At this time, Han Xin's utilitarianism and jealousy came into play. Han Xin felt that Li Shiqi, a Confucian scholar, had gained more credit than himself with his sharp tongue, and he was mentally unbalanced.

Han Xin took advantage of the fact that Qi decided to surrender and relaxed its vigilance, and suddenly attacked and destroyed Qi by force, causing the veteran minister Li Shiqi to be cooked.

Historically, Han Xin’s behavior was attributed to Han Xin’s adviser Kuai Tong. I think this is undesirable.

I don’t think Han Xin could pass the hurdle of being robbed of his military exploits by Li Shiqi, because at this time Li Shiqi was not Han Xin’s counselor, but a Han official who was on an equal footing with him. If Li Shiqi was Han Xin The credit of his counselors still belongs to Han Xin, and Li Shiqi will not die.

The reason why I think so is because in the war to destroy Yan, Han Xin adopted the strategy of his counselor Li Zuoche and sent envoys to the State of Yan, and the State of Yan finally surrendered to Han Xin. The same goes for surrender. The credit for destroying Yan belongs to Han Xin himself.

From this point of view, Han Xin not only knew the best strategies for attacking, but was also proficient in everything from planning to siege. Unfortunately, he was too utilitarian, which eventually led to his death.

, find another way to achieve your goal.

In the 1990s, the competition between Lihuasibao and Procter & Gamble in the shampoo field is a classic case.

The three major brands of Procter & Gamble, Head & Shoulders, Pantene, and Rejoice, have entered China with foreign investment. Star advertisements are overwhelming. The counters of major supermarkets and shopping malls are basically occupied by these three major brands. They are found in major first-tier cities. General agent.

As a little-known brand under Lihua Silk Treasure, Shulei’s development path has been quite bumpy. First it encountered a trademark dispute, and then it was labeled as a deceitful brand, so Lihua Silk Treasure could only become a brand. A second- or third-rate brand.

Later, in order to ensure the survival and development of Shu Lei brand, Sibao Group avoided head-to-head confrontation with Procter & Gamble, decisively abandoned the general agent model, and adopted the strategy of moving up from consumer terminals and distributing goods from shopping mall terminals. The next development model, in other words, is to connect from the two ends to the middle and finally establish your own marketing network.

Shulei focuses on the distribution of products in hypermarkets and retail stores, thereby promoting the development of medium-sized stores, and invests in advertising such as celebrity brand endorsements, all of which are used for terminal promotions to expand momentum.

In the terminal market, Shulei uses the crowd tactics and a large number of shopping guides and promotion personnel to attract back consumers who originally went to the shelves of other brands. Then, relying on Shulei's excellent quality, consumers will have a demand for the product and become loyal customers.

Therefore, competition is not equal to war, and you can win against your competitors without conflict. Many times, by changing your perspective and changing your stance, you can break into a blue ocean of your own.

The same goes for being a human being. You don’t have to conflict with others and fight to the death, nor do you need to follow other people’s path and leave others with no way to go. If you change your mind, the sky will be brighter.