In warfare, even if you win, a prolonged campaign will wear down your troops and dampen their morale. Sieging cities exhausts your strength. When the army stays abroad for too long, the nation’s resources will run short.
With troops worn out, morale faded, strength depleted and wealth exhausted, rival states will take advantage of your weakness to rise up. Even wise counselors cannot remedy the ensuing disaster.
Thus in war, we advocate a hasty victory even with clumsy tactics, rather than a protracted campaign relying on elaborate schemes. A long war that benefits a country has never existed.
Note
A great military strategist and thinker in ancient China, who lived in the late Spring and Autumn Period. He authored The Art of War, the world’s earliest and most influential military classic. His strategic thoughts have been widely applied in military, politics and management worldwide.
Swift victory
A core military principle in The Art of War. It emphasizes ending battles quickly to avoid consumption of national power.
Protracted war
Refers to wars that last for years. Ancient Chinese thinkers regarded it as a great threat to a country.
Take advantage of weakness
A common political and military rule in the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods. Powerful states always attacked rivals trapped in trouble.
The Battle of Changping (262–260 BC)
To illustrate the catastrophic consequences of a “Protracted war” and the failure to secure a “Swift victory,” we must look at one of the bloodiest battles in ancient Chinese history: The Battle of Changping during the Warring States period. This conflict between the states of Qin and Zhao is a textbook example of how exhausting an army’s strength leads to total annihilation.
The Context: A War of Attrition
The battle began as a dispute over the Shangdang region. The state of Zhao, under the young King Xiaocheng, initially deployed the veteran general Lian Po. Lian Po recognized the strength of the Qin army and chose a strategy of defense, building walls and refusing to engage in open battle. While strategically sound for defense, this turned the conflict into a “Protracted war” lasting over two years.
The Trap: Qin’s Strategy of Depletion
The Qin state, known for its strict adherence to Legalist reforms and military efficiency, understood Sun Tzu’s principle that “a long war… has never benefited a country.” However, they were willing to use this to their advantage. Qin’s chancellor, Fan Ju (Fan Sui), launched a political warfare campaign (using spies) to spread rumors in the Zhao court.
They claimed that Qin was not afraid of Lian Po but feared the son of the famous general Zhao She, Zhao Kuo. They suggested that if Zhao Kuo took command, Qin would retreat. This was a trap designed to force Zhao into a “Hasty victory” (or a desperate gamble), ending the stalemate that was financially straining both states.
The Disaster: “Clumsy Tactics” and “Dulled Morale”
King Xiaocheng of Zhao had long been angered by Lian Po’s army suffering several defeats, and he also resented Lian Po for being too timid and reluctant to fight.
Believing the rumors, the King of Zhao replaced the defensive Lian Po with the young and overconfident Zhao Kuo, who was skilled in military theory but lacked practical experience. This was a fatal mistake. Zhao Kuo immediately abandoned the defensive walls and marched his army forward to seek a decisive battle, ignoring the warning of his mother and the principles of conservation.
After King Zhaoxiang of Qin learned that Zhao Kuo had replaced Lian Po as the commanding general, he secretly appointed Lord Wu’an, Bai Qi, as supreme commander in order to thoroughly defeat the State of Zhao and achieve a decisive victory that would settle the fate of the state in a single battle. He reassigned Wang He to serve as the deputy commander with the rank of lieutenant, and simultaneously ordered the entire army to strictly guard the secret of the command change, decreeing that anyone who leaked the information would be executed without mercy.
The Qin army, led secretly by the formidable general Bai Qi, feigned defeat and lured the Zhao army deep into their territory. Bai Qi then cut off their supply lines. For 46 days, the Zhao army was encircled without food or grain. Sun Tzu’s warning became reality: “When the army stays abroad for too long, the nation’s resources run short.” The troops were worn out, morale faded, and strength was depleted.
The Aftermath
Trapped and starving, Zhao Kuo was killed by Qin archers, and the remaining 400,000 Zhao soldiers surrendered. Fearing a rebellion and lacking the resources to feed them (a logistical nightmare), Bai Qi ordered the execution of the prisoners.
The state of Zhao lost an entire generation of fighting men. The Battle of Changping ensured that Zhao could never rise again to challenge Qin’s dominance.
其用戰也，勝久則鈍兵挫銳，攻城則力屈，久暴師則國用不足。夫鈍兵，挫銳，屈力，殫貨，則諸侯乘其弊而起，雖有智者，不能善其後矣！故兵聞拙速，未睹巧之久也；夫兵久而國利者，未之有也。
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