◎ To discuss military tactics on paper,meaning bei...
Zhao Kuo,the son of Zhao She,a famous general of Zhao,learned the art of war in his childhood and knew the strategies inside and out. Though never fought a war,Zhao Kuo believed that his superior knowledge of military strategies made him unbeatable. Later,Bai Qi was made the general of Qin and led a troop to invade Zhao. Lian Po,an experienced general of Zhao,was ordered to take the command of Zhao's army. Lian knew that the longer the battle lasted,the likelier that Qin would lose,as it was difficult for Qin to transport food and supplies to the battlefield. Hence,he adopted the defensive strategy: To set up camps,build forts,and stay in them,not responding to any of the enemy's taunts or lures designed to get his army out onto the field. This dragged on for a long time. To break the deadlock,Bai sent a spy over to Zhao to spread a rumor saying that the only thing that Qin feared was Zhao Kuo taking charge. Upon hearing this,the King of Zhao quickly replaced Lian Po with Zhao Kuo as the commander,heedless of any advice. Zhao Kuo,disregarding Lian Po's strategy,immediately launched an attack against Qin according to what he had learned from the books. As a result,all of the troops of Zhao were captured and later annihilated. Zhao never regained prominence after the defeat and was annexed by Qin shortly afterward.(https://www.daowen.com)