以逸待劳　(yǐ yì dài láo)

Waiting at Ease for a Worn-out Enemy

Direct attack is not necessarily the only means to corner you enemy into a difficult situation. For instance, if you can choose the time and field for a battle, you can arrive there earlier and get well prepared and rested while your enemy exhausts himself in finding the place and tries in vain to look for advantageous positions that have already been taken by you. As a result, you will definitely have an upper hand in the coming battle.

There are many stories that can help illustrate this strategy and the following example is one of them.

Toward the end of the Warring States period (475-221 BC), the State of Qin sent a young general Li Xin to attack the State of Chu. At first, Li won a series of battles and seized several towns of Chu. But later, his army was routed by the Chu troops in an ambush and the young general barely escaped. A few years later, the Qin ruler summoned Wang Jian, a retired general, to lead an army of 600,000 men to again attack the State of Chu.

Wang stationed his troops along the border with the State of Chu and concentrated on building defensive trenches and stockades. Meanwhile, he ordered the troops to eat well, sleep well and keep training every day.(https://www.daowen.com)

The State of Chu also moved its army to the border and put them on high alert to guard against any possible attacks from the Qin troops.

The standoff along the border went on for more than 12 months. During this time, the Qin troops were well prepared, rested and trained, but the Chu troops became exhausted for keeping on guard day and night. And gradually they let up their vigilance. They were led to believe that the Qin put their troops along the border just for the purpose of defense. Finally, the Chu army began to withdraw from the border. Just then, the Qin general ordered an all-out attack against the demoralized Chu army. The latter hardly put up any resistance and soon began to flee pell-mell.

Very quickly, the Qin troops swept across the State of Chu and in the year 223 BC, the triumphant troops smashed into Chu’s capital and captured its king Fu Chu.

To keep your enemy in the dark or make him feel frustrated and disheartened could prove to be a very effective way to weaken and demoralize him. At the same time, you just wait at ease, get well prepared for the battle and keep up your high spirit.

When the time for the battle comes, it will be easy to predict who is in advantage and who will be the winner.