指桑骂槐　(zhǐ sāng mà huái)

The Tactic of Not Directly Naming Names

The title of this stratagem implies warning someone by allusion or without directly naming names. It is actually a scheme to fight, conquer or warn your enemies, big or small, without head-on confrontation.

After you wipe out a weak enemy, other small ones will be alarmed and begin to switch allegiance to you. By openly criticizing one enemy while alluding to another more powerful one, the latter could hardly respond without revealing complicity.

During the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 BC), Guan Zhong, the prime minister of the State of Qi, successfully disciplined two states without a battle thanks to this stratagem.

In order to expand his influence, the duke of Qi one day invited a few states to a meeting to discuss his proposed alliance with two states, Song and Lu.

The Song duke came to the meeting, but the ruler of Lu failed to appear. Therefore, the Qi duke asked all those present to punish the State of Lu. However, the Song duke didn’t want to join the act and excused himself before the meeting was over.(https://www.daowen.com)

The Qi duke became angry with both Song and Lu and ordered his troops to attack Song first. But his prime minister objected, pointing out that the State of Song was far away, but the State of Lu was close. So, he suggested to deal with Lu first.

“Your Majesty, we really don’t need to launch a war to force them into an alliance with us,” the prime minister said. “The only thing we need to do is to subdue Sui, a small vassal of the state of Lu.”

The duke was convinced and sent a small army to attack Sui, which soon surrendered. The duke of Lu immediately sent an envoy to the duke of Qi offering to form an alliance.

When the Song duke learned that Qi and Lu had become allies, he also wanted to join. So, by subduing a small vassal, the State of Qi forced two other states into a strategic alliance.

Today, the title of this stratagem is also used as a popular idiom to mean a ploy of cursing or criticizing one person but actually aiming to censure another.