Detailed Explanation of the Calligraphy Technique in Song Mi Fu's "Taoxi"

Author: Wang Shengju
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-02-01
Features: Management is a profound and vast field of knowledge. To excel in the "36 Strategies of Management," one must deeply understand the subtleties of "Guan" (key), "Jian" (key), and "Guan" (manage). Only those who comprehend this principle and are determined to apply it can navigate corporate management with ease and achieve success. This book expands on the original 36 Strategies, offering unique interpretations of each strategy and applying them to modern corporate management practices. Classic case studies are used to illustrate these strategies, helping readers grasp the essence of 36 Strategies in management. The language is light, lively, and fluent, making it an invaluable resource for corporate managers.
The tactic of attacking Wei to force the Wei army to retreat is known as: "Attacking a united enemy is better than attacking a divided one. Attacking the enemy's open front is better than attacking their hidden weaknesses." Explanation: When attacking a concentrated enemy force, it is more effective to first divide their troops and then strike decisively. It is better to wait for the enemy's movements to be determined before launching an attack. During the Warring States period, Sun Bin and Pang Juan engaged in a battle of wits and strategy, including a famous episode called "Attacking Wei to Rescue Zhao." Both Sun Bin and Pang Juan were students of Guiguzi and had a close friendship, vowing to support and help each other after achieving success. However, Pang Juan feared Sun Bin's talent surpassing his own and plotted to harm Sun Bin, leaving him disabled. Fortunately, Sun Bin feigned madness and escaped execution, later being rescued by Qin Gulu, a disciple of Mozi, and brought back to the State of Qi. Later, King Hui of Wei sent Pang Juan to attack the State of Zhao. The capital of Zhao, Handan (now Handan City, Hebei Province), was in dire straits, and the King of Zhao offered the region of Zhongshan in exchange for Qi's military aid. King Wei of Qi appointed Tian Ji as the general and Sun Bin as the strategist, leading troops to rescue Zhao. At the time, Tian Ji was preparing to march to Handan, but Sun Bin proposed: "The Zhao general is no match for Pang Juan. By the time we reach Handan, the city will already be captured. It is better to station our troops midway and claim to attack Xiangling. Pang Juan will surely return, and when he does, we can strike him with ease." Xiangling was a vital territory of Wei. If Xiangling were lost, the capital of Anyi would also be in danger. Pang Juan had already planned to conquer Handan, but upon hearing of Qi's intention to attack Xiangling, he had no choice but to abandon Handan and return home at full speed to defend the capital. Qi seized the opportunity to intercept the exhausted Wei army midway and defeated them decisively. This lifted the siege of Handan and saved Zhao. Thus, the strategy of "Attacking Wei to Rescue Zhao" is about "attacking where the enemy must defend," not necessarily engaging them directly. As the saying goes, "The mantis captures the cicada, but the jay is behind it." The jay must save the cicada by attacking the mantis's most vulnerable point. In business, competition is like war, so when facing a strong competitor, it is better to strike from the side and attack their weaknesses, achieving significant results.
"Nanhua"
The Nanhua Chemical Industry Company, a major state-owned chemical enterprise in China, was founded in 1934 by the renowned patriotic industrialist Fan Xudong. It possessed strong capabilities in design, development, research, production, chemical fiber machinery manufacturing, and construction. After the market opened, competition among enterprises intensified, and Nanhua successfully used the "Attacking Wei to Rescue Zhao" strategy to resolve several urgent crises.
In Nanjing, there was a chemical factory that had a supply relationship with Nanhua. The factory supplied Nanhua with hydrochloric acid and caustic soda, while Nanhua supplied the factory with sulfuric acid and nitric acid. However, in previous years, due to poor production performance of sulfuric acid and nitric acid at Nanhua, the other factory exerted pressure, suspending the supply of hydrochloric acid and caustic soda, severely impacting Nanhua's production and posing a significant threat. Nanhua repeatedly explained the situation and requested understanding, but to no avail. In desperation, Nanhua decided to "attack the enemy's weaknesses" and organized the production of 800 tons of hydrochloric acid and caustic soda to meet urgent production needs, while suspending the supply of sulfuric acid and nitric acid to the other factory. This strategy worked effectively. The other factory immediately visited Nanhua, apologized repeatedly, and promised to continue cooperation and prevent such incidents from happening again.
Another example is a coal mine that supplied Nanhua with bituminous coal but had long been in arrears in deliveries. Nanhua sent personnel to stay and urge payment, and even leaders personally visited to seek assistance, but nothing worked. However, the mine relied on Nanhua for ammonium nitrate blasting in coal mining. Nanhua seized this opportunity and decided to arrange the delivery of ammonium nitrate based on the coal mine's delivery performance, making it a mutual condition. This immediately drew the mine's attention, forcing it to fulfill its coal delivery contracts.
Today, the Nanhua people used the "Attacking Wei to Rescue Zhao" strategy to solve practical difficulties, while Fan Xudong, the founder of Nanhua, had already skillfully employed this strategy decades earlier, with even greater ingenuity.
Outwitting the "King of Alkali"
When World War I broke out, Western countries were busy with the war, and the import of "foreign alkali" into China sharply declined, from 31,500 tons before the war to just 21 tons in 1916. The alkali market in old China saw a relative vacuum. Fan Xudong, a national capitalist who had long been involved in alkali production, did not miss this excellent opportunity to develop national industries. Through his active efforts and relentless advocacy, the first Chinese alkali production company—Yongli Alkali Company—was established in 1918. After World War I ended, the British company ICI, once known as the "King of Alkali" and the sole dominant player in China's alkali market, rushed back to China. However, they discovered a new competitor and, despite using both soft and hard tactics, could not crush Yongli. Even controlling Yongli was beyond their reach, which greatly angered ICI. After some planning and preparation, ICI decided to fight to the death. They brought a large amount of soda ash to the Chinese market at the original price of 40 yuan per ton, selling it at a loss to try to bankrupt Yongli. Compared to ICI, Yongli's strength was negligible. Facing ICI's low-price dumping offensive, the newly established Yongli was at the brink of survival. Fan Xudong was deeply worried. He knew that if Yongli matched ICI's prices, it would soon deplete its resources and collapse. If it didn't, its products would not sell, funds would not be recovered, and production would halt, making Yongli a shell of its former self. One day, while pacing and pondering a solution, Fan Xudong suddenly glanced at a photograph of himself studying in Japan and recalled his youth, when he had to flee to Japan to avoid the wrath of the Qing government after the failure of the "Hundred Days' Reform." The establishment of Yongli had taken advantage of ICI's temporary withdrawal from the Chinese market. Now that ICI had reappeared, could Yongli also "escape to Japan"? Japan had a more developed industry and was ICI's largest market in East Asia. With the recent end of World War I, reconstruction was underway, and ICI's production capacity was limited, so only a small amount of alkali could be shipped to East Asia. Now, to combat Yongli, ICI had shipped a large quantity of alkali to China, leaving Japan's alkali market relatively tight. Yongli should seize this chance to enter the Japanese market. ICI is attacking us head-on in China, so we should take a detour