11
The plum tree dries up instead of the peach tree.
Interpretation:
When your losses are inevitable
And the situation seems hopeless
A weak position must be sacrificed
To further strengthen the strong.
Every confrontation has strengths and weaknesses. Complete victory is rare. Sometimes you need to sacrifice your weaknesses to strengthen your position. The winner is the one who uses his strengths against the enemy's weaknesses, or who manages to overcome the enemy's strengths by using his weaknesses.
And the situation seems hopeless
A weak position must be sacrificed
To further strengthen the strong.
Every confrontation has strengths and weaknesses. Complete victory is rare. Sometimes you need to sacrifice your weaknesses to strengthen your position. The winner is the one who uses his strengths against the enemy's weaknesses, or who manages to overcome the enemy's strengths by using his weaknesses.
Historical example:
In ancient times, the territory of the weaker Han kingdom was unexpectedly invaded by the Qin kingdom. The ruler did not know how best to defend his lands, and turned to the wise military leader Gong Zhongming for advice.
Gong Zhongming gave advice using a metaphor from a folk song: “The plum tree withers instead of the peach tree.” However, the king, depressed by his thoughts, could not understand the deeper meaning of these words. Then the military leader explained that if measures are not taken, insects will attack the peach tree and it will die. Pointing to two trees that grew in the garden in front of the royal court, he said: “Suppose the small tree is a peach and the large tree is a plum. The peach tree was suddenly attacked by insects. If you want to save it, you need to convince the insects to attack the peach tree instead plum."
The king understood Gong Zhongming's plan. He sent an ambassador to Qin to conclude a military alliance with the Qin people against the kingdom of Chu. He gave Qin a large city in the Khan's lands as a gift. But the plan to preserve Han was not destined to come true, because the ruler of the kingdom of Chu used the same stratagem against the kingdom of Han. He sent a messenger with rich gifts to the Han king and convinced him to enter into an alliance against Qin. When Qin troops again attacked the Han kingdom, it never received reinforcements from Chu. Having suffered a complete defeat, the Han kingdom turned into one of the inheritances of the now large Qin kingdom. To preserve the kingdom of Chu, the kingdom of Han was sacrificed.
Gong Zhongming gave advice using a metaphor from a folk song: “The plum tree withers instead of the peach tree.” However, the king, depressed by his thoughts, could not understand the deeper meaning of these words. Then the military leader explained that if measures are not taken, insects will attack the peach tree and it will die. Pointing to two trees that grew in the garden in front of the royal court, he said: “Suppose the small tree is a peach and the large tree is a plum. The peach tree was suddenly attacked by insects. If you want to save it, you need to convince the insects to attack the peach tree instead plum."
The king understood Gong Zhongming's plan. He sent an ambassador to Qin to conclude a military alliance with the Qin people against the kingdom of Chu. He gave Qin a large city in the Khan's lands as a gift. But the plan to preserve Han was not destined to come true, because the ruler of the kingdom of Chu used the same stratagem against the kingdom of Han. He sent a messenger with rich gifts to the Han king and convinced him to enter into an alliance against Qin. When Qin troops again attacked the Han kingdom, it never received reinforcements from Chu. Having suffered a complete defeat, the Han kingdom turned into one of the inheritances of the now large Qin kingdom. To preserve the kingdom of Chu, the kingdom of Han was sacrificed.