The State of Qin attacked the State of Zhao, and the King of Zhao appointed Zhao Kuo as the supreme commander. Zhao Kuo's mother admonished the king, saying, "If Your Majesty makes Zhao Kuo the general, it will surely end in failure." The King of Zhao replied, "My decision is already made." Zhao Kuo's mother then said, "I beg Your Majesty not to send him. Zhao Kuo has studied the art of war since childhood and speaks of military strategy as if no one under heaven could rival him. He once debated military matters with his father, Zhao She, and though his father could not refute him, he did not regard him with favor. When Zhao Kuo's mother asked Zhao She why, he said, 'War is a matter of life and death, yet Zhao Kuo speaks of it too lightly. If the State of Zhao does not employ Zhao Kuo as general, that is well and good; but if it must employ him, the one who will bring ruin upon the Zhao army will surely be he.'"
When Zhao Kuo was about to set forth, his mother submitted a letter to the King of Zhao, saying, "Zhao Kuo cannot be made general." The king asked, "Why?" She replied, "In former days, I served his father. When his father was general, he personally offered food to more than ten of those who dined with him, and counted over a hundred as his friends. Whatever gifts the king and the royal clan bestowed upon him, he distributed entirely among his officers and men. On the day he received his command, he concerned himself no more with affairs of the household. Now, once Zhao Kuo becomes general, he sits facing east to receive the homage of his subordinates, and no officer dares to look him in the eye. The gold, silver, silks, and fabrics bestowed by Your Majesty, he carries home and hoards entirely, and each day he seeks out suitable fields and estates to purchase. Does Your Majesty think he resembles his father? Father and son are not the same; their hearts and intentions differ. I beg Your Majesty not to send him."
The King of Zhao said, "Madam, do not interfere further. My decision is already made." Zhao Kuo's mother then said, "Since Your Majesty insists on sending him, if he proves unworthy, may I be spared from implication in his failure?" The king consented.
After Zhao Kuo replaced Lian Po, he altered all the regulations and disciplines of the army and replaced the subordinate officers. When the Qin general Bai Qi learned of this, he dispatched elite troops in a feigned retreat, then cut off the Zhao army's supply routes, splitting the army into two sections and sowing discord among the soldiers. After more than forty days, the army was starving, and Zhao Kuo personally led his finest soldiers in a desperate charge. The Qin forces shot him dead with arrows. The Zhao army suffered a great defeat, and several hundred thousand soldiers surrendered to the Qin forces, who buried them all alive. In total, the State of Zhao lost four hundred and fifty thousand men.
💡 商战启示录
Zhao Kuo's defeat stemmed from his armchair strategizing—he lacked real combat experience, was obstinate and self-opinionated, and showed little regard for his troops. In the arena of business warfare, many corporate leaders commit similar errors: they place blind faith in theoretical models while ignoring market realities; they parachute in executives from outside who initiate reckless transformations, leaving teams fragmented and demoralized. For instance, a well-known internet company once hired a CEO with a pedigree from a top-tier business school. Upon taking office, he aggressively pushed forward a theory-driven strategic overhaul without delving into the company's actual operations or understanding user needs. At the same time, he drastically reshuffled the organizational structure, provoking discontent among the core team. Ultimately, performance plummeted, and he was forced to step down. In contrast, successful entrepreneurs such as Ren Zhengfei emphasize the principle of "letting those who hear the gunfire call for artillery," respecting frontline experience and prioritizing pragmatic execution. The wisdom of business warfare lies in this: leaders must integrate theory with practice, listen to internal voices, proceed cautiously with change, and avoid flashy yet hollow strategies. The lesson of Zhao Kuo serves as a stark warning—in a rapidly shifting market, only by staying grounded and treating risk with reverence can one remain invincible.