Kill with a Borrowed Sword

故事全文


  During the Spring and Autumn Period, there were three fearless warriors in Ci by the name of Gong Sun Jie, Tian Kai Jiang and Gu Jhih Zih.
  One day, the prime minister Yan Ying walked past the three generals. Court protocol demands that they rise and bow to Yan Ying as a matter of courtesy. However, the three of them just sat there without acknowledging Yan Ying's presence. Yan Ying said nothing on the spot. But afterwards, he told the king of Ci about this incident and advised him, ''These three generals have become arrogant because they have accomplished much on the battlefield. Today they only showed disrespect towards me. But who knows whether or not they will show disrespect towards your Majesty in the future. I suggest that they be removed as soon as possible so as to avoid any future troubles.'' The king of Ci,Jing Gong,had a high respect for Yan Ying and always followed his advice. So he agreed with him, but he added, ''But how? No one is strong enough to beat them. Nor is anybody capable of assassinating them.''Yan Ying replied, ''I have already figured out how to deal with them.'' He then told Jing Gong his plan to kill three warriors with two peaches. Two peaches were to be awarded to the two who deserved it the most.
  The three of them argued fiercely in the beginning. Gong Sun Jie said first, ''I caught a wild pig and a tiger alive with my bare hands. So I deserve the most.''Then he took one peach. Then Tian Kai Jiang said, ''I defeated a whole squad of soldiers with my spear.''Then took the other peach, too. Gu Jhih Zih turned red with anger, ''Am I less worthy than you two? ''He pulled his sword and challenged the other two to a duel. To everybody's surprise, the other two put the peaches back onto the table and said, ''Honor is more important than fighting over the rewards. We should be ashamed of ourselves.'' That said, Gong Sun Jie and Tian Kai Jiang slit their own throats with their swords and died. Having watched this, Gu Jhih Zih, too, killed himself the same way. Thus Yan Ying was able to remove three potential threats to the country of Ci without lifting a finger.

Strategy 3: Kill with a Borrowed Sword
   Openly use another to achieve one's purpose. ''Sword'' is used here as a metaphor for the means to an end.