shiji-kb

Use when seeking to replace a capable enemy commander with an inferior one through disinformation. Based on Qin's strategy at Changping to replace Lian Po (廉颇) with Zhao Kuo (赵括) by exploiting the enemy ruler's impatience with defensive tactics.

Use when besieging a fortified enemy or planning encirclement warfare. Based on Bai Qi's victory at Changping (长平) — feign retreat to draw the enemy out, deploy hidden forces to cut retreat routes, sever supply lines, and wait 40+ days for starvation-driven collapse.

Use when implementing comprehensive state reforms or transforming governance systems. Follows Shang Yang's model — mutual responsibility (什伍), family structure reform, merit-based ranks replacing hereditary privilege, and standardized weights, measures, and legal codes.

Use when prioritizing between competing strategic targets or evaluating conquest options. Weighs prestigious targets (symbolic resources like the nine tripods) against practical targets (territorial expansion) using feasibility, consequence, net benefit, and reputation criteria.

Use when taking command of new troops or establishing organizational authority. Follows Sima Rangju and Sun Wu's methods — enforcing punctuality penalties against high-ranking offenders, asserting 将在军君令有所不受, and demonstrating that rules apply equally regardless of status.

Use when building multi-state coalitions or diplomatic alliances against a dominant threat. Applies Su Qin's 合纵 strategy — analyzing each party's geography, military strength, and fears, then proposing concrete mutual defense terms with specific obligations per member.

Use when launching major policy reforms or establishing trust before implementing new laws. Follows Shang Yang's 徙木立信 method — creating a simple public task with escalating rewards to demonstrate that government promises are kept before announcing real reforms.

Use when facing a numerically superior enemy or planning ambush warfare. Employs Sun Bin's staged retreat (reducing cooking fires from 100,000 to 30,000) to feign mass desertion, plus asymmetric resource allocation (sacrifice weak vs. strong, deploy strong vs. middle) for 2-1 victories.

Use when persuading rulers, executives, or powerful figures who hold your fate. Applies Han Fei's 说难 framework to diagnose hidden motivations, avoid dangerous pitfalls (revealing secrets, pointing out faults), and build trust before speaking boldly.

Use when seeking lasting historical reputation or understanding how names endure across generations. Applies the 附骥尾 (attaching to the horse's tail) principle — cultivating personal virtue while associating with eminent figures to ensure one's legacy is recorded and transmitted.

Use when analyzing whether virtue correlates with worldly success or questioning cosmic justice (天道). Compares virtuous sufferers (伯夷, 颜回) against prosperous villains (盗跖) using Sima Qian's method to assess 天道无亲常与善人 and inform ethical decision-making.

Use when designing leadership succession plans or evaluating power transfer legitimacy. Follows the sage king model (尧舜禹) of merit-based selection through collective recommendation, decades-long testing in office, and formal transfer only after proven 功用既兴.

Use when forming military coalitions against a dominant adversary or recruiting allies for multi-front warfare. Analyzes enemy grievances to identify partners like 九江王黥布, 彭越, and 韩信, then coordinates simultaneous pressure to prevent force concentration.

Use when evaluating governance quality, assessing leadership effectiveness, or auditing a ruler's conduct. Provides positive and negative indicators covering talent retention, crisis response, wealth distribution, and popular sentiment to diagnose state health.

Use when sowing discord between enemy commanders and their trusted advisors or conducting disinformation campaigns. Deploys substantial resources to spread defection rumors, stages differential envoy treatment, and exploits resulting trust breakdowns to degrade enemy decision-making.

Use when a powerful minister faces suspicion from a ruler or when navigating dangerous court politics. Deploys four survival strategies — hostage-sending, deliberate self-pollution (自汙), graceful punishment acceptance, and honor-declining — to reduce perceived threat level.

Use when designing curricula for moral education, mentorship, or self-cultivation programs. Applies Confucius's four teachings (文行忠信), four eliminations (绝四), and heuristic pedagogy (不愤不启) to develop comprehensive character through progressive mastery.

Use when planning a rebellion, popular uprising, or regime change that requires perceived divine mandate. Creates legitimacy through fabricated omens, invocation of beloved historical figures, and the rallying cry 王侯将相宁有种乎 to mobilize popular support.

Use when facing a militarily superior enemy or planning attrition warfare. Employs deep fortification (深壁), supply line interdiction with light cavalry, and patient refusal of engagement to exhaust the enemy before launching a decisive counterattack during retreat.

Use when building popular support or consolidating political power through economic generosity. Implements asymmetric resource distribution — collecting with small measures, distributing with large — to cultivate mass loyalty and clan influence over time.

Use when evaluating territorial concessions or appeasement strategies against aggressive neighbors. Applies the 抱薪救火 (carrying firewood to extinguish fire) framework to expose why each concession emboldens further demands and weakens negotiating position.

Use when negotiating for survival under threat of execution or hostage situations. Restructures hostage transactions by demonstrating a living captive's leverage value, sequencing agreements to protect all parties, and buying time for allied intervention.

Use when persuading a powerful but hesitant ally to provide military assistance during a crisis. Covers acknowledging the situation, establishing the value relationship, presenting urgency arguments, articulating consequences of inaction, and framing the ally's loss from delayed intervention.

Use when evaluating candidates for government positions or assessing character suitability. Applies Li Ke's five-lens framework: 居视其所亲, 富视其所与, 达视其所举, 穷视其所不为, 贫视其所不取 to reveal values, generosity, judgment, principles, and integrity.

Use when evaluating unexpected benefits or opportunities during crisis or competition. Applies the principle that unearned benefits often carry hidden costs: analyze the source, examine causation chains, assume strategic motivation, and evaluate long-term consequences before accepting or rejecting.