Encircling Wei to Rescue Zhao / 围魏救赵

Encircling Wei to rescue Zhao / 围魏救赵 is the strategy pattern 《资治通鉴·周纪》16丨孙膑庞涓恩怨纠葛 桂陵之战 draws from 孙膑’s advice to 田忌. 魏国 is attacking 赵国 at 邯郸, but Sun Bin rejects a direct rescue march and tells 齐国 to attack 大梁 instead.

The concept’s core is pressure displacement. A rescuer can change the war by threatening what the aggressor must protect, forcing the enemy to abandon its chosen battlefield and move into a prepared response. In the source, that move leads to 桂陵之战.

Key Claims

• The relevant target is not always the place where the ally is suffering.
• Attacking the enemy’s must-save point can turn passive rescue into active control of tempo.
• The strategy depends on reading what the enemy cannot politically or militarily ignore.
• The source pairs the pattern with 田忌赛马: both accept local asymmetry in order to win the larger contest.

Connections

• 孙膑 and 田忌 - strategist and commander.
• 齐国, 魏国, and 赵国 - states in the source.
• 大梁, 邯郸, and 桂陵之战 - target shift and battle outcome.
• Lure Enemy Out of Position / 诱敌离位 and Tian Ji Horse Racing / 田忌赛马 - adjacent strategic patterns.
• Early Warring States Interstate War / 战国早期诸侯混战 - broader conflict setting.