The Battle of Maling-A Textbook Ambush in Chinese Military History(Warring States 10)
Volume 2 - The Rise and Decline of the Wei State 6
Previous Chapter ：The Real “Besiege Wei to rescue Zhao”
After the defeat at Guiling桂陵 , through several years of recovery, King Hui of Wei魏惠王（reigned Wei 370-319BC） resolved to conquer Han韩（403-230BC）, aiming to establish a direct corridor between Wei's Hedong河东 and Henei河西 territories.
Let us examine the map of Han and Wei: the green-colored Han in the middle separates these two regions of Wei like a living room dividing two bedrooms in a three-room apartment.
To prepare diplomatically, King Hui took the following steps:
Returned Handan邯郸 (Zhao's capital captured during the Battle of Guiling) to Zhao赵（403-222BC）
Held an alliance meeting with Marquis Cheng of Zhao赵成侯(reigned 374-350BC) at the Zhang River漳河
Convened with Duke Xiao of Qin秦孝公（reigned 361-338BC） at Tong彤 (near present-day Chang'an长安), declaring: "I shall not pursue your seizure of Goyang固阳. Let us join hands to forge a brighter future."
Notably, King Hui did not seek an alliance with Qi齐 this time—he knew King Wei of Qi齐威王(reigned 356-320BC) was unreliable, making any overture pointless.
While this strategy appeared sound in principle, he once again neglected to secure his rear at Daliang大梁.
Thirteen years after the Battle of Guiling, the Wei army attacked Han, marching straight toward the Han capital (present-day Xinzheng新郑) with the intent to annihilate the state.
The Marquis Zhao of Han韩昭侯（reigned 362-333BC） recalled the events of thirteen years prior. Knowing exactly whom to turn to—just as the Zhao family had sought help from Qi back then—he sent envoys to Qi, pleading for rescue.
Qi, adhering to its longstanding strategy of "Central Plains balance of power," held a pre-war council. King Wei of Qi repeatedly emphasized: "Han must not fall. If the King Hui of Wei swallows Han, he will become unstoppable. We must send troops immediately to save them!"
At this moment, Sun Bin stepped forward and said: "Wait."
Then, Sun Bin孙膑 delivered a brilliant analysis:
"We must indeed rescue Han—but not now. Wei is launching this campaign with the goal of total conquest, committing its finest troops in full force. Their momentum is fierce.
If we intervene now, the Wei army will immediately turn its full might against us, and we may not be able to defeat them. Instead, we should let Han and Wei exhaust each other first. Only when the Wei troops are worn out and their army weakened should we strike."
In states that upheld the "Central Plains balance of power," politicians tended to be more seasoned, and the cost-benefit theory held the greatest sway. The high command of Qi unanimously approved this plan and sent a secret envoy to Han with the following message:
"You must hold on! We’re gathering our forces right now, but it’ll take some time—we’ve got too many allies to mobilize. We’ll fight the Wei to the death!"
With Qi’s promise in hand, Han decided against negotiating peace with Wei and instead threw its entire strength into resisting the invasion.