In our review of the 36 Strategies, we now come to #11: One tree falls for another.
This means that an individual sacrifice may be required for the greater goal.
During the Three Kingdoms period, the leader Cao Cao found that his army was unexpectedly running out of food. If the troops came to blame Cao Cao, they'd lose confidence in his leadership, and the campaign would probably not be successful.
He asked the Chief Cook to take the blame for the shortfall, promising him that his wife and family would be well taken care of after he was executed. The cook agreed, and the campaign continued as planned.
So that's how it works.
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