李代桃僵
Stratagems of Defending · 敌战计Accept a minor loss to achieve a greater gain. Sacrifice something small to protect something more valuable.
Tian Ji, a general of Qi, consistently lost horse races. His advisor Sun Bin suggested sacrificing the weakest horses against the opponent's strongest, then using his best horses against their middling and weakest. The minor sacrifice of one round secured victory in two.
General Tian Ji of Qi consistently lost horse races until his advisor Sun Bin suggested: sacrifice your worst horse against his best (lose one), then use your best against his middle and your middle against his worst (win two). One deliberate loss secured overall victory.
JCPenney closed hundreds of underperforming stores to save the company. The short-term pain of closures (sacrificing the plum tree) preserved capital and focus for the remaining locations (saving the peach tree).