偷梁换柱
Stratagems of Combining · 并战计Replace the enemy's key components with inferior ones. Undermine their strength from within by substitution.
Zhao Gao of Qin famously demonstrated "calling a deer a horse" — by systematically replacing loyal officials with his own people, he effectively swapped the beams of government, leaving the Emperor with a hollow structure while real power lay elsewhere.
Microsoft gradually replaced proprietary Windows components with open-source alternatives, then contributed heavily to open source. The "beams" of a closed ecosystem were quietly swapped for open ones, fundamentally changing the company's DNA.
Zhao Gao presented a deer to the emperor and called it a horse. Officials who agreed were loyal to Zhao Gao; those who said "deer" were identified and eliminated. By "swapping the beams," Zhao Gao hollowed out the court.