Zhao Chongguo, a native of Shanggui (present-day Qingshui County, Gansu) during the Western Han Dynasty, once received an order from Emperor Xuan of Han to suppress a rebellion in the northwestern region.
Upon arrival, he assessed the situation and saw that while the rebel forces were larger, their morale was divided. Deciding to avoid heavy casualties, he chose a strategy of persuasion rather than direct confrontation.
Through his efforts, over ten thousand rebels surrendered. Zhao Chongguo then planned to withdraw the cavalry, leaving only a small force to cultivate the land while waiting for all rebels to submit.
But before Zhao Chongguo could report his findings to the emperor, an imperial decree arrived ordering an immediate full-scale assault on the rebels. After careful deliberation, Zhao Chongguo chose to follow his original plan and proceed with the work of pacifying the rebels through persuasion.
When Zhao Chongguo's son Zhao Mao heard the news, he urgently sent a messenger to urge his father to accept the emperor's command, warning that defying the imperial order could lead to execution—after all, if the emperor ordered the campaign, the emperor would bear the primary responsibility for victory or defeat.
And indeed, Zhao Chongguo had advised the emperor to send Jiuquan's governor Xin Wuxian to guard the northwestern frontier, but the emperor instead followed the counsel of his chancellor and imperial censors, dispatching the militarily inexperienced Yiqu Anguo to lead the troops—a decision that ended in a devastating defeat at the hands of the Xiongnu.
One year, the harvests in Jincheng and Huangzhong were so bountiful that grain prices plummeted. General Zhao Chongguo proposed to the emperor, "Let us purchase three million dan of grain to stockpile. When the border tribes see our ample provisions, their hearts will be won over, and even if they contemplate rebellion, they will not dare to act."
However, Imperial Secretary Geng later requested only one million bushels from the emperor, who approved just four hundred thousand, and Yi Qu Anguo carelessly wasted two hundred thousand more. Because of these two critical mistakes, such a massive rebellion erupted.
Zhao Chongguo thought of this and sighed deeply, saying:
"Truly, 'a miss is as good as a mile'! With the war still raging and dangers lurking everywhere, I must uphold my correct stance with my very life and turn the tide for the emperor. I believe a wise emperor can be spoken to with complete honesty."
Zhao Chongguo then presented his plan to the emperor, proposing to withdraw troops and implement military farming instead. Emperor Xuan accepted his strategy, which ultimately led to the pacification of the rebels through persuasion, achieving peace and stability for the nation.
Later, the idiom "A slight miss leads to a great error" came to describe how a tiny difference can result in a huge mistake.
Source: *Comprehensive Mirror for Aid in Government*, "Records of the Han"
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "失之毫厘，差之千里" came to describe how a tiny difference can result in a huge mistake.