During the reign of Emperor Xuan of the Western Han Dynasty, the Qiang people, a minority group in northern China, grew increasingly powerful and launched an invasion, seizing much of the Han border territory.
Emperor Xuan of Han received the frontier report, summoned his ministers to discuss countermeasures, and said:
"Qiang people are invading, who among you is willing to lead troops to repel them
Emperor Xuan of Han knew that Zhao Chongguo had decades of experience defending the borders and dealing with enemies, so he asked happily, "With you leading the troops, I am very relieved. May I ask how many soldiers you need to defeat the Qiang people?"
Zhao Chongguo replied, "Hearing about something a hundred times is not as good as seeing it once. Military strategy cannot be planned from a distant location. Let me first take a small force to the border to survey the situation, assess the enemy's strength, and then devise a plan to report to Your Majesty. Only after that can we determine and deploy the necessary troops."
"Good! Let's do it that way." Emperor Xuan of Han agreed.
Zhao Chongguo led only a few thousand troops. As they crossed the surging Yellow River, they encountered a small Qiang force. Zhao immediately ordered an attack, quickly routed the enemy, and captured many prisoners. His men prepared to pursue, but Zhao stopped them, saying:
"Our army has traveled a long distance. Although we won a small victory, we must not underestimate the enemy. This is only a small enemy force. If we pursue them far, we might encounter an ambush with superior numbers, and we would suffer a great loss, making it difficult to complete the mission to annihilate the enemy. We cannot risk losing a lot for a little."
His subordinates, upon hearing this, were all deeply impressed by the old general's insight.
General Zhao Chongguo stationed his troops on the frontier and interrogated captured Qiang prisoners, learning of internal discord among the Qiang tribal leaders. He devised a strategy to hold the line while dividing and conquering the enemy, weakening their unity through calculated pressure.
General Zhao Chongguo sent a report to Emperor Xuan of Han detailing his strategy. Delighted, the emperor granted Zhao full authority to manage all affairs on the northwestern frontier.
Thus, with only a modest force, Zhao Chongguo pacified the northwestern frontier, earning widespread acclaim.
Later, the idiom "Seeing is Believing" came to describe that no amount of hearsay is as reliable as seeing with one's own eyes.
Source: *Book of Han*, "Biography of Zhao Chongguo"
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "百闻不如一见" came to describe how no amount of hearsay is as reliable as seeing with one's own eyes.