As the Chu army closed in, the Jin generals were eager to fight.
Yet Duke Wen of Jin gave a surprising order: the entire army would retreat a full three days' march!
With battle just moments away, why would he choose to pull back?
It turns out, he was keeping a promise he had made to the King of Chu years ago.
In this episode, let's listen to the story behind the famous Chinese idiom “Retreat Three Days' March” (Tuì Bì Sān Shè)—a timeless tale of keeping one's word.
00:00:00 Children's Story: A Promise Worth a Thousand Pieces of Gold
00:00:35 How Did a Single Promise Become the Key to a Battle?
00:03:28 Why Did He Order a Retreat When the Two Armies Met?