History
兵貴神速
Speed Is the Essence of War
Korean: 병귀신속Japanese: 兵は神速を貴ぶ（へいはしんそくをたっとぶ）Pinyin: bīng guì shén sù
Meaning
In war, divine speed is the supreme virtue — strike before the enemy can prepare. Momentum and surprise decide everything.
Origin story
After crushing Yuan Shao at Guandu, Cao Cao planned to chase Yuan’s sons deep into the northern steppes. Guo Jia saw that dragging a heavy baggage train a thousand li would forfeit the chance: "In war, speed is everything — drop the baggage, take light cavalry, ride day and night, and strike where they least expect." Cao Cao did exactly that, forcing the mountain paths with picked horsemen and smashing the unprepared enemy at White Wolf Mountain. The lightning campaign pacified the north, and Guo Jia’s words became the axiom of speed.
Source: Records of the Three Kingdoms — Guo Jia
People
Modern examples
- With trend products, speed is the essence — deliberate too long and the market is gone.
- In incident response, speed rules: restore first, analyze later.