Tai Mountain Crushes Eggs
(Martial Art Culture Series)

“A mountain crushes eggs 泰山壓卵” has been used since ancient times to describe a great force utterly defeating a weak force and was later used to describe weapon techniques of martial arts. Here is an example of its usage in predicting the outcome of a battle followed by its application to specific weapons.
During the Later Zhou Dynasty (CE 951-960) after the founding Emperor passed away and the young Chai Rong acceded the throne (CE 954) he correctly surmised that the Northern Han empire would take advantage of his mourning rites performed for the recently departed Emperor.
Liu Chong, the Emperor of the Northern Han, dispatched an envoy to the Khitan, a powerful confederation of mounted warriors to the north of China, requesting troops to reconquer the Later Zhou. The Khitan committed ten thousand “Iron Horse” troops and more than five times that many tribesmen. “Commanded by Yang Gun, the force was allegedly a hundred thousand strong.”
Chai Rong anticipated Emperor Liu Chong’s plan and put forward his own strategy to take advantage of the impending attack. A court scribe recorded the conversation.

Liu [Chong] slights me for my youth, regarding my recent installation and formal mourning duties as virtual guarantee that I will not emerge for battle. Those adept at deploying armies must call the element of surprise: I should thus personally command a raid.

Should the vultures of Liu [Chong] engage my soldiers, they will be crushed like eggs under a mountain.
Chai Rong’s Chief Minister, now in his twilight years and with decades of experience in advising emperors of the previous short lived dynasties said, “And presumably Your Majesty will be the mountain that crushes them!” An angry Chai Rong rose to leave, his resolve in leading the army strengthened and he led the campaign at Gaoping to victory county in April of CE 954.

Six hundred years later general Qi Jiguang recorded a series of his spear techniques and had them published with illustrations and description of applications. One of them was called Tai Mountain Crushes the Egg.