In the Spring and Autumn Period, Duke Huan of Qi led Guan Zhong and his ministers to attack the State of Guzhu. They set off in spring. But by the time they won the battle and prepared to go home, it was already winter. As the way home looked very different from when they left, no one knew which way to go. In the end, they got lost, and no one knew what to do. 

Just then, Guan Zhong suddenly had an idea. He told Duke Huan of Qi, “An old horse would know its way home. ” 

Duke Huan of Qi thought this was a great idea, and asked for a couple of old horses to be put in front of the army, so that they could follow the horses home. Miraculously, the old horses moved in the same direction. The army followed closely behind them, and finally found their way home.

春秋時代，齊桓公帶著管仲等大臣攻打孤竹國，他們春天出發，到打勝仗準備回國時，已經是冬天了。去時跟來時的景色不同，讓人弄不清楚哪一條路才是對的， 最後軍隊迷了路，不知道該怎麼辦才好。

就在這個時候，管仲忽然想到一個辦法， 他對齊桓公說：｢老馬應該記得哪一條路可以回家。｣

齊桓公覺得他說的話很有道理，就叫人把幾匹老馬放在最前面，讓軍隊跟著走。說也奇怪，這些老馬都不約而同地往同一個方向前進。軍隊緊跟著牠們的後面，終於找到回齊國的路了。