After King Zhao of Yan ascended the throne over the shattered remnants of his state, he humbled himself and bestowed lavish gifts to attract worthy talents, seeking to rely on them to avenge his father's disgrace. Thus he went to visit Master Guo Wei and said, "Qi took advantage of our internal turmoil to breach Yan. I know well that Yan's territory is small and its strength feeble, insufficient for vengeance. Yet if I could obtain wise men to govern the state alongside me and wash away the shame of my predecessors, that is my earnest wish. Pray tell, how might one seek revenge for the state?" Master Guo Wei replied, "Sovereigns who achieve imperial sway treat the worthy as teachers; those who attain kingly rule treat them as friends; those who reach hegemonic power treat them as ministers; while rulers doomed to ruin treat them as menial servants. If one bends oneself to others, faces north to receive instruction, then talents surpassing oneself a hundredfold will arrive. If one rushes forth first and rests last, inquires before others and then falls silent, then talents surpassing oneself tenfold will come. If one merely follows what others do, then those of equal ability will draw near. If one leans upon a low table, props oneself on a staff, glances askance and points imperiously, then only servile attendants will appear. If one indulges in violence and arbitrary abuse, then only slaves and criminals will come. Such are the ancient methods of practicing true kingship and gathering worthy men. If Your Majesty broadly selects the wise within the realm and visits their gates, when all under heaven hear that the king pays homage to worthy ministers, the scholars of the world will surely hasten to Yan." King Zhao asked, "Whom should I visit first?" Guo Wei replied, "I have heard that in antiquity a ruler offered a thousand gold pieces for a thousand-li steed, yet three years passed without obtaining one. A courtier said to the ruler, 'Let me go and seek it.' The ruler dispatched him. After three months he found such a steed, but it had already died, so he purchased its bones for five hundred gold pieces and returned to report. The ruler flew into a rage, saying, 'I wanted a living horse—how could you buy a dead one and squander five hundred gold?' The courtier answered, 'If even a dead horse is bought for five hundred gold, how much more a living one? All under heaven will surely deem Your Majesty a connoisseur of horses, and steeds will soon arrive.' Indeed, within a single year, several thousand-li horses came. Now if Your Majesty truly wishes to attract worthy men, begin with me, Guo Wei. If even I am honored, how much more those more worthy than I? Would they begrudge a thousand li of distance and fail to come?" Thereupon King Zhao built a grand residence for Guo Wei and honored him as his teacher. Le Yi came from Wei, Zou Yan from Qi, and Ju Xin from Zhao—scholars vied to hasten to Yan. King Zhao mourned the dead, comforted the living, and shared hardship and plenty with the people. After twenty-eight years, Yan grew prosperous and abundant; the soldiers were content and at ease, no longer dreading the prospect of war. Then King Zhao appointed Le Yi as supreme general, joining with Qin, Chu, and the Three Jin states in a concerted plan to attack Qi. The Qi army suffered a great defeat, and King Min of Qi fled into exile. The Yan forces alone pursued the routed enemy, pressing straight into Linzi, seizing all of Qi's treasures and burning its palaces and ancestral temples. Of Qi's cities, only Ju and Jimo remained unconquered.
💡 商战启示录
King Zhao of Yan's strategy of "humbling himself and offering lavish gifts" manifests in contemporary business warfare as building core competitiveness through respecting talent and making long-term investments. Take Alibaba as an example: Jack Ma was not originally from a technical background, yet with the vision of "making it easy to do business anywhere," he personally visited and invited exceptional talents such as Joseph Tsai and Guan Mingsheng to join, granting them full trust and equity incentives (akin to "building a palace and treating them as masters"), thereby laying the company's foundation. This aligns with the logic of King Zhao first using Guo Wei as a benchmark and then attracting talents like Yue Yi—enterprises must clearly demonstrate their regard for talent to attract top-tier individuals. Furthermore, King Zhao's long-term philosophy of "sharing hardships with the people" corresponds to Huawei's culture of "putting strivers first," where through employee stock ownership and collective dedication during arduous entrepreneurial periods, the company ultimately achieved technological breakthroughs and global leadership. Guo Wei's lesson of "spending a thousand gold pieces on a horse's bones" advises enterprises that in brand building or talent recruitment, one sometimes must first invest in seemingly "dead horse" cases or reputations—such as Tesla opening its patents or Apple establishing a developer academy—to attract ecosystem partners. Finally, King Zhao's patience over "twenty-eight years" reminds modern enterprises that strategic transformation requires sustained commitment, as exemplified by Amazon enduring years of losses before becoming a giant, rather than chasing short-term profits. In sum, the ancient strategies of "honoring the worthy" and "sharing hardships" remain core principles in modern business for building trust, uniting teams, and achieving disruptive innovation.