At that time, Su Qin's younger brother Su Li, through the connection of the hostage from the state of Yan, sought an audience with the King of Qi. The King of Qi, still harboring resentment toward Su Qin, was unwilling to see him and sent someone to decline politely. Su Li then dispatched a messenger to persuade the King of Qi, saying: "I have heard that one who plans far must first examine what is near, and one who travels far must tread with care. Now Your Majesty, because of Su Qin, has rejected his brother as though casting him beyond a thousand li—this is like wishing to shoot a tiger yet first provoking its cub. Su Qin is the foremost rhetorician under heaven; his actions were taken not only for the sake of Yan but also for the benefit of Qi. Now that Your Majesty fails to perceive his true intent and instead vents anger upon his brother, I fear that Qi will lose the hearts of the world. Moreover, the sending of a hostage by Yan was not merely Yan's wish—it was, in truth, to Qi's advantage. If Your Majesty can, through this hostage, forge amity with Yan, then Yan will surely draw close to Qi, and Qi may rest in peace without a care. I beg Your Majesty to ponder this deeply." The King of Qi said, "Well spoken." Thereupon he received Su Li, conversed with him, and was greatly pleased. He then retained Su Li and appointed him a guest-minister.
💡 商战启示录
Su Li's persuasion strategy reveals a key insight in modern commercial warfare: when facing clients or partners who are on guard due to past grievances, one should not confront them head-on, but rather deliver value through indirect channels and reframe their perception of the situation. Rather than directly defending his brother Su Qin's missteps, Su Li shifted the focus from "personal grudges" to "national interests," pointing out that Su Qin's actions also benefited the state of Qi, and emphasizing that accepting the Yan hostage was a win-win strategy. This mirrors how, when a modern enterprise faces a brand crisis or a fractured prior partnership, a new team stepping in must avoid dwelling on old disputes and instead demonstrate the incremental value it can bring to the other party. For instance, after a tech company was maliciously defamed by a competitor, its new business head released data reports at a third-party industry summit to prove technological neutrality, and proactively proposed co-building industry standards with the rival, thereby dissolving hostility and fostering collaboration. Su Li's approach also embodies the wisdom of "leveraging momentum" and "layered communication": using the hostage—an existing resource—as a door-opener, while lowering the other side's psychological defenses through envoys rather than direct dialogue. In modern negotiations, this is akin to first conveying cooperative intent through consultants or industry associations, then attracting the other party with concrete benefit proposals (such as market sharing or cost savings), rather than rushing to self-justification. In the end, the King of Qi not only received Su Li but also entrusted him with significant responsibilities, demonstrating that in commercial gamesmanship, if one can transcend emotion and redefine relationships through rational interests, even a passive starting point can be transformed into strategic initiative.