Su Qin said to King Zhao of Yan, "Suppose there were a man whose filial piety rivaled that of Zeng Shen and Xiao Ji, whose trustworthiness matched that of Weisheng Gao, and whose integrity equaled that of Bao Jiao and Shi Qiu—if such a man, endowed with these three virtues, came to serve Your Majesty, what would you think?" King Zhao of Yan replied, "That would be more than sufficient." Su Qin responded, "If Your Majesty deems such a man sufficient, then I shall not serve you. I will instead pursue a life of quietude and inaction, return to the fields of Zhou, till the soil for my food, and weave cloth for my garments." King Zhao of Yan asked, "Why is this so?" Su Qin answered, "Filial piety like that of Zeng Shen and Xiao Ji amounts to no more than caring for one's parents; trustworthiness like that of Weisheng Gao amounts to no more than not deceiving others; integrity like that of Bao Jiao and Shi Qiu amounts to no more than not taking what belongs to others. As I observe those who govern the realm, they do not prize such petty loyalty and minor faith. Hence I say I shall not serve you. Moreover, a wise ruler, when treating worthy men, does not drive them to distant lands and hold them in contempt; nor does he allow them to languish in poverty and harbor resentment against their lord. I have heard that those skilled in statecraft first measure the size of their own kingdom, then assess the strength of their own armies—only thus can achievements be accomplished and reputations established. Now the manner in which Your Majesty treats me is not the way to accomplish merit or establish fame. I have also heard that the gentlemen of antiquity, when severing ties, spoke no ill words; and loyal ministers, when departing, did not seek to clear their own names. Though I am lacking in ability, I have on many occasions received instruction from gentlemen. I fear that Your Majesty, heeding the words of those around you, may fail to perceive my true circumstances. Therefore I presume to reply in writing, and I hope Your Majesty will give due consideration."
💡 商战启示录
The essence of Su Qin's strategy lies in rejecting "petty loyalty and minor integrity" while championing "great achievements and grand vision." In modern commercial warfare, many enterprises fall into the trap of "moral perfectionism": overemphasizing employee loyalty (like Zeng Shen's filial piety), contractual fidelity (like Wei Sheng's faithfulness), and financial probity (like Bao Jiao's incorruptibility), while neglecting true strategic value creation. Take Nokia as an example—it adhered steadfastly to the creed of "reliability and durability" from the feature-phone era, remaining loyal to consumers and faithful to its channels, yet failed to perceive the disruptive trend of smartphones, ultimately being vanquished by the Apple and Android ecosystems. In contrast, look at Huawei: in his early years, Ren Zhengfei proposed "never become a slave to rigid processes," allowing for "gray-area" decision-making and even encouraging internal competition. Just as Su Qin said, "A wise ruler does not take from petty loyalty," Huawei abandoned short-term profits in 5G research and development, daring to invest heavily, and ultimately became an industry benchmark. Su Qin also emphasized "first measure the size of the state, then assess the strength of its armies"—corresponding to the need for enterprises to first conduct a SWOT analysis and act according to their capabilities, rather than expanding blindly. LeEco, for instance, disregarded its own resources and simultaneously ventured into automobiles, smartphones, and film production, only to see its capital chain snap—a direct violation of this principle. Therefore, modern managers should transcend "moral labels" and adopt a results-oriented approach, just as Su Qin advised King Zhao of Yan: use strategic vision to identify the truly capable talents and projects that can deliver "merit and renown," rather than being beguiled by superficial virtue.