Qi, weakened by the turmoil of the Nao Jun rebellion, became vulnerable to Qin's machinations. Qin seized the opportunity to propose that Zhao adopt the imperial title—King Zhaoxiang of Qin styled himself "Emperor of the West" and honored King Huiwen of Zhao as "Emperor of the East." The King of Qi was also inclined to recognize Qin's imperial claim. Su Dai, writing from Yan, sent a letter to the King of Qi, saying:
"I have heard of the deliberations concerning Qin's assumption of the imperial title, and that Your Majesty intends to honor Qin as emperor. Allow me to offer an analogy. The tiger is a fierce beast, and no man does not fear it. Yet when the tiger hunts the ox, it invariably crouches low, bides its time, and then springs upon its prey—thus, though the ox be mighty, it cannot resist. Now Qin's power is like the tiger; Qi's fear of Qin is like the ox. Qin's desire to rule the empire as emperor is not of recent origin. If it dares not act rashly, it is because it fears Qi might unite the vertical alliance against it. Now if Your Majesty wishes to honor Qin as emperor, this is like the ox offering its own horns to the tiger, yet hoping to escape being devoured—impossible. Moreover, what Qin urgently seeks is not Qi, but Zhao. If Zhao assumes the imperial title, Qin's might will sweep across the empire—can Qi alone remain at peace? I have heard that the wise do not defy the times to abandon advantage, nor do the brave fear death to destroy their renown. Now Your Majesty would do better to detain Zhao's envoy, secretly ally with Yan and Wei, and together plot against Qin. If Qin assumes the imperial title, the empire will unite in righteous indignation and attack it, and Your Majesty may seize the moment to dispatch troops in response—this is the path to hegemony. If Qin does not assume the title, then Your Majesty should cultivate good relations with all states and consolidate the realm—this too is a superior strategy. I beg Your Majesty to consider this carefully."
Thereupon the King of Qi refrained from honoring Qin as emperor, and Zhao likewise dared not assume the imperial title.
💡 商战启示录
Su Dai's strategy here centers on "avoiding the enemy's sharp edge while forging a united front to counterbalance," which resonates profoundly with the modern business concepts of "co-opetition strategy" and "ecosystem alliances." When facing the aggressive expansion of an industry giant (such as the state of Qin), small and medium enterprises (like Qi and Zhao) that fight alone or rush to compromise will only be picked off one by one. Su Dai's counsel to the King of Qi against "submitting to Qin's imperial title" was precisely a move to prevent self-diminishment and the loss of independent standing under the pressure of a colossus. In modern commerce, when a super-platform or monopolistic enterprise attempts to "crown itself emperor" through industry standards, price wars, or acquisitions, weaker players should neither blindly follow nor engage in head-on confrontation. Instead, they should heed Su Dai's advice: first, "keep the envoy of Zhao," maintaining communication with peers of equal standing to avoid being divided; second, "secretly ally with Yan and Wei," uniting other stakeholders—such as upstream and downstream partners and complementary businesses—to form coalitions that jointly craft alternative standards or differentiated competitive strategies; and third, "bide time and act when the moment ripens"—if the giant overreaches and provokes market backlash (e.g., regulatory intervention or consumer boycotts), then ride the tide to seize both the moral and market high ground. A telling example: when multiple domestic smartphone makers once faced the patent barriers of a telecommunications titan, they did not each capitulate individually but instead counterbalanced through cross-licensing and the joint construction of patent pools. Similarly, regional retail alliances have survived against e-commerce giants by leveraging localized services and collective procurement. The wisdom of Su Dai lies in this: neither hastily pledging fealty nor proclaiming one's own supremacy, but rather preserving strategic initiative through dynamic alliances—ultimately carving out negotiating leverage and room to survive within the interstices of the giants' contests.