King Huai of Chu was about to release Zhang Yi (also known as Zhangzi) and send him back to his own state, yet he harbored lingering concerns that Zhang Yi might one day undermine Chu's interests. Turning to his ministers, he said: "Zhang Yi has come this time, intending to rely on the might of Qin and exploit the weakness of Chu to threaten me. Now I am inclined to let him go, but what should be done?" One of his ministers replied: "If Your Majesty is willing to heed my counsel, allow me to devise a scheme for his departure." The King asked: "How shall it be done?" The minister answered: "Your Majesty should not release Zhang Yi at once, but rather treat him with lavish courtesy and observe his movements. Zhang Yi once persuaded Qin with his policy of horizontal alliance, and Qin must hold him in high esteem. Now, if Your Majesty detains him, Qin will surely suspect that Chu harbors secret designs with Zhang Yi, and Zhang Yi himself will be unable to return to Qin. He will inevitably plead to leave on his own initiative, and then Your Majesty may send him off according to plan—thus Chu will be free of future troubles." The King said: "Well said." He therefore detained Zhang Yi, yet treated him with great honor. As expected, Zhang Yi soon requested to leave, and the King sent him away in accordance with the scheme.
💡 商战启示录
This tale reveals a core wisdom of commercial warfare: rather than rushing into direct confrontation, one regains the initiative through strategic "protraction," compelling the opponent to expose their own vulnerabilities. In modern business, when competitors apply pressure backed by superior resources, head-on engagement often proves prohibitively costly, whereas "overcoming motion with stillness" can fundamentally reshape the dynamics of the game. For instance, during the 2018 Sino-American trade friction, when Huawei faced the threat of a US chip supply cutoff, it neither capitulated immediately nor clashed head-on. Instead, it first "generously treated" its supply-chain partners to stabilize internal operations, while accelerating the development of alternative solutions such as the HarmonyOS. This strategy of "protraction" bought precious time, kept the opponent guessing at its true hand, and compelled Washington to reassess the costs of sanctions—ultimately leading to the suspension or adjustment of certain restrictions. Another case is ByteDance, which, when TikTok faced the threat of a US ban, initially refrained from an outright sale, instead "protracting" the decision through litigation and negotiation, ultimately securing more favorable terms or extensions. The core lesson is this: when an opponent arrives with the overwhelming momentum of a conquering Qin, one should neither respond hastily nor refuse outright, but rather reshape the rules by manufacturing uncertainty and raising the adversary's costs. This demands strategic composure from leaders—the capacity to endure short-term stalemates and to exploit information asymmetry in guiding the opponent toward choices that serve one's own interests. In short, "protraction" in commercial warfare is not passivity; it is the art of actively forging negotiating leverage.