The King of Chu was about to send Zhang Zi away from the state of Chu, yet he feared that Zhang Zi might harm his interests. He said to his attendants, “Zhang Zi is a renowned persuader under heaven. I am afraid that he will use Chu as a pretext in his rhetoric to elevate his own standing in the court of Qin.” His attendants replied, “Your Majesty need not worry. Your servant is willing to thwart him on Your Majesty’s behalf. Zhang Zi has come this time intending to rely on the might of Qin to coerce Chu into ceding territory. If Your Majesty yields, Chu will surely be weakened; if Your Majesty refuses, Qin will surely be angered. Your servant requests permission to go to Zhang Zi and persuade him to leave Chu and proceed to Qi, so that Chu may be free of anxiety.” The King of Chu said, “Excellent.” Thereupon he dispatched an envoy to Qi. When Zhang Zi heard of this, he said to the King of Chu, “I have heard that Your Majesty has sent an envoy to Qi. I beg to take my leave and depart.” The King of Chu asked, “Where will you go?” Zhang Zi replied, “I shall go to Qi.” The King of Chu asked, “What will you do in Qi?” Zhang Zi answered, “I have heard that the King of Qi holds men of worth in the highest esteem. I shall present to him the strategy of the Vertical Alliance, seeking to bind Qi and Chu in friendship, and to prevent Qin from realizing its ambitions under heaven.” The King of Chu was greatly pleased and sent him off with lavish gifts. When Zhang Zi arrived in Qi, the King of Qi indeed honored him, and Zhang Zi thereupon employed the strategy of the Vertical Alliance, uniting Qi and Chu to resist Qin. When Qin learned of this, it abandoned its plans to attack Chu. Only then did the King of Chu come to his senses, saying, “I was nearly betrayed by Zhang Zi, and lost the aid of Qi.”
💡 商战启示录
This strategy reveals the game-theoretic wisdom of "information asymmetry" and "strategic misdirection" in commercial warfare. Zhang Zi exploited King Chu's anxiety over his own interests by proactively proposing a journey to Qi, creating a strategic smokescreen that led the king to mistakenly believe Zhang would assist Chu against Qin, thereby lowering his guard and bestowing lavish gifts. In reality, upon reaching Qi, Zhang executed a scheme of sowing discord under the guise of alliance-building, compelling Qin to suspend its attacks on Chu while leaving Chu isolated. In modern business, this tactic parallels the "feint to the east, strike to the west" negotiation technique: enterprises often disrupt rivals' decision-making by releasing false signals of cooperation—such as claiming talks with a competitor—or by disseminating misleading information through third-party platforms. For instance, a tech company, during funding negotiations, deliberately hinted to investors that "another giant was considering an acquisition," thereby inflating its valuation, though no such acquisition was ever intended, ultimately closing the round at a higher price. King Chu's eventual awakening, however, serves as a cautionary tale: decision-makers must see through surface appearances and verify the true intent behind counterparties' actions, lest they be swept along by "strategic narratives." In business negotiations, one should establish intelligence-verification mechanisms and cross-check critical information rather than hastily adjusting strategies based solely on rhetoric or third-party movements. The true defense in commercial warfare lies in building an irreplaceable moat of one's own—not in relying on the "goodwill" or "misdirection" of others.