Someone said to Zhou Zui, "The King of Wei has entrusted the affairs of the state to you, hoping that you will unite with Qin to attack Qi. Xue Gong, a former minister of Qi, has lightly abandoned his fiefdom of Xue and disregarded the tombs of his ancestors. Now I wish to request on behalf of the King of Wei that you facilitate the alliance between Wei and Qin to attack Qi." Zhou Zui replied, "Qi is my enemy—why should I not attack it? Yet I have heard that the wise do not defy the times to forsake advantage, the brave do not fear death to ruin their reputation, and the loyal do not put themselves before their sovereign. Now the King of Wei has entrusted the state to you; you will surely treat Qin well to serve Wei, and the King of Wei will surely treat you well to serve Qin. If so, then Qi can be attacked. If the King of Wei does not serve Qin, then Qi will surely serve Qin; if Qi serves Qin while the King of Wei does not, then Qi will attack Wei, and Qin will aid Qi. The King of Wei had better treat Qin well to attack Qi, for this is advantageous." The King of Wei said, "Well said." Thereupon he went with Zhou Zui to Qin; Qin indeed treated Zhou Zui well, and the King of Wei also treated him well, and so they attacked Qi.
💡 商战启示录
This strategy exemplifies the wisdom of Warring States diplomats in forging alliances through calculated interests, mirroring strategic cooperation and competitive gamesmanship in modern business. The core of Zhou Zui's analysis lies in "benefit" and "momentum": if Wei does not ally with Qin, Qi might ally with Qin and turn against Wei, so proactive alliance-building is prevention before crisis. This parallels how enterprises, facing formidable competitors, often consolidate their positions through strategic partnerships—such as joint ventures or technology sharing—to avoid isolation. For instance, in the smartphone market, Google collaborated with manufacturers like Samsung to promote the Android system against Apple's iOS ecosystem, expanding market share through alliance rather than solitary struggle. Zhou Zui also emphasized that "the wise do not defy the times nor forsake advantage," urging timely action lest shortsightedness squander opportunity. Modern firms like Netflix, in the streaming wars, partnered early with content producers to capture consumer mindshare rather than awaiting market maturity. Furthermore, Lord Xue's lesson of "lightly forgetting his fief of Xue" warns enterprises against neglecting their foundations, as Nokia declined by overlooking the smartphone trend. Thus, business decisions must weigh internal and external dynamics, proactively forge advantageous "vertical and horizontal alliances," while preserving core competitiveness, to remain invincible.