King Zhao of Yan ascended the throne after reclaiming his shattered kingdom. He humbled himself and offered lavish rewards to attract worthy talents, hoping to rely on them to avenge his state. Thus he went to visit Master Guo Wei and said, "Qi took advantage of our internal turmoil to breach and plunder Yan. I know well that Yan is weak and lacks the strength for vengeance. Yet if I could obtain wise men to govern the state together and wash away the shame of my predecessors, that would be my wish. Pray tell, how should one proceed to avenge the state?" Master Guo Wei replied, "Monarchs who achieve imperial dominion treat the worthy as teachers; those who achieve kingly rule treat them as friends; those who achieve hegemony treat them as ministers; while rulers who bring ruin to their states treat them as menial servants. If one humbles himself to serve the worthy, facing north to receive instruction, then talents surpassing him a hundredfold will arrive; if one acts before the worthy and rests after them, seeks counsel before them and falls silent after them, then talents surpassing him tenfold will come; if one follows the same path as others, then those of equal ability will arrive; if one leans on a table, grasps a staff, glances askance, and points and commands, then only servile sorts will come; if one indulges in tyranny and casual rebukes, then only slaves will come. Such are the ancient methods of practicing true kingship and summoning talent. If Your Majesty broadly selects the worthy within the state and personally calls upon their doors, when all under heaven hear that the king visits worthy ministers, the world's sages will surely vie to hasten to Yan." King Zhao asked, "Whom should I visit first as most fitting?" Master Guo Wei said, "I have heard that in antiquity a ruler offered a thousand gold pieces for a thousand-li steed, yet three years passed without acquiring one. A retainer said, 'Allow me to seek it.' The ruler dispatched him. In three months he found such a steed, but it had already died; he then bought its head for five hundred gold pieces and returned to report. The ruler flew into a rage, saying, 'I wanted a living horse—how could you spend five hundred gold on a dead one?' The retainer replied, 'If a dead horse is bought for five hundred gold, how much more a living one? All under heaven will surely deem Your Majesty skilled in buying horses, and steeds will soon arrive.' Thereupon, within less than a year, three thousand-li steeds were delivered. Now if Your Majesty truly wishes to attract worthy men, pray begin with me, Guo Wei. If I am still honored, how much more those more worthy than I? Would they begrudge a thousand li of distance and not come?" Thus King Zhao built a grand residence for Guo Wei and honored him as his teacher. Yue Yi came from Wei, Zou Yan from Qi, and Ju Xin from Zhao—worthy men rushed in competition to Yan. King Zhao mourned the dead, comforted the living, and shared hardships and joys with the common folk. After twenty-eight years, Yan grew prosperous and abundant; its soldiers felt at ease and were eager to fight for the state. Thereupon King Zhao appointed Yue Yi as supreme general, and together with Qin, Chu, and the Three Jin states, they plotted to attack Qi. The Qi army suffered a great defeat, and King Min of Qi fled abroad. The Yan forces alone pursued the routed enemy, breached Linzi, seized all of Qi's treasures, and burned its palaces and ancestral temples. Of Qi's cities, only Ju and Jimo remained unconquered.
💡 商战启示录
The story of King Zhao of Yan reveals the core logic of "talent strategy" in modern commercial warfare. Facing a shattered landscape, he did not lure with short-term gains but instead established trust among the worthy through the ultimate respect of "building a palace and serving as their disciple," creating a siphon effect where "scholars vied to flock to Yan." This mirrors Apple's invitation to Tim Cook, or how Silicon Valley firms attract top engineers with equity and vision—first setting a benchmark, then drawing like-minded talent. Guo Wei's strategy of "buying a thousand-li horse's bones with gold" manifests in business as "premium investment" in key talent: Google's hefty acquisition of small AI teams not only secures technology but also signals to the market its commitment to innovation, thereby attracting more exceptional minds. King Zhao's sharing of hardships with his people corresponds to modern corporate culture building, such as Haidilao's care for its employees, igniting internal cohesion and enabling "soldiers to delight in ease and fight lightly," achieving efficient execution in market competition. The "united plot to attack Qi" serves as a warning that enterprises must prudently choose strategic alliances, as Huawei collaborates with partners to break through technological barriers while guarding against betrayal by allies. Ultimately, King Zhao's triumph through long-termism reminds entrepreneurs to exercise patience in talent investment, not to be shortsighted by immediate costs—just as Amazon persisted in cloud computing through prolonged losses and ultimately dominated the field. The modern lesson of this case is that victory in commercial warfare hinges not on the abundance of resources, but on the ability to build a talent ecosystem with sincerity and foresight, transforming that culture into sustained competitiveness.