Su Dai said to King Zhao of Yan, "Suppose there were a man here, filial as Zeng Shen and Xiao Ji, trustworthy as Wei Shenggao, incorruptible as Bao Jiao and Shi Qiu, possessing all three virtues, and he came to serve Your Majesty—how would that be?" King Zhao of Yan replied, "That would be more than sufficient." Su Dai answered, "If you deem it sufficient, then I too deem it sufficient. Yet why does Your Majesty not send eloquent envoys to persuade the states with these words? Qin would surely accept, Qi would surely accept, Chu would surely accept, Zhao would surely accept, Wei would surely accept, Han would surely accept, and Yan would surely accept as well. Allow me to test this. Let me first explain the reasoning: filial piety like that of Zeng Shen and Xiao Ji is merely serving one's parents; trustworthiness like that of Wei Shenggao is merely not deceiving others; incorruptibility like that of Bao Jiao and Shi Qiu is merely not stealing from others. But I am a man of ambition and advancement. I hold that incorruptibility cannot bring honor to oneself, trustworthiness cannot establish one's words, and filial piety cannot accomplish one's deeds. Thus my loyalty is not mere filial piety, not mere trustworthiness, not mere incorruptibility. I have heard: one skilled in statecraft first measures his own state, not his own army; first measures his own virtue, not his own force. Therefore even a small state may achieve great undertakings. Now if Your Majesty desires great achievements, it would be better to cast aside resentment and treat Qi generously, drawing it close and employing it urgently. One who wishes to enrich his state must expand his territory; one who wishes to strengthen his army must enrich his people; one who wishes to become king must widely bestow his grace. With these three foundations secured, kingly rule will follow. Now Your Majesty serves Qi without exceeding its demands, yet Qi feels no gratitude; Your Majesty serves Qin without exceeding its demands, yet Qin feels no gratitude. With Your Majesty's brilliance, wielding the long reins from afar, can you alone fail to see this? I have heard: one who carries precious treasures does not walk by night; one who bears great achievements does not underestimate his foes. Thus the worthy bear heavy responsibilities with reverence, and the wise achieve great deeds with humble words. So the people do not detest their eminence, and the world does not envy their accomplishments. Now Your Majesty regards Qi as a fine steed, but I fear you will not ride it. If Your Majesty wishes to gain Qi's support, it would be better to summon Fei Yi and employ him, enriching and honoring him—then Qi would surely come to pay homage. This is what I mean by 'casting aside resentment and treating Qi generously.' If Your Majesty truly heeds my counsel, then I beg you to cede five cities to Qi to sue for peace. Qi would surely rejoice, then turn westward to scheme against Qin. In this way, Qi could be brought to ruin. Why does Your Majesty wait? I beg to go eastward to meet the King of Qi and covenant with him: to renounce the imperial title and draw close to Qin. Qi would surely comply, and then Your Majesty could have Qi harass Qin in the west, restrain Zhao in the north, repel Chu in the south, and annex Han and Wei in the east. If this comes to pass, then Yan is certain to achieve hegemony."
💡 商战启示录
Su Dai's strategy centers on "setting aside grievances to strengthen Qi," advancing by retreating and leveraging external forces. This offers a lesson for modern enterprises: when facing formidable rivals, one need not clash head-on but should set aside short-term conflicts, proactively seek cooperation, and even concede profits to gain strategic breathing room and resource integration. For instance, in the cola market, Pepsi long trailed Coca-Cola yet avoided direct confrontation; instead, through differentiated positioning, youth-oriented marketing, and even partnerships with its competitor's distributors, it skillfully borrowed momentum and eventually carved a niche in segmented markets. Su Dai emphasized "first assess one's virtue, not one's force," meaning evaluate soft power—brand, culture, ecosystem—before hard metrics like scale or profit. When Huawei expanded overseas, it often adopted a "win-win cooperation" stance, co-building networks with local operators and even yielding some benefits to secure market access and trust, ultimately overtaking competitors. Moreover, "those bearing precious treasures do not travel by night" reminds firms to remain low-key and cautious during major strategic moves, avoiding premature exposure of intent that could invite collective opposition. And "the wise achieve great deeds with humble words" cautions successful companies to stay modest even when dominant, lest arrogance breed enemies and forfeit long-term allies. Su Dai's strategy is essentially strategic patience and resource exchange in dynamic games, offering enterprises a competitive paradigm of "trading time for space" and "yielding profits for broader horizons."