King Xi of Yan dispatched Li Fu with a hundred pieces of gold to offer congratulations to King Xiaocheng of Zhao on his birthday, and they feasted for three days. Upon his return, Li Fu reported: "The able-bodied men of Zhao have all perished in the Battle of Changping, and their orphans have not yet grown to maturity—Zhao may be attacked." The King of Yan then summoned the Lord of Changguo, Yue Jian, and asked: "What do you think?" Yue Jian replied: "Zhao is a state open to all quarters, and its people are well-versed in the art of war—it cannot be fought against." The King of Yan said: "If I attack with twice the force, would that be permissible?" The reply came: "No." The King said: "With three times the force?" Again the reply: "No." The King of Yan flew into a rage. All the ministers at his side deemed Zhao attackable, and so they hastily raised an army of six hundred thousand to strike at Zhao. Li Fu was commanded to lead four hundred thousand against Hao, while Qing Qin was sent with two hundred thousand against Dai. Zhao dispatched Lian Po with eighty thousand to meet Li Fu at Hao, and Yue Cheng with fifty thousand to confront Qing Qin at Dai. The Yan forces suffered a crushing defeat. Yue Jian fled into Zhao. The King of Yan wrote a letter reproaching Yue Jian and offering apologies, and Yue Jian replied in turn: "I have heard that the wise do not defy the times to abandon advantage, the brave do not fear death to destroy their renown, and the loyal do not place themselves before their sovereign. Now Your Majesty, over the trifling matter of a hundred pieces of gold for a birthday felicitation, has trusted the words of slanderous ministers and attacked Zhao—this is what I would call the act of one who is not wise. Moreover, since the Battle of Changping, the rulers and ministers of Zhao have been fraught with anxiety and fear, attending court at dawn and retiring late, speaking with humility, bestowing lavish gifts, forging marriage ties in every direction—uniting with Yan and Wei through kinship, and befriending Qi and Chu—all with one heart and one mind, devoted solely to guarding against Qin. Their strength is replenished, their weapons are firm, and so I said they must not be attacked. Now Your Majesty believes the whispers of those about you and wishes to strike Zhao—this is what is called lifting a cauldron and breaking one's own shins. I have heard that he who attacks order with chaos perishes, he who attacks righteousness with wickedness perishes, and he who attacks obedience with defiance perishes. Now Yan is weak, while Zhao is stronger than Qin. Your Majesty, by the bribe of a hundred pieces of gold, has summoned the armies of mighty Zhao—I privately think that for Your Majesty, it would be better not to attack." The King of Yan would not listen, and in the end suffered a great defeat.
💡 商战启示录
The King of Yan, misled by a superficial "friendly visit" (a congratulatory gift of a hundred gold pieces) into judging Zhao weak, offers a cautionary tale for modern enterprises: one must not launch a "commercial war" rashly based merely on a competitor's short-term appearances—such as layoffs or financial fluctuations. On the contrary, Yue Jian pointed to Zhao's underlying resilience—"ministers and sovereign alike vigilant in apprehension, rising early and retiring late, employing humble words and lavish gifts, forging alliances in all directions"—much as a company, after a crisis, strengthens internal governance, actively repairs its ecosystem, and deepens strategic partnerships. For instance, when Huawei faced sanctions in 2019, it appeared pressured on the surface, yet in truth accelerated its independent R&D (the HarmonyOS) and supply-chain restructuring; had rivals misjudged it as "conquerable" and recklessly cut supplies or imposed pressure, they would only have made Huawei stronger. The King of Yan, coveting the gain of "a hundred gold pieces," neglected the veracity of intelligence—akin to a company expanding blindly on the strength of an incomplete market report. LeEco, for example, overconfident in its "ecosystem counter-attack" and heedless of its cash-flow crisis, ultimately collapsed. The crux of commercial warfare lies in "knowing the other and knowing oneself." Yue Jian stressed that "the wise do not defy the times nor abandon advantage"—that is, decisions must rest on long-term trends and systematic analysis, not on short-term bait. Modern enterprises should establish multi-dimensional intelligence systems, assessing a rival's "vital spirit" and "armaments," lest a single negotiation or favorable earnings report provoke a price war or merger that, like the Yan army "lifting the cauldron and snapping their own sinews," recoils upon themselves. A successful example is Coca-Cola, which, when challenged by Pepsi, refrained from hasty price cuts and instead reinforced brand loyalty, ultimately securing its market position. Thus, this stratagem reminds us: in commercial decisions, one must calmly evaluate the opponent's true strength and strategic intent, and not be misled by appearances or slanderous counsel (internal bias), so as to avoid the defeat of "the weak attacking the strong."