After King Zhao of Yan passed away, King Hui ascended the throne, and his relations with the great general Yue Yi grew strained. Tian Dan of Qi, hearing of this, dispatched agents to Yan to sow discord with a stratagem of alienation, spreading rumors: “Qi now has but two cities left unconquered; the reason they have not been taken at once is that Yue Yi, it is said, harbors a grudge against the new king of Yan. He deliberately prolongs the war, lingering in Qi, so that he may declare himself sovereign. What Qi fears most now is that Yan will send another general in his stead.” King Hui of Yan, already suspicious of Yue Yi, heeded these slanderous whispers from Qi and dispatched Qi Jie to assume Yue Yi’s command, summoning the general back to the capital. Yue Yi, knowing that King Hui’s replacement of him with Qi Jie boded ill, feared for his life should he return, and so fled westward to surrender to Zhao. Zhao enfeoffed him with Guanjin, bestowing upon him the title of Wangzhu Jun, and honored him with great favor and distinction, thereby intimidating both Yan and Qi.
💡 商战启示录
King Hui of Yan, driven by suspicion of Yue Yi, replaced his general on the eve of battle, ultimately squandering a hard-won advantage—a profound revelation of the immense peril that a crisis of trust among corporate leadership can bring. In modern business, such cases abound: in Apple's early years, Steve Jobs was ousted amid conflicts with the board, plunging the company into a prolonged slump until his return restored its vigor. This serves as a warning to corporate leaders: in pivotal projects or with core talent, they must maintain strategic resolve and unwavering trust, lest internal discord dismantle their own defenses. Conversely, Tian Dan's stratagem of sowing discord mirrors the舆论战 and information warfare of modern competition, where rivals exploit internal fissures, disseminating falsehoods or manufacturing crises of confidence to erode an enterprise's competitiveness. Thus, companies should establish transparent communication mechanisms and a robust talent system, remain vigilant against external information, promptly refute rumors, and prevent internal collapse. Yue Yi's choice to defect to the State of Zhao and receive high regard there also illustrates that exceptional talent, when met with injustice, should decisively seek new platforms to realize their worth—while enterprises must reflect on how to retain core talent, lest managerial missteps lead to brain drain and strategic failure.