When Lord Mengchang served as prime minister of the state of Qi, one of his retainers, Wei Zi, was sent to collect taxes from his fief. Three times he went, yet returned with nothing. Lord Mengchang asked him why, and Wei Zi replied, "I encountered a worthy man and privately lent him the tax revenue I had collected, and so I could not bring anything back." Lord Mengchang, greatly angered, dismissed Wei Zi.
Several years later, someone slandered Lord Mengchang before King Min of Qi, saying, "Lord Mengchang is plotting rebellion." When the incident of Tian Jia seizing King Min occurred, the king grew suspicious of Lord Mengchang, who was forced to flee. The worthy man whom Wei Zi had aided heard of this and submitted a memorial to King Min, declaring that Lord Mengchang would never rebel, and offered his own life as a guarantee. He then cut his throat before the palace gates to prove Lord Mengchang's innocence. The king was deeply shaken and sent men to investigate. Finding that Lord Mengchang indeed harbored no treacherous intent, he summoned him back to court. Lord Mengchang, seizing the opportunity, pleaded illness and requested retirement, returning to his fief of Xue to live out his days—a request the king granted.
💡 商战启示录
This tale reveals the core value of "long-term trust capital" in modern commercial warfare. Lord Mengchang dismissed Wei Zi for the short-term loss of unpaid rent, a decision that seemed decisive yet overlooked the strategic investment behind Wei Zi's actions—the patronage of "worthy men," which ultimately saved Lord Mengchang in a moment of crisis. This mirrors how corporations, pressured by quarterly earnings, may cut R&D or philanthropic investments, only to strangle their future lifeline. For instance, Alibaba invested heavily in cloud computing in its early years, enduring consecutive losses; Jack Ma withstood the pressure, and Alibaba Cloud eventually became a growth engine. Had they abandoned it for short-term profits, today's landscape would be unimaginable. Another case is Huawei: Ren Zhengfei insisted on substantial R&D spending, and even under sanctions, the "backup plan" HiSilicon was activated overnight, defusing the crisis. The wisdom of commercial warfare lies in this: leaders must distinguish between "ineffective leakage" and "strategic expenditure," building networks of trust rather than fixating on ledger numbers. Wei Zi's act resembles a corporation investing in talent or community—though yielding no immediate return, it ensures that when reputation is damaged or legal crises arise, there are those willing to offer "self-sacrificial" loyalty—be it employees refuting false accusations or customers rallying in support—as a testament of faith. Lord Mengchang's eventual retirement "under the pretext of illness" also reminds entrepreneurs that after a crisis of trust, stepping back gracefully to preserve one's brand is sometimes wiser than a forceful comeback.