In the campaign where Chu besieged Yongshi in the state of Han, Han requisitioned weapons and provisions from the Zhou court. Troubled by this, the Duke of Zhou consulted Su Dai, who said, "Why fret? I can persuade Han to forgo its demands on Zhou for arms and grain, and further secure the city of Gaodu for you." Overjoyed, the Duke replied, "If you can accomplish this, I would entrust my entire state to you." Su Dai then journeyed to Han and met with Prime Minister Gong Zhong, saying, "Have you not heard of Chu's scheme? Zhao Ying, a Chu general, told their king: 'Han, exhausted by war and with empty granaries, cannot defend its cities. Should I strike while they face famine, I shall conquer them within a month.' Yet now, after five months of besieging Yongshi without success, it is clear that Chu itself is weary. King of Chu initially trusted Zhao Ying's strategy, but your current requisition of arms and grain from Zhou only reveals Han's distress to Chu. Upon hearing this, Zhao Ying will surely urge the Chu king to reinforce the siege of Yongshi, and Yongshi will inevitably fall." Gong Zhong replied, "You speak wisely, but my envoys have already departed." Su Dai then said, "Why not instead offer Gaodu to Zhou?" Gong Zhong retorted angrily, "I have already been magnanimous in not demanding arms and grain from Zhou—why should I also cede Gaodu?" Su Dai explained, "By granting Gaodu to Zhou, Zhou will surely align with Han. When Qin learns of this, it will rage, burn Zhou's tallies, and sever diplomatic ties. Thus, you would trade a ruined Gaodu for a whole Zhou—why not do it?" Gong Zhong concurred, saying, "Well said." Consequently, Han ceased its demands on Zhou for weapons and provisions and instead presented Gaodu to Zhou. In the end, Chu failed to capture Yongshi and withdrew its forces.
💡 商战启示录
Su Dai's strategy is, in essence, a classic case of "information manipulation" and "interest substitution" in modern commercial gamesmanship. He discerned the tangled interests of Chu, Han, and the Zhou court, wielding "information asymmetry" as his weapon—revealing to Han's Gongzhong that his conscription maneuvers would expose his own weakness to Chu, thereby inviting a greater crisis. This mirrors corporate rivalry: a company that flaunts expansion while its capital chain is strained is tantamount to signaling vulnerability to competitors, potentially inviting hostile takeovers or price wars. Su Dai then deftly devised the "gift of Gaodu," transforming the Zhou state into an ally of Han while simultaneously sowing Chu's suspicion of Zhou, achieving a "kill two birds with one stone." This parallels modern enterprises employing "strategic alliances" or "asset divestiture" to divert rivals' attention and forge new collaborative networks. For instance, a tech firm facing pressure from a giant might proactively partner with a third party, sacrificing partial gains for strategic breathing room while releasing misleading signals to mislead opponents' assessments. Su Dai's brilliance lies not merely in resolving the immediate crisis but in restructuring the multi-party game landscape, shifting his side from passivity to initiative—a testament to the wisdom of "leveraging momentum" and "creating momentum" in contemporary corporate strategy.