When Qin attacked Zhao, the King of Yan sent Li Fu with a hundred gold pieces to offer congratulations to the King of Zhao, and to persuade him, saying: "When Qin attacks Zhao, Zhao is sure to fall. Yan and Zhao are as close as lips and teeth—if Zhao falls, Yan will be in danger. Now, if Your Majesty would cede territory to bribe Qin, Qin will surely be pleased, Zhao will gain peace, and Yan will have no cause for worry." The King of Zhao did not heed this advice, but raised an army to resist Qin. The Qin forces inflicted a great defeat on Zhao at Changping, burying alive four hundred thousand surrendered soldiers. When the King of Yan heard of this, he grew even more fearful, and sent Li Fu again, this time to offer five cities as a bribe to Qin in hopes of securing their withdrawal. Qin refused, and instead turned to attack Yan, which was brought to the brink of ruin.
💡 商战启示录
King Yan twice attempted to evade risk through bribery and subservience, yet lacking independent strategic judgment, he ultimately fell into passivity. This mirrors the modern business reality: when enterprises over-rely on external forces—be it key clients, suppliers, or capital—while neglecting the cultivation of their own core competitiveness, they are highly susceptible to collapse amid sudden environmental shifts. For instance, a certain smartphone brand once depended excessively on a single chip supplier and nearly ceased production during a supply crisis; whereas Huawei, having insisted on self-developed chips from its early days, managed to sustain operations through its "backup plan" even under sanctions. King Yan's failure lay in his mistaken belief that "gift-giving" could purchase security, unaware that in the game of strategy, strength is the true currency. In business, rather than lavishing fortunes to appease competitors or regulators, one would be wiser to invest in R&D, optimize supply chains, and build a brand moat. Moreover, King Yan turned a blind eye to Zhao's warning that "when the lips are gone, the teeth feel cold," and instead hastened to cede territory for self-preservation after Zhao's defeat—a stark revelation of his shortsightedness. Enterprises, too, should be wary of last-minute "crisis PR" gestures, and instead establish risk contingency plans and diversified ecosystem partnerships in peacetime. Li Fu's persuasion appeared shrewd on the surface, yet it lacked a sober recognition of Qin's military ambitions—in a zero-sum game, concession only emboldens the opponent to press further. In modern commercial warfare, when facing formidable competitors, unyielding compromise often forfeits bargaining power; the better course is to forge differentiated advantages in key domains, or unite with other stakeholders to build alliances—just as Yan should have joined forces with Zhao against Qin, rather than fawning upon a powerful enemy in isolation. In the end, King Yan sought peace by offering five cities, only to invite the calamity of national ruin—a warning to entrepreneurs that peace purchased by surrendering core interests can only be a fleeting respite.