The King of Wei was sitting in the same boat fishing with Long Yang Jun. After catching more than ten fish, Long Yang Jun burst into tears. The King of Wei asked, "Is something troubling your heart? If so, why do you not tell me?" Long Yang Jun replied, "I dare not say that anything troubles me." The King of Wei said, "Then why are you weeping?" Long Yang Jun answered, "I weep for the fish Your Majesty has caught." The King of Wei said, "What do you mean by that?" Long Yang Jun said, "When I first caught a fish, I was overjoyed; but as the fish I caught grew larger and larger, I was almost tempted to cast away those I had caught earlier. Now, with my humble and lowly person, I am fortunate enough to serve Your Majesty at your pillow and mat. My rank has been raised to that of a lord, and people must yield way for me before the court and step aside for me upon the road. Yet there are many beauties under heaven who, upon hearing that I have won Your Majesty's favor, will surely lift their robes and rush to vie for Your Majesty's affection. When that time comes, I too shall be cast away by Your Majesty, just like those fish I discarded earlier. How can I not weep?" The King of Wei said, "Alas! If such thoughts were in your heart, why did you not tell me sooner?" Thereupon he issued an edict throughout the realm, saying: "Whoever dares to present a beauty shall have his clan exterminated."
💡 商战启示录
The tears of Lord Longyang were, in essence, a keen perception of "resource scarcity" and "the crisis of substitution." In modern commerce, this mirrors the anxiety of core suppliers or key talents over their own irreplaceability, and how enterprise managers may solidify cooperative relationships through "binding mechanisms" and "barrier construction." Lord Longyang did not directly demand a promise; instead, he employed the metaphor of "discarding the fish" to awaken King Wei's fear of loss, thereby prompting the king to issue a decree of his own accord. This parallels commercial negotiations, where an exceptional supplier does not outright demand a price increase, but rather showcases the threat of competitors or the possibility of seeking alternative buyers, inducing the procurer to voluntarily upgrade contract terms and secure long-term collaboration. For instance, Apple's "exclusivity agreements" with its core chip suppliers, or enterprises retaining top technical talent through equity incentives, are modern renditions of King Wei's "decree"—using institutional commitments to dispel the other party's sense of being replaceable. Conversely, should an enterprise neglect such psychological needs of key partners and sustain relationships only through short-term gains, it may well face what Lord Longyang feared: once a "greater fish" appears—a superior supplier or talent—the old one is cast aside. Thus, the wise manager should proactively identify and institutionally safeguard the "loyalty" of critical relationships, transforming the sense of crisis into a moat of win-win cooperation, rather than waiting until "tears fall" to seek remedy.