The King of Wei desired to form an alliance with the State of Zhao. The King of Qin, angered by this, intended to launch an attack against Wei. The King of Wei, much troubled, said to Su Dai: "The King of Qin is enraged and wishes to wage war upon us. What am I to do?" Su Dai replied: "Your Majesty need not worry. Allow me to go and resolve this crisis on your behalf." Thereupon Su Dai went to see the King of Qin and said: "I have heard that Your Majesty intends to attack Wei. Is this true?" The King of Qin answered: "It is." Su Dai then said: "I have also heard that the King of Wei wishes to form an alliance with Zhao. Why does Your Majesty not send an envoy to the King of Wei, saying: 'Wei and Zhao are like brothers among states. The King of Zhao desires an alliance with Wei, and the King of Wei likewise desires an alliance with Zhao—both sovereigns wish to unite with one another. If this be so, then the altars of Wei are as a part of Zhao; and Zhao's possession of Wei is as Wei's possession of Zhao. Now should Your Majesty attack Wei, it would be as though attacking Zhao. To attack Zhao and bring about its ruin would mean the fall of Wei as well. Once Wei has fallen, Qin would have no neighboring state left, and calamity would arise for Qin itself. It would be far better for Your Majesty to abandon the plan against Wei and instead cultivate amity with Zhao. Thus would the peril to Qin be dispelled.'" The King of Qin, approving, said: "Well spoken." And so he called off the campaign against Wei.
💡 商战启示录
Su Dai's strategy centers on the "transformation of interests and harms"—by redefining the opponent's threat, he compels them to realize that their original course of action would undermine their own fundamental interests. In modern commercial warfare, similar cases abound. For instance, in 2016, during the fierce subsidy war between Didi and Uber China, both sides suffered enormous losses. At that juncture, Didi did not confront head-on but instead, through capital maneuvers and strategic communication, made Uber's headquarters see that continued attrition would render profitability elusive for both, while a shared rival (such as Shenzhou Zhuanche) might reap the spoils. Ultimately, Uber China merged into Didi, achieving a win-win outcome—this is the modern rendition of the "Wei-Zhao alliance": transforming vicious competition into synergistic cooperation, preempting a "Qin"-style third party (such as regulators or new entrants) from exploiting the vacuum. Another case is Apple and Samsung, who are both competitors and supply-chain partners. Apple keenly understands that if it over-cripples Samsung's mobile business, Samsung might reduce investment in chip foundry services, thereby jeopardizing Apple's own supply. Hence, Apple exercises restraint in patent litigation to ensure the stability of critical component supplies. The lesson for commercial warfare: when facing conflict, the astute player does not clash head-on but transcends the zero-sum game, restructuring the landscape of interests so that the opponent perceives that "continued hostility" would harm their own core interests—thereby turning foes into allies or at least compelling them to desist.