King Wei of Wei wanted to attack the state of Chu, but he was concerned that Chu might ally with Qin. He consulted Yu Qing on this matter. Yu Qing said, "Your Majesty need not worry. Allow me to employ a stratagem of sowing discord for you. I have heard that the King of Chu, relying on his state's strength, neglects the affairs of government, while his ministers envy and contend with one another for merit. Flatterers hold power, while loyal and virtuous officials are alienated and kept at a distance. The people are estranged and disheartened, and the city walls are left unrepaired. With neither worthy ministers nor proper defenses, his soldiers are but coerced conscripts. If Your Majesty sends an army of one hundred thousand to attack, you will surely conquer and seize it with success. However, I fear that Qin may take advantage of Chu's exhaustion to vie for gains. Your Majesty would do better to bribe Qin and Chu with precious treasures, so as to forge friendships with both states. If Qin and Chu are on good terms, then Wei shall have no cause for concern. Do not trust those who advocate attacking Chu; allow me to attempt this plan." Thereupon, he secretly dispatched envoys bearing heavy gifts to persuade Qin and Chu, and indeed Qin and Chu joined forces to attack Wei. King Wei, greatly alarmed, summoned Yu Qing and reproached him. Yu Qing said, "I had already warned against attacking Chu. Your Majesty did not awaken to this, and thus this calamity has come to pass. Now let me relieve Your Majesty of this peril." He then went to call upon the King of Qin and said, "When Qin and Chu unite to attack Wei, Wei is certain to perish. Should Wei perish, it would benefit both Qin and Chu. Yet the might of Qin and Chu is not something Wei can withstand. Now, would it not be better for Your Majesty to lift the siege on Wei and make peace with it? Wei, grateful for Your Majesty's benevolence, will surely treat Qin with great respect. With Wei's support, Qin shall prevail, and Chu will not be able to grow strong alone." The King of Qin said, "Well spoken." And so he withdrew his troops. King Wei then appointed Yu Qing as Chancellor.
💡 商战启示录
This strategy exemplifies masterful strategic maneuvering and crisis management wisdom, offering profound insights for modern business warfare. Yu Qing initially advised against attacking Chu, foreseeing that Qin would profit as a third-party beneficiary—a reminder that enterprises must assess the reactions of external competitors (such as "Qin") during expansion. When the crisis erupted (the combined assault of Qin and Chu), Yu Qing did not meet force with force but swiftly pivoted his strategy, leveraging interest realignment ("reconciling with Wei, and Wei serving Qin with great deference") to divide adversaries and transform potential threats into allies. This parallels business competition: when facing a united front of formidable rivals (such as industry giants joining forces to squeeze out new entrants), enterprises should not engage in head-on confrontation but instead identify fissures in their opponents' interests and propose win-win solutions (such as channel sharing or technology licensing) to dismantle the alliance. For instance, in its early days, the Android system, when competing against Apple's iOS and Microsoft, rallied numerous handset manufacturers through an open alliance to forge an ecosystem of resistance, rather than fighting alone. The essence of Yu Qing's "counter-espionage" lies in the restructuring of information and interests; modern enterprises can draw from his methods of intelligence gathering, negotiation, and interest exchange to transform crises into opportunities in dynamic games. Moreover, Yu Qing's sequence of remonstrance followed by rescue demonstrates preparedness and adaptability—business leaders should cultivate multiple strategies to respond to sudden environmental shifts.