Qi was thrown into chaos by the rebellion of Nao Jun. King Zhao of Qin said to his prime minister, "Because Qi was plunged into turmoil by Nao Jun's revolt, our state of Qin was able to seize territory from Qi. Now Qi has regained stability, yet Qin has failed to take it—this is a strategic error on our part. I intend to enfeoff Nao Jun with five cities and restore him to his position in Qi." The prime minister replied, "That cannot be done. Nao Jun's rebellion has earned him the deep rancor of the Qi populace. To restore him now would only intensify their resentment. Moreover, Qi has already settled into order, and Nao Jun is no longer of any consequence. It would be better to refuse." King Zhao of Qin said, "Well said." And so he abandoned the idea.
💡 商战启示录
This strategy reveals the dialectical wisdom of "leveraging momentum" and "cutting losses" in commercial warfare. King Zhaoxiang of Qin sought to exploit the remnants of Nao Jun's forces to stir up trouble, but his prime minister soberly pointed out: a "problematic pawn" that has already lost popular support holds no prospect of victory even with backing—instead, it would only galvanize the opponent's unity and squander resources. In modern business, similar cases abound in corporate mergers or market competition. For instance, a giant attempts to weaken a rival by propping up its "defectors" or "internal insurgents," yet overlooks the fact that these figures have already forfeited market trust and internal backing. The result is heavy investment yielding nothing, even provoking fiercer counterattacks from the opponent. Conversely, a wise decision-maker assesses the pawn's actual value: if it has lost all capacity for a comeback, the prudent course is to cut losses promptly and redirect resources toward building one's own core competitiveness. Commercial warfare is like a game of chess—victory lies not in sowing chaos, but in reading the board clearly: when the opponent's internal front has stabilized, external interference is often futile. This strategy reminds managers: do not overestimate the efficacy of external subversion, nor underestimate the opponent's capacity for repair. True victory stems from unwavering execution of one's own strategy, not from speculative meddling in another's internal affairs.