Zhang Yi, seeking to undermine the Vertical Alliance and promote the Horizontal Alliance for the state of Qin, lobbied King Huai of Chu, saying: "The territory of Qin encompasses half the realm, and its military might suffices to withstand all neighboring states. It is backed by lofty mountains, encircled by the Yellow River, and shielded by formidable passes on every side. It boasts over a million warriors fierce as tigers, a thousand war chariots, ten thousand cavalry mounts, and grain piled high as mountains. Its laws are strict and clear, its soldiers undaunted by hardship and eager to lay down their lives. Its sovereign is awe-inspiring and wise, its generals cunning and valiant. Even without deploying its armies, Qin could sweep across the natural ramparts of Changshan and snap the spine of the world; any state that submits late shall surely perish first. Moreover, those who forge the Vertical Alliance are akin to driving flocks of sheep to attack a ferocious tiger. The disparity between tiger and sheep—between strength and weakness—is plain for all to see. Now, Your Majesty, instead of allying with the tiger, you choose to stand with the sheep. I privately deem your strategy misguided. Among the great powers of the world, either it is Qin or Chu; if not Chu, then Qin. The two contend as rivals that cannot coexist. If Your Majesty does not befriend Qin, Qin will dispatch troops to seize Yiyang, severing the passage through Shangdang in Han; then it will march east of the Yellow River to take Chenggao, forcing Han to submit as a vassal. Once Han yields to Qin, Wei will follow like grass bending in the wind. Qin’s forces will strike Chu’s western borders, while Han and Wei attack from the north—how could your state escape peril? Furthermore, the Vertical Alliance is but a league of weak states uniting to assault a strong one. To attack the strong with the weak, to wage war without gauging the enemy’s might, and to exhaust a poor nation through constant conflict—this is the path to self-destruction. I have heard that if one’s forces are inferior, one should not provoke battle; if one’s provisions are insufficient, one should not prolong war. Those who advocate the Vertical Alliance speak with honeyed tongues, magnifying the virtues of your lordship, extolling only benefits while concealing harms. Once calamity befalls Chu, it will be too late for regret. Thus, I implore Your Majesty to deliberate with utmost care. To the west, Qin possesses Ba and Shu. It can transport grain by great vessels, setting forth from Mount Wen and drifting down the river—over three thousand li to Ying, the capital of Chu. With ships laden with soldiers, each carrying fifty men and three months’ provisions, they glide with the current, covering over three hundred li a day. Though the journey is long, it taxes not a single horse, and within ten days they may reach Hanguan. Should Hanguan fall under threat, then all lands east of Jingling must brace for siege, and Qianzhong and Wujun would no longer belong to Your Majesty. If Qin’s troops exit through Wuguan and strike southward, Chu’s northern territories would be severed. When Qin attacks Chu, danger looms within three months, yet Chu’s reliance on allied aid would require over half a year—by then, the situation would be beyond recovery. To depend on feeble allies while forgetting the peril of mighty Qin—this is what I dread on your behalf. If Your Majesty truly heeds my counsel, I beg to forge a bond between Qin and Chu as brother states, never to assail each other for all time. I know of no strategy more auspicious than this." King Huai of Chu replied: "Chu is a remote and backward land, nestled by the eastern sea. I am young in years and unversed in the long-term designs of statecraft. Now, noble guest, you have instructed me with sagacious plans, and I have listened. I am willing to entrust my state to your guidance." Thereupon, he dispatched a hundred chariots of envoys, presenting the rhinoceros-horn of Jihai and the luminous jade of Yeguang to the King of Qin.
💡 商战启示录
The core of Zhang Yi's strategy of horizontal alliances lay in leveraging threats and inducements to compel rivals to abandon their coalitions and cooperate exclusively. In modern business, this parallels how a corporation might dismantle a competitor's partnerships by showcasing its own strengths and potential risks, thereby securing exclusive agreements. For instance, in the semiconductor industry, a dominant player often wields technological embargoes or market access as leverage, forcing clients to forgo partnerships with emerging suppliers and thus cementing its own position. Zhang Yi emphasized Qin's absolute superiority, akin to a company underscoring its market share, supply chain, or patent barriers, making counterparts feel that non-cooperation would entail loss of market share or rising costs. Simultaneously, he highlighted the fragility of the vertical alliance—such as divergent interests among members and sluggish responses—just as business alliances may suffer inefficiency due to high coordination costs. King Chu ultimately chose compromise, reflecting how, under a stark disparity in power, smaller enterprises or partners may prefer allying with the stronger rather than opposing it. This strategy reminds enterprises that in negotiations, one must display hard power while offering clear benefits, and simultaneously expose the fatal flaws in the counterpart's existing approach, thereby guiding them toward decisions favorable to oneself.