After the state of Chu broke off relations with Qi, Qi sent troops to attack Chu. The King of Chu dispatched Chen Zhen to the state of Qin. The King of Qin said to Chen Zhen, "You are a man of Qin, and you and I are old acquaintances. When you went to Chu, I was deeply concerned. Now that you have come, what worry could I possibly have?" Chen Zhen replied, "Has Your Majesty ever heard of Zhuang Xi, a man of Yue?" The King of Qin said, "I have not." Chen Zhen said, "Zhuang Xi, a man of Yue, held office in Chu and rose to the rank of Zhi Gui. Before long, he fell ill. The King of Chu asked, 'Zhuang Xi was originally a humble commoner of Yue. Now he holds high office in Chu and enjoys wealth and honor—does he still long for Yue?' The attendants replied, 'In general, when a man is ill, he most easily thinks of his homeland. If he longs for Yue, he will speak the Yue tongue; if not, he will speak the Chu tongue.' The King of Chu sent someone to listen, and Zhuang Xi still spoke the Yue dialect. Now, although I have been cast out and sent to Chu, how could I ever forget the speech of Qin?" The King of Qin said, "Well spoken! Even so, what plans do you have once you reach Chu?" Chen Zhen said, "I have heard that when Qi attacks Chu, Chu cannot withstand it. If Your Majesty rescues Chu, Chu will surely be grateful to you, but Qi will surely resent you. Your Majesty would do better to secretly ally with Chu while openly severing ties with it, awaiting the turn of events. If Qi believes in the open severance, Chu will submit to Your Majesty, and without expending a single soldier, you will gain Chu's territory at leisure. If Qi does not believe it, Chu will resent Qi, and Qi will be worn down by Chu's resistance. Your Majesty may then seize the moment to attack Qi—this is a strategy that reaps two gains at once." The King of Qin said, "Excellent." Thereupon he secretly allied with Chu while openly breaking with it. Qi indeed turned its wrath upon Chu, and Chu sent troops to attack Qi. Qi suffered a great defeat, and Chu ceded territory to sue for peace with Qin.
💡 商战启示录
The core of Chen Zhen's strategy lies in "interweaving the real with the illusory, and reaping the spoils without lifting a finger." Translated into the modern business arena, this becomes "strategic ambiguity" and "leveraging momentum through borrowed advantage." When a company faces multi-party competition, it need not rush to pick a side. Instead, by releasing ambiguous signals, it can induce rivals to exhaust one another, while quietly positioning itself behind the scenes—striking only when the moment ripens to harvest the outcome. For instance, in the smartphone market, an emerging brand, caught amid a patent war between two industry giants, refrained from publicly endorsing either side. Privately, however, it negotiated technology licensing with both, while simultaneously accelerating its own chip development. As the giants diverted resources into litigation and a vacuum opened in the market, the brand seized the mid-tier segment with its ready-made differentiated products, ultimately forcing the giants to seek cooperation on favorable terms. This mirrors how the King of Qin "secretly aligned with Chu while openly severing ties with Qi"—maintaining a facade of neutrality or even estrangement, while covertly communicating with potential allies, causing opponents to misread the situation and thereby seizing the initiative in the multi-party game. Another example is the "Hundred Regiments War" of group-buying platforms: one platform outwardly refrained from aggressive subsidy battles, yet quietly signed exclusive agreements with numerous suppliers. When its competitors had burned through their capital, it acquired their market share at rock-bottom prices, achieving industry consolidation. The business lesson is this: do not be held hostage by rivals' provocations or short-term gains. Instead, master the art of creating information asymmetry, allowing competitors to check one another, while you observe calmly and convert minimal cost into maximum strategic return. At the same time, one must remain vigilant against the crisis of trust that "open severance" may invite, ensuring that the "secret alliance" is reliable enough—lest one be betrayed in return. Just as the King of Chu, had he misjudged Qin's sincerity, would have been reduced to a mere pawn.