The King of Chu desired to seize the state of Zheng, yet feared that Zheng was on its guard. He therefore sent an envoy to present a letter to the Earl of Zheng, saying: "I have heard that the worthy ministers of Zheng all stand beside you, but you do not examine them with discernment, and I fear there may be those who would turn against you. I am willing to divide Zheng with you, and share its benefits between us." Upon receiving the letter, the Earl of Zheng was greatly delighted and summoned his ministers to deliberate. One minister admonished him, saying: "Chu is a great state. Its words are sweet, but its intentions are sinister. Now it speaks of dividing Zheng, yet in truth it seeks to devour Zheng entirely. If my lord trusts this, calamity will surely befall you." The Earl of Zheng would not listen, and so concluded an alliance with Chu. Chu then dispatched its army to strike Zheng, which, being unprepared, was ultimately destroyed.
💡 商战启示录
This strategy lays bare the trap of the "sugar-coated bullet" in commercial warfare. The King of Chu, using the lure of "shared profits" as bait, lulled the Earl of Zheng into complacency, only to swallow his state in one decisive stroke. In modern business, such cases abound: a major tech corporation approaches a startup with a proposal of "strategic partnership," promising shared markets and resources, while its true aim is to acquire the startup's core technology or user data—only to tear up the agreement once the vital assets are surrendered, forcing the startup out of the market. Likewise, industry giants, in merger negotiations, dangle premium acquisition offers to entice competitors into abandoning their independent growth, only to absorb their operations and erode their brand influence. The Earl of Zheng's downfall lay in his greed for immediate gains, blinding him to the essence of his adversary—"sweet words conceal a treacherous heart." A wise strategist in commerce must heed the adage, "Unprovoked kindness is either theft or deceit," and maintain vigilant skepticism toward any offer that seems too good to be true. Thorough due diligence is essential to discern the other party's true intentions, and defensive mechanisms must be established. At the same time, one must guard one's core competitive advantages, refusing to trust others lightly for the sake of short-term profit—especially when it comes to equity, technology, or key distribution channels. Only by such caution can one avoid being ensnared by promises of "dividing Zheng" and ending in the ruin of one's own "state." True business partnership should rest on transparency and mutual benefit, not on one-sided scheming and plunder.