King Chu asked Fan Yuan, saying, "I have heard that the wise sovereigns of antiquity were invariably aided by men of virtue and talent. Now I wish to strengthen my state—what must I do?" Fan Yuan replied, "I have heard that to strengthen the state, one must first enrich the people; to enrich the people, one must first tranquilize their hearts. When the people's hearts are at peace, the state grows wealthy; when the state is wealthy, its armies become mighty; when its armies are mighty, the feudal lords will stand in awe. Now, Your Majesty's granaries are full and your treasuries are abundant, yet the people harbor much grief and resentment—why is this? It is likely because taxes are heavy and corvée labors are many. If Your Majesty would lighten the taxes and reduce the corvée, then the people will dwell in contentment and prosper, and the state may indeed become strong." King Chu said, "Well spoken." Thereupon he issued an edict, saying, "Officials shall not levy taxes at their own discretion, and people who have reached the age of seventy shall be exempt from corvée service." From that time onward, the state of Chu was greatly well-governed, and all the feudal lords stood in awe of it.
💡 商战启示录
The strategic core of Fan Juan's approach lies in "securing the interior before venturing outward"—placing the consolidation of one's foundation ahead of expansion. In modern business, this corresponds to the philosophy of "prioritizing employee and customer satisfaction." Take Haidilao as an example: its success stems not from aggressive marketing or rapid expansion, but from first "pacifying the people" through exceptional employee care (empowerment, benefits) and customer experience (waiting-area services, personalized details), thereby inspiring voluntary dedication from staff and organic word-of-mouth from patrons—ultimately forging a formidable brand moat. In contrast, certain enterprises, such as ofo during its meteoric rise, driven by capital and neglecting internal governance and user deposit issues (i.e., "heavy levies and exactions"), ultimately suffered a collapse of trust. Another case is Huawei, where Ren Zhengfei emphasizes "putting strivers first," employing high compensation and equity incentives to "lighten burdens and reduce corvée," allowing employees to share in the gains while continuously investing in R&D ("enriching the people")—only thus achieving "strong troops" in the communications sector and earning the awe of "feudal lords" worldwide. The essence of commercial competition is not the direct contest for market share, but the optimization of the internal ecosystem first—reducing internal friction within teams (levies), eliminating procedural redundancies (corvée), enabling the organization to advance unencumbered. When employees and customers become supporters who "delight in their livelihood," the enterprise naturally accumulates strength and, in the theater of commerce, subdues rivals without engaging in battle.