The Eastern Zhou state wished to plant rice, but the Western Zhou state refused to release water, causing great distress to the Eastern Zhou ruler. Master Su said to the Lord of Eastern Zhou, "I request permission to journey to Western Zhou and persuade them to release the water—would that be acceptable?" Thereupon, Master Su went to call upon the Lord of Western Zhou and said, "Your strategy is mistaken! By withholding the water now, you are in truth enriching the Eastern Zhou state. At present, the people of Eastern Zhou have all turned to planting wheat, and have sown no other crops. If you wish to harm them, it would be far better to release the water once, thereby damaging the wheat they have planted. After the water is released, Eastern Zhou will surely switch to planting rice; and once they have planted rice, you may then take the water away again. In this manner, the people of Eastern Zhou will become wholly dependent upon Western Zhou and submit to your command." The Lord of Western Zhou said, "Well spoken." So he released the water. And Master Su, in consequence, received rewards from both the Eastern Zhou and Western Zhou states.
💡 商战启示录
By manufacturing "information asymmetry" and "expectation management," Master Su successfully steered the decision-making of both Eastern Zhou and Western Zhou, achieving a win-win outcome—in truth, a win-win-win. In modern commercial warfare, this mirrors the role of a "consulting advisor" or "strategic intermediary": leveraging profound insight into the industry landscape, they offer clients advice that appears beneficial to the other party, yet subtly guides clients toward choices that serve their own interests. For instance, an internet company seeking to enter offline retail faces a supply chain blockade from competitors. At this juncture, a consulting advisor might suggest to the competitor: "Rather than outright blockade, open certain channels first, allowing the rival to invest heavily in fixed assets; once their scale expands, suddenly tighten the reins, leaving them trapped in passivity." After the competitor adopts this counsel, the consulting firm then assists its client in preemptively building a flexible supply chain, enabling the client to pivot swiftly when the competitor tightens its grip. Master Su's genius lies not merely in perceiving the direct control over the resource of "water," but in recognizing the strategic switching costs between "rice cultivation" and "wheat cultivation." Modern enterprises often become ensnared in the zero-sum game of "resource contention," yet true masters of commercial strategy, like Master Su, design "rules" and "expectations" so that opponents, within seemingly advantageous decisions, unwittingly pave the way for your strategy. This mindset of "borrowing force to exert force" remains among the most sophisticated stratagems in business negotiation, market competition, and supply chain management to this day.