The state of Qi assisted Chu in attacking Qin and seized Quwo. Later, Qin sought to retaliate against Qi, and the King of Qi grew anxious. Chen Zhen said to the King of Qi, "Your Majesty might instead cede territory to ally with Chu in the south, while dispatching troops eastward to attack Song. Should Qin then march against Qi, it will surely not rescue Chu but hasten to Song's aid. Why is this? Chu holds no kinship with Song, nor does Qin bear enmity toward Song. When Qin moves to strike Qi, it will first relieve Song, and only then turn upon Qi—such is the success of this stratagem." The King of Qi replied, "Well spoken." Thereupon, Qi ceded land to forge an alliance with Chu in the south and sent forces east to conquer Song. Qin indeed abandoned its assault on Qi to rescue Song, whereupon Qi seized Song and gained the southern territories of Chu as well.
💡 商战启示录
This strategy reveals the wisdom of "feinting to the east while attacking the west" and "shifting interests" in commercial warfare. When faced with the threat of Qin, King of Qi did not resist head-on but instead redirected Qin's attention away from Qi by adjusting the strategic layout—allying with Chu and attacking the state of Song. In modern business, when enterprises face suppression from powerful competitors, they can draw on this strategy by opening new markets or shifting the competitive focus to defuse direct conflicts. For example, when domestic smartphone brands face patent litigation from international giants, they can pivot to emerging markets or ally with complementary enterprises to reshape the competitive landscape. Similarly, in e-commerce price wars, companies need not blindly cut prices; they can launch differentiated product lines to attract distinct consumer segments, rendering rivals' offensives ineffective. The core lies in not directly countering an opponent's attack but altering the battlefield through strategic maneuvers, causing the opponent's resource allocation to fail, thereby buying time and space for oneself. However, it must be noted that this strategy requires precise judgment of the opponent's interests, just as Chen Zhen analyzed that Qin would surely rescue Song rather than Chu—enterprises must also discern competitors' priority concerns to effectively guide their behavior.