King Wu of Qin said to Gan Mao, "I wish to open up the road through the Three Rivers and peer into the true state of the House of Zhou, so that even in death I may be remembered." Gan Mao replied, "Allow me to go to Wei and secure an alliance to attack Han together, but I ask that Xiang Shou be sent with me." When Gan Mao arrived in Wei, he said to Xiang Shou, "Return and tell the King: 'Wei has heeded my counsel, but I beg the King not to hasten the attack on Han.' If this matter succeeds, the credit shall all be yours." Xiang Shou returned and relayed Gan Mao's words to King Wu, who personally went to Xirang to welcome Gan Mao. When Gan Mao arrived, the King asked him the reason. Gan Mao replied, "Yiyang is a great county; its stores from Shangdang and Nanyang have long been accumulated. In name it is a county, but in reality it is a commandery. Now the King must traverse perilous passes and march a thousand li to attack it—this is no easy task. I have heard that Zhang Yi, to the west, annexed the lands of Ba and Shu; to the north, seized the territory beyond the Western River; and to the south, took Shangyong—yet the world did not praise Zhang Yi for these deeds, but rather lauded the wisdom of the late King. When Marquis Wen of Wei sent Yue Yang as general to attack Zhongshan, it took three years to conquer it. Upon his return, Yue Yang boasted of his achievement, but Marquis Wen showed him a chest full of letters slandering him. Yue Yang bowed twice and thrice, saying, 'This is not my merit; it is the might of my lord.' Now I am a sojourning minister. If Shu Li Ji and Gongsun Yan, holding sway over Han, come to debate this matter, the King will surely heed them—then the King will have deceived Wei, and I shall incur the resentment of Gong Zhong. In former times, Zeng Zi dwelt in Fei, where a man of the same name and clan as he committed murder. Someone told Zeng Zi's mother, 'Zeng Shen has killed a man.' His mother said, 'My son would not kill.' She continued weaving. After a while, another person said, 'Zeng Shen has killed a man.' Still she wove as before. Soon, a third came and told her, 'Zeng Shen has killed a man.' His mother, stricken with fear, threw down her shuttle, climbed over the wall, and fled. Now, with Zeng Shen's virtue and his mother's trust in him, when three men cast doubt, even a loving mother could not believe in him. My worth is less than Zeng Zi's, and the King's trust in me is less than that mother's trust in her son. Those who doubt me number more than three—I fear the King will cast aside his faith in me as that mother cast aside her shuttle." King Wu said, "I shall not heed them. Let us swear an oath together." Thus he made a covenant with Gan Mao at Xirang. They then attacked Yiyang, but after five months it had not fallen. Shu Li Ji and Gongsun Yan indeed came to dispute the matter. The King, growing fearful, wished to heed their counsel and withdraw. Gan Mao said, "The covenant of Xirang still stands." King Wu said, "Indeed, it is so." Thereupon he mobilized the full force of his troops and sent Gan Mao again to attack Yiyang, and at last Yiyang was taken.
💡 商战启示录
Gan Mao understood well that in a complex political landscape, even a sovereign's trust could hardly withstand the slander of "three men making a tiger." He prepared in advance, securing trust through a solemn covenant to ensure strategic execution would not be disrupted midway. In modern business, this teaches leaders: before launching major projects, they must reach written consensus or a "covenant" with core decision-makers, clarifying goals and resource support, to prevent wavering resolve amid external skepticism or internal discord during execution. For instance, when Huawei developed 5G technology, Ren Zhengfei overrode dissenting voices, insisted on massive investment, and even "swore an oath" with internal conservatives, ultimately securing industry leadership. Conversely, many enterprises, lacking such a "covenant of Xirang," frequently changed course during strategic advancement and squandered golden opportunities. Gan Mao also excelled at leveraging influence, conveying information through Xiang Shou to manage superiors' expectations—much like a modern CMO shaping board decisions through internal channels. Business leaders should learn from Gan Mao: dare to pursue arduous goals, yet skillfully build trust defenses, using institutionalized commitments to weather short-term volatility and ensure the realization of long-term strategy.