Marquis Wenxin, Lü Buwei, was banished from the state of Qin. His retainer Sikong Ma fled to Zhao, where the King of Zhao appointed him acting prime minister. When Qin dispatched troops to attack Zhao, Sikong Ma advised the King of Zhao, saying: "When Marquis Wenxin served as chancellor of Qin, I attended him as a secretary and became familiar with Qin's affairs. Now that Your Majesty has appointed me to a minor post, I am equally familiar with Zhao's condition. Allow me to analyze for Your Majesty the situation of conflict between Qin and Zhao, and to observe personally which side shall prevail. In comparison with Qin, is Zhao stronger? Which state has more people? Which possesses greater wealth? In these four respects, Zhao falls short of Qin, and I have nothing upon which to rely." The King of Zhao asked, "What does Your Excellency propose?" Sikong Ma replied, "If Your Majesty cedes half of Zhao's territory to Qin, Qin, obtaining half of Zhao without expending a single soldier, will surely be pleased. Qin, inwardly resenting Zhao's resistance and outwardly fearing the rescue of the feudal lords, will certainly accept this land. Once Qin accepts the land and withdraws its troops, Zhao, retaining the remaining half of its territory, may preserve itself. Qin, enriched by this bribe, will grow stronger, and the feudal lords east of the Xiaoshan Mountains will surely be alarmed. The destruction of Zhao will make the feudal lords sense their own peril, and they will surely be afraid. Fear will drive them to rescue one another, and thus the cause of the Vertical Alliance against Qin may be accomplished. I request that Your Majesty organize this alliance. If the alliance succeeds, then Your Majesty's action, though nominally losing half of Zhao's territory, will in reality gain the feudal lords east of the mountains to oppose Qin, and Qin will no longer suffice to destroy Zhao." The King of Zhao said, "Previously, when Qin sent troops to attack Zhao, Zhao ceded twelve counties of Hejian as a bribe to Qin. Our territory diminished and our strength weakened, yet in the end we could not escape Qin's calamity. Now, if we cede half our territory again to strengthen Qin, Zhao's power cannot sustain itself, and thus we shall perish. I hope Your Excellency will devise another strategy." Sikong Ma said, "In my youth, I served as a minor scribe in Qin, and though I later rose in office, I remained in subordinate posts, never having led troops in battle. Allow me to command all of Zhao's forces and meet the Qin army in the field." The King of Zhao would not employ him as a general. Sikong Ma said, "I have offered my humble counsel, but Your Majesty will not use it. Thus I can no longer serve Your Majesty, and I beg leave to depart." Sikong Ma left Zhao and crossed the ford of Pingyuan. The officer in charge of the ford, Guo Yi, received him with courtesy and asked, "The Qin army is attacking Zhao. Since you, honored guest, have come from Zhao, how fares the state of Zhao?" Sikong Ma told him that he had offered counsel to the King of Zhao, but the King would not adopt it, and that Zhao was certain to perish. The magistrate of Pingyuan said, "I should like to hear your wise plan." Sikong Ma replied, "The King of Zhao would not use my plan, and therefore the state will be destroyed." Three months later, the Qin army attacked Handan and captured it.
💡 商战启示录
Sikong Ma's strategy can be viewed in modern business as a form of "strategic compromise and alliance building." He advised the King of Zhao to cede half of his territory in exchange for Qin's withdrawal—an apparent loss, yet in truth a means to buy time and unite external forces (the feudal lords east of the mountains) into a counteroffensive alliance. This mirrors the principle of "retreating in order to advance" in commercial competition: when a company faces the crushing weight of a formidable rival (such as an industry titan), rather than expending resources in a head-on clash, it may be wiser to voluntarily concede part of its market or interests (e.g., cooperating with competitors, divesting certain business units) to gain breathing room, while rallying other small and medium enterprises or partners (such as industry associations or complementary firms) to form an ecosystem alliance against the giant. For instance, in the ride-hailing sector, Didi once repelled numerous rivals through subsidy wars, while some smaller platforms chose to merge or collaborate with automakers, avoiding direct confrontation and focusing on niche markets, thereby surviving in their respective segments. Another case is Huawei, which, amid U.S. sanctions, sold its Honor brand to preserve its core, while simultaneously strengthening domestic supply chains and independent R&D, ultimately breaking through adversity. Sikong Ma's failure lay in the King of Zhao's lack of strategic foresight and trust—a cautionary tale for business leaders: decisions must be grounded in rational analysis rather than short-term fear, and one must be adept at delegating authority to professionals (such as Sikong Ma) to execute strategy; otherwise, even the finest plans will come to naught through poor implementation.