When Fan Ju entered the state of Qin through the assistance of Wang Ji, he presented a letter to King Zhao of Qin, saying: "I have heard that a wise sovereign, in governing the realm, does not fail to reward those of merit, nor does he fail to bestow office upon those of ability; those with great accomplishments receive generous emoluments, those with distinguished service attain noble rank, and those capable of governing the multitude are given high positions. Thus, the incompetent dare not assume office, and the capable are never cast aside. If Your Majesty deems my proposals worthy, I pray you implement them and thereby further the art of governance; if you find them unworthy, then to detain me here for long would serve no purpose. As the saying goes: 'A benighted ruler rewards those he favors and punishes those he dislikes; a wise sovereign, however, is not so—reward is always bestowed upon the meritorious, and punishment is always meted out to the guilty.' Now my breast is not stout enough to withstand the chopping block and the axe, nor is my waist sufficient to bear the halberd and the blade—how then would I dare to test Your Majesty with uncertain matters? Even if you hold me in contempt and treat me with scorn, would you not consider that he who recommended me has staked his word before Your Majesty, and that to dismiss me lightly would render his testimony fickle? I have heard that in the land of Zhou there is the Di'e jade, in Song the Jielü, in Liang the Xuanli, and in Chu the Hepu—these four treasures, though born of the earth, were overlooked by lesser craftsmen, yet they became famed vessels of the world. Likewise, could not one whom a sage king has cast aside still prove beneficial to the state? I have heard that one skilled in enriching a household draws profit from the state, and one skilled in strengthening a state draws advantage from the feudal lords. When there is a wise sovereign under heaven, the feudal lords cannot monopolize their gains—why is this so? Because the wise sovereign curtails their splendor. A good physician can foresee the life or death of the sick; a sage ruler can discern the outcome of success or failure. Where there is benefit, he acts; where there is harm, he abandons; where there is doubt, he makes a tentative trial—even if Yao, Shun, Yu, and Tang were to return to life, they could not alter this principle! The most profound words, I dare not commit to writing; the shallowest words, are unworthy of Your Majesty's attention. Is it that I am too dull to suit your intent, or is there some flaw in my discourse? Whom will Your Majesty send to inquire of me? Moreover, I have heard: 'Follow reason in undertaking affairs, and rely on resources in achieving merit.' Now I have learned that Your Majesty's intention is to extend your territory toward Zhao, yet you fear Zhao's strength. Zhao is the pivotal axis of the realm; its people are frivolous and hard to command, and its sovereign is base and unfit to employ them. I beg to weaken it through strategy, so that Zhao's might may be brought under control. If Your Majesty will but listen to my plan, Zhao is certain to decline, and the other feudal lords may then be plotted against." King Zhao of Qin was greatly pleased and forthwith appointed Fan Ju as a guest minister.
💡 商战启示录
Fan Ju's strategy for entering Qin can be likened to a classic case of "precise positioning and value demonstration" in modern business. Upon entering an unfamiliar market (the state of Qin), he did not rush for quick success but first analyzed the core pain point of his target "client" (King Zhaoxiang of Qin)—the desire to expand while fearing the state of Zhao—and then proposed a tailored solution. This mirrors how modern enterprises entering a new market conduct market research to identify unmet customer needs before customizing their products. For instance, when Huawei first entered the European market, it did not directly promote its full product line but focused on operator-customized services, addressing customers' pain point of balancing cost and performance, thereby breaking into the market. Fan Ju also emphasized "clear rewards and punishments" and "placing the capable in positions," which corresponds to modern corporate talent management—performance-oriented and ensuring the right person for the right role. He employed the metaphor of a precious jade buried and overlooked, implying that he himself was a "Heshi jade" waiting to be discovered. This serves as a lesson that business talents should be adept at self-marketing, while enterprises must possess the acumen to recognize talent. Most importantly, Fan Ju advocated "acting in accordance with principles and leveraging resources to achieve success," warning enterprises to base their actions on objective laws and their own resources, avoiding reckless expansion. This is akin to Amazon's early focus on book e-commerce, accumulating resources before diversifying into full-category expansion, rather than attempting to cover all fronts from the outset. Fan Ju's cautious probing ("when in doubt, test lightly") also reminds enterprises to take small steps and experiment in uncertain environments, much like ByteDance, which, after launching Douyin, first validated the model domestically before replicating it overseas as TikTok. In summary, the core of Fan Ju's strategy lies in: discerning needs, precise entry, leveraging resources, and gradual advancement—these are the survival principles of modern business warfare.