Marquis Ying, also known as Fan Ju, addressed King Zhao of Qin, saying: "Has Your Majesty heard of the sacred grove at Hengsi? There dwelt a bold youth who challenged the grove to a game of chance, declaring: 'If I win, you shall lend me your divine power for three days; if I lose, you may do with me as you please.' With his left hand he cast the dice for the grove, and with his right hand for himself, and he won, whereupon the grove lent him its power. Three days later, the grove came to reclaim its power, but the youth refused to return it. After five days, the grove began to wither; after seven days, it perished. Now, the state is Your Majesty's sacred grove, and authority is Your divine power. To lend what is most precious to another while keeping what is most trivial for oneself—this is what is called 'ceding power.'" The King said, "Well spoken." Thereupon he deposed the Queen Dowager and banished Marquis Rang, Lord Gaoling, Lord Huayang, and Lord Jingyang beyond the Hangu Pass.
💡 商战启示录
This strategy reveals a core warning: core resources and power must never be entrusted to others, lest they be devoured like the sacred grove, stripped bare until the very foundation is lost. In modern business, the founder's command over control rights and core assets is a matter of life and death. A classic case is Steve Jobs, who in 1985 was ousted from Apple by John Sculley, the CEO he himself had recruited; though the company survived in the short term, innovation waned, markets shrank, and it teetered on the brink of bankruptcy—until Jobs's return turned the tide. Conversely, Jack Ma, from the very outset of Alibaba's listing, secured strategic decision-making power through a partnership system and equity structure, preventing capital and professional managers from hollowing out the founder's authority. On the other side, in the Vanke–Baoneng dispute, Wang Shi, due to dispersed shareholding, narrowly escaped a hostile takeover by "barbarians" and was forced to seek aid on all fronts. This strategy warns: enterprises may safeguard against the loss of critical resources through equity design, board control, and protection of core patents and data assets. At the same time, managers must remain vigilant against subordinates or partners expanding their influence by stealth—such as professional managers usurping the boss, or key technical staff departing with entire teams. Only by holding both the "spirit" and the "grove" firmly in one's own hands can a company ensure that its direction and long-term value are not hijacked by short-term interests or external forces.