King Zhaoxiang of Qin said to his close attendants, "Now, compared with their former strength, are the states of Han and Wei stronger or weaker?" The attendants replied, "They are not as strong as before." The king said, "Now, compared with Mengchangjun and Mangmao, are Ru'er and Wei Qi more worthy or less worthy?" The attendants replied, "They are not as worthy." The king said, "With the worthiness of Mengchangjun and Mangmao, leading the strong armies of Han and Wei to attack Qin, they still could not prevail against me. Now, with the unworthy Ru'er and Wei Qi, leading the weakened Han and Wei to attack Qin, it is evident that they cannot prevail against me." The attendants all said, "Indeed, it is so." At this moment, Zhongqi pushed aside his zither and said to King Zhaoxiang, "Your Majesty has misjudged the situation of the world. In former times, when the six ministers of Jin held power, the Zhi clan was the strongest, having destroyed the Fan and Zhonghang clans, and then led the armies of Han and Wei to besiege Zhao Xiangzi at Jinyang, breaching the Jin River to flood the city, until the walls were only three planks' breadth from being submerged. Zhibo surveyed the waters, with Han Kangzi driving his chariot and Wei Huanzi seated at his right. Zhibo said, 'I did not previously know that water could destroy another's state, but now I do. The Fen River can be used to flood Anyi, and the Jiang River to flood Pingyang.' Thereupon Wei Huanzi nudged Han Kangzi with his elbow, and Han Kangzi stamped on Wei Huanzi's foot, their elbows and feet meeting on the chariot, secretly signaling their alliance. As a result, the territory of the Zhi clan was divided, Zhibo met his death and his state perished, becoming a laughingstock to the world. Now, the strength of Qin does not surpass that of Zhibo; and though Han and Wei are weakened, they are still stronger than they were beneath the walls of Jinyang in those days. This is precisely the moment when they are preparing to signal with elbow and foot. I hope Your Majesty will not take them lightly."
💡 商战启示录
King Zhao of Qin, dismissing his opponent as temporarily weak, was cautioned by Zhongqi with the lesson of Zhibo: a leader who appears mighty, yet neglects the hidden alliances among allies, may topple in an instant. In modern business, this warns giants never to underestimate any vulnerable rival, especially when they might forge strategic coalitions. For instance, in e-commerce, when JD.com and Tencent allied early on against Alibaba, had Alibaba dismissed such a "union of the weak," it might have missed the window to respond. Zhongqi emphasized the subtle signal of "elbows and feet touching on the chariot," paralleling non-explicit cooperation in business—such as technology alliances, supply chain synergy, or even information sharing through employee mobility. Enterprises should cultivate keen competitive intelligence systems, monitoring rivals and potential partners' dynamics, rather than relying solely on surface metrics. Meanwhile, leaders must avoid blind spots born of "self-superiority," conducting periodic "red team" exercises to simulate worst-case scenarios. King Zhao of Qin prided himself on strength, yet Zhongqi reminded him that "though Han and Wei are weak, they still surpass what they were at Jinyang," implying that circumstances evolve, and the weak may erupt under specific conditions. In business, disruptors often emerge from the periphery—like Netflix challenging traditional television giants, or Pinduoduo rising in lower-tier markets. Thus, strategically, one should "never take any opponent lightly," maintain a sense of crisis, innovate persistently, and adeptly recognize and leverage allies' "elbow-foot" signals, fostering a dynamic co-opetition ecosystem to remain invincible in a volatile market.