The Complete Biography of Cao Cao

Chapter 15 Heavy Rewards and Clear Punishments: Encouragement and Prestige

The highest state of governing people with one strategy is no rules
A famous politician once said that big schemers rule over others, and small schemers rule over others.This sentence means that those who know how to correctly use laws and rewards and punishments to govern the world are truly capable rulers, and only they can govern the country and society well.And those who are in their positions only by inheritance, but without the ability to rule, cannot reach this height.

Throughout the Three Kingdoms period, Cao Cao's rule of law and rule of law has always been his main policy, and he is a truly wise man.In the process of growing the team, Cao Cao has always followed the principle of governing the army according to the law and daring to employ people. In the early days of the hegemony, Cao Cao was compared with Yuan Shao, and Yuan Shao's power greatly exceeded Cao Cao.However, Cao Cao did not hesitate to spend a lot of money against officers and soldiers who had made great achievements. Before and after each battle, the morale of the soldiers was high, and for those who were talented but not valued by others, they could often use them according to the time and situation, and often achieved miraculous results; on the contrary, Yuan Shao was always good at scheming, he was nepotism, and listened to slander, not only was the reward and punishment unclear, but also it was difficult to judge the situation, which led to the inability of many people with great talents to make the best use of them.In the end, the morale of the troops was low, and they were wiped out by the much smaller Cao Cao.

Back then, when Cao Cao besieged Lu Bu in Xiapi City, Lu Bu sent Zhang Liao and Hao Meng to open a breakthrough from Liu Bei's camp in the middle of the night, broke out of the siege, and asked Yuan Shu for help.Yuan Shu asked Lu Bu to send his daughter as collateral before he would send troops.When Hao Meng came back and passed Liu Bei's camp, he was caught by Zhang Fei.So, Liu Bei escorted him to see Cao Cao. Hao Meng explained in detail how he asked Yuan Shu for help. Cao Cao was shocked.

The more Cao Cao thought about it, the more angry he became. He killed Hao Meng first, and then emphasized the military order: If any camp releases Lu Bu or his subordinates, they will be dealt with according to military law, and they will be severely punished.

Liu Bei came back and said to Guan and Zhang, "We are going to rush here, so we must defend carefully. Don't violate the military order." Zhang Fei was dissatisfied, and said in a low voice, "We have captured an enemy general. I don’t understand why he treats us like this when we are rewarded.” Liu Bei said, “Cao Cao leads such a large army, if the military orders are not strict and he doesn’t follow the military law, how can he convince them?” It seems that Liu Bei understands the characteristics of Cao Cao’s use of troops. and difficulties.

In fact, Cao Cao didn't want to reward Zhang Fei and others, but Cao Cao not only had Liu Bei's army under his command, this was a realistic situation.This time it was a fluke to catch Hao Meng. If discipline is not strict, it is inevitable that other camps will be breached, resulting in adverse consequences for the overall situation.Cao Cao stands tall and looks far away. The best way is to skip the feat of catching the enemy and stabilize the overall situation. This is a decision made in consideration of the weather and the situation. Liu Bei is a hero in the world just like Cao Cao. Of course he understands better than Zhang Fei The mystery is out.Cao Cao's strategy of judging the situation played an important role in successfully capturing Lu Bu in the end.

Another time, General Cao Ren violated Cao Cao's military order. Cao Cao was furious and wanted to kill him in accordance with the military law.Before it could be executed, the enemy rushed over.In the end, Cao Ren paid off his merits and gave up his life to protect Cao Tan from the siege. Later, Cao Cao also said that it was lucky that he didn't kill you, otherwise my life would be hard to save. Cao Ren has made many military exploits since then.

The two handling of major military and political affairs gave us the feeling that the front was tight and the back was loose. It was not done by one person, and there was no definite law to speak of.This is the flexible embodiment of Cao Cao's use of advanced strategies to govern people: the former is a critical moment for the army to besiege the city, and if you relax a little, all previous efforts may be wasted; the latter is a temporary change.It can be said that there are corresponding methods of governing people for different situations, which seem to be irregular, but they apply strategies to the environment.

In an era, especially in a turbulent era, the implementation of government orders depends on the authority of the law, and the authority of the law needs strong means to promote it.Therefore, if there is no majesty in government, the people will have nothing to fear. If there is no fear, the legal system will be more chaotic, and it will be very difficult to achieve great order in the world. Of course, killing one to make an example is an important way to establish authority for officials.Cao Cao also uses the technique of killing one to scare others, no wonder he never tires of using it.

However, if Cao Cao regards this method as the only criterion, he will be reduced to Yuan Shao and his ilk instead of a well-known military strategist and statesman in history.

When the feudal lords were attacking Dong Zhuo, seeing the general Ji Yuan beheaded by Hua Xiong, everyone was afraid and no one dared to fight.The imposing Guan Yu stood up and asked for the battle. Yuan Shao didn't want Yuan Shao to ask his position first instead of asking about his ability.When he heard that Guan Yu was just a horse archer under the county magistrate, he was immediately furious, thinking that Guan Yu was not worthy to fight as a junior officer, so as not to make his opponent laugh.At this time, Cao Cao's performance reflected his employment strategy.

I saw Cao Cao hurriedly said to Yuan Shao: "Calm down your anger at the beginning. Since this person dares to say such words, he must be brave and resourceful; it is better to let him fight. If he cannot win, it will not be too late to punish him. Besides, this person is dignified and majestic." Plus, how can the opponent know his identity?" He asked someone to warm a glass of wine for Guan Yu.

Sure enough, Guan Yu played "Warming Wine and Killing Huaxiong".Cao Cao didn't take the usual way in employing people, and he didn't care about the high or low of talents, so that Guan Yu, who had a low status, had a chance to become famous.It embodies his grand strategy of eclectic use of talents, and Yuan Shao is far behind in this regard.

Two words and one letter, Cao Cao sent Guan Yunchang righteously
To do great things, you must keep your promises.This is good for everyone, now and in the future.Remember, don't let the petty profits in front of you affect your credibility.

The ancients "buy a horse bone with a thousand pieces of gold" to win the trust of the world; the allusion of Jibu's "one promise, a thousand pieces of gold" has been spread far and wide. Throughout the ages, those who can achieve great things cannot do without the word "faith". In other respects, there are minor deficiencies, but they are still good. Tolerance, once you break your promise to others, you will be followed in vain.

After Liu Bei was defeated by Cao Cao in Xuzhou, he separated from Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, and defected to Yuan Shao in Hebei alone.Cao Cao captured Xiapi in Xuzhou by means of tricks, besieged Guan Yu on an earthen mountain, and sent Zhang Liao, who had a close acquaintance with Guan Yu, to persuade him to surrender.

Due to the situation, Guan Yu agreed to surrender, but put forward three prerequisites: first, he only surrendered to Han Xiandi, not Cao Cao; second, Liu Bei's two wives should be cared for and respected; Immediately go for refuge, three conditions are indispensable.Cao Cao was eager to love talents, so he agreed to all Guan Yu's requests, and appointed him as a partial general in the name of Han Xiandi.

Later, when Cao Cao fought Yuan Shao, when Cao Cao suffered serious setbacks, Guan Yu beheaded Yuan Shao's general Yan Liang, and made a great contribution to Cao Cao's rescue.Cao Cao immediately went to the court to ask the court to seal Guan Yu as Marquis of Hanshouting, and specially cast a big seal for Guan Yu.

In the ensuing battle, Guan Yu beheaded Wen Chou, another of Yuan Shao's generals.It was also during this battle that Liu Bei knew that Guan Yu was in Cao Cao's camp.Soon, Guan Yu also learned that his elder brother Liu Bei was with Yuan Shao, and he also received Liu Bei's personal letter from Yuan Shao's subordinates. He immediately wrote a reply, and someone brought it back.

After Guan Yu informed the two wives of Liu Bei's brother, he prepared to go to the Prime Minister's Mansion to bid farewell to Cao Cao.Cao Cao knew his reason for coming, so he deliberately avoided seeing him. Guan Yu went several times, but he couldn't see Cao Cao.He wanted Zhang Liao to send a message to the prime minister, but Zhang Liao refused to see him because he was ill.Guan Yu knew their intentions, so he wrote a letter and sent it to the Xiangfu.Then he sealed up all the gold and silver he had received, hung the seal of Marquis of Hanshouting on the lobby, took the former generals, escorted the two wives, and headed towards the official road to join Liu Bei.

When Cao Cao found out, he couldn't help but sigh.At this time, the counselor Cheng Yu remonstrated: "The Prime Minister has treated Yun Chang very well, and now he has left without saying goodbye. He offended Prime Minister Jun Wei, and his crime cannot be forgiven. If we allow him to join Yuan Shao, Yuan Shao will be even more powerful, and it will be even more difficult for us to deal with him. Why don't you send troops to catch up with him and kill him now, before he goes far away, so as to avoid future troubles." Cao Cao said, "No, I promised him that he would leave me as soon as he hears about Liu Bei, how could he break his promise!"

Cao Cao wanted to see Guan Yu off, so he led his troops to chase after him.After catching up with Guan Yu, Guan Gong was relieved when he saw that everyone had no weapons in their hands.Cao Cao said, "Why did Yun Chang leave in such a hurry?" Guan Gongyu immediately leaned over and replied, "Guan had an appointment with the prime minister before. Now that my eldest brother is in Hebei, I must go. I have visited the mansion many times. I had never met before, so I had no choice but to leave without saying goodbye.”

Cao Cao said: "What I do is to win the trust of the world. How can I break my promise and get fat? I am just afraid that the general will not have enough money on the way, so I will give you a plate of gold. Guan Gong will not accept it." Cao Cao laughed again and said, "Yun Chang is a righteous man in the world." , I am deeply sorry that Fubo cannot keep you.Now I give you a collar of brocade robes, a little bit of heart. "Let the attendants dismount and walk towards Guan Yu holding the robe in both hands.

Guan Yu did not dare to dismount for fear of being deceived.Use the green dragon knife to pick up the brocade robe and put it on your body, like Cao Cao thanking: "Thanks to the prime minister for giving you the robe, we will meet again someday." After finishing speaking, he looked north and galloped away.The general Xu Chu said: "Guan Yu is too rude to the prime minister. It is better to capture and kill him." , you will definitely keep your word.”

As the prime minister, Cao Cao will never break his word. This is not only a matter of personal reputation, but more importantly, it is related to the integrity of the soldiers of the armed forces.If he does not keep his word, the soldiers will be suspicious.Cao Cao knew that Guan Yu was a loyal man, and he felt uneasy that he owed him a lot of favors, and he would definitely find an opportunity to repay him in the future.Later, in the Battle of Chibi, Cao Cao was defeated and walked Huarong Road. Sure enough, Guan Yu spared the lives of Cao Cao and his subordinates. This is also the greatest reward for those who keep their word.

Cao Cao and Guan Yu are opposites on the battlefield, but in terms of their friendship as human beings, they are a pair of confidants in times of adversity.Especially when Cao Cao bestowed kindness on Guan Yu, Guan Yu was in a state of desperation, leaving only his martial arts, so Cao Cao also got the name of not repaying his kindness, which aroused Guan Gong's desire to repay his kindness.

No matter how you behave or do things, the word "trustworthiness" is worth a thousand dollars.It is very natural to receive the kindness of water from others today, and to repay it with springs in the future.There are inevitable ups and downs in a person's life. Don't worry about immediate benefits. If you keep your promises in everything, you will definitely get endless rewards.Reputation is the foundation of our life. At any time, we must not lose our trust because of small profits, otherwise, nothing can be done.

Three control the group of people to get the wise man to win the world

When Cao Cao and Yuan Shao launched an army against Dong Zhuo, Yuan Shao once asked Cao Cao, "If you don't succeed in hunting down the thieves this time, what are your future plans?" Cao Cao asked Yuan Shao, "What about you?" Yuan Shao pondered for a while and said : "My jurisdiction is based on the Yellow River in the south, Yan and Dai in the north, plus the hinterland of the desert, and then goes south to fight for the world." Cao Cao said: "I want all the talented and wise people in the world to Use it for me, so, is there anything that can’t be done?”

This conversation showed that the two have different views on the major policies of running the world.They each have their own human, material and economic strength.Yuan Qiang and Cao Wei are weak, and the difference in strength is so great that they are simply incomparable.But the final result is that the strong lose and the weak win.Cao Cao is not greedy for the gains and losses of a city and a pool, but every time he gets a celebrity, he is ecstatic.Relying on these counselors, coupled with the Yellow Turban Army reorganized into its own team, still defeated half of the country.

The number of counselors under Cao Cao is incomparable to that of the Sun and Wu families. People with a little bit of ability will have a little temper or a bad temper, but Cao Cao can make them serve him convincingly by virtue of his superb control ability. admire.

On the other hand, Yuan Shao's starting point is several levels higher than Cao Cao's.It has a vast territory and a strong army, has strategic resources, and has many capable advisers.In the end, nothing happened, why?One of the biggest reasons is the inability to control talents and make the best use of those around them.

The self-knowledge of leaders lies in understanding the value of others and seeing their own limitations; the role of leaders lies in the reasonable deployment of human resources, rather than overreaching.

In Cao Cao's employment behavior, he can often choose people who are more capable than himself to serve him. Why is this?Because Cao Cao has long understood that no matter how good he is, it is impossible to surpass his subordinates in every item.

Wenpin was originally Liu Cong's subordinate. Before the Battle of Chibi, Liu Cong led his troops to surrender to Cao Cao, but Wenpin refused to surrender and stuck to his post.It was not until Cao Cao went south and crossed the Han River that Wen Pin went to see Cao Cao.

Although Liu Cong's followers surrendered to Cao Cao in name, most of them were vacillating, and the situation has been unstable.So Cao Cao took the opportunity to arrange Wenpin, an influential person, to stabilize the hearts of the soldiers and civilians in Jingzhou.So he joked with Wenpin and said: "Why did you come so late?" Wenpin said very seriously: "I used to serve the country with Liu Biao, but I didn't do it. I feel very ashamed. So I just want to stick to my post On. Make sure that you are not ashamed of the person under Jiuquan, nor the orphan (Liu Cong) he entrusted to me. I have no choice but to come to this point. How can I have the heart and face to see you early?" After finishing speaking Wept bitterly.

When Cao Cao heard this, he was in awe, and immediately praised Wenpin, and sent him to be the prefect of Jiangxia.His move played a positive role in conquering the hearts of the Jingzhou soldiers.Wenpin served as the prefect of Jiangxia for decades, from Guannei Hou, Tinghou, Xianghou to County Marquis, and his titles went up, but he has been serving as Jiangxia prefect, guarding this important throat for Cao Cao, and finally defeated Cao Cao. He defeated Guan Yu and Sun Quan, and made great contributions to Cao Cao's unified hegemony.

If you want to consolidate your leadership position, the only correct way is to let go of these capable subordinates, use practical actions to unite them, and make them serve themselves with sincerity.

In practice, not all leaders are able to use this strategy skillfully and flexibly.Once some leaders have overcome all kinds of difficulties, if they do this, then they are not far from career success.

Cao Cao has the correct concept of controlling people: first, respect objective facts, have the courage to admit that he is indeed inferior to his subordinates in one or several aspects, don't be arrogant, let alone implement the "ostrich policy" regardless of the facts.Second, self-cultivation, strive for self-improvement, and let the counselors under him know their knowledge and broad-mindedness.Third, be as modest as possible, and boldly use talented subordinates to serve yourself.Only in this way can we turn passive into active.

As long as it is a talent, Cao Cao will use it for me and use it according to his ability. With mutual trust and a scientific incentive mechanism, he has built the best bridge to communicate with talents, so the abilities of Cao Cao's talents have been brought into full play.Therefore, Cao Cao was often able to work together with all the soldiers to tide over difficulties on the verge of failure, especially in a troubled world of intrigue and deceit, which showed Cao Cao's far-sighted strategic vision and superb skills of manipulating people.Cao Cao recruited talents with such a mind and style. Before Cao Cao died, there were hundreds of civil servants and generals gathered around him, and more than 100 important advisers alone. Cao Cao completed the great cause of unification.

(End of this chapter)