What does Lao Tzu mean when he says, "Self-cutters have no merit"?
The picture shows the illustration of the "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" painted by Jin Xiezhong (copyright disclosure)
In the Battle of Guandu, Cao Cao created a miracle of war in which the weak defeated the strong, in which the strategist Xu You was indispensable.
Xu You left Yuan Shao, submitted to Cao Cao, and offered a plan to sneak into Yuan Shao's granary Wuchao, which was a great success. Later, Xu You offered another strategy, diverting the Water of the Zhanghe River to irrigate Yizhou. Cao Cao adopted his strategy, turned the tide of the war, and won the battle. Without him, Cao Cao could not enter Yizhou City.
Illustration of the thirtieth time of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms painted by Jin Xiezhong, robbing Wuchao Mengde to burn grain (copyright disclosure)
Cao Cao and Yuan Shao fought, at a critical moment, Xu You offered a key strategy, indeed a contribution, wisdom and talent, but why did he finally kill Cao Wei's famous general and Cao Cao's close bodyguard Xu Chu?
The Thirty-third Chronicle of the Three Kingdoms describes that after Cao Cao pacified Yizhou, he led his generals into the city of Jizhou. Just as he was about to enter the city gate, Xu You suddenly rode forward, pointed at the city gate with a horse whip, and arrogantly said to Cao Cao, "Ah Qi, ru can't help me, and andrew to enter this gate?" He called Cao Cao's nickname "Ah Qi", if you don't have me, how can you enter this city gate? Cao Cao had a broad heart and a tolerant capacity, so he only laughed and laughed when he listened. However, the generals around Cao Cao could not listen to it anymore, and their hearts were indignant.
One day, Xu Chu entered the East Gate on horseback and met Xu You in front of him. Xu You said to him, "If you wait for me, can Ann enter and exit this door?" If you don't have me, how can you get in and out of this gate?
Xu Chu, who was infinitely powerful and was known as the "Tiger Fool", was silent and silent, and immediately became angry, saying: "We are waiting for thousands of lives and deaths, and we have fought a bloody battle to seize the city, and Ru'an dares to boast!" I and other generals led the soldiers to fight bloody battles before they took the city. How dare you, a strategist, boast so much about Haikou!
Xu You was arrogant, and immediately turned his lips to ridicule: "Ru and others are all pifu ears, He Zu Daoya!" Xu You's words were too crazy, and he despised the soldiers who fought loyally and bravely. Xu Chu was Cao Cao's "true loyal subject", going in and out of his peers, not leaving his left and right. Not only was he Cao Cao's confidant, but even Cao Ren of the Cao family respected him for three points.
Illustration of the 59th edition of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms by Jin Xiezhong, Xu Chu's Nude Fighting Horse Chao (Copyright Disclosure)
Xu You was arrogant and arrogant, and eventually invited himself to kill himself. An enraged Xu Chu drew his sword and waved his hand to kill Xu You. Then he went to see Cao Cao and confessed to the crime of murder.
Cao Cao felt deeply sorry for Xu You's death, and severely rebuked Xu Chu: "Ziyuan and I have old friends, so they play with each other. Why kill it?" Ziyuan is Xu You's word. Cao Cao said that he and I were old acquaintances, so talking was joking, so how did you kill him? Xu Chu was reprimanded, and Xu You was buried thickly.
At the beginning, when Xu You joined Cao You's camp, Cao Cao happily "stomped on his feet to greet each other", directly barefoot, not even wearing shoes and socks, and hurried out to greet him. The courtesy of "greeting each other with feet" has also become a model for future emperors to cherish talents and love talents.
However, "Xu Yougong is arrogant" (from the Zizhi Tongjian), which can be seen from his direct call to Cao Cao's nickname. Xu You offered a plan to "rob the grain from Wuchao", and Cao Cao made a strategic plan against the public opinion. In actual combat, Cao Cao and his generals risked their lives to achieve victory, so good strategies were only one part of winning. If there were no soldiers of the whole army fighting in blood and fully cooperating with good policies, Xu You would not have made a great miracle.
Lao Tzu once said, "Those who cut themselves down are useless." Self-cutting, self-boasting meaning. A person has done many things and made many achievements, and it is naturally a good thing to benefit people. Why is it that "self-cutters are useless"? Presumably, behind any outstanding feat, there is often the operation of the Heavenly Dao, the rational arrangement of personnel, and the convenience of the geographical environment, and the harmony of the three will achieve great success.
When Xu You arrogantly flaunted his own merits and looked at everything, he had already denied the operation of the heavenly time, and the people fought hard and did the arrogant thing of betraying the heavenly way and betraying humanity.
Xu You's death is a tragedy, and it is also a negative lesson left by the Romance of the Three Kingdoms.