The old proverb: "A thousand armies are easy to obtain, but one will be difficult to find." "There are many examples in history of countries that have prospered and lost a future. One of the most famous is the story of Xiao He who recovered Han Xin and promoted Han Xin, who was originally a lieutenant of Zhisu (who managed grain and salary), as a great general.
Before Han Xin was recommended, Liu Bang was trapped in bashu, and although he was the first to invade Xianyang in the war to destroy the Qin Dynasty, Xiang Yu, who had actually become the leader of the princes, did not abide by the prior covenant and only made Liu Bang the King of Han.
Although the remote land of Bashu was developed by Qin, it was far from being rich and developed; at this time, the outside of Bashu was also a powerful Chu state. Therefore, his subordinates felt that the future of mixing with Liu Bang was slim, and they fled one after another, and dozens of generals alone fled.
In the case of this internal and external difficulty, including Liu Bang himself, there was no way out, the emergence of Han Xin was like the savior of the Liu Han regime, and once it was reused, it broke the deadlock.
After Han Xinbai became a general, he presented the "Hanzhong Pair", and the Han army waved its army to the east, opening the prelude to the Chu-Han war.
Han Xin's own military prowess also lived up to expectations. As a military commander, he almost conquered two-thirds of the Han Dynasty. Capturing Wei, replacing, breaking Zhao, threatening Yan, striking Qi, and destroying Chu helped Liu Bang win the Chu-Han War.
And it is such a famous general throughout the ages, a figure who has tried to reverse the crisis of the Liu Han regime, but his appearance is too sudden, and suddenly there is no merit in the first half of his life. This inevitably makes people wonder, how did Xiao He see his talent?
First, nothing has been accomplished, Xiao Heqizhi
At that time, after the Han army entered Bashu, dozens of generals under the Han army who had led troops to fight ran, and Xiao He was indifferent; but a lieutenant in charge of grain ran away, and Xiao He chased him back overnight, which made Liu Bang very puzzled.
After all, although Han Xin was armed with a sharp weapon, he had never had the opportunity to show his talents before he became a great general, and he was quite depressed.
In his early years, Han Xin was a commoner, had no good deeds to elect as an official, did not know how to make a living in business, and was so poor that he often needed to feed others.
Until Chen Sheng, Wu Guang, Xiang Liang and others revolted, he immediately took the sword and surrendered to Xiang Liang, but there was no outstanding merit in the army, and he was unknown.
After Xiang Liang was defeated and died, he returned to Xiang Yu, who made him Langzhong. Lang Zhong's official position could stay around the leader, which was a good opportunity for a resourceful person like Han Xin to make a contribution, but every time Han Xin offered advice to Xiang Yu, he was ignored by Xiang Yu. Depressed, he eventually left Xiang Yu and defected to Liu Bang.
Of course, he was not taken seriously at first by Liu Bang. In Liu Bangjun, he was recommended by Xiahou Bao and only became a logistics manager with a small official position in grain management.
It can be said that until the end of Ren Zhisu's capital, Han Xin's social practice all ended in failure. For such an obscure figure, there are no achievements to prove himself, let alone as a general who has been on the battlefield, it can be seen that Xiao He recommended him as a great general of a country, which is obviously a very bold decision.
As for the reason why he was able to gain Xiao He's appreciation, the records in the history books are very brief, saying only "Letter numbers and Xiao He language, He Qizhi." ”
It can be seen that after Xiao He knew Han Xin, he only perceived his difference from ordinary people through the language channel. So, what message will Han Xin reveal in his words? Although the words he and Xiao He said are not recorded in the history books, we can see the clues from the preserved Hanzhong Pair.
Second, Han Xin's extraordinary insight
In fact, after Han Xin presented "Hanzhong Pair" to Liu Bang, Liu Bang immediately had a feeling of seeing each other and hating the evening. In layman's terms, the content of the Hanzhong Pair is as follows:
After Han Xin conferred the title of grand general, he talked to Liu Bang and told Liu Bang, saying: "Although King Xiang is now stronger than the Great King, he is not without weaknesses.
First, King Xiang was furious and drunk, and thousands of people trembled and fell to the ground; but they could not appoint talented generals to assist themselves, for the courage of the puppeteers.
Second, king Xiang was respectful and loving, and his speech was gentle, and when a man was sick, he comforted the other party with a sad reward of food; but when a man had merit and deserved to be knighted, he was reluctant to give the official seal to the other party, for the benevolence of the woman.
Third, now that King Xiang was already the leader of the princes, he returned to Pengcheng instead of building the capital in Guanzhong, violating Emperor Yi's agreement and sealing his cronies as kings, and the princes were already very dissatisfied.
Fourth, when the princes saw King Xiang expelling The Yi Emperor, they all returned to their territories and established themselves as kings. The land that King Xiang passed during the war was ravaged, and the people of the world feared him and resented him at the same time. So his strength has no solid foundation.
Therefore, if the great king can do the opposite, he can defeat king Xiang.
Moreover, Zhang Handan, Dong Feng, and Sima Xin, who were sealed in the land of the Three Qins, originally led the sons of the Qin State to fight when they were Generals of the Qin Dynasty, and the casualties were uncountable, and finally they were tricked into surrendering, so that 200,000 people were killed in the pit, and the people of the Qin State hated them to the bone. When the great king entered Wuguan, Qiu did not violate it, abolished the harsh law, and the three chapters of the civil covenant law, the people of the Qin state did not support the great king to become the king of Guanzhong.
But King Xiang broke the agreement and let you go to Hanzhong, so the people of the Qin Kingdom complained about King Xiang. Now as long as the great king went out, the land of Sanqin could be taken with a single order. ”
This passage not only points out the key to breaking the current deadlock, but also shows Han Xin's own superiority.
Third, Xiao He recommended a great talent
Art of War: "Changeable, transformed by the enemy." Not for the sake of forewarning, but for the sake of following. Therefore, it can be tried to be boundless and supported into heavenly power. Kuang Zheng Eight Pole, Mi Ding Jiu Yi. Such a conspirator is the Imperial Master. ”
Summarizing the "Hanzhong Pair", it can be seen that Han Xin and his people have keen insight, and the specific characteristics are as follows:
First, keenly observe the strengths and weaknesses of the enemy. Han Xin knew that under the surface of Xiang Yuwuyong's respect, it was a major weakness for him not to be good at letting talented people assist him, and not knowing how to maintain talents who were already loyal to him.
Second, judge the trend of the general trend of the world. Han Xin saw that although Xiang Yu had become the leader of the princes, he could not truly unify the princes. The hearts of the princes are not aggregated, but scattered.
Third, we can pay attention to the trend of the people's hearts and minds. Han Xin knew that the people of the world were only afraid of Xiang Yu, but they did not support him. Therefore, on the surface, xiang Yu seems to be the overlord, but there is no strong enough ruling foundation.
Fourth, be good at adapting to the times. Xiang Yu sealed Zhang Handan, Dong Yi, and Sima Xin in the land of the Three Qins in order to prevent Liu Bang, but Han Xin instead saw the opportunity to win, and his judgment was bold and accurate.
The above five points are all the characteristics of people who can be seen outside the battlefield, Han Xin has this talent, and it is no accident that Xiao He, who has superb ability to understand people, rewards him.
In the end, this genius, who has always been depressed, after stepping on the stage of exerting his talents, not only realized his own counterattack, but also changed the direction of history, which in turn achieved Xiao He's name of knowing people. The classic of "Chasing Han Xin under Xiao He Yue" has since become a beautiful talk for eternity.
Text/Da Fei
Resources:
1. "History - Biography of marquis of Huaiyin"
2. "History - Xiao Xiangguo Family"