Confucius was an apprentice
More than 2,000 years ago, Zigong asked Confucius: "What is the most important thing for the way of government?" Confucius replied, "Enough food, enough soldiers, and the trust of the people." ”
Zigong asked, "If you have to give up one, which of these three will you choose?" Confucius replied, "Go to the soldiers." ”
Zigong asked, "If you have to remove one more item, which of these two articles will you choose?" Confucius replied, "If you go to food, you have died since ancient times, and the people have no faith or standing." ”
Confucius believed that faith is the foundation of the country, more important than life and death. This view is not a Confucian patent. Shang Martin moved to Mu Lixin, starting from the establishment of national faith and righteousness, and began to change the law, which shows that both the French and Confucian families recognize the importance of political credibility.
The two states of Qilu were allied, and the Lu general Cao Mo abducted the Duke of Qi Huan at an international conference and forced him to return the land of the State of Lu with a dagger. Duke Huan of Qi was forced to promise. After the meeting, Qi Huangong regretted it and wanted to kill Cao Mo. Guan Zhong said no, and when he promised, he would honor it, so he returned the land that had been encroached upon by the State of Lu. When the princes of various countries heard about it, they all trusted the State of Qi and followed it.
The so-called "son of heaven has no jokes" is about political credibility. There are many examples of monarchs who have achieved great things attach great importance to promises and promises.
When the Jin dynasty was fighting for hegemony, Duke Wen of Jin once besieged the original city and ordered: "If you can't attack it in three days, you will withdraw your army." "After three days the original castle did not surrender. Duke Wen of Jin withdrew his troops according to his word. The spies in the city showed: "The original city will soon surrender, please wait a little longer!"
Jin Wengong said: "The three-day covenant has passed, and if you get the original city and lose your credibility, you will not be able to pay for it." So the retreat continued. Yuan Cheng was convinced and voluntarily surrendered to Jin Wengong.
During the reign of Marquis Wen of Wei, the strength of the State of Wei was the largest among all countries. Once, Wei Wenhou was drinking with his courtiers, and was on his head, when suddenly it rained heavily, and Wenhou ordered a car to be prepared to go to the suburbs. Left and right said, "We are drinking happily, and it is raining again, where is the lord going?" ”
Wei Wenhou said, "I made an appointment in advance with yu ren, who manages the mountains and forests, to hunt together today, and although I drink and enjoy drinking, I can't lose faith in people!" So he drove in and told the other party to cancel the hunt.
These two things are about the credibility of politicians. It seems pedantic, but in fact, the wisdom is very deep. Only when a person does not ignore every promise, or still fulfills his promise when he is unfavorable to himself, is it enough to embody faith and convince people, and he cannot try to be convenient and take shortcuts.
The same is true for a country. If they do not move, they will withdraw from the group, break the treaty, and even suppress other countries. It seems that they know how to seek advantages and avoid harms, and get immediate benefits, but they have lost their credibility and are not conducive to long-term development.
Reference: Sima Guang: Zizhi Tongjian