Preface
Cao Cao, a generation of heroes during the Three Kingdoms period, was famous all over the world for his great talent and outstanding military talent. However, while recruiting talents, he also frequently took suspicious actions, such as the killing of Xu You, Kong Rong and other famous people of the Three Kingdoms. This seemingly abnormal move makes people think about Cao Cao's employment strategy and the goals he pursues.
This article will delve into this aspect of Cao Cao, revealing why, in his pursuit of talent, he chose to put some outstanding celebrities under the sword. Through historical tracing back, we will restore the political situation during the Three Kingdoms period, and deeply analyze Cao Cao's complex mentality towards talents and his superb grasp of power and strategy.
Through time, we will feel Cao Cao's determination to strive for the world and his unique vision for employing people, and explore why he chose such a complex strategy in the political maelstrom. Through in-depth interpretation, we may be able to understand Cao Cao's political strategy more comprehensively, as well as his leadership style during the Three Kingdoms period.
The reason why Xu You took refuge in Cao Cao
Xu You was originally a strategist who served for Yuan Shao, but because he saw Cao Cao's political skills and ambitions, he took the initiative to show favor to Cao Cao and became Cao Cao's henchman. According to the record of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", the reason why Xu You finally took refuge in Cao Cao was actually completely accidental and coincidental. In that year, Xu Yu accompanied Yuan Shao to fight against Cao Cao, but was accidentally left alone after the Battle of White Horse and was captured by Cao Cao.
Xu You, who was already ready to be captured, unexpectedly won Cao Cao's love. It turned out that when Cao Cao asked Xu You about his judgment of the current situation, Xu You was not afraid of power and unreservedly analyzed the military truth that Yuan Shao was bound to be defeated, which opened Cao Cao's eyes. Cao Cao realized Xu You's unique insight and extraordinary talent, and immediately recruited him, making him an important advisor under his command.
During the battle with Yuan Shao, Xu You put forward many precise military strategies, which contributed to the victory of Cao's army. He used his previous rich experience in Yuan Ying to inform Cao Cao in detail of Yuan Shao's weaknesses and flaws, so that Cao Cao was like a tiger with wings, and finally defeated the strong enemy.
It can be said that Xu Yu was one of Cao Cao's most powerful assistants in the early days. It was precisely because of Xu You's unique vision and superhuman wisdom that Cao Cao tried his best to encircle him, making him from the original enemy strategist to his most important strategist.
However, Xu You's reuse in Cao Ying also increased his arrogance. He often discussed the world's major affairs with his own opinions, and Cao Cao relied heavily on him, which also caused him to become conceited and vain. This laid the hidden danger for the two sides to break up in the future.
Arrogance inevitably produces evil consequences
However, the good times did not last long, as the days of gaining honor in Cao Ying passed day by day, Xu You gradually became arrogant, and often publicly called Cao Cao's nickname "Ah Pu", which made Cao Cao lose face. According to historical records, Xu You's arrogant character has been revealed since childhood. When he followed Yuan Shao, he often ignored his superiors and went his own way. It was the same after coming to Cao Ying. He was so arrogant that he often called Cao Cao by his name in public, with no respect for decency at all.
Cao Cao had always attached great importance to his majesty, and Xu You's such a blatant provocation finally angered him. Cao Cao believed that Xu Yu would rebel if he ignored his authority. As a result, Cao Cao executed Xu You on the charge of "rebellion". However, according to the memories of those who witnessed it, Cao Cao's motive for executing Xu You was because Xu Youce turned against his henchman Dian Wei, which was a fatal injury.
Dian Wei has always been Cao Cao's most trusted subordinate, and Xu You's ability to say that Dian Wei betrayed him means that his ambition to rebel has been expanding day by day. Although Xu You has extraordinary abilities, the arrogance and arrogance in his character eventually led to irreparable consequences and caused him to lose his life.
The beginning and end of Kong Rong's suffering
Unlike Xu You, Kong Rong, who was born in Confucianism, and Cao Cao were initially like-minded, and both hoped to support the Han family. According to historical records, in the early years of Jian'an, Kong Rong and Chen Lin, who was also a Confucian student, went to the court together and praised Cao Cao's achievements.
They praised Cao Cao for being born into a famous family but showing up to support the Han dynasty. This piece was greatly appreciated by Cao Cao. As a result, he trusted these Confucian literati even more, and Kong Rong was able to enter Cao Ying's position, and his relationship with Cao Cao was very friendly for a time.
However, the good times will not last long. As Cao Cao gradually revealed his ambition to establish a hegemony, he and Kong Rong gradually drifted apart, and eventually had very different ideas and different paths. According to the records of the conspiracy, when Cao Cao asked his ministers to ask him to become prime minister, only Kong Rong refused to sign.
From then on, Cao Cao was extremely jealous of him, worried that he would affect the hearts of the people of the government and the wilderness. Later, when Kong Rong openly opposed Cao Cao's political initiatives, Cao Cao was furious, and under the pretext that Kong Rong was talking about his treachery in the court, he ordered Kong Rong's entire family to be executed in the name of obstructing the government.
However, according to the memoirs of some eyewitnesses, Cao Cao's removal of Kong Rong was actually provoked by court struggles and villains. At that time, the general Xiahou Dun, who was not on good terms with Kong Rong, took the opportunity to slander Kong Rong several times in front of Cao Cao, making Cao Cao misbelieve. This is the real reason why Kong Rong suffered.
Xiahoudun belonged to the main battle faction, and he had long regarded Kong Rong as a literati who were not pleasing to the eye. He deliberately fabricated rumors to make Cao Cao misunderstand that Kong Rong was plotting to overthrow him, so he ordered his execution. Behind this tragedy, it is full of the brewing and provocation of palace intrigues. Kong Rong suffered such a cruel fate only because of his different political views, which can't help but make people sigh.
The real reason why Xun Yu committed suicide
If Kong Rong suffered because of his different political views, then what was the difference in Xun Yu's situation? Xun Yu was not only Cao Cao's confidant, but also one of his most trusted advisers. The relationship between the two was very close, and Cao Cao even called Xun Yu "ovary". When Cao Cao had plans to seal himself, all the strategists echoed and said yes, but Xun Yu poured cold water on it, thinking that this move was too fanfare.
However, according to eyewitness records, the fundamental reason why Xun Yu opposed Cao Cao's title of king and emperor was actually because he was worried about the hearts of the people in the world. At that time, Liu Bei was proclaimed emperor in the southwest, and Xun Yu was worried that if Cao Cao was also proclaimed emperor, it would inevitably cause greater turmoil. His opposition to Cao Cao's proposal to add a seal was entirely out of concern for the country and the people, and he did not want to see more killings, but Cao Cao misunderstood.
Cao Cao was angry and drove Xun Yu out of the court. This move also caused Xun Yu to feel that he could no longer serve Cao Cao, so he could only commit suicide by taking poison in despair. On the surface, Xun Yu died because of different aspirations, but the real reason was that Cao Cao misunderstood his painstaking efforts and mistook loyalty for slander, which led to this tragedy. Xun Yu's loyalty to Cao Cao has never changed, but the concept is slightly different, but Cao Cao is completely unable to appreciate dissent, which caused Xun Yu to abandon the official and leave, which is extremely regrettable.
It can be seen how tough Cao Cao's attitude towards the literati is, even if he is his most trusted confidant, if it is slightly different, he must be permanently eliminated and then quickly. So, why was Cao Cao so strict with the literati, and what kind of internal motives were hidden in this? We might as well analyze it a little.
Cao Cao's rigorous analysis of intrinsic motivation
First of all, Cao Cao was a man who took his prestige extremely seriously. Whether Xu Yu openly called him by his nickname, or Kong Rong's opposition to his policy ideas, in Cao Cao's eyes, it was weakening his authority. Therefore, he must resolutely and openly sanction dissidents in order to assert his position and maintain his prestige.
Second, Cao Cao was an extremely pragmatic politician. In his eyes, his political ambitions are above all else, and even a close strategist like Xun Yu will never allow any voice to hinder his plans. Xun Yu's opposition was tantamount to destroying his cause in Cao Cao's ears, and he must be cut down to the roots.
Moreover, from a psychoanalytic point of view, Cao Cao's strict style actually stems from his strong desire for power and lack of confidence in dissent. He must obtain psychological satisfaction by constantly fighting against dissidents in order to compensate for his insecurities. This attitude dominated his handling of Xu You, Kong Rong, and Xun Yu, and also caused him to be harsh and cold-blooded in personnel appointments.
In the end, perhaps deep down in Cao Cao's heart, he actually didn't trust these literati. He attaches more importance to generals like Xiahoudun and Zhang Liao who directly obey his orders. The literati were often conceited and intelligent, and it was difficult for them to fully obey their rulers, which was incompatible with Cao Cao's style of writing that demanded absolute obedience. Therefore, if there is a slight dissatisfaction, he will eliminate it mercilessly.
All indications show that Cao Cao's inner vigilance and harshness are the fundamental reasons why he cannot tolerate literati. But this strict style has also laid the root of the curse after all.
epilogue
It is undeniable that Cao Cao established the Wei State and unified the north with outstanding achievements. But his methods of dealing with talents are indeed too cruel. The tragedies of literati such as Xu You, Kong Rong, and Xun Yu still make people feel suffocated, and they can't help but wonder whether Cao Cao's success and strength are due to the lack of basic human care.
Talent is the foundation of the country, and the literati and military generals are the foundation of the country. Cao Cao regarded literati as grass mustard, which was too ruthless. Instead of following his brutal methods, we should value talent, trust and tolerate mistakes. Human nature is inherently good, and I believe that everyone has the potential to serve the country. With a little inspiration, you can be powerful.
What's more, the literati and military generals have their own strengths, talents and virtues, and the so-called harmony is unhindered. Cao Cao's one-sided and brutal dealings with dissidents ultimately limited his chances of getting better advice and weakened the regime's inclusiveness. If later monarchs imitated Cao Cao's methods of purging dissidents, they would only suffocate themselves and weaken the people's hearts, thus sowing the root cause.
Cao Cao's cruel approach is to put the cart before the horse after all. Therefore, whenever we see the story of Cao Cao and the literati, we should be vigilant and reflect. It is necessary to keep in mind the inherent goodness of human nature, and use benevolent government to influence people's hearts, rather than suppressing dissent. Only in this way can we unite people's hearts, develop talents, and make the country prosperous and strong. History is worth pondering and instructing. This is the meaning of the story of Cao Cao and the literati.