Preface
Kong Rong, as a typical figure in the Confucian classics, is often portrayed as a model of a humble and courteous person. However, the real history is sometimes far from the image portrayed in traditional textbooks.
We can't help but ask: why does the school only teach us the virtues of Kong Rong Rangli, but rarely mention whether he also has his flaws and dark side as a real person?
Let's delve into the light and shadow of Kong Rong, as well as the complex embodiment of the Confucian values he represents in reality.
1. Xun Yu recommends Sanjie
Back then, after Cao Cao moved the capital to Xuchang with Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty, he found that he lacked military talents. As an ambitious commander-in-chief, he naturally will not be satisfied with the existing forces. So, he kept urging his old friend Xun Yu to find a few military experts for him. As a celebrity in Yingchuan, Xun Yu naturally will not disappoint Cao Cao.
First of all, he recommended his cousin Xun You. Although Xun You seems to be wise and foolish on the surface, he is actually thoughtful and has planned the assassination of Dong Zhuo with He Hao. Although he failed in the end, Xun You was able to deal with it calmly and did not commit suicide in anger like He Hao. This kind of "external foolishness and internal wisdom, external cowardice and internal bravery" is exactly what Cao Cao values.
Although Xun Yu is six years older than Xun Yu, he is two years younger than Cao Cao and exactly forty years old. He was once recruited by He Jin to serve as a waiter at the Yellow Gate, and later plotted the assassination of Dong Zhuo with He Hao. Although he failed in the end, Xun You was able to deal with it calmly and did not panic at all. This kind of superficial mediocrity, but in fact thoughtful characteristic, made Cao Cao look at him with admiration.
Cao Cao later commented on Xun You and said: "Foolish on the outside and wise on the inside, cowardly on the outside and brave on the inside, weak on the outside and strong on the inside." This character has no presence on the surface, but he dominates everything behind the scenes. Sure enough, it didn't take long for Dong Zhuo to be killed by Wang Yun and Lu Bu, and Xun You was also honorably released from prison.
After Wang Yun came to power, he naturally wanted to win over this "old revolutionary." But Xun You saw at a glance that Wang Yun couldn't make a big deal, so he decisively abandoned the official and returned to his hometown, and successfully escaped the difficulties of Chang'an. Later, the imperial court used him again and asked him to be the minister of Rencheng and the Taishou of Shu County, but Xun You did not go because of the long distance, and has been hiding in Jingzhou for refuge.
It wasn't until Cao Cao's letter came that he happily came to Xudu, Cao Cao was overjoyed, and couldn't help but say to the strategists around him: "Gongda, very people, I have to deal with it, why worry about the world!" So he was recruited as the Taishou of Runan, entered as a book, and became the master, relying on it.
Secondly, Xun Yu recommended the famous Guo Jia. The 27-year-old was not only "brilliant and resourceful", but also had an eye for insight into people's hearts and minds. Back then, although he once wanted to take refuge in Yuan Shao, he soon saw through Yuan Shao's essence of "being multifaceted and indecisive", so he resolutely left.
Guo Jia's talent and foresight amazed Cao Cao. He exclaimed: "Whoever makes a lonely person a great cause will be this person." Guo Jia also shouted with joy: "Allah is also." The two hit it off at first sight, as if they had confirmed their eyes and met the right person.
However, although Guo Jia is a powerful person, he has a bad problem, that is, he is not formal and very casual and indulgent. Chen Qun, who was in charge of personnel work in the imperial court, had warned him many times, but Guo Jia was still the same, and he had no intention of rectifying it at all.
Cao Cao, who strictly enforces the law, turned a blind eye to this, and instead used him even more. For geniuses, Cao Cao has the greatest leniency, and it doesn't matter if he violates his principles, he is guilty of detaining his spirituality.
In the end, Xun Yu recommended his old colleague Zhong Xuan. Zhong Xuan is not only a "good criminal law", a talent for governing the country, but also a generation of calligraphers, as famous as Wang Xizhi. Some scholars believe that he created an unprecedented regular script since the Qin and Han dynasties, and made a great contribution to the stereotyping of Chinese characters.
Cao Cao naturally arranged such a talent in an important position in Shangshutai and became Xun Yu's deputy. Coupled with Shangshu Xunyue, it seems that Shangshutai, the most important prime minister institution of the Eastern Han Dynasty, has been contracted by the Yingchuan scholars. The political pattern of Cao Cao, Wen Yingchuan, and Wu Qiaopei has become indestructible.
Xun Yu spared no effort to recommend a series of Yingchuan talents to Cao Cao, such as Chen Qun, Du Xi, Zhao Yan, etc. This makes people sigh again at Yingchuan's versatility. The Yingchuan area was originally the capital of the Xia Dynasty, and the Xia people's atmosphere of "political loyalty and simplicity" spread, resulting in the Yingchuan people have always been loyal and generous, "there is still the legacy of the previous kings".
In addition, Yingchuan is close to Luoyang, the capital of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty and the Eastern Han Dynasty, and has a profound humanistic tradition, so the culture is prosperous, and its talents are not only numerous, but also most of them have both ability and political integrity.
Second, Kong Rong's downfall
In addition to the above three people, Cao Cao's subordinates also took in a famous warlord - Kong Rong. As the twentieth grandson of Confucius, Kong Rong was not only a literary Confucian, but also a famous warlord. He successively served as the general of the Tiger Ben, the minister of the Beihai Dynasty, and the history of the Qingzhou Thorn, and can be described as a complex figure integrating writers, Confucianism, celebrities, and warlords.
Kong Rong claimed that he was extremely filial, and when his father was mourned, he was "sad and ruined, and then he got up, and the state returned to his filial piety". However, it is recorded that when he was the minister of Beihai, he saw a man crying at the grave of his dead father on the road, but his face was not haggard at all, so he killed this person.
In addition, he once published with You Heng and others the "Theory that parents have no grace to their children", saying that the father gives birth to a child to satisfy his lust, and the mother is just a bottle of the child's parasitic condition, and once separated, the two are irrelevant. This kind of words and deeds are all kinds of contradictions, which shows that this person loves to perform, and it is difficult to see sincerity.
Kong Rong's high life experience, early fame, good eloquence, wonderful articles, and good acting skills are all top in the world, and he can be said to be an "old artist" of the Eastern Han Dynasty who is "highly respected". In addition, there was a large territory under his hands, and his personality was more conceited, so people like this were originally unwilling to be subordinate to Cao Cao.
It's a pity that although Kong Rong is good at everything, he doesn't know how to use people to manage politics and pacify disasters. He once killed five postal overseers in one day because of unclear rent accounts, but he was still at a loss for "traitors and corrupt officials." The Yellow Turban attacked, he "drank alcohol, bowed from the horse, and was on the water of the royal palace", a good group of celebrities and gentlemen, but the result was drunk and overturned, and he collapsed in a battle, so he had to abandon the county and flee to Xuzhou Tao Qian for refuge.
Later, Liu Bei helped him to do the history of Qingzhou Thorn, but his ass was not hot, and Yuan Shao sent his son Yuan Tan to do the history of Qingzhou Thorn. Kong Rong couldn't beat Yuan Tan, and in the end there were only a few hundred people left, this old man actually sat in the house, "talking and laughing freely, hiding a few books", and once again pretended to be a celebrity, completely ignoring the sound of killing outside the city, and the soldiers were fighting bloodily for him. The city soon fell, Kong Rong's wife and children were all captured, and he himself abandoned the state and fled.
Kong Rong represents such a group of scholars in the late Han Dynasty, who only understand Confucianism but do not understand military and political affairs, are specialized in learning but have a narrow vision, talk loudly and only in vain, do not know how to change concepts, and have no sense of distress, so when the times are changing drastically, they cannot adapt to the new cruel struggle environment, so they are eliminated by history, become political outcasts, and find it difficult to stand on their own.
Third, Cao Cao's way of employing people
Despite this, Cao Cao still took in Kong Rong and made him hold important positions such as "general master craftsman" and "shaofu". However, Kong Rong was dissatisfied with Cao Cao in his heart, and secretly organized a group of ministers to make trouble in the court.
Although Kong Rong praised Cao Cao on the surface, he was very loud, what "dreaming of the return of Cao Gong", "Cao Gong Fuguo is selfless", "Wei Gong Kuang restores the Han Dynasty", "Cao Gong assists the government and thinks of the virtuous side by side", etc., the flesh and sour teeth are not good. But secretly, he organized a group of ministers with You Heng, Yang Biao and others, and constantly made trouble in the court, often talking in a dazzle, foggy, and off-topic, which made Cao Cao have a headache.
As a supporter of Shen and commercial lawyers, Cao Cao had no good impression of these "rotten and stupid Confucians who were wild and flashy". But he also knew that the so-called celebrities led by Kong Rong, You Heng, and Yang Biao were very dissatisfied with themselves. After all, they all pick up the bowl to eat, put down the chopsticks and scold the mother's master.
However, Cao Cao didn't care. For these disobedient literati, he just wanted them not to go overboard. The key is to see which powerful warlords in the country are dissatisfied with themselves, and this is the most important issue.
In fact, Cao Cao is good at identifying and employing people, and adopts different attitudes towards different types of talents. For geniuses, he can tolerate their shortcomings, because talent is more important. For example, Guo Jia is a good example, although his personality is casual and indulgent, Cao Cao still appreciates it.
Cao Cao is also willing to make use of regional talents. Just as he reused a group of Yingchuan scholars, including Xun Yu, Xun You, Zhong Xuan, etc. Yingchuan has many talents, and Cao Cao is good at identifying and utilizing, which is also one of the important reasons why he was able to write Yingchuan and Wu Chenpei, and finally unify the world.
As for those simple literati, due to their lack of practical governance ability, it is difficult to adapt to the turbulent times, and they are destined to be eliminated by history. Kong Rong is a good example. Although he has a high background, early fame, good eloquence, wonderful articles, and good acting skills, he is the top in the world, but his governance ability is really unsatisfactory. In the end, he had to fall under Cao Cao and become a political outcast.
But Cao Cao didn't care about their disobedience. As an ambitious commander-in-chief, he understood that political struggle was the first priority. He turned a blind eye to the small actions of the literati, as long as they didn't go overboard. Because the key is to see which powerful warlords in the country are dissatisfied with themselves, and this is the most important question.
epilogue
In that turbulent era, Cao Cao used his own way to solve the problem of "how to gain a foothold". He is good at recognizing and employing people, attaching importance to talents and making good use of regional talents, and at the same time sees the limitations of literati. It is this way of employing people that allowed him to finally unify the world and create a new era.