During the Three Kingdoms period, the importance of military generals was self-evident, however, they were both heroes who made great achievements and were often rebellious and untamable scourges. So, how did Sun Quan control these formidable generals? If Sun Quan were to be interviewed on TV today, perhaps some experts would comment on it, and we would call it "Professor Huang" for the time being, so let's listen to "Professor Huang's" unique views on Sun Quan's way of controlling the generals.
[Sun Quan came to the battlefield in person, taking the lead]
Sun Quan's consolidation of power in the army was mainly due to several magic weapons, which he used extremely skillfully:
The first thing is to be on the battlefield. The Battle of Chibi, the Battle of Yiling, etc., although he sat in the rear, he always held the power in his hands. As for other battles, Sun Quanduo personally took command of the expedition, and was even almost captured by Zhang Liao.
As another example, in 247 AD, Sun Quan sent Zhuge Yi to defect to Wei in disguise to induce Wei generals to be fooled. General Wei led more than 10,000 soldiers and horses to meet him, but when he was about to enter the ambush circle set by Sun Quan, he suddenly felt murderous and hurriedly withdrew his troops. At this time, Sun Quan was personally at the forefront of the ambush circle, and the minister and the prince were worried and advised him to retreat to the rear and just wait for the news, but Sun Quan insisted on not complying. This year, he was 66 years old.
It is precisely because he has always insisted on going to the battlefield in person and going to life and death with the generals that he has established a deep friendship, and the generals respect and fear him.
[Sun Quan does not trust any generals]
Second, Sun Quan controlled the generals in the system. It is not enough for a big leader to succeed by his own actions, and a complete system must be established.
The local leaders of Soochow were in charge of the integration of military and government, which was especially necessary in the era of frequent wars. The suppression of rebellion by the army requires the cooperation of food and grass and local authorities. The advantage of this system is that it can quickly organize large-scale operations and avoid disputes between leaders. However, the disadvantages are also obvious, that is, the local power is too large, and it is easy to form a separatism.
In order to deal with this drawback, Sun Quan took another measure. He bestowed many generals, although they seemed dazzling, but the common point was that there was no distinction between them and their superiors, and they all reported directly to Sun Quan. At the same time, there were frequent changes in the top military and political leaders, thus preventing the formation of separatist forces among local governors.
[Sun Quan's sincere feelings for the generals]
Moreover, Sun Quan emotionally controlled the generals. He is like a brother and sister to the generals, although some of his performances may be suspected of showmanship, but more of them are sincere, and they are affectionate and affectionate among comrades-in-arms.
In 213 AD, after Cao Cao withdrew his troops from the mouth of the water, Sun Quan appointed Zhou Tai as the first commander to stay, but Zhu Ran, Xu Sheng and others were quite unconvinced. Sun Quan then went to the front line in person and feasted the generals. During the banquet, he personally poured wine for Zhou Tai and asked him to untie his clothes. Zhou Tai was scarred, Sun Quan pointed to each scar and asked about its origin, and Zhou Tai answered one by one. Sun Quan burst into tears and said: "You don't care for me, how can I not treat you as flesh and blood?" In short, Sun Quan treated the generals with kindness and sincerity, so the generals of Eastern Wu were willing to go to the soup for him.