Zhong Hui was a famous general of Wei during the Three Kingdoms period, who attempted to launch a mutiny to overthrow the ruling Sima Zhao after pacifying Shu. However, his mutiny ended disastrously. The reason for this is precisely because Zhong Hui never really regarded his soldiers as human beings, and the soldiers refused to be loyal at critical moments. If a person in power does not respect the common people, he will lose the support of the people, and thus will not be able to maintain peace and stability for a long time. So, how did Zhong Hui treat his soldiers, and what specific practices led to his downfall? Let's find out.
Zhong Hui ruled the army harshly and ruthlessly
When it comes to Zhong Hui, people will naturally think of his iron-faced, selfless, stern and harsh side. As the commander of Wei's expedition to the west, Zhong Hui was extremely strict with military discipline and was sentenced to death at every turn. Under him, even the slightest mistake could not escape death.
On the way of the army's westward expedition, there was a time when the horse's hooves were trapped because the bridge was not laid, which was a small mistake in the ancient army. But Zhong Hui was about to kill Xu Yi, the goalkeeper who was in charge of repairing the bridge, on the spot. Xu Yi is the son of Xu Chu, a minister of Wei, whose father has made great achievements for the country and can be said to be the descendant of the feudal officials. However, Zhong Hui didn't care about this, and still had to act impartially, insisting on executing Xu Yi to correct military discipline.
This incident caused a great shock in the army. The soldiers saw that even the lords could not escape death, let alone these little soldiers? From then on, the army's morale was in turmoil, and everyone was silent, for fear that a small mistake would be punished by the Zhong Hui. Zhong Hui's move undoubtedly pushed the atmosphere in the military to a new high level of tension.
Not only that, but Zhong Hui treated his soldiers more like slaves, not treating them as human beings at all. In his eyes, these soldiers were nothing more than a group of weapons that obeyed the command, tools that could be driven at will. He never thought of treating him with kindness and subduing him with virtue, but he only knew that he relied on severe punishment and strict law to deter the three armies.
Once, Zhong Hui ordered Xu Yi, the general of the Yamen, to lead his troops first and repair the road ahead. This was undoubtedly a very absurd order, because the Yamen generals were the elite of the Wei army, and their job was to kill the enemy, not to build roads and bridges. However, Zhong Hui took it for granted that as long as he gave an order, his soldiers must obey, even if they did something completely inconsistent with their duties.
From this incident, it can be seen that the Zhong Hui did not treat his soldiers as human beings at all, and only regarded them as slaves who could be called upon at will. He completely ignored the humanity of his subordinates, and only blindly used severe punishment to control the hearts of the army, but he never thought of using kindness and righteousness to win people's hearts. This practice was destined to make the soldiers stay away from him and refuse to be loyal at critical moments.
Zhong Hui is arrogant and misjudges the situation
After pacifying the Shu Kingdom, Zhong Huizhi was complacent, arrogant, and greatly misjudged his prestige and loyalty to the army. He believed that as long as he gave an order, his soldiers would definitely obey the command, even if it was a rebellion.
In fact, Zhong Hui's attitude towards his subordinates has always been condescending, arrogant and tyrannical. He never really saw his subordinates as human beings, but only as tools to be driven at will. In his eyes, this army is like a sharp sword, which must be obeyed as long as it is wielded itself.
The Chung Hui overlooked a very important tradition – "Grace before Might". Since ancient times, famous generals have attached great importance to the hearts of soldiers with kindness and righteousness, and then they can establish military prestige. Wu Qi was like this back then, he not only strictly enforced military discipline, but also personally sucked the wounds of the wounded and shared weal and woe with the soldiers. But Zhong Hui didn't have the consciousness of this at all, he only knew that he relied on severe punishment and strict laws to deter the three armies, but he never thought of using kindness to win people's hearts.
It was precisely because of this arrogance and paranoia that after the destruction of Shu, Zhong Hui actually had the idea of launching a mutiny and overthrowing the ruling Sima Zhao. He was convinced that with his prestige in the army, with just one order, his officers and men would obey the command and follow him in the rebellion.
However, Zhong Hui overlooked a very important fact—that his army obeyed because he represented the authority and decrees of the imperial court, not out of personal loyalty to him. Once he wants to start a rebellion and turn his back on the court, the officers and men of the army will naturally refuse to be loyal.
Zhong Hui didn't know anything about this, and he didn't realize that his prestige in the army was entirely based on representing the law and order of the imperial court. Once he betrays the court, this prestige will be lost. He was arrogant, believing that as long as he gave orders, his soldiers must obey, even if he started a rebellion.
So, at the instigation of Jiang Wei and others, Zhong Hui resolutely issued a military order for rebellion. He was convinced that with his prestige in the army, with just one order, his officers and men would obey the command and follow him in the rebellion. However, contrary to expectations, Zhonghui's military order was fully resisted and opposed by the soldiers.
Zhong Hui never imagined that the so-called "prestige" he had established in the army would be so fragile, and once he turned his back on the imperial court, it would be gone. He was arrogant and blindly confident, which eventually led to a catastrophe. If he could be more modest, maybe he wouldn't have embarked on this road of no return.
The soldiers counterattacked, and the bell would be destroyed
After Zhong Hui issued the rebel military order, the soldiers who had already respected him refused to obey his orders. Once the morale of the army is weakened, his orders will be ignored.
At that time, Zhong Hui led a combined army composed of the native army of Wei and the army of Shu. Before he issued the rebellion order, although this army was under his command, it was more out of reverence for the imperial court and the constraints of law and order. Once Zhong Hui betrayed the court and staged a mutiny, his prestige in the army was gone.
Sure enough, as soon as Zhonghui's rebellion order was issued, the entire army fell into extreme chaos. Naturally, the native Wei army refused to serve, because they would not follow a general who betrayed the imperial court under any circumstances. As for the Shu army, although they were originally Zhonghui's subordinates, at the critical moment, they also chose to protect themselves and refused to be involved in the whirlpool of this mutiny.
Soon, there was a commotion in the various barracks. Some assertive generals, such as Xu Yi, the son of Yamen general Xu Chu, and others directly took the lead in calling for an uprising against this perfidious Zhonghui.
Zhong Hui never imagined that the so-called "prestige" he had established in the army would be so fragile. As soon as he turned away from the court, his authority in the military was gone. The soldiers who were originally under his orders have now become his worst enemies.
Soon, the soldiers of all the departments flocked to Zhonghui's camp in droves, armed with swords, to crusade against this treacherous general. Zhong Hui's cronies and henchmen were naturally chopped into meat puree as soon as possible to set an example.
Faced with the situation of the army's morale being completely weakened and the soldiers counterattacking, Zhong Hui completely lost control. He thought that as long as he gave an order, the soldiers under his command would definitely obey the command, even if it was a rebellion. But reality gave him a heavy blow, and he finally realized how ridiculous and pathetic his arrogance and arrogance were.
In the end, Zhong Hui was besieged by the soldiers on the day the rebellion order was issued, and was quickly chopped up alive. His body was even dismembered by the angry soldiers and thrown to the ground. This is the final fate of a tyrant who thinks highly of himself and has nothing to offer.
The fall of Zhonghui once again confirmed a historical law - if the superior is empty-eyed and treats the people like a mustard, he will be betrayed and spurned by the people. The fundamental reason why he embarked on this road of no return was that he never really saw his soldiers as human beings, but only as tools that could be driven at will.
Lesson from failure: Respect for the people's will can lead to long-term peace and stability
The defeat of Zhonghui left a valuable lesson for future generations - if a ruler is empty-eyed and treats the people like a mustard, he will inevitably lose the support of the people, and eventually it will be difficult to escape a catastrophe.
The fundamental reason why Zhong Hui embarked on this road of no return was that he never really regarded his soldiers as human beings. In his eyes, these soldiers were nothing more than a group of tools that could be driven at will, victims to obey orders and fight for him. He never thought of treating him with kindness and subduing him with virtue, but he only knew that he relied on severe punishment and strict law to deter the three armies.
However, blindly relying on strict punishment and strict law to govern the army is doomed to fail. Although the soldiers ostensibly obeyed Zhong Hui's command, they were more out of reverence for the laws and regulations of the imperial court than out of personal loyalty to him. Once Zhong Hui betrayed the court and staged a mutiny, his authority in the army was gone.
Sure enough, when Zhong Hui issued the rebel order, the soldiers who had already respected him refused to obey his orders. Soon, there was a commotion in various military camps, and some assertive generals directly took the lead in calling for an uprising against this treacherous Zhonghui.
Faced with the situation of the army's morale being completely weakened and the soldiers counterattacking, Zhong Hui completely lost control. He thought that as long as he gave an order, the soldiers under his command would definitely obey the command, even if it was a rebellion. But reality gave him a heavy blow, and he finally realized how ridiculous and pathetic his arrogance and arrogance were.
In the end, Zhong Hui was besieged by the soldiers on the day the rebellion order was issued, and was quickly chopped up alive. His body was even dismembered by the angry soldiers and thrown to the ground. This is the final fate of a tyrant who thinks highly of himself and has nothing to offer.
The fall of Zhonghui once again confirmed a historical law - if the superior is empty-eyed and treats the people like a mustard, he will be betrayed and spurned by the people. If you want to maintain peace and stability for a long time, you must first win the support of the people with kindness and righteousness, and then you can establish military authority and impose punishments.
This point, since ancient times, famous generals and good looks have had a deep experience. Wu Qi was like this back then, he not only strictly enforced military discipline, but also personally sucked the wounds of the wounded and shared weal and woe with the soldiers. Use Endra to win people's hearts, and then establish military prestige, this is the only way for a famous general to govern the army.
It's a pity that Zhong Hui is an arrogant and empty-eyed tyrant, and he has no awareness of this at all. He only knew that he relied on severe punishment and strict laws to deter the three armies, but he never thought of using kindness to win people's hearts. In the end, he not only lost his military heart, but also buried his own life, which became an important lesson in history.