Cao Bin
When it comes to famous generals in ancient times, they are often cruel and murderous figures, such as the Qin general Bai Qi, the Northern Wei general Erzhu Rong, the famous Eastern Han general Geng Yi [yǎn] and other people, who are cruel and tyrannical, and often kill thousands of innocents.
Associating famous players with "no penchant for killing" seems contradictory, but in fact it is not.
There are also many famous generals who do not regard killing as the ultimate goal of war, but want to bend the soldiers without fighting, subdue the enemy with benevolence and righteousness, and complete the conquest at the lowest cost, and the famous general Cao Bin of the Northern Song Dynasty is such a person.
Cao Bin fought in the south and the north for decades, never killed a person in vain, and often behaved differently.
The "History of Song" records: "Cao Bin, the character Guohua, is a true Lingshou person. Bin was born one year old, and his parents sat down with a hundred tricks to see what they took..."
When Cao Bin was one year old, he "grabbed Zhou", and his parents got various toys to list on the mat to see what their son would catch.
Xiao Cao Bin grabbed "Gange" in his left hand, and held up the trick [zǔ] and beans used for sacrifice in his right hand, and after a while he grabbed a seal, and his family "was different", thinking that he would definitely have a chance in the future, because "Gango" symbolized being a general, "Trick Bean" symbolized that the child would be a gentleman who was benevolent and knowledgeable in the future, and "Yin" symbolized being an official.
Cao Bin later became a military general of the Northern Zhou Dynasty, and was upright and upright, adhering to principles.
The Complete Works of Wisdom Advisors records: "Song Taizu's first affair Zhou Shizong was in Liaozhou, and Cao Bin was a relative of Emperor Sejong and held tea and wine. Taizu tasted from the wine..."
When Zhao Kuangyin, the grandfather of the Song Dynasty, assisted Emperor Chai Rong of Zhou Shizong in Liaozhou (澶州, in present-day Puyang, Henan), Cao Bin was an official in charge of tea and wine under Emperor Zhou Shizong.
Zhao Kuangyin
Once, Zhao Kuangyin grinned widely and begged Cao Bin for a drink.
Cao Bin said, "This official wine cannot be matched!" ”
- This is public wine and cannot be given to you! Zhao Kuangyin was quite embarrassed, so he had to go to the liquor store and buy his own wine to drink.
Zhao Kuangyin, who was proclaimed empress dowager, once said to his courtiers: "Emperor Sejong does not deceive his master, but Cao Bin'er alone." ”
- The officials under Zhou Shizong did not deceive their masters, but Cao Bin was the only one, and he was regarded as a confidant from then on.
Cao Bin was not a good woman, "ask Shu Ping, the woman who was obtained closed in a room, and when the matter stopped, visit her relatives." If there is none, be prepared to marry him. ”
Cao Bin was ordered to conquer Hou Shu, pacify the Later Shu state, and capture many women, he placed these women alone in a house, afterwards, visited the women's relatives and friends, sent some of them back to their families and relatives, those women who could not find their families and relatives, Cao Bin himself paid as a dowry, and married all the remaining women.
Cao Bin has his own unique set of methods to deal with villains, one day, Song Taizu sent Cao Bin to attack the Southern Tang, and before leaving, he handed Cao Bin a Shangfang sword, and publicly announced that the deputy generals below, those who did not obey the commander Cao Bin, could be cut first and play later.
Taizu asked Cao Bin what else he wanted, and Cao Bin requested that the general Tian Qinzuo be appointed as the chief general of a certain road army under him, and Song Taizu agreed to his request.
The "History of Song" records: "Qin Zuo was cunning in nature, especially did not like Confucianism, good and insulted, and many people were evil." ”
Tian Qinzuo was sinister and cunning, did not like to make friends with Confucians, and often despised and teased his colleagues, and everyone hated him.
Many people, including Song Taizu, did not understand Cao Bin, how could he promote the villain he had always hated?
Cao Bin had told his confidant generals that after he went out on the expedition, Tian Qinzuo would slander himself to Song Taizu and leave him by his side, which could be monitored at all times, and Tian Qinzuo naturally lost the opportunity to slander others with evil words.
Cao Bin never killed innocents indiscriminately, hoping that the fewer people who died in the war, the better. When pacifying Jiangnan, "not a single person was killed in vain", and when attacking Jinling (Nanjing, Jiangsu), Cao Bin found that the generals had committed indiscriminate killing, so he called the illness "indifferent" and the general came to visit.
Cao Bin said, "Yu's disease cannot be cured by medicinal stones, but it must be sincerely sworn by all the princes, and if they do not kill a single person in vain, they will heal themselves." ”
——My illness is not something that can be cured by medicinal stones, and I only hope that you will sincerely swear to conquer Jinling City and not kill a single person, and my illness will naturally be cured.
The officials burned incense and swore not to kill indiscriminately, and after conquering Jinling City, the people in the city were "as peaceful as before".
Li yu
Li Yu, the lord of the Southern Tang Dynasty, led more than a hundred of his subordinates, naked, to Cao Bin's military camp to plead guilty, and Cao Bin comforted Li Yu and treated him with courtesy, asking Li Yu to enter the palace and get dressed, and sent several cavalry to protect Li Yu, showing the benevolent and generous demeanor of a general.