Chapter 2752: Knowing People and Using Them to Test Their Loyalty

Xiahou Dun was rectifying Xiahou's own affairs, and Cao Cao also summoned people from the Cao family and held a gathering of the family elders in the Cao family ancestral hall.

There are some stubborn children in the Xiahou family, and there are also some in the Cao family.

The only difference between Cao Cao and Xiahou Dun is that Cao Cao is a family himself.

"Cao Tian is rebellious, arrogant, cruel, has no laws, kills for pleasure, commits four murders, and embezzles more than a million in money. He is punished for several crimes and must be executed." 』

"Cao Sheng is arrogant and has no personal ethics. He beats his fellow tribesmen and refuses to change despite repeated admonitions. He maims and maims others. He extorts dozens of merchants. He is really evil. He lives in Youzhou..."

"..."

Cao Ding read each one slowly.

Everyone in the Cao family under the ancestral hall lowered their heads, not daring to make any unusual moves.

From time to time, soldiers would come among the crowd and pull out the person who was pronouncing the sentence directly on the spot. The children of the Cao family who were pulled out were crying and begging, some were livid and silent, and some were limp and incontinent, but they could not change any decision.

Those who were sentenced to death were quickly beheaded and placed bloody in front of the ancestral hall.

The exiled ones were also taken away, and some with lighter crimes were either stripped naked and tied to wooden benches for fighting, or tied to racks and whipped with their shirts off. Anyway, the area around the ancestral hall was suddenly filled with a strong atmosphere. The smell of blood belongs to Cao's bloodline.

Cao Cao said nothing, just squinted his eyes and looked at the Cao clan members below. After Cao Ding announced the end and the punishment was over, Cao Cao stood up and said, "Just take care of yourself!" 』

Cao Cao left.

Everyone present seemed to have climbed out of the edge of hell again. Most of them were livid and sweaty. Some people seemed to have their facial features working again at this time. When they saw the bloody scene and smelled the stench of blood, they He covered his mouth with a "yeah" sound and rushed outside in a crooked manner.

Cao Ding also looked a little bad. He didn't expect Cao Cao to be so decisive, nor did he expect that the punishment this time would be so severe. Although Cao Cao did not say anything to Cao Ding, nor did he accuse Cao Ding of any crime, every time Cao Ding read a sentence just now, it felt like someone slapped him in the face.

Cao Ding was the elder in charge of the family. He failed to manage well and caused so many problems for the clan. Although he made some improvements under Xiahou Dun's reminder, it was obviously not enough and could not satisfy Cao Cao. This letter of punishment The list is proof of that.

"Uncle..." Someone came up and asked Cao Ding, "Now..."

Cao Ding waved his hand feebly, "It's all gone!" Please think carefully about what the Prime Minister said. You should also keep these lessons in mind..."

In such a situation, Cao Ding had no intention of saying anything and left.

After the elders had all left, the rest of the Cao family left the ancestral hall one after another.

"My son...my son died so miserably..."

Cao Cao did not prohibit the families of those who had been sentenced to execution to collect their bodies, so at this time, the sound of crying was indispensable. People called them sons, fathers, brothers, and so on. There was a loud cry for a while. .

The other people with flesh wounds looked at it, and it seemed that at this moment, they felt that the pain on their bodies was not that painful anymore, but soon, they began to feel that their pain was really painful...

Most people don't know why Cao Cao did this. Even an older man like Cao Ding may not be able to guess Cao Cao's true intention. Only a few people understand a little bit, including Xiahou Dun.

As Cao Cao's right-hand man, Xiahou Dun always stood firmly on Cao Cao's side no matter what, so he could guess some of Cao Cao's thoughts...

Of course, Xiahou Dun did not dare to speak out about Cao Cao's idea, let alone mention it to others. Because although Cao Cao is only the prime minister now, he is somewhat similar to the imperial family. The affairs of the Tianjia have always resulted in numerous casualties. Now Cao Cao only cut off this small part, which was considered light.

The calamity caused by Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty caused tens of thousands of deaths...

Could it be that Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty did not know that there were some strange things and problems in the process of the witchcraft disaster?

A name that can be used in the name of the gods, in the name of the emperor, to determine the fate of destiny, etc. Even when he is old, he may be trapped in superstition, but it is still more of a struggle for power and a court strategy. .

Cao Cao needs talents, but what Cao Cao needs more is "loyal" talents.

Historically, Cao Cao said "Only talents can be used", which seems to be a huge Bole image, but in fact, if someone is not loyal to him, even if they are extremely talented, they will still not use them and will not use them.

When Xiahou Dun arrived, Cao Cao had already taken off his thick red and black official robes, and did not wear a crown. He just tied it with a simple wooden hairpin, making his hair slightly messy, and he was wearing ordinary cloth. He looks like an ordinary old man from the countryside.

"Prime Minister..." Xiahou Dun saluted.

"Ah..." Cao Cao seemed to have come back from his deep thoughts. He turned to look at Xiahou Dun and waved his hand, "Now that we are at home, there is no need to be so polite... Come, sit down." 』

"Thank you, brother. ” Xiahou Dun replied.

Naturally, a servant came forward, took off Xiahou Dun's armor and robe, and brought some wine, dry fruits, and placed them on the table in front of Xiahou Dun.

"Many people will hate me..." Cao Cao sighed softly.

Xiahou Dun said, "What the eldest brother did was for the sake of the future of the family. Even if these people can't figure it out for the moment, they will figure it out later..."

Cao Cao shook his head, "Those who can figure it out, like you, have already figured it out, and those who can't figure it out, no matter how long it takes them, they still can't figure it out..."

Xiahou Dun remained silent, neither saying he was right nor wrong.

"Come on, let's not talk about this anymore... Come on, drink and win!" ” Cao Cao raised his wine glass and greeted Xiahou Dun in one fell swoop, “It’s not easy for you Yuan Rang, thank you for your hard work! 』

Xiahou Dun silently raised his wine glass and drank with Cao Cao.

Some people often say that it is important to know people well and assign them well.

Putting the right people in the right position is half the battle.

Did Cao Cao "know people well" and use Xiahou Dun in the right place?

Calculated.

Xiahou Dun was indeed Cao Cao's most trusted support throughout his life. He was Cao Cao's shield, Cao Cao's armor, Cao Cao's safe retreat, and the guarantee that Cao Cao could go to war with confidence.

But the question is, who knows what Xiahou Dun did behind this trust and reassurance?

Cao Cao's official position is getting bigger and bigger, his status is getting higher and higher, his friends are getting fewer and fewer, and his enemies are getting more and more, so his suspicions are getting heavier and heavier. As perhaps the only person Cao Cao trusts, Xiahou Dun assumes the responsibility of The pressure is no less than that of others.

Because it is difficult to build trust, but it is easy to destroy trust. If you don't pay enough attention, trust will crack. Once a crack occurs, it will be difficult to make up for it...

"I do this..." Cao Cao said with some emotion, "There may be consequences in the future..."

Cao Cao shook his head, "But what can I do now?" If you don’t do it, it will fall apart. If you do it, it will be delayed for a moment or two... The consequences can only be dealt with later..."

"Brother!" Xiahou Dun said, "Now that the whole family can work together, even if there are some minor problems, it's nothing to worry about!" 』

Cao Cao hummed and nodded. He did not continue to say anything, but motioned to Xiahou Dun to drink with him.

The human heart cannot often be tested and considered over and over again...

There is nothing wrong with the saying "Know people and be kind to them", but the problem is that people are not square objects with fixed specifications. Who can put someone in a suitable position at once?

Neither could Cao Cao.

Some people say that Cao Cao knew people well and assigned them well, and then cited Mao Jie as an example. They said that Cao Cao knew that Mao Jie was upright and honest, so he asked him to be responsible for the selection and appointment of talents. As expected, Mao Jie did a very good job. Then they said that Cao Cao was indeed a Bole, and sighed. In the world, there are always horses with thousands of miles, but not always Bole.

But the actual situation is not like this in most cases.

Cao Cao did not place Mao Jie in the position of right military adviser from the beginning, nor did Cao Cao give Mao Jie the important responsibility of selecting talents as Shangshu Pushe as soon as Mao Jie arrived, but just let Mao Jie serve as An ordinary government official is just an assistant officer, almost like a staff officer.

Mao Jie did not feel that his horse was not appreciated by Cao Cao, and then angrily quit and left. Instead, he did something and gave a very important advice. Cao Cao promoted him a little and transferred him to the shogunate. Merit, and then slowly promoted.

No one can "know people well" from the beginning...

So how does Cao Cao know whether the person he wants to use is loyal, really loyal, or just lip service?

So Cao Cao will give it a try.

Cao Cao often did this in history.

Cao Cao is also good at saying nice things. For example, he likes to exaggerate about Liao no matter what, saying how much he likes Zhang Liao and how much he respects Zhang Liao, but in reality?

In fact, the more powerful Zhang Liao was, the less Cao Cao dared to use him.

When Cao Cao arrived at the rear, he not only did not dare to send Zhang Liao to Chang'an Longyou, which was more suitable for Zhang Liao to display his talents, and was suitable for cavalry combat areas, but sent Zhang Liao to Hefei. From then on, Zhang Liao never had the opportunity to lead a large number of cavalry in the north to fight. Even so, Zhang Liao still has to be mixed with sand, and he is equipped with Li Dian and Le Jin, and these two people have a normal relationship with Zhang Liao, and it can even be said that they have some personal hatred.

"Jin, Dian, and Liao are all at odds with each other." Didn't Cao Cao know this situation? Obviously Cao Cao was very clear about it, and it was fully demonstrated when Cao Cao arranged the battle plan, "If Sun Quan comes, Generals Zhang and Li will go to fight; General Le will guard, and the guards will not be able to fight." 』

With this order, "all generals will be suspicious."

A critical moment depends on a letter.

This was when Sun Quan gathered a large number of troops and Hefei was in danger. Xue Ti, the guard of the army, was ordered to rush to the rescue. However, he did not bring many soldiers, but only a handwritten note containing Cao Cao's "combat strategy."

Zhang Liao and Li Dian went to battle, Lejin defended the city, and the guard was Xue Ti, who said "Don't fight."

At first glance it seems reasonable, but in fact it is worth pondering.

Why do you say that?

Because Cao Cao's garrison arrangements were completely inconsistent with the so-called requirements of "knowing people well and appointing them well", and they were not arranged according to the personal combat expertise of these generals at the time...

First, if you are happy to advance, you are not good at defending but good at attacking. Even Cao Cao himself, when praising Le Jin's meritorious service in the above table, said that Le Jin "always acted as a superintendent when faced with an attack, fought hard to break through the strongholds, and was able to defeat all odds", rather than accepting orders in times of danger, holding on to receive reinforcements, and only to be defeated by the enemy. Under the city.

Second, Li Dian, who was ordered to fight, was actually more cautious in character. He was not good at offense, but was good at defense. Typical examples include assisting Cheng Yu in supervising the transportation of military supplies in the Battle of Liyang, and Bowangpo's urging Xiahou Dun.

Third, Zhang Liao was not on good terms with Li Dian and Yue Jin. At that time, Liao wanted to follow his instructions and go to war. Jin, Dian, and Liao were all at odds with each other, and Liao was afraid that they would not obey. Zhang Liao himself was worried that the other two would not listen to him.

Cao Cao knew this, but he forced Zhang and Li to go out of the city to meet the enemy, leaving Le and Xue to defend the city. Could it be that Cao Cao has dementia? How could he not know the details?

So Cao Cao did it on purpose.

Wherever there are people, there are rivers and lakes.

Cao Cao's weird city defense arrangement was the result of careful consideration. There was an inevitable reason behind it seeming unreasonable.

Xue Ti was the only person in the Battle of Hefei for whom Cao Cao did not arrange specific tasks, and even made it clear that he "do not want to fight". If you bring reinforcements but don't participate in the battle, will you become a cheerleader and cheer for them? So considering the disparity between "seven thousand versus one hundred thousand", this is actually Cao Cao's protection of Xue Ti.

Because Xue Ti was from Dongjun, Yanzhou, and one of the few "Yanzhou powerful men who had not betrayed" during the Zhang Miao Rebellion. These Yanzhou people who have withstood the "test" have entered Cao Cao's trustworthy circle, second only to the direct members of the Xiahou family of the Cao family.

Also protected was Le Jin, who was born as an "account official".

Zhang Liao was a native of Yanmen, Bingzhou. He first belonged to Ding Yuan, and later "subordinated his soldiers" to Dong Zhuo and Lu Bu. Later in history, when he surrendered to Cao Cao, it was also "Liao surrendered all of them". He was not alone, but had private soldiers under his command. "Public".

Li Dian was from a wealthy family in Shanyang. He inherited the power of his uncle Li Qian and his brother Li Zheng. He had more than 13,000 members of the clan and more than 3,000 private soldiers. With this support, he won the position of Zhonglang General at the age of fifteen. , it can be seen that the number of people in the song is obvious. Therefore, it can basically be concluded that most of the 7,000 armored soldiers who guarded Hefei at that time should come from the private soldiers of Zhang Liao, Li Dian and others.

Cao Cao kept praising Zhang Liao and expressed his trust in Zhang Liao, but in fact, Cao Cao was suspicious and suspicious of Zhang Liao's repeated "soldiers" from the beginning to the end. Li Dian, who was born in Li Dian, has the power of thirteen thousand clan disciples, which also makes Cao Cao worried. Therefore, although Le Jin was good at attacking fortresses, he was assigned garrison duty and deliberately protected him. He settled in Hefei with Xue Ti, a fellow Yanzhou man. The logic behind it is clear at a glance.

In the Battle of Hefei, Zhang Liao entered the battle in armor and defeated Sun Quan. Li Dian, who also went to the battle, died shortly after the battle. Although it was not stated clearly, it can be basically speculated that he was seriously injured in this battle. Cao Pi recalled "the merits of Hefei" and "the posthumous title is Minhou".

"When encountering difficulties in the country", it is said to be pity.

Most of the people with the posthumous title of "Min" died on the battlefield.

It can be said that in the history of Cao Cao, he may have made the worst plan at that time, and then he was greatly amazed when he learned the result of the Battle of Hefei. It must be that the results of the victory were really beyond his original expectations. It is even possible that Cao Cao was psychologically prepared to sacrifice Zhang Liao and Li Dian, so he was particularly generous in awarding rewards afterwards. Zhang Liao was directly promoted from a fifth-grade bandit general with miscellaneous titles to a second-grade permanent Zhengdong general who can open a mansion. .

Historical records say "Taizu Dazhuang Liao", but the word "Dazhuang" only appeared twice, once to Zhang Liao and once to Xu Sheng.

This kind of "knowing people well and assigning them well" is a matter of risking one's life.

Or in other words, Cao Cao just believes in a person's words and deeds at a critical moment of life and death. He feels that only in such extreme situations can the truest quality be displayed, and this is the most important basis for him to judge whether to use this person. .

This is what Cao Cao did during the previous rebellion in Xu County. He created a life-and-death situation and then hid in the dark to observe.

This time, Qiao County was under martial law and four villages were raided. Cao Cao was also observing.

People with foreign surnames need to be careful, but within the family, don’t we need to be careful?

How many of the Cao family and Xiahou family are truly loyal, and how many are only superficially loyal?

Cao Cao's action this time was not aimed at Xiahou Dun. It was mainly to test the clan members of the Cao and Xiahou clans. Xiahou Dun was just incidentally. Of course, Xiahou Dun's performance allowed Cao Cao to once again confirm Xiahou Dun's "character", which meant he was more trustworthy.

There is no doubt that Xiahou Dun passed the "test" again.

But what about others?

Cao Cao now doubts almost everyone...

"Now Qiao County is in chaos, Hebei and Henan are empty, and there are hussars envoys coming from the west..." Cao Cao raised his wine glass and rubbed it in his hands, with a sneer on his face, "Under heavy punishment, Cao Cao It is inevitable that there will be chaos within the Xiahou clan, and there are many people involved with each other... In addition, the surrounding counties and counties are for the first time to take the position of a poor family member, so there must be some acclimatization, and the government orders are difficult to understand... Yuan Rang, you say this time, there will be How many people jumped out? 』

Xiahou Dun was silent for a while, "Brother, actually I don't want anyone to jump out..."

"Aha!" ” Cao Cao laughed, “I don’t hope either! But if these guys have different intentions, whether within the clan or outside the clan, the right way is to deal with them as soon as possible! Otherwise we... Phew, the world is too big to accommodate two masters! 』

After a pause, Cao Cao said again: "Yuan Rang, do you know how rampant corruption has become nowadays?" 』

"Dun knows a little bit. ” Xiahou Dun replied.

Cao Cao grunted, and then sighed: "Nowadays, in Shandong, no matter how big or small, no matter how big or small, everyone accepts money!" If you don’t give money, nothing can be done! Jizhou, Yuzhou, Yanzhou and Qingzhou, no place is clean! If you don't clean it up, you and I will be drowned in this dust! Crushed to death under this decay! 』

Xiahou Dun was silent for a long time, "Brother, if you really want to take action... the risk is very high..."

"Haha, a person has a lot of troubles in his life!" Only good wine can relieve sorrow! ” Cao Cao would not answer Xiahou Dun’s worries, but once again raised his wine glass and sang loudly, “Singing to wine, what’s life like? Just like the morning dew, it will be more painful every day! Drink it, drink it! 』

Two glasses of wine.

Two people.

The shadows of the surrounding trees were dancing, like demons and monsters baring their teeth and claws.

What Cao Cao had to do was much more difficult than getting an alcoholic to quit drinking or a smoker to quit smoking.

Because it’s not a problem of one drunkard and smoker, but of a large…