The first sentence of "Learning from the Same Resources" reads: "Jin doctors Wei Si, Evonne and Han Qian are new satraps."
Wei here is the first monarch of Wei State. Before that, Wei was only a big doctor in the State of Jin, and the titles of monarchs all ended with "Zi", such as his grandfather Wei. Fifty years ago, Wei, Zhao and Han conspired to carve up the family of the most powerful doctor Zhi, and then carved up the State of Jin.
In history, Wei Wenhou was a famous saint, and he had a group of the best civil and military talents at that time. Under his rule, Wei dominated the Central Plains and became the cultural center of the Chinese community at that time.
Let's look at Wei Wenhou's talent.
A large part of Wei Wenhou's energy is devoted to employing people. There are only two ways to cultivate and attract talents independently in order to gather talents from all over the world and use them. Wei Wenhou's strategic vision is further. What he wants is not only to hire one or two politicians, but to form a system that can continuously produce and attract talents. In other words, he wants to establish a system to ensure a steady stream of talents for Wei's future.
In the Spring and Autumn Period, the governance of the country was generally carried out through enfeoffment, and the prime minister was generally big noble, enfeoffment by big noble, which smacked of aristocratic co-governance. The system of six ministers in the Jin State is a typical representative, and each minister with fiefs assists the Jin Army to jointly manage the country. However, with the increasing influence of Qing Dafu, the Jinshi family gradually declined and was finally divided up by these nobles. Wei, his grandfather, was one of the representatives of Qing Dafu who carved up the Jin Dynasty. Therefore, Hou Wen can be said to be a direct witness, and he should be alert to this management mode of aristocratic co-governance.
Wei Wenhou then sought talents from outside, trying to get rid of the dependence on the aristocratic class. So, where do the talents who get rid of the aristocratic class come from? Of course, it is a low-level aristocrat named "Shi". They have no land, travel around the world, and often play an important role in the game of various vassal States as slaves of Dr. Qing. Scholars travel around the world, either looking for famous teachers to learn or looking for sages to seek fame. In order to attract scholars to Wei, Wei Wenhou adopted the following strategies: turning Wei into a cultural center and gathering talents from all walks of life; Pack yourself up as a wise king, and be thirsty for talent.
At this point, the core figure of this strategy appeared. He is from Xia Zi. He is a disciple of Confucius, one of the ten philosophers of Confucius and one of the seventy-two disciples of Confucius. It is said that when Wei Wenhou worshipped Xia Zi as a teacher and invited Wei Du to sit down, he was already in his twilight years. The cry of bereavement has blinded his eyes. It is impossible for an old man to do practical things, so his arrival is more symbolic. In fact, symbolic meaning is often much more important than actual meaning. Xia Zi is 44 years younger than Confucius. Considering his age, I'm afraid he was a godlike leader at that time. Confucianism itself is an educational profession. Xia Zi and his disciples came to give lectures and formed the Xihe School, which influenced the whole historical process of China. Wei became the cultural center of China, and scholars all over the world went to study it.
Xihe School had a great influence, which not only cultivated a large number of talented ministers who later wandered around the vassal States, but also became a pioneer in incubating legalist thoughts. Historical figures that can be classified as a branch of Xihe School include Li Kui, Wuqi, Xunzi, Han Feizi and Li Si. Biography of Ram and Biography of Gu Liang, which had a great influence on the ideological circle of the later Han Dynasty and even the whole political structure, were also written by his disciples Qi Rengao and Ren Chie.
Wei Wenhou is an outstanding politician. Like most politicians at home and abroad, he is very aware of the importance of self-packaging and publicity. It can be said that his marketing methods are quite clever.
"Zi Tongzhi Bamboo Slips" wrote: "Wei Wenhou took Bu Xia Zi and Tian Zifang as his teachers, and every time he tried dry wood, he had to do it. Many wise men from all directions returned to it. "
Wei Wenhou took Xia Zi and Tian Zifang, world-renowned scholars at that time, as his teachers, and publicized his humble image of treating scholars to the world through their star effect. On the one hand, he promoted the status of Confucian scholars to the status of monarch and teacher, on the other hand, he demeaned himself and became a disciple to express his respect for Confucian scholars. Xia Zi and Tian Zi Founder are the stars and representatives of all scholars in the world.
Duan Ganmu is a disciple and a celebrity, but he is unmoved by utilitarianism and unwilling to be an official. Wei Wenhou went to find him himself, but he tried to escape over the wall. So there was Wei Wenhou's performance, "Every time you walk through a dry forest, you have to do this". What does this mean? That is, whenever Wei Wenhou passes a dry hut, he must put his hand on the armrest of the car to show his respect, just like a modern man standing respectfully in the car with his hat off. In fact, this is an interactive performance, a show made by both sides, which is in the same strain as Liu Bei's three visits to the cottage during the Three Kingdoms period. However, this kind of performance vividly expressed Wei Wenhou's attitude of respecting scholars to scholars all over the world, which smacked of TV advertisements.
Another story is recorded in Zi Tong Zhi Jian.
Wei Wenhou was drinking and having fun with his ministers when it suddenly began to rain outside. At this time, Wei Wenhou wanted to prepare a carriage and said that he would go to the wild. The ministers were puzzled and asked, What are you doing in the wild after drinking so much? Wei Wenhou replied, I have an appointment to go hunting today. Although I am happy to drink, I can't break my word! This story is famous, but it is false. It's an advertisement at best.
Who is the man in danger here? The dictionary defines it as "the official of Yuan Ze in the ancient Palm Mountain". I guess it should be the administrator of the noble hunting ground, a civilian, with low status. Wei Wenhou would rather give up drinking with nobles than fulfill his agreement with civilians in the rain. The meaning of this expression is clear. Wei Wenhou was a wise monarch who kept his promise. Let's just say, no matter what it is like to go hunting in rainy days, even if there is an agreement, wouldn't it be nice to send someone over and change the date with someone in danger? Besides, since we have an appointment to go hunting, what's the trick of drinking so much with ministers in broad daylight? This is obviously a fabrication.
Wei Wenhou has set himself up as a moral gentleman, so we should keep this image at all times and places so that people will not collapse. But it's really a bit difficult to do so, and sometimes it will accidentally reveal some clues. "Learning from the same experience" recorded a very interesting scene.
Wei Wenhou sent Yang Le to destroy Sun Yat-sen and sealed the land of Sun Yat-sen to his successor. Once, Hou Wen asked his ministers, "What kind of person am I? Let's talk about it? " Ministers have replied: "Ren Jun!" Only Ren Zuo said, "You didn't seal Zhongshan Kingdom to your brother Cheng Wei, but to your own son. What kind of benevolence is this? " Hou Wen was furious after hearing this, so he left and hurried away. At this time, Huang Zhai came out and said obliquely, "You must be Ren Jun!" Hou Wen was still very angry and asked angrily, "How do you know that I am Ren Jun?" Huang Zhai replied, "When I heard your kindness, I was straightforward. You are Ren Jun, of course, because you speak so straight. " He didn't say that Hou Wen was wrong to seal his son instead of his brother, and gave him a step down. Hou Wen realized that he almost ruined his staff, so he hurriedly "asked Huang Zhai to sit down and greet him in the next hall, thinking he was a guest." Sometimes when I see Wei Wenhou, I am a little touched!
Wei Wenhou also proposed a person who was respected as a teacher, that is, Tian Zifang, a world-famous scholar mentioned above. He can be regarded as the signboard of Dewey Cultural Center. However, this person feels a little maverick and likes to make amazing words, which is quite similar to the literati who liked metaphysics in Wei and Jin Dynasties. There is an article named after him in Zhuangzi, which narrates Zhuangzi's thoughts with his mouth. It can be seen that his behavior is quite in line with Zhuangzi. Zi Tong Zhi Jian recorded two anecdotes about him.
Hou Wen and Tian Zifang drink together, and there is music next to them. Hou Wen realized that this idea was wrong. It seems that Hou Wen's musical talent is OK, but Tian Zifang smiled. Hou Wen asked, what are you laughing at? Tian Zifang replied: "I have heard that you know music, but you don't know music." I'm afraid you are addicted to music and don't care about officialdom! "Hou Wen said," Good. " In fact, Hou Wen's heart is estimated to be a thousand times. Who wants to drink, listen to music and be lectured? But no matter what strange ideas are disappointing, you have to endure nodding. This is Ren Jun!
On another occasion, the son went on strike, that is, the future Wei Wuhou met Tian Zifang when he went out. He immediately got off the bus and bowed, but Tian Zifang did not reciprocate, which was quite arrogant. The son became angry from embarrassment and asked Tian Zifang, "Are rich people proud?" Are the poor proud? "Mean, where did you get the capital so proud in front of me? Tian Zifang replied: "Of course, it is the pride of the poor. If you lose your country and land when you are prosperous, what am I afraid of when I have nothing? "It means that barefoot people are not afraid to wear shoes. It's all sophistry. For this paragraph, most people interpret it as Tian Zifang's attack education on childe, but I don't think so. The Historical Records of the Western Han Dynasty wrote that after listening to Tian Zifang, his son was "fearless". Just unhappy, how can such an ending be said to have achieved the purpose of education? On the contrary, in Zi Tong Zhi Jian, Sima Guang changed his reaction to the attack on his son to "Zi Xie Zhi Zhi", that is, he apologized to Tian Zifang. Tian Zifang is such a person. No matter how bizarre his behavior is, you will suffer as a monarch, and you have to "thank him" to become a virtuous gentleman. Perhaps this is what Sima Guang wants to express through this anecdote.
Wei Wenhou asked Li Ke (Li Kui) about the election of the country's prime minister. The candidates are his younger brother Cheng Wei and his capable minister Huang Zhai. Li Ke served Hou Wen through Huang Zhai's recommendation. Therefore, Hou Wen asked him this question, which was actually a bit malicious.
As mentioned above, after Wei Wenhou occupied Zhongshan State, he gave it to his son, Gongzi, instead of his younger brother, Cheng Wei. As can be seen from the map, Zhongshan is not bordered by Wei, but in the hinterland of Zhao, and its strategic position should be very important. Otherwise, Hou Wen wouldn't want to seal it for his son, but also let the famous Yang Le family move there, and even sent Li Kui as the national ambassador to help Gongzi manage the strike. Therefore, there must be some arrangements for Cheng Wei who didn't get Sun Yat-sen's kingdom, and that is the position of the country. However, compared with the famous minister Huang Zhai, he was obviously incompetent and had to be trained. I am afraid that the literati class will not accept it, and it will also damage his image of meritocracy.
So, Wei Wenhou went to Li Kui, through his mouth to determine the candidate for prime minister. Li Kui is a representative of the scholar class in Wei State, and he has a special relationship with Huang Zhai. Let him recommend Cheng Wei of the aristocratic class, which can be described as killing three birds with one stone: blocking the mouth of the scholar; Persuade Huang Zhai; Leave a good reputation of being wise and easy to teach.
Li Kui pushed and pushed, but he couldn't move, so he gave Wei Wenhou a choice criterion. But this is more effective and convincing than directly recommending Cheng Wei, and it also fully demonstrates his ability.
Li Kui's standard is: "Kiss your relatives, enrich what you do, achieve what you do, be poor in what you don't do, and be poor in what you don't take. These five rules are enough." Simply put, it is
(1) How are his friends at ordinary times;
(2) When rich, examine whether he is generous or stingy;
(3) When he succeeds, he examines who he uses and who he recommends;
(3) When frustrated, examine whether he has moral integrity in doing things;
(4) When he is poor, check whether he is greedy.
This is a very impressive selection criteria, but it is all about personality, not actual ability and previous achievements.
Of course, Huang Zhai refused to accept it and complained to Li Kui: "I recommend Wu Qishou to Xihe; Yecheng was developed in Ximen Bao, which I recommended; I recommended Yang Le to shoot Zhongshan, and so did you! Where am I not as good as Cheng Wei? " Li Kui then detailed his conversation with Wei Wenhou to Huang Zhai, and then took out this standard and said, "He spends nine tenths of his income outside. He made friends with and recommended Bu, Tian Zifang, Duan Ganmu and others, and accepted them as teachers. How can you compare with him? " Huang Zhai turned around, bowed again and said, "Juan, I'm at fault, too. I'm willing to be your disciple." Huang Zhai actually refuses to accept it, but he can only accept it when he sees the overall situation. He also admitted that the pattern of Li Kui is indeed higher than him.
To be fair, as long as we compare the people recommended by Cheng Wei and Huang Zhai, we can see that Huang Zhai is more suitable to be prime minister. But many times, the operation of the world is not determined by what should be decided, but by the game of various forces. Cheng Wei's becoming the prime minister of the country is the result of the game between the aristocratic group and the literati group, which has nothing to do with the above selection criteria. This is how the real world works, and it has never changed, whether at home or abroad.
5. The real way of employing people in Wei Wenhou is to appoint people on their merits.
Look at how Wuqi was activated by Wei Wenhou, and you will know how hypocritical the high-sounding selection criteria mentioned above are. Wu Qi, a famous legalist representative, has been introduced in another article before, so I won't go into details here. I only remember that he is a god of war, but his character is quite tainted. Of course, whether this is really the case remains to be discussed.
This passage of Wu Qi in Zi Tong Zhi Jian goes like this: Wu Qi "heard the sage and returned. When asked about Zhu Li Ke, Li Ke said, "If you are lustful and lustful, Sima Yi can survive. "So he planned to attack the State of Qin and uproot five cities in succession."
The book says that Wuqi "killed his wife and begged generals" and "mother died without mourning". In the words of Lu people, it is said that "the cruelty of pedestrians is also thin." Li Kui's evaluation of Wuqi is also "lustful and lewd", and his character is extremely poor. But his ability is no less than that of Sima Yi. Who is Sima Yi? At that time, he was an invincible god of war in the legend of Qi State and the author of China's first book Sima Fa.
According to the above selection criteria, Wuqi, who has no bottom line for fame, should not be considered at all, but Wei Wenhou didn't have any concerns when he started. History has proved that it was a wise decision for Wei Wenhou to activate Wuqi. Wu Qi wrote in the book that he "shared food and clothing with the lowest foot soldiers, lying without seats, riding or riding, wrapping himself up to get food, and sharing labor with the foot soldiers." Who wants to use such a general?
In 396 BC, Wei Wenhou died at the age of 76, 50 years after he ascended the throne, that is, 7 years after he was blocked. After that, the prince made great contributions to the marquis of Wu. Wei Wenhou initiated the century-old hegemony of the Central Plains of Wei State, which can be described as a founding sage. His meritocracy opened the model of bureaucratic governance, promoted the reform trend led by legalists, and made the great ship of history sail to the Qin system, which suppressed nobles and centralized power.