People in the Han Dynasty paid great attention to the evaluation of public opinion, and the standard of employing people was mainly local evaluation, which was called "Ming Yi", which was actually a kind of evaluation of public opinion. Scholars praised by public opinion are likely to become candidates in the election. Because the atmosphere of judging characters is very prosperous, some people have become experts in clarifying authority and identifying talents, and are known as celebrities in the world. Their praise and criticism of characters can greatly influence local public opinion, thus affecting the advancement and retreat of scholars' official careers. In order to show and improve their knowledge and prestige and win people's attention and favor, scholars can't help but engage in a wide range of social activities and seek teachers and friends. Pay special attention to winning the praise of the authority of speech, so that some authority of speech are guests all day, even thousands of miles away.
In this respect, Cao Cao really embodies his great wisdom. First of all, he adopted the strategy of making friends with some young celebrities; Secondly, some elderly celebrities bowed their heads and asked them for advice. This is conducive to winning the understanding and help of celebrities, thus enhancing their popularity and expanding their influence. Cao Cao knew Yuan Shao when he was a teenager. Although there are some estrangements between them as adults, their relationship is still unusual. Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu's mother died and were buried in Runa. Cao Cao ignored the past and went to the funeral. Li Yingchuan Zan is the son of Mars, the leader of the Party, and later became a state official in Dongping. Cao Cao associates with him and knows him very well. Li Zan appreciates Cao Cao's talent very much. On his deathbed, he said to his son Li Xuan, "The country will be in chaos, and no hero in the world can surpass Cao Cao. Zhang Yuzhuo is my friend and Yuan Benchu is your foreign relative. However, don't rely on them, you must rely on Cao Cao. " Later, Li Zan's sons obeyed their father's orders and saved their lives in troubled times.
Nanyang He Yi, whose real name is Bo Qiu, studied in Luoyang when he was young, and became famous on the same stage as Guo Tai, Jia Biao and other student movement leaders. When Lu's good friend's father died, He Yi went to meet him. Knowing that his father had avenged himself, he helped to avenge himself and took his enemy's head to his father's grave to worship. Very chivalrous. He and Chen Fan, Mars, the big bureaucrats and the "party member" of the literati, are lovers. After Chen Shan and Mars were killed by eunuchs, He Yi was also implicated and arrested, so he changed his name and surname and fled to Runan to hide. Yuan Shaomu likes his name and associates with him privately. He often sneaked into Luoyang, intending to rescue "party member" with Yuan Shao. During this period, Cao Cao also had contacts with He Yi, talking about Confucianism, a hundred schools of thought, the Book of Songs and the Art of War. It is insightful to analyze the disadvantages of factional struggle and party occlusion in reality. Profound knowledge and wonderful performance. He said to others privately, "If the Han family is going to die, this person must live in the world." Cao Cao was very grateful after hearing this. After making friends with celebrities, Cao Cao became famous among scholars, so he sought greater fame.
Among many celebrities at that time, Xu Shao was a very influential figure. Whoever wins his praise will be very beneficial to his career. Xu Shao, Zi Zijiang, was born in Pingyu, Runan. Self-respect and honor, refused to call out to be an official. He is good at distinguishing and judging people. At that time, the authoritative representatives of the people's election debate were him and Taiyuan Guotai. If anyone can get Xu Shao's praise, his worth will double. On the first day of every month, Xu Shao reevaluates the people in his hometown, which is called "monthly review". In order to get high praise from Xu Shao, Cao Cao first visited Qiao Xuan, a famous scholar who enjoys a high reputation in the appraisal field. Qiao Xuan, whose real name is Gong Zu, was born in Guoliang, Yang Ya. Successive Gong Cao, Guo Xiang, Taishou, Situ Changshi, General, Shaofu, Dahonglu, Sikong, Situ and Shangshuling. Corporal who is good at observing and judging characters moved, and also enjoyed a high reputation in the debate circle of Qing Dynasty. When Cao Cao went, Qiao Xuan felt that Cao Cao was unusual after talking with him. He said, "Now the world is going to be in chaos, and it is impossible without people who help the country settle down. You are probably the one who can fix the world. " He paused and said, "I have met many famous people in the world, and there is no one like you." I am old and willing to entrust my wife and children to you. Cao Cao was very grateful and took the old man as his confidant. Xuan felt that Cao Cao was still unknown and advised him to make friends with Xu Shao.
Because of Qiao Xuan's recommendation and his admiration for Xu Shao for a long time, Cao Cao went to see Xu Shao with a gift and asked Xu Shao to praise himself. On the one hand, Xu Shao thinks that Cao Cao is different; On the other hand, he probably knew something about Cao Cao's behavior of flying eagle and running dogs, and didn't think highly of him, so he refused to answer. Cao Cao never relaxed and insisted on his own demands. Xu Shao said helplessly, "You are a competent minister in peacetime, but a traitor in turbulent times." After hearing this comment, Cao Cao felt very happy and left with a smile. In the process of Cao Cao's search for "bosom friend", there were times when he hit a wall. Zong Shilin of Nanyang looked down on Cao Cao. When Cao Cao was twenty years old, he visited many times and wanted to make friends with Zong Shilin. Because the guests were full, there was no chance to speak. Later, Zong Shilin got up and went out. Cao Cao took the opportunity to stop him, hold his hand and express his wishes. Who knows that Zong Shilin had no respect and refused Cao Cao's request without hesitation. Later, Cao Cao became Shu Ren, in charge of state affairs and in power. He invited Zong Shilin and proudly asked, "Can we make friends now?" Zong Shilin calmly replied: "The ambition of pine and cypress still exists!" It can be seen that Zong Shilin has always been biased against Cao Cao.
However, it is no accident that Cao has been highly praised by many celebrities. Although the standard of discussion in the Han Dynasty is based on the famous religion, it means that one must study the classics, practice rituals, sharpen his character and always pay attention to his words and deeds. However, a person's talent can stand out and get the attention of Qingtan, especially when the Confucian classics declined at the end of Han Dynasty, showing higher and higher value. Cao Cao's character has nothing to boast about. But his talent was outstanding at that time. His observation and resourcefulness, his agility, wisdom and strategy, his ability and courage are all enviable treasures and are very useful in troubled times. He can't put it down, but he doesn't read books that don't help the world. In particular, he is unwilling to follow the path taken by 10,000 Han Confucian scholars in Qian Qian. He not only reads Confucian books, but also browses hundreds of books and absorbs useful things. He especially loved Sun Tzu's Art of War and published many original opinions on military affairs. These are the reasons why he won praise in the debate. In addition, of course, it has something to do with his unremitting efforts. Cao Cao tried to change his image and social status, enter the ruling group, and move towards the scholar-bureaucrat group with great potential, although he did not occupy an advantage at that time. He tried his best to seek opportunities to associate with celebrities and win their understanding and support.
Because Cao Cao won the admiration of many celebrities, he was paid more and more attention by literati groups, which played a great role in his career development.