Records of the Twenty-Four Histories Management Wisdom

Author: Chi Shuangming
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-06-01
Features: The thousands of years of Chinese history is a treasure trove of knowledge, from which one can learn about the changing times, political successes and failures, and leadership wisdom, as well as draw on the experiences of both success and failure. We know that Emperor Qianlong once decreed the "Twenty-Four Histories," and if the later "Draft History of the Qing Dynasty" is added, the ancient history of China is essentially covered by a set of "Twenty-Five Histories." This series of books is named after the "Twenty-Four Histories" and is divided into three volumes: "Management Wisdom from the Twenty-Four Histories," "Personnel Management Wisdom from the Twenty-Four Histories," and "Political Wisdom from the Twenty-Four Histories." It primarily summarizes ancient leadership wisdom from the perspective of enterprise management and leadership art, aiming to help readers clearly and correctly understand the management methods of the ancients. This book is "Management Wisdom from the Twenty-Four Histories," covering decision-making wisdom, control wisdom, flexible wisdom, listening wisdom, and balancing wisdom, allowing management leaders to draw inspiration from the leadership wisdom of the ancients and apply it effectively. It is important to skillfully turn capable people into trusted allies. The advantage of trusted allies is loyalty, as they can support you unconditionally. Managers who excel in leadership are good at cultivating capable people into trusted allies, enabling them to serve loyally with their talents. After pacifying Liu Wu Zhou, Dou Jian De, and Wang Shi Chong, the early unification wars of the Tang Dynasty achieved decisive victories. In the seventh month of the fourth year of the Wude era, Prince Qin Li Shimin traveled to Chang'an, "dressed in golden armor, followed by twenty-five generals from Prince Qilong and Li Shiji, with ten thousand iron cavalry," truly in high spirits and mighty. Li Yuan, "recognizing Prince Qin's great achievements, found that no previous official title was sufficient to match him, and specially created the title of 'General of the Heavenly Strategy,' ranking above the Three Ducal Ministers. In October, he appointed Li Shimin as the General of the Heavenly Strategy, head of the, and the Minister of the Eastern Shandong Circuit, increasing his fief by twenty thousand households, and establishing the Heavenly Strategy Office, appointing officials and subordinates." With the establishment of the institution and the rise in status, Li Shimin's political ambitions also grew: while pacifying Wang Shi Chong, Li Shimin and Fang Xuanling secretly visited a Taoist priest named Wang Yuanzhi. Wang Yuanzhi said, "There is a sage among you, could it be Prince Qin?" Li Shimin replied truthfully, and the priest added, "You will become a peaceful emperor, I hope you will lend me your support." Li Shimin kept this in mind, "cherishing his words and demeanor, never forgetting day or night." This shows that Li Shimin already had ambitions to become an "emperor" and, as the eldest son according to the tradition of "the eldest son as heir," Li Jiancheng became the crown prince. When he saw, heard, and perceived Li Shimin's political ambitions, he could not help but "suspect him greatly." Thus, the conflict between Li Shimin and Li Jiancheng became increasingly public, and Li Shimin increasingly felt that he had a legitimate claim to challenge his older brother. For Li Shimin, once the idea of becoming an "emperor" took root, the next step was to start paving the way. Li Shimin knew very well that to realize his political ambitions, he needed his own political power. In this regard, he had already paid attention before mobilizing his troops, secretly recruiting talented friends in Jinyang and cultivating local factions through the means of "sharing wealth to raise guests," many of whom were willing to die for him. If Li Shimin's recruitment of talent at this time was solely for rebelling against the Sui Dynasty, it would be flawless. However, after the establishment of the Tang Dynasty and the appointment of his brother Li Jiancheng as crown prince, Li Shimin's extensive recruitment of talent during the unification wars could hardly be free of political motives. During this period, one of the talents he recruited was Du Ruhui, who was already regarded as a "future pillar of the state" during the Sui Dynasty. After pacifying Chang'an, Li Shimin appointed him as a military aide in the Prince Qin's, but soon after, Li Yuan transferred him to the position of Chief Administrator of the Shanzhou General Administration. At that time, Fang Xuanling, the secretary of the Prince Qin's, said to Li Shimin, "Although there are many officials in the, they are not worth missing. Du Ruhui is intelligent and perceptive, a talent fit for the role of a minister. If you remain content with guarding the frontier, there is no need for him; but if you wish to govern the world, there is no one else who can do it." Li Shimin was greatly surprised and said, "If you had not spoken, we would have lost this person." Li Shimin then recommended Du Ruhui to stay in the. This shows that at this time, Li Shimin already had grand ambitions to govern the world and was unwilling to simply guard the frontier. Due to Li Shimin's recruitment of talents like Du Ruhui and Fang Xuanling in the early days, this trend was set, and a group of outstanding talents gradually formed a political group centered around Prince Qin Li Shimin. During the unification wars, Li Shimin also seized the opportunity to recruit a large number of military talents, giving his army many famous generals. For example, when defeating Liu Wu Zhou, he recruited the famous general Yuchi Jinde, who not only saved Li Shimin in the battle of Luoyang but also performed outstandingly in the later Xuanwumen Incident. Another example is Qu Tu Tong, originally a general of the Sui Dynasty, who was tough, skilled in martial arts, and good at horseback riding. After being defeated in battle, he surrendered to the Tang Dynasty and became the Chief Administrator of the Prince Qin's. He participated in pacifying Xue Ju and suppressing Wang Shi Chong, making significant contributions. Such talents became even more numerous later. For example, Liu Shili, initially a general of Wang Shi Chong, was supposed to be executed after Luoyang was pacified, but because Li Shimin valued his talent, he was spared and appointed as the left personal guard, becoming one of his trusted allies. Zhang Gongjin, initially the Chief Administrator of the prefecture of Wang Shi Chong, surrendered to the Tang Dynasty and was recommended by Li Shimin and Yuchi Jinde to join the Prince Qin's, becoming a close confidant. Qin Shoubao and Cheng Zhijie originally followed Li Mi but later joined Wang Shi Chong. However, they believed that Wang Shi Chong was too narrow-minded and not a leader capable of restoring order, so they defected to the Tang Dynasty at the front of the two armies. Others like Hou Junji, Li Qunxi, Tian Lui'an, and Dai Zhou also became Li Shimin's trusted and beloved generals. As a young military strategist and statesman with ambitions and foresight, Li Shimin understood that in times of turmoil, military strength was needed to suppress the warlords across the country. To wage wars, one must rely on skilled warriors. This strategy is commonly used during wartime. However, war is inherently class-based, and its purpose is to seize power. Once this goal is achieved, the strategy will change, and the old strategy will no longer be suitable for the new situation. This is because, as the saying goes, "power can be seized from the horse but not ruled from the horse." At this point, the need for literary scholars and Confucian scholars arises. Viewing unification from the perspective of a statesman, Li Shimin keenly recognized the advantages of prioritizing cultural governance over military might. It was precisely with this mindset of attracting talent that Li Shimin introduced and highly valued the Confucian scholars Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui. Fang Xuanling, who was intelligent from a young age, was already regarded as a "future great talent" and a "talent fit for the role of a minister" during the Sui Dynasty. After Li Yuan mobilized his troops, Fang Xuanling visited the military gate on horseback and was highly valued by Li Shimin, becoming a military aide in the Prince Qin's. He "often wrote military documents and memorials while riding, without needing a draft," showing his strong writing skills. Over the in the Prince Qin's, Fang Xuanling remained loyal to Li Shimin. After every war, "while others sought treasures, Fang Xuanling first gathered people, bringing them to the. There were counselors and fierce generals who all secretly connected with him, each giving their all." In the late Qin Dynasty, Liu Bang led his army into the Xianyang Palace, and some generals looted treasures and captured women, while Xiao He went straight to the Qin Dynasty's records and documents. Fang Xuanling had the virtue of valuing people over material wealth, truly surpassing Xiao He of the Han Dynasty. The reason why Li Shimin had so many capable and strong generals was closely related to Fang Xuanling's virtue of recognizing talent. Another example is Du Ruhui, who, under Li Shimin's leadership in the unification wars, "planned and strategized, and when there were many affairs of the state, he made decisions swiftly, earning the respect of his peers." In addition, Li Shimin did not avoid nepotism in his appointments. He appointed his wife's brother, Changsun Wujin, who had been a close friend since childhood and had earned great merits through his military exploits alongside Li Shimin. Li Shimin pacified chaos with military might. When he traveled, he was always accompanied by brave warriors. When the world was already pacified, he established the Hongwen Academy and recruited talents such as Yu Zining, Yao Silian, Su Shichang, Xue Shou, Chu Liang, and Gai Wendu. These people later became Li Shimin's decision-making group in politics and his wise advisors.