Chapter 44 2. Talents around you

Let's take a look at the talents around Liu Bang first. The earliest talents to follow Liu Bang were Xiao He and Cao Shen.After Chen Shengqi's incident, wars broke out everywhere, and many local officials were killed. The county magistrate of Pei County was afraid and planned to respond to Chen Sheng, so he held a meeting to discuss with his subordinates. If you want to betray it, I will lead the disciples, I am afraid they will not listen." That is to say, your county magistrate was originally an official of the Qin Dynasty, but now everywhere are killing local officials and rioting, if you raise troops like this, I am afraid no one will listen to you.It's not as good as "calling all the dead outside, you can get hundreds of people, because they robbed the people, the people dare not not listen."Persuading the magistrate of Pei County to find someone with charisma to support the facade, he thought of Liu Bang who fell into the grass on a nearby mountain and became a bandit.But when Fan Kuai really found Liu Bang, the magistrate of Pei County regretted it again. He was afraid of luring wolves into the house, so the city gate was closed tightly to prevent Liu Bang from entering, and Xiao He and Cao Shen who had bad ideas were killed.So Xiao and Cao went out of the city to vote for Liu Bang.After Liu Bang entered the city, Xiao and Cao supported Liu Bang as Pei Gong.Liu Bang has since completed the transformation from a bandit in the mountains to a leader against Qin.Liu Bang's initial fortune can be said to have benefited from Xiao and Cao.The two later fought with Liu Bang, Xiao He took care of the logistics and guaranteed military supplies; Cao Shen rushed to the battlefield and expanded the territory.One piece of literature and one military force have made great contributions to Liu Bang.

Another talent beside Liu Bang is Zhang Liang, who is also Liu Bang's most important counselor. He played an extremely critical role in the success of Liu Bang's imperial career.As we mentioned earlier, Zhang Liang is a Korean, and his mission is to restore Korea.Zhang Liang followed Liu Bang for a while at first, and later defected to Xiang Liang with Liu Bang, and then asked to return to Han to rebuild Korea.When Liu Bangxi entered Guanzhong, Han Wangcheng sent Zhang Liang to follow Liu Bang into the pass.After Liu Bang pacified Guanzhong, Zhang Liang went back to build Korea.After Han Wang was killed by Xiang Yu, Zhang Liang went to Liu Bang again, and never left Liu Bang again.

These three talents have a common feature, that is, they all admire Liu Bang. Liu Bang, Xiao He, and Cao Shen should have known each other a long time ago, they are all from Pei County.Xiao He is the chief official of Pei County, roughly equivalent to the current organization minister and office director.When Liu Bang was still a commoner, he didn't do his job properly, and he couldn't do without causing trouble. Xiao He once "protected his ancestors with officials" and often took Liu Bang from the detention center.When Liu Bang served as the head of the pavilion in Surabaya, he was equivalent to a local official at the township level. Xiao He became Liu Bang's backer.Liu Bang sent migrants to work in Xianyang, and his colleagues all said that when they saw them off, they all said, "Everyone will give three dollars, why only five."Everyone else gave three copper coins, but Xiao He gave five.It can be seen that the relationship between the two is unusual.It can also be seen that Xiao He admired Liu Bang very much.

Cao Shen was a jailer at that time, that is, the adjutant in charge of prison litigation. He was a powerful official in Pei County with Xiao He, and he was well-known and influential in the local area.There is no specific record in the history books about the relationship between Liu Bang and Cao Shen, but they are both bureaucrats, and they both work for the court. They must be familiar with each other. They must have meetings, dinners, or whoever entrusts someone with an errand. Say hello with a clasped fist salute.The most important thing is that Cao Shen and Xiao He have a good relationship, and the relationship between bureaucrats is intricate. If you know one of them, you will also know a circle.

Therefore, Xiao He and Cao Shen knew Liu Bang's behavior well.With this premise, and the fact that Liu Bang was later elected as Pei Gong, it shows that the two affirmed Liu Bang's work and appreciated Liu Bang's personality. There is another example of Xiao He admiring Liu Bang.Shan's father Lu Gong (the later father-in-law of Liu Bang) moved to Pei County in order to avoid his enemies.Because Lu Gong and the county magistrate of Pei are old acquaintances, some local gentry and officials have come to congratulate them.Xiao He was in charge of the reception at that time, which is equivalent to the manager of weddings and ceremonies today. Due to the large number of visitors, the room could not fit, so Xiao He said to the distinguished guests: "If you enter less than a thousand yuan, you will sit in the hall." Under the hall.It's like holding a wedding now, and you can't go to the private room if you don't have enough gift money.

Liu Bang, who was the head of the pavilion in Surabaya at that time, also went there without any money, but he wanted to sit in the private room, so he handed over a gift card and wrote: "He Qianwan".The gift money of 10,000 yuan can be described as a generous gift.When Lu Gong met a rich man, he hurriedly stood up to greet him, and made way to the private room. This is a distinguished guest, so he cannot be neglected.Xiao He said at this time that Liu Bang "talks a lot but does little."Liu Bang is a big talker, unreliable in his work, and he is skeptical of courtesy notes.Xiao He said this because of his understanding of Liu Bang's personality and his responsibility.After all, he was in charge of the master of ceremonies at that time, and he was obliged to distinguish the authenticity of the gift slip.But Xiao He also admired Liu Bang, he dared to come here without any money, and was invited to be the chief. Although he was lacking in virtue, his courage and courage were commendable.

Zhang Liang left Liu Bang several times because he had a South Korean complex in his heart.The fact that he left and returned to Liu Bang several times just shows that he appreciates and admires Liu Bang, otherwise why would he hang himself on a tree? From these few people, we can also see some characteristics of Liu Bang: First of all, Liu Bang is a man who can tolerate others.Xiao He and Cao Shen followed Liu Bang from beginning to end, and Liu Bang always trusted them and used them very much.Every time Zhang Liang came back, Liu Bang gave him a warm welcome.It shows that Liu Bang is very friendly and can win over them, but he can't do it without a certain mind.Apart from Xiao He and Cao Shen, these two people have no other place to go. At least Zhang Liang had some choice, which shows that Liu Bang is indeed unique in employing people.

Secondly, these people fit Liu Bang's mind very well.This is very important. Only when leaders and subordinates have the same way of thinking can they work happily, spark sparks of wisdom, and be efficient at work.Liu Bang, Xiao He, and Cao Shen have known each other for a long time, they are familiar with each other's personalities, and they can talk and think together.When Zhang Liang followed Liu Bang, it was at the beginning of Liu Bang's career, when he was hungry for employment. Zhang Liang's arrival just filled this gap.The two are running in at this stage, and they can easily become close comrades-in-arms.

Third, Liu Bang is dependent.Needless to say, Xiao He and Cao Shen were inseparable from each other when they were officials in the same county, and they were inseparable from each other after the incident.Zhang Liang's departure several times actually deepened Liu Bang's impression of him to some extent.Most of the leaders are like this. When you are here, you don't feel how capable you are, and you don't know how important you are until you leave.Zhang Liang's departure several times will definitely make Liu Bang feel a little bit, and thus become dependent on Zhang Liang.Liu Bang's initial achievements, in fact, have never left Zhang Liang. He entered the customs smoothly and feasted on the Savior at the Hongmen. This is a major event related to Liu Bang's life and career, and Zhang Liang's contribution is indispensable.

Things are mutual, and Liu Bang is dependent on them in order to keep them.These people feel that Liu Bang relies on them and values ​​them, and in turn will form a dependence on Liu Bang, so they will naturally unite closely around Liu Bang as the core. Let's take a look at the talents around Xiang Yu. As we said before, people have a misunderstanding that there are many talents around Liu Bang, but there are few talents around Xiang Yu.Thinking so, there is actually another reason, that is, Liu Bang succeeded in the end.When one person achieves the Tao and ascends to heaven, Liu Bang becomes the emperor, and the advisers around him are all heroes for the stability of the country, the political life will naturally grow, and the influence will naturally be great.Xiang Yu is a defeated general, and his subordinates are dead and surrendered, so naturally he cannot be said to be more decent and more beautiful.If these factors are put aside, in terms of personal ability alone, Xiang Yu is surrounded by a lot of talents, and they are no worse than Liu Bang's gang.

The first one is Fan Zeng.After Fan Zeng came out of the mountains, he first followed Xiang Liang, then Xiang Yu, and became Xiang Yu's sub-father, loyal to the Xiang family.Fan Zeng fought with Xiang Yu everywhere, and helped Xiang Yu with many ideas, which made Liu Bang, Zhang Liang, and Chen Ping afraid of him. The introduction to Fan Zeng in "Historical Records" is very simple: "Seventy years old, living at home, curious about tricks." The nine words also explain three aspects of the problem. One is that Fan Zeng is not young anymore.They are all in their seventies, and people living in their seventies have been rare since ancient times. The average life expectancy of ancient people was short. This age was very rare at that time.Only by seeing a lot can we know a lot.Some people often say a word: I have crossed more bridges than you have traveled, and eaten more salt than you have eaten.This is not all arrogant words, it involves a question of depth of experience.The experience and experience of one year older than one year old are not useless, after all, no one let the mind stand still.Therefore, Fan Zeng must be unique in knowing people and doing things.After entering the customs with Xiang Yu, Fan Zeng concluded that Liu Bang would be Xiang Yu's most difficult enemy in the future, which already explained the problem. Second, Fan Zeng likes to be clean.Fan Zeng "lives at home" which means he doesn't like to go out and join in the fun.However, he is now in his seventies, and at the age of caring for his life, he did not hesitate to go out of the mountains and follow the army to fight in the north and south, which shows that he is a person who is unwilling to be lonely in his bones.He used to be unemployed at home, but he didn't meet people or things that interested him. The third is Fan Zeng's quick thinking. "Curiosity", a word "odd" is enough to explain everything.Fan Zeng's strategy is not just an ordinary means and tricks, the way of thinking must be different from others, and has his own special features. Three points and one synthesis, we can sum up Fan Zeng in one sentence: This is an old man with personality.Fan Zeng's personality was fully revealed at the Hongmen Banquet. He persuaded Xiang Yu to kill Liu Bang, but Xiang Yu refused to listen, so Fan Zeng took his own initiative to find Xiang Zhuang and let Xiang Zhuang assassinate while dancing with his sword.Later, when Zhang Liangjin presented a gift, Fan Zeng put the jade bucket he had given him on the ground, cut it in half with a sword, and scolded Xiang Yu for being useless.A seventy-year-old has such a fiery temper, which is evident in his personality. The second place is Long Qi.Long Qi can be described as one of Xiang Yu's generals, Ping Yingbu and Zhan Hanxin, who are good at fighting tough battles.Ying Bu's bravery and skill in battle are obvious to all. In the desperate battle, Ying Bu took 20,000 horses as the advance team and won several encounters with the Qin army, laying the foundation for Xiang Yu's complete victory over Zhang Han.Even such a strong general is not Long Qi's opponent.After Yingbu was rebelled by Liu Bang, Xiang Yu sent Longqie to conquer him, and Longqie quickly defeated Yingbu. Long Qi has the demeanor of Xiang Yu. He is brave in battle and has made many military exploits for the Chu State.But like Xiang Yu, he has a straightforward temperament and likes to be straightforward, which is why he was defeated and killed later.After Han Xin broke Qi, he was about to attack Chu's defense. Xiang Yu "sent Long Qie to attack it" and sent Long Qie to lead an army of 200,000 to rescue Qi.After meeting with the Qi army, someone persuaded Long Qi, saying, "The Han soldiers are fighting far and poorly, and their front is unstoppable."Han Xin's army is fighting long distances, and the edge is strong. We are "not as good as the deep wall" and give him a solid wall to clear the field. When they run out of food and grass, they will surrender without a fight.After hearing this, Longqi shook his head and said, "What merit do I have to save Qi and surrender without a fight?" I came to rescue Qi, and they surrendered without fighting, so can I still show my role?You're welcome, beat me to death.In the end, he was tricked and killed by Han Xin. The third place is Zhong Liyan.When Liu Bang defeated Pengcheng and retreated to Xingyang, he asked Chen Ping how to relieve the attacking pressure of the Chu army.Chen Ping said: "There are people in Gu Chu who can cause chaos, but the ministers Yafu, Zhonglimei, Longqi, and Zhou Yin, the ministers of King Xiang, are only a few people." Chu can be called a talent and a threat to us. , that is, Fan Zeng, Zhong Liyan, Long Qi and others, only need to "act against each other, between their monarchs and ministers, so as to doubt their hearts."It's very simple, just use anti-estrangement to divide them.It can be seen that Zhong Liyan is second only to Fan Zeng in terms of threat to the Han army and Xiang Yu's position in his heart.At least Chen Ping thought so.And Chen Ping once obeyed orders under Xiang Yu's tent, so there must be a basis for saying so. Chen Ping's countermeasure was a great success, and Xiang Yu no longer trusted Zhong Liyan.That's it, Zhong Liyan didn't leave angrily like Fan Zeng, but still showed his utter loyalty to Xiang Yu.When Cheng Gao confronted each other, Xiang Yu fought back against Peng Yue and asked the great Sima Cao Jiu and others to stick to Cheng Gao. As a result, Cao Jiu and others couldn't bear Liu Bangjun's insults and went out to fight blindly. They were defeated by the Han army and Cheng Gao was also lost.Fortunately, Zhong Liyan resisted tenaciously on the eastern front of Xingyang and supported him until Xiang Yu's return, so that no major mistakes would be made.Zhong Liyan followed Xiang Yu all the time, until Xiang Yu committed suicide in Wujiang, he went to his friend Han Xin. These three people also have a common characteristic, that is, they are loyal to Xiang Yu. Fan Zeng scolded Xiang Yu angrily, because he hated iron but not steel, and naturally it was also a manifestation of his loyalty to Xiang Yu; Long Qi played blindly, whether you say he underestimated the enemy or was arrogant, in short, he wanted to take down Han Xin as soon as possible so that Xiang Yu Don't worry, this is eager for quick success and instant benefit, and it can't be called unfaithful; Zhong Liyan was alienated, but he still never left Xiang Yu, and he was even more utterly loyal. From this we can also see several characteristics of Xiang Yu: First of all, Xiang Yu likes people with personality.Xiang Yu himself has a personality and a straight temper, and the person he likes naturally falls into this category. Secondly, Xiang Yu likes general talents rather than handsome talents.Both Long Qie and Zhong Liyan were brave and skilled generals, and like Xiang Yu, they won the three armies bravely.Even Fan Zeng, although he has read a lot of poetry and books, is not the master who talks about poetry all day long, and his temper that jumps up at every turn is quite general.These people have a fatal weakness, that is, they all have the courage of "general", but not the stability of "handsome", but Xiang Yu likes it because he is only a general, not a handsome talent.These people are all together. Third, Xiang Yu's mind is not very big.Faced with Fan Zeng's scolding, although Xiang Yu didn't say anything, he was very upset in his heart, otherwise he wouldn't even have expressed it; for Chen Ping's divorce plan, Xiang Yu couldn't be too mentally retarded to have the ability to distinguish, but he was full of anger in his heart. He doesn't care about things, so he shows it on his face and actions.In fact, as long as a short period of time passes, Xiang Yu will be fine if he wants to, but it is a pity that Fan Zeng is not serious, can't bear it, and left.