那么由此又有了第三个问题，就是“廉与贪”的关系。曹操的做法是什么呢？重用清官、不避小贪。曹操虽然提出“唯才是举”的这样一个主张，但并非不要道德，曹操其实也是一个重视道德的人，他也希望德才兼备。比方说有两个人，一个崔琰，一个毛玠，这两个人就是德才兼备，崔琰和毛玠道德品质之高尚是连曹操本人都非常敬重甚至敬畏的，曹操对毛玠是敬重，对崔琰是敬畏，每次见到崔琰曹操都要肃然起敬啊，那么曹操委托他们去做什么呢？去做选拔官员的工作，重用。但是有些人爱占小便宜，比方说曹操有个老乡叫丁裴，这个人是爱占小便宜的，他当官的时候有一次他的工作是管一群牛，结果他干什么事呢？他把家里的瘦牛牵出来，到公家的牛群里面挑头肥牛，他把它换了，他干这个事，结果被罢了官，被人检举了以后罢了官。有一天曹操在路上就碰见他了，碰见丁裴了，曹操就叫着他的字说，文侯啊，你的官印上哪儿去了？丁裴说，哎呦，我的官印我拿去换大饼了。然后曹操回过头来对身边的人说，毛玠多次要我重罚丁裴，我说算了吧，丁裴这个人就像会抓老鼠又爱偷东西吃的猫，留着他还是有用的。我想这可能是中国最早的猫论了，只是他要解释为，不管它偷不偷东西吃，逮住老鼠就是好猫，曹操就是这样一个态度，所以他的做法叫做重用清官、不避小贪。
Then there comes the third question, which is the relationship between “honesty and corruption”. What did Cao Cao do? Employ honest officials and avoid petty corruption. Although Cao Cao proposed such a proposition as “only taking talents is necessary,” he did not want morality. In fact, Cao Cao is also a person who values morality, and he also hopes to have both moral integrity and talent. For example, there are two people, Cui Yan and Mao Jie. These two people have both moral integrity and talent. The noble moral qualities of Cui Yan and Mao Jie are highly respected and even revered by Cao Cao himself. Cao Cao respects Mao Jie and respects Cui Yan. Every time he meets Cui Yan and Cao Cao, he must respect them with respect. So what does Cao Cao entrust them to do? Do the work of selecting officials and reuse them. But some people like to take advantage of small advantages. For example, Cao Cao has a fellow villager named Ding Pei, who likes to take advantage of small advantages. When he was an official, his job was to manage a group of cattle. What did he do as a result? “He took out the thin cattle in his family and picked a fat one among the public’s cattle. He changed it. He did this, but was stopped by the official. After being prosecuted, he was stopped by the official.”. One day, Cao Cao met him on the road, and when he met Ding Pei, Cao Cao called out his words and said, “Lord Wen, where is your official seal?”? Ding Pei said, “Ouch, I have exchanged my official seal for a big cake.”. Then Cao Cao turned around and said to the people around him, ‘Mao Jie has repeatedly asked me to severely punish Ding Pei. I said forget it, Ding Pei is like a cat who can catch mice and likes to steal food. It’s still useful to keep him.’. “I think this may be the earliest cat theory in China, but he wants to explain that whether it steals or not, catching mice is a good cat. Cao Cao has such an attitude, so his approach is called reusing honest officials and avoiding petty greed.”.
曹操的用人政策四：招降纳叛尽释前嫌
第四种关系，就是“降与叛”，所谓降就是投降曹操的人，所谓叛就是叛变曹操的人。那么这两种人曹操是怎么处理呢？招降纳叛、尽释前嫌。甚至就连吕布，曹操本来也是想招降的。曹操灭吕布，把吕布打败了，在白门楼下吕布被绑起来从对面走过来，吕布虽然做了俘虏但意气风发，绳子绑着，老远就大叫，曹公啊，恭喜你啦，现在问题都解决了，天下安定了。曹操说，什么意思啊？吕布说，曹公啊，你最视为眼中钉的肉中刺的不就是我吕布吗？现在吕布准备投降你了，吕布投降你了以后就好了，让我吕布率领骑兵，明公你率领步兵，那天下还有搞不掂的？天下不就是咱们的了嘛。曹操还没有反应，吕布一眼看见曹操旁边坐一个刘备，吕布就说了，玄德公啊，君为座上客，我为阶下囚，这个绳子把我绑得这么紧，你就不能帮我说句话吗？曹操就笑了，这绑老虎不能不绑紧一点啊，准备就下令要给松绑，曹操就挥了一下手，松绑。刘备在旁边说话了，刘备说曹公，您没见过吕布是怎么侍奉丁原和董卓的吗？曹操一想，对啊，这个吕布他投奔谁他就把谁杀了，这个吕布他原来投靠丁原，然后把丁原杀了他去投靠董卓，他又把董卓杀了现在又投靠我，这可不行，把吕布杀了。实际上如果不是刘备这句话，曹操说不定真的是要把吕布也收留下来。曹操的很多人才，不管他的谋臣也好，他的将领也好，都是从敌营里面来的，他招降纳叛啊，这是对待投降自己的人。
Cao Cao’s Employment Policy IV: Confessing Surrender and Accepting Rebellion
The fourth relationship is “surrender and treason”. The so-called surrender is the person who surrenders to Cao Cao, and the so-called treason is the person who betrays Cao Cao. So how does Cao Cao handle these two types of people? “Confess and accept treason, and let go of past grievances.”. Even Lv Bu and Cao Cao originally wanted to surrender. “Cao Cao destroyed Lv Bu and defeated Lv Bu. Lv Bu was tied up and walked across from the White Gate downstairs. Although Lv Bu was a captive, he was spirited. With the rope tied, he shouted from a distance, ‘Cao Gong, congratulations! Now that the problems have been solved, the world is stable.'”. What does Cao Cao mean? “Lu Bu said, ‘Duke Cao, isn’t it me who is the thorn in the flesh that you most regard as an eyesore?'”? Now that Lv Bu is ready to surrender to you, it will be all right after Lv Bu surrenders to you. Let me lead the cavalry, while Ming Gong, you lead the infantry. Is there still any problem in the world? Isn’t the world ours anymore. Cao Cao had not yet responded. At a glance, Lv Bu saw a Liu Bei sitting next to Cao Cao, and Lv Bu said, “Duke Xuande, you are the guest of honor, and I am the prisoner. This rope binds me so tightly, can’t you help me say a word?”? “Cao Cao laughed and said, ‘The tiger must be tied tightly. When we were ready, we ordered it to be untied. Cao Cao waved his hand and let it go.'”. Liu Bei spoke next to him. Liu Bei said to Duke Cao, haven’t you seen how Lv Bu served Ding Yuan and Dong Zhuo? Cao Cao thought, “Yes, this Lu Bu will kill whoever he defected to. This Lu Bu originally defected to Ding Yuan, and then killed Ding Yuan to defecte to Dong Zhuo. He killed Dong Zhuo again, and now he defected to me. That’s not enough. Kill Lu Bu.”. In fact, if it weren’t for Liu Bei’s words, Cao Cao might actually have taken Lv Bu in. Many talents of Cao Cao, whether his advisers or his generals, came from within the enemy camp. He recruited and accepted traitors. This is how he treats those who surrender to himself.
那么背叛自己的呢？当时曹操手下有一个人叫毕谌，毕谌的家人被张邈扣留了，张邈和曹操原来也是一伙的，后来翻脸了，那么毕谌的家人都在张邈手上，毕谌在曹操手下就不安心了。曹操就跟毕谌说，哎，令堂大人还有你老婆孩子都在张邈那儿，我看你还是到张邈那儿去吧。毕谌跪下来磕头说，毕谌决不背叛明公，曹操也很感动，流下眼泪，谁知道一转背毕谌就跑了。跑了以后最后曹操和张邈作战把张邈打败了，毕谌做了俘虏，大家都说这毕谌肯定要倒霉了吧！曹操叹了一口气说，尽孝的人能不尽忠吗？他既然是一个孝子，那他一定是一个忠臣，毕谌不杀，派他去做官，做什么官呢，到孔夫子的老家鲁国去做个丞相，孝子嘛。
So what about those who betray themselves? At that time, there was a person under Cao Cao’s command named Bi Chen. Bi Chen’s family was detained by Zhang Miao. Zhang Miao and Cao Cao were originally in the same group, but later turned against each other, so that Bi Chen’s family were all in Zhang Miao’s hands, and Bi Chen was not at ease under Cao Cao. Cao Cao said to Bi Chen, “Hey, your father, your wife, and children are all at Zhang Miao’s place. I think you should go to Zhang Miao’s place.”. Bi Chen knelt down and kowtowed, saying, “Bi Chen will never betray Ming Gong. Cao Cao was also moved and shed tears. Who knows, turning his back on Bi Chen, he ran away.”. After running, Cao Cao and Zhang Miao finally defeated Zhang Miao in a battle, and Bi Chen became a prisoner. Everyone said that Bi Chen must have had bad luck! Cao Cao sighed and said, “Can a filial person not be faithful?”? Since he is a dutiful son, he must be a loyal minister. Bi Chen didn’t kill him, so he was sent to be an official. What kind of official should he be? Go to Confucius’ hometown, the State of Lu, to be a prime minister, and be a dutiful son.
