Mencius said: “Yu the Great detested fine wine but loved wise counsel. Tang held to the Golden Mean and appointed the worthy without regard to their background. King Wen of Zhou looked upon the people as if they were wounded, and though he longed for the Dao, he always felt he had not yet…
Mencius said: “Speech without factual basis brings misfortune. And the one who bears the consequences of this misfortune is the person who blocks or suppresses the worthy.”
Mencius said: “If a state respects the virtuous and employs the capable, placing outstanding individuals in office, then scholars throughout the land will rejoice and wish to serve in its court.”
This article recounts the story of Zou Ji, a master of persuasive statecraft during the Warring States period. It details how he used the metaphor of a silent lute to rouse the indolent King Wei of Qi from nine years of neglect. As Chancellor, Zou Ji instituted radical reforms and transparency, famously using a…
This article recounts the legendary campaign of General Yue Yang to conquer the State of Zhongshan for Marquis Wen of Wei during the Warring States period. It highlights the ultimate test of leadership: Yue Yang’s ruthless sacrifice of his own son, who served the enemy state, to prove his loyalty. The narrative focuses on…
In Chapter 42 of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, following Liu Cong’s swift and bloodless surrender of Jing Province to Cao Cao, an unexpected act of clemency unfolds: Cao Cao orders the immediate release of a prisoner in Xiangyang city and promptly promotes him to office. That man is Han Song.
In the aftermath of his narrow victory at the Battle of Guandu (200 CE), Cao Cao faced a dilemma that tested not only his judgment but the very stability of his regime. Among the spoils of war were bundles of secret letters – evidence that many of his own officers and officials in Xuchang…