Chapter 8: Flattery Must Be Different from the Ordinary!

  "Oh dear! Sir! You're killing me!" Hearing Li Yu didn't directly comment on him, he became somewhat anxious;

  "Hmm! Well said! You few, listen up!" Cao Cao gave high praise, and also gave Cao Ren a white eye. Compared to these people, Cao Cao understood more deeply. On Li Yu's evaluation form, he added another label that read "understands military affairs". Previously, there were already labels such as "handsome", "humble but not lacking in courage", "neither arrogant nor servile", without the usual haughty air of a noble family's son, nor the shrinking away of a humble family's son.

  "Yes!" Xiahou Dun, Xiahou Yuan, Cao Ren, Cao Hong, Li Dian and Yue Jin replied respectfully.

  "Five types of generals, the leaders are divided into five categories: Confucian generals, brave generals, daring generals, clever generals and artistic generals. That is to say, Confucian generals are wise and have many strategies, Lord Cao is such a person; Brave generals can conquer and fight well, Generals Xiahou Yuan and Xiahou Mao are such people; Daring generals are bold and courageous, Generals Yue Wenjin and Cao Zixiao are such people. Clever generals are skilled in manufacturing, General Li Dian is such a person, Artistic generals have multiple skills, General Cao Zixiao is such a person."

  At this point, several people had smiles on their faces, and someone praised you. Aren't you happy?

  Li Yu took a look and said, "Hmm, the effect is not bad. Indeed, as long as one plagiarizes, the effect will be extraordinary." In fact, I don't know anything about it. It's all from reading books and preparing lessons in the past. Of course, I learned about it from books written thousands of years later: "The Six Types Theory divides generals into six types and specifically analyzes the talents and personalities of each type of general: The General of Ten Men can discern right from wrong, detect danger, and is trusted by others; The General of a Hundred Men is diligent and responsible, speaking carefully and meticulously; The General of a Thousand Men is straightforward and has strategic plans, brave and good at fighting."

  "A general of ten thousand men, with an awe-inspiring appearance, diligent in work, considerate and caring for subordinates; a general of one hundred thousand men, who attracts the wise and talented, is serious and prudent, sincere to others, values credibility, generous to people, good at solving complex problems; a general of the world, benevolent, credible, knowledgeable about astronomy, perceptive about human affairs, familiar with geography, with the four seas as home. Among them, Cao Gong can be considered a general of the world, General Cao Ren has the potential of a general of one hundred thousand men, and the rest can be generals of ten thousand men."

  Cao Ren was overjoyed: "Really, sir!", "Quiet! Fool!" Cao Cao patted his helmet: "Just having such potential doesn't mean you are!", In fact, he himself had been delighted for a long time. Firstly, Li Huaide's views were too insightful, and he would be a good person, even speaking well was so unique, great talent! Absolutely great talent! Secondly, if the few people in his own hands really had such potential! What worry about the world not being peaceful!

  Li Yu continued: "The Eight Types of Generals, the generals are divided into two categories and eight types: 'The larger ones are: 1. Heaven General, 2. Earth General, 3. Human General, 4. Spirit General; The smaller ones are: 1. Majesty General, 2. Strong General, 3. Fierce General, 4. Excellent General'".

  "This is a comprehensive analysis from the aspects of military talent, moral character and personality: Tian Jiang, able to judge the situation, distinguish between good and bad luck; able to plan and strategize, advance and retreat at the right time; able to make clever calculations, use troops flexibly, confuse the enemy, defeat the enemy; have a clear understanding of the outcome of war, act with restraint, live in quietude, be able to stabilize the army's morale, Cao Gong has such potential."

  By this time, Cao Cao was already amazed beyond words.

  "The general, good at fighting and deploying troops, is good at observing the terrain; able to flexibly command the troops, making them advance and retreat freely; good at making the troops rise from the dead, and also able to make the troops remain calm and quiet, 'moving and winning'".

  "A general should be incorruptible, self-disciplined and free from bad habits; he should observe etiquette, be loyal to his lord, share the joys and hardships with his soldiers; he should be good at attracting talents, bold in decision-making, and have a sense of justice; he should be generous and fair towards his soldiers, reward and punish them clearly; he should be able to distinguish right from wrong, stabilize the army's morale; he should treat his soldiers differently according to their characteristics; in military command, he should wait for opportunities to act, use strategy flexibly, and take advantage of favorable situations to launch a decisive attack."

  "Divine General, able to flexibly utilize the conditions of heaven and earth, able to select excellent talents, possessing the qualities of all three types of generals (Heavenly General, Earthly General, Human General), such a person is extremely rare, perhaps Han Xin was this kind of person!"

  "His power is such that his enemies are intimidated by his reputation alone and collapse at the mere mention of his name; wherever he goes, all opposition melts away."

  "A strong general, when marching and fighting, can take advantage of the weather and terrain, use all kinds of talents, make all kinds of officers and soldiers 'hear the enemy and immediately march, with no doubts in their hearts'; can govern the army according to law, making the enemy tremble at the news, and win battles. General Cao Ren has this potential."

  "Fierce generals, commanding with ease, acting with multiple changes, attacking unexpectedly, even if alone, can make the enemy lose their courage and flee far away. The two generals Xiahou Dun and Xiahou Yuan have this potential."

  "A good general should have a fierce exterior and a strong interior; be firm in the middle, and combine the qualities of three generals. General Cao Hong and General Yue have this potential."

  Li Yu paused for a moment and then said: "The nine types of generals, according to the commander's talent, moral character, personality, etc., are divided into 9 categories, namely benevolent general, righteous general, courteous general, wise general, faithful general, infantry general, cavalry general, fierce general, and great general."

  "The characteristics of various types of generals are as follows: Benevolent generals, who inspire and instruct their soldiers with their own noble morals, regulate the behavior of their soldiers with etiquette, care about, show concern for, and love their subordinates;"

  "Righteousness is to encounter things without evading or compromising, not allowing personal interests to shake one's determination, and to consider death in battle an honor, rather than enduring humiliation and living a life of shame."

  "Junzi is noble in status but not arrogant, victorious but not proud of his achievements, talented but humble to his subordinates, strong in character but able to bear humiliation and hardship."

  "A brilliant general, skilled in the use of strategy and tactics, unpredictable in his changes, adapting to circumstances, turning unfavorable factors into favorable ones, achieving victory in critical situations."

  "Letters and messages are delivered promptly and fairly, rewards and punishments are meted out without regard to wealth or status;"

  "Brave and strong in physique, with courage that can overwhelm a thousand men, skilled at holding the line of defense, expert in using swords and spears to kill."

  "Ride General, good at riding and shooting, advance as vanguard in attack, retreat as rear guard;"

  "Fierce general, with an air of grandeur that sweeps across the entire army, looking down on strong enemies, not bothering to fight small battles, but facing great enemies with doubled courage;"

  "A general, delighted to see talented people, humbly adopt others' opinions, with a broad and resolute character, brave and resourceful."

  This is all something someone saw online and then calmly copied out.

  "Marvelous! Marvelous!" Cao Cao applauded and exclaimed: "Sir, you are a great talent!", Xiahou brothers, Cao brothers, Li Dian, Yue Jin looked at Li Kai with changed eyes, full of astonishment, and also sighed in their hearts, fortunately they had not offended him, such a talented person, future achievements...

  "Cough, cough!" Li Yu cleared his throat twice: "Might as well say it all! Besides the theory of commander types, there's also the theory of commander qualities!"

  "Hmm! I do know something about this!", Cao Cao: "As early as the Warring States period, Sun Tzu had said it. In 'The Art of War? Strategic Alliances', it says: 'A general must possess wisdom, integrity, benevolence, courage and strictness.' That is to say, a general must have five virtues: being wise and decisive, trustworthy in rewards and punishments, loving and caring for his soldiers, brave and firm, and clear and fair in his orders. Later generations called this the 'Five Virtues'. Of course, this cannot fully summarize Sun Wu's requirements for a general's character."

  "He also wrote in the 'Nine Changes' chapter: 'There will be five dangers: must die, can kill; must live, can capture; angry and quick, can insult; frugal and clean, can humiliate; love people, can bother. All these five, are excesses of the commander, disasters of using troops.' This is considering from the aspect of the commander's character, supplementing the insufficiency of 'Five Virtues'."

  "'Bravery' is a virtue, but 'must die' and recklessness may lead to being lured into death by the enemy; 'loving people' is a virtue, but excessive love for the people will lead to trouble due to shielding them; 'integrity' is a virtue, but excessive self-love and integrity will also lead to losing rationality due to being unable to withstand the enemy's insults. As for those who are greedy for life and afraid of death, and trigger-happy generals, they are naturally not up to great responsibilities. In this way, Sun Wu made a relatively comprehensive analysis of the qualities that a general should possess from both positive and negative aspects."

  "Is that so! Ha! Cao Cao said with a smile;

  "Ah, yes!", though I didn't know this, Li Yu added in his heart, but for the sake of making the elder happy, he could only say so.

  "In addition, during the Warring States period, Sun Bin changed the 'Five Virtues Theory' to the 'Knowing Five Virtues Theory', which put forward a more stringent standard for the quality of generals. He believed that generals must 'know', that is, they must grasp the laws guiding the overall situation of war and have the ability and talent to control the overall situation of war."

  "For this, a commander must have rich knowledge - 'know the heavens and understand the earth'; have high political prestige - 'win the hearts of the people internally'; also be aware of the enemy's situation - 'externally know the enemy's situation', master tactics - 'know the eight battle formations', and flexible command - 'fight when you see victory, do not fight when you do not see it'. He further proposed that a commander must possess the 'five virtues' of 'righteousness, benevolence, morality, integrity, and wisdom', and analyzed their positions and functions: 'Righteousness is the head of the army'; 'Benevolence is the abdomen of the army'; 'Morality is the hand of the army'; 'Integrity is the foot of the army'; 'Wisdom is the tail of the army'".

  It's not bad to say that Cao Cao, although he was with Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu, those spoiled brats, indulging in wine and women when he was young, but after the Yellow Turban Rebellion, he began to study military books diligently, and the knowledge he grasped was not ordinary.

  "Ts'ao Kung's knowledge is profound!", exclaimed Li Yu, this sycophant.

  "Of course! Since the Sun Tzu's Art of War, people have been debating about the quality of generals!" Li Yu: "As for 'Five Virtues and Ten Faults', proposed in 'Six Secret Teachings', a general must possess five virtues and avoid ten faults. The so-called Five Virtues are bravery, wisdom, benevolence, integrity, and loyalty. Bravery means being fearless; wisdom means being undisturbed; benevolence means loving people; integrity means not deceiving; loyalty means having no second thoughts."

  "What is referred to as the 'ten excesses' are: having bravery but being reckless with one's life, having urgency but a quick temper, having greed and loving profit, having benevolence but not being able to bear harm to others, having wisdom but a timid heart, having integrity but enjoying deceiving people, having incorruptibility but not loving others, having wisdom but a slow mind, having firmness but being self-willed, having weakness and enjoying entrusting matters to others. This discusses from both positive and negative aspects the qualities that a commander should possess."

  "And also 'Fifteen Strategic Theories', the book 'Jiang Wan' is specifically about generals! Cough, cough, cough! Almost slipped up! Li Yu thought to himself, just thinking of saying this was written by Zhuge Wu Hou, but at that time Zhuge Wu Hou was still a young kid!"

  "What's 'Willow Waist'? I've never heard of it," Cao Cao said in surprise. "Ah! This was a book I picked up when I was young, unfortunately it got lost during the years of war!" Li Yu hastily explained, Oh man! That was close!

  The book makes a comprehensive and systematic analysis of the qualities of generals, putting forward the "Fifteen Laws". First, "generals have five virtues and four desires". The "five virtues" refer to: "good at knowing the enemy's situation, good at knowing the way of advance and retreat, good at knowing the country's strengths and weaknesses, good at knowing the timing of heaven and human affairs, good at knowing the dangers of mountains and rivers". The "four desires" refer to: "desiring surprise in battle, desiring secrecy in strategy, desiring calmness in troops, desiring unity in mind".

  "Secondly, 'there will be five virtues and eight evils'. The 'five virtues' refer to: 'high integrity can inspire the masses, filial piety can bring fame, loyalty can make friends, careful consideration can accommodate many, and strong action can achieve great deeds'. The 'eight evils' refer to: 'plots cannot discern right from wrong, reason cannot employ the virtuous, governance cannot correct laws and punishments, wealth cannot relieve poverty and hardship, wisdom cannot prepare for unseen dangers, thoughtfulness cannot prevent subtle and hidden problems, expression cannot convey all that is known, and defeat cannot avoid blame and slander'."

  "Third, 'there are eight faults', 'Firstly, being greedy without satiety, Secondly, being jealous of the virtuous and resentful of the able, Thirdly, believing in flattery and fondness for falsehood, Fourthly, measuring others by oneself, Fifthly, hesitating without self-awareness, Sixthly, indulging excessively in wine and sex, Seventhly, being deceitful and timid, Eighthly, speaking cunningly but not according to etiquette.'"

  Fourth, on the basis of the above conditions, put forward 'fifteen virtues' as the qualities that a commander must possess when commanding troops and using military force: consideration, scrutiny, bravery, integrity, fairness, endurance, tolerance, trustworthiness, respect, clarity, caution, benevolence, loyalty, self-control, strategy.

  "Brilliant! Brilliant!" Cao Cao praised, "Such a great military book was lost! What a pity! Too much of a pity!", "Yes!" Li Yu also pretended to sigh: "At that time, I didn't recognize many characters! It's gone! I haven't finished reading so much content!"

  "Unconsciously, it's been a whole incense stick of time! 'You all heard the master's lofty words, didn't you? From now on, remember for me! Show some respect to the master! Especially you, Yuan Rang, did you understand?" Cao Cao pointed at several people and said.

  "Yes! Elder brother, General!" Several people replied in unison, "Ashamed, ashamed, it's just empty talk on paper!" Li Yu hastily became modest.

  It seems that his flattery was not in vain! Xiahou Dun now regretted his earlier rashness and apologized to Li Yu again: "Sir, your knowledge is profound! I was rash earlier! I hope you will have time to teach me!"

  This time he was willing to apologize, and Li Yu immediately returned a courtesy: "General Yuan Rang is polite! A little superficial knowledge, just learned from reading books! Not worth discussing!"