The Battle of Guandu and Battle of Red Cliffs reflected Cao Cao's employment performance and personality characteristics.
In the battle of Guandu, Cao Cao defeated the strong with the weak, annihilated Yuan Shao's main force, and laid the foundation for the unification of northern China. This is a milestone, and its victory is not accidental. This war is actually a personal confrontation between Cao Cao and Yuan Shao, the commanders of the two armies. Personality determines fate. These two completely different fates are embodied in the differences in employment and decision-making. Cao Cao finally won because of his far-sighted concept of employing people. At the critical moment, the key talents of the opponent were obtained, and both sides gained and lost, which greatly narrowed the gap. Cao Cao is better than Zhu Gekongming in knowing people and making good use of them.
First, the strength comparison
Yuan Shao-mo has many soldiers and talents, and his strength far exceeds that of Cao Cao. There are advisers such as Tian Feng, Jushou, Shen Pei and Xu You, generals such as Yan Liang, Wen Chou, Zhang He and Gao Lan, supplemented by more than 700,000 troops, which is frightening.
Before the battle of Guandu started, many people thought that Cao Cao was doomed, and many ministers of Cao Cao even secretly wrote to Yuan Shao, preparing to submit to Yuan Shao once Cao Cao failed. In this extremely unfavorable situation, Cao Cao simply took a mere seven thousand Naiba, took one as ten, and saved the day with a small one, eliminating Yuan Jun ... When Yuan Shao was in full swing, he was almost one step away from victory, but finally lost the game. Some people say that Cao Cao won because of Yuan Shao's own mistakes. There is some truth in this statement, but if Cao Cao also acts rashly and misses the fighter plane, the god of victory will not care for Cao Cao. There are many examples in the romance, for example, Zhou Yu of Battle of Red Cliffs defeated Cao Cao with 830,000 yuan, and Yiling of Lu Xun defeated Liu Bei with 700,000 yuan.
The three famous battles, Guandu, Chibi and Yiling, all ended in failure. It can be seen that the number of troops is not the most critical factor in determining victory. As the saying goes, all is fair in war, and the command ability of the commander-in-chief is the key to determine the final direction of the whole war. And the commander's command ability is reflected in his employment. To a great extent, the battle of Guandu is a comprehensive contest between the civil servants and military commanders of both sides, which is reflected in the planning and decision-making of the commanders of both sides. There is no shortage of advisers on both sides, and I even think Yuan Shao's think tank is better. Cao Cao actually won the victory in the case of congenital deficiency (lack of food in serenade), which is inseparable from his superb way of employing people. On the other hand, Yuan Shao is basically wasting talents, destroying talents and digging his own grave.
Although strength is not the most critical factor, it does not mean that it is not important. Although Yuan Shao has more than 700,000 troops, he sometimes seems stingy and confusing. The most typical example is that only 5000 people were sent to rob the village, 1000 people saved the old nest. Cao Cao has 70,000 elite allies. If they rob food, Jiang Ji will only lead 1 Maneba to save Wu Chao. Is it not a moth to the fire? If Cao Cao is ready to guard the village, then Zhang He and Gao Lan will rob the village with 5,000 troops, which is a trap. What's even more puzzling is that Yuan Shao is at a loss about the candidate. Zhang He and Gao Lan strongly opposed the robbery of Wu Chao and urged the army to save Wu Chao, but they were sent to do what they didn't want to do-rob the village and sent Jiang Ji to save Wu Chao. It should be noted that the Bird's Nest is related to the overall success or failure and must be rescued with all efforts. The robbery of the village is not sure, it is purely a gamble, and Yuan Shao is not sure which is more important.
Second, the way of employing people.
On talent, it is a fact that Cao Cao is stronger than Yuan Shao. As early as before the battle of Guandu, Cao Cao and Liu Bei and Mei Qing boiled wine to discuss heroes in the world. The analysis was quite objective and to the point, and Yuan Shao was not taken seriously at all. Cao Cao prides himself on being a hero with lofty aspirations and a good plan in his belly. Now it is appropriate to regard it as the battle of Guandu instead of bragging. Yuan Shao's repeated mistakes certainly show that his own ability is not enough, but Cao Cao's ability to keep up with the crisis and make decisive moves to successfully turn the tide of war is indeed a wonderful chess game.
Cao Cao's strategic guiding ideology is to make a quick decision, because food and grass are not enough to support a protracted war. In the first battle of Guandu, Cao Cao launched a storm and was frustrated. Yuan Shao took advantage of his absolute military superiority and was eager to destroy Cao Cao's main force, so he also took the initiative to attack. In the face of Yuan Shao's powerful offensive of more than 700,000 troops, Cao Cao's strategic intention was effectively contained and even passively beaten. The war entered a stalemate, and Cao Cao gradually fell into the predicament of insufficient food and grass. If you are hungry, you will change your mind. In fact, Cao Cao has been thinking about the snake's seven-inch acupuncturing tactics-grasping the source of each other's life, and Yuan Jun was defeated without a fight. But Cao Cao knew that the granary was an important place, and the whole war was at stake, and Yuan Shao would send heavy troops to guard it. Moreover, the road to attack Wu Chao must pass through Yuan Junbie Village, and there is a great risk of being discovered by the enemy. Maybe it will be hit from beginning to end, stealing chickens and not eating rice. Cao Cao is waiting for an opportunity. Xu You's defection was very timely. Cao Cao finally found out all the ins and outs of the enemy, found a way to deal with Yuan Jun's interrogation, and made up his mind to give it a try. At this important juncture, Yuan Shao made a big mistake, but Cao Cao caught the fighter plane. This is the key to Cao Cao's victory. Whoever takes the initiative on the key issue of grain and grass will be the final winner.
Some people may think that the key to Cao Cao's victory is that Ye Liu's stone-making car broke the arrow rain. I personally don't think so. Ye Liu's two good ideas helped Cao Jun gain a firm foothold, but they were still not enough to be the key to success. Yuan Shao's arrow rain and tunnel warfare are active attack tactics, while Ye Liu's thunderbolt car and long trench digging are passive defense. Ye Liu's strategy quickly put the two sides into a stalemate in the war. The decisive stage lies in the battle of Wu Chao, and Cao Cao personally led 5000 elite soldiers to carry out surprise attacks, which shows the extraordinary importance of this battle. The key to reverse the whole war is that Xu You joined Cao Cao's camp. Both sides are competing for food and grass. Whoever knocks the other side out first wins. At this time, Xu You defected to Cao Cao. It can be said that Yuan Shaolian was at a loss to make a faint move. What should be closed is not closed, and what should not be closed is closed. Now that Xu You is suspected of secretly knowing Cao Cao, he should be locked up to prevent defection, instead of pretending to be generous and saying, "I will chop off your head if I want to, but I can't let things go in the opposite direction. I can put my head on my neck." Tian Feng and the giant hand were well-intentioned, at best passive, and were not suspected of collaborating with the enemy, but they were locked up without hesitation. So he gave Cao Cao a good idea: disguise ginger as a grain carrier and take this opportunity to avoid the inspection. According to his plan, Cao Cao finally succeeded in burning the grain and grass in Wu Chao. It should be pointed out that Cao Cao's superior judgment is reflected here. Zhang Liao and others don't trust Xu You for fear that he will cheat. Cao Cao thought that if Xu You lied, he wouldn't stay in Cao Ying's army (unless he didn't want to live). In addition, the situation of food shortage in Cao Jun can't be maintained for a long time. We must try our best to keep our opponents from opening the pot first, and Xu You's strategy comes at the right time. Of course, Cao Cao also took all precautions against his lair, otherwise Guo Tu would be famous.
Cao Cao is outstanding in Guandu, and he uses talents. This was Cao Cao's best battle before Zhuge Liang and Zhou Yu appeared in Xu Shu, which was perfect. This should also be the most wonderful chapter in Cao Cao's life.
White horse and yanjin. In these two minor conflicts, Cao Cao's good habit of loving talents finally paid off handsomely. Cheng Yu advised Cao Cao and invited Guan Yu to play. Cao Cao loves and doubts Guan Yu. At first, he hesitated. In fact, Cao Cao knows very well that if Guan Yusheng wins, he won't stay long and senior officials won't be able to stay. At that time, Cao Cao seemed to have no one to match Yan Liang. After weighing the gains and losses, Cao Cao finally made up his mind. I can't bear to be separated from my children. As a result, Yuan Shao's first general was scrapped so early. Shortly thereafter, the second general, Wen Chou, was also killed by Guan Yu. Yuan Shao lost his right-hand man and his attack power dropped sharply. If Yan Liang and Wen Chou were still alive, it would be much easier for Yuan Shao to dispatch troops. These two extremely sharp knives will make Cao Cao suffer in the battle of Guandu, and the outcome is unpredictable. The result of using Guan Yu is Guan Yu's loss. But this is enough to ensure that in the battle of Guandu, Cao Jun is in a favorable position in the competition of military commanders. After Yan Wen's death, Yuan Shao began to be short of money. Han Meng's grain truck was robbed in the middle, which is not a war crime. The result was a small army. It is such a waste of talent when employing people. Yuan Shaomo's famous generals, Zhang He, Gao Lan, Jiang Ji, Chunyu Qiong, Zhang He, Gao, were demoted to small armies, Jiang Ji died at the hands of the enemy, Chunyu Qiong was beheaded by Yuan after Cao's plastic surgery, and the Wu team was squandered.