Cao Cao in the Han Xian Emperor Jian'an period (196-220), in order to establish a unified centralized state, vigorously eliminate the disadvantages of famous education, always adhere to the "meritocracy" selection policy, and at the same time in the case of the destruction of the inspection system, boldly try a new way of electing officials, thus laying the foundation for the next 400 years of feudal dynasty selection.
The evolution of the official election system during Cao Cao's reign is mainly divided into two stages. In the first stage, Cao Cao paid attention to the township theory and relied on the recommendation of the township to select talents, so that the township Qing and the official election gradually became unified, and then formed the official "Township Yuedan".
In the second stage, Cao Cao used the method of nine products to distinguish the advantages and disadvantages of talents, and selected officials on this basis, which was not only a great change in the Han Dynasty's inspection system, but also the germ of the nine products in the positive system.
Although the origin of the Jiupin Zhongzheng system can be traced back to the late Han Dynasty's famous scholar Qing Yi and Xiangli Yuedan Commentary, the use of the Jiupin method to select officials did begin during the reign of Cao Cao.
However, although the Zhongzheng system of Cao Weizhou County has historical roots with the Xiangli Yuedan in the late Han Dynasty, there is a difference in essence between the two. At the end of the Han Dynasty, the township Yuedan was a non-governmental Qing discussion organization controlled by a few big clans and celebrities, rather than a talent evaluation body set up by the government.
Therefore, although the establishment of the Zhongzheng system is related to the Xiangli Yuedan, the two are not exactly the same.
The Biography of Zuna records a conversation between Zuna and Mei Tao and Zhong Ya, Mei Tao is called "the man of Ruying" by Zuna, and Zuna refers to himself as a "man of seclusion" and believes that the blunt mallet in his hand can break Mei Tao's sharp cone.
This dialogue hints at Mei Tao's identity and the circumstances in which he lived, namely that Mei Tao was a native of Runan and had a certain influence at the time. At the same time, it also mentioned a way of selecting talents at that time, that is, the "Township Yuedan Review", which was a township discussion controlled by private individuals, which was different from the official selection system.
This dialogue also sparked people's thinking about the officialization of the "Xiangli Yuedan" and the unification of the Qing Dynasty and the election of officials in the dynasty. Although Cao Cao was considered a "meritocracy" in the selection of talents, in fact, when he was prime minister, he had already begun to use Mao Jue, Cui Yan and others to take charge of the election, and under the leadership of Mao Jie and Cui Yan, he began to carry out the selection of the "nuclear hometown Lu".
The historical events and people involved in this dialogue have important reference value for us to understand the social environment and selection system at that time.
Cao Cao's "meritocracy" is not not to ignore conduct, but to pay attention to the township at the same time, and select talents by asking the township's opinions. During the more than 10 years that he welcomed the Han Dynasty and dedicated the imperial capital to Jingzhou, he continued to use "Ruying scholars", Hebei scholars and Jingzhou scholars, many of whom were related to visiting the township to discuss the Qing Dynasty.
Xun Yu was an important force for Cao Cao's regime, he was not only an important minister of the imperial court, but also a member of the Yingchuan clan and a famous person, and he recommended many talents for Cao Cao, most of whom were from his county.
According to the "Biography of Xun Yu", the talents recommended by Xun Yu before and after are all first-class think tanks, such as Xun You, Zhong Xuan, Chen Qun, etc., and they all eventually became ministers. Cao Cao's selection of scholars is eclectic, even if some people are accused of being vulgar, such as Xi Zhicai, Guo Jia, etc., but as long as they are resourceful, Cao Cao will promote them and make them eventually famous.
In the "Chronicles of the Three Kingdoms", Volume 14, "Wei Shu Guo Jia Biography", it is recorded that after the early death of Xi Zhicai, Cao Cao asked Xun Yu for a strategist who could discuss the plan. Xun Yu recommended Guo Jia to Cao Cao, and Guo Jia later became an important ally of Cao Cao.
Xun Yu plays a key role in this process. So, why did Cao Cao attach so much importance to Xun Yu's opinion? Mr. Tang Changru believes that there are two reasons.
First of all, Xun Yu knows the situation in the township very well, because he is a native of Yuzhou. Secondly, Yingchuan, Runan and other places in Yuzhou are places where talents are concentrated, and the cultural level is high.
In addition, after Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty moved to Xu, many Yingchuan people were also willing to return to their hometowns, return to the dynasty, Shizhou County, and return to their hometowns. And it was at this time that Cao Cao appointed a large number of Yingchuan surnames and celebrities.
This is closely related to Xun Yu's recommendation, and also because Yingchuan happens to be the new capital. In short, Xun Yu's recommendation played a decisive role in Cao Cao's use of "Ruying's people".
In this process, Xun Yu's understanding of the situation of the villagers and the cognition of the concentration of talents in Yuzhou are the key factors. And Cao Cao's attention also provided more opportunities for Xun Yu's recommendation.
1.Cao Cao implemented the township election system in Yingchuan County, but it was difficult to implement due to the migration of scholars. And Xun Yu, as a local high-ranking man, is familiar with the township and understands the characters, and has become the spokesperson of the clan and township party.
Therefore, Cao Cao asked Xun Yu to recommend the villagers. 2.Xun Yu played an important role in Cao Cao's selection of officials, and his recommendation not only took care of the tradition of township selection since the Han Dynasty, but also gave Cao Cao a basis for selecting officials.
However, the main reason is not Xun Yu's identity, but his status, he is an important minister of the court and an incumbent court official. 3.With the development of large land ownership, the clan landlords have been formed and have political, economic, cultural and social advantages.
They began to seek control** and rigged elections, and the emergence of the township Yuedan review is a reflection of this trend. 4.The township selection system was a way to select officials in the Han Dynasty, but it was difficult to implement due to the migration of scholars.
Xun Yu, as a local high-ranking man, is familiar with the township and understands the characters, and has become the spokesperson of the clan and township party. Therefore, Cao Cao asked Xun Yu to recommend the villagers. 5.Xun Yu played an important role in Cao Cao's selection of officials, and his recommendation not only took care of the tradition of township selection since the Han Dynasty, but also gave Cao Cao a basis for selecting officials.
However, the main reason is not Xun Yu's identity, but his status, he is an important minister of the court and an incumbent court official. With the development of the political power of the clan landlords, they began to seek to control and manipulate the election, and the emergence of the township Yuedan Review is a reflection of this trend.
At the end of the Han Dynasty, celebrities and scholars and township Yuedan manipulated the township party to a large extent, interfering with the use of human rights, and becoming a manifestation of local clans and celebrities destroying centralized politics.
Although Xun Yu is a member of the Yingchuan clan and a celebrity, as an incumbent court official, recommending township party members in such an identity can not only prevent private people from manipulating the election and interfering in human rights, but also maintain a high degree of consistency with Cao Cao's regime in the spirit of the election.
Xun Yu's recommendation of people from the same county to Cao Cao not only did not flaunt the suspicion of friendship, but was conducive to consolidating centralized politics. Cao Cao asked Xun Yu to recommend the "Ruying Scholars" in order to break the situation of local clans and celebrities manipulating elections since the end of the Han Dynasty and bring local suffrage under the control of the first place.
As an incumbent court official, Xun Yu put the Qingyi of celebrities and the Yuedan of the township into the official development track, which became one of the important bases for Cao Cao's election and employment. In addition, Cao Cao also adopted Guo Jia's suggestion, and recruited well-known people in Qing, Hebei, You, and other places, most of whom were promoted by Cao Cao in the early years of Jian'an, but the specific implementation of Guo Jia's suggestions still needs to consult the opinions of local celebrities.
In Cao Cao's shogunate, Cui Yan of Qinghe and Wang Xiu of Beihai were considered the most potential new entrants. Especially Cui Yan, after he pacified Jizhou, Cao Cao immediately appointed him as a special driver, and promoted him to be the prime minister's subordinate of Cao Peng, in charge of the election.
In addition, Lu Yu was also recommended by Cui Yan as the chief bookkeeper of Jizhou because of his scholarly background and family influence. After Cui Yan was promoted from Jizhou to Prime Minister Dong and West Cao Peng, he was still in charge of election matters for more than ten years.
Cui Yan's evaluation and recommendation undoubtedly played an important role in the government's employment, and he had questioned Sima Yi, Cui Lin, Sun Li, Lu Yu and others, among which except for Sima Yi, the other three were all famous people in Jizhou.
He also recommended Yang Xun of Julu, although Yang Xun's talent was insufficient, he had an upright and bright character and firm moral beliefs, which was appreciated by Cao Cao.
Cui Yan's comments on the election of Cao Zuo on behalf of the government have undoubtedly become an important basis for the government to employ people. Under his leadership, Jizhou successfully became a model for the officialization of the township when Cao Cao implemented the "hegemon" politics.
Cao Cao also publicly expressed his determination to suppress his friends and eliminate the discussion by issuing the "Order of Tidy Customs".
When Cui Yan served as Prime Minister Dong Cao Peng, he evaluated and recommended people from Jizhou with a fair and selfless attitude, which was highly praised by Cao Cao and recognized by the imperial court. The people from Hebei he recommended not only further promoted the Qing Dynasty and the selection system in the township, but also embodied Cao Cao's concept of "nuclear hometown" that he attached importance to selecting talents from the people.
After Cao Cao pacified Jingzhou, he introduced a group of "Jingzhou people", and promoted and appointed them through the investigation and recommendation of Han Song, a famous scholar in Jingzhou. All these show that when Cao Cao selects talents, he not only pays attention to the evaluation of the township, but also attaches importance to the ability and talent of talents.
He Kui said that "from now on, we must first verify the hometown", which also shows that Cao Cao pays more attention to the actual ability and performance of talents while paying attention to the evaluation of the people. Therefore, Cao Cao's employment policy, although it retains the tradition of attaching importance to the township theory, emphasizes meritocracy and does not stick to moral standards, which is also the prototype of the Jiupin Zhongzheng system.
Cao Cao emphasized in the "Gengshen Order" issued in the eighth year of Jian'an, "governing peace and virtue, and rewarding the function of having something to do", believing that virtue and ability should change according to the change of the situation, which is actually a rebellion against the traditional concept of paying attention to virtue in elections.
In the "Seeking Merit" issued in the spring of the 15th year of Jian'an, Cao Cao clearly put forward the election policy of "meritocracy". In the actual election, Cao Cao always adhered to the standard of "meritocracy".
He once promoted Xun Yu, Xi Zhicai, Guo Jia and other talents, although they were somewhat burdened with secular accusations. In addition, Cao Cao also asked Mao Jue, Cui Yan and others to be the prime minister Dong Cao Peng, responsible for election matters.
The ** they selected were all upright people, and even those who had a high reputation but bad conduct at that time could not be promoted. Cao Cao advocated frugality, so people all over the world encouraged themselves with honesty and moderation, even if they were noble and favored ministers, they did not dare to be overly luxurious.
He Kui suggested that the promotion of virtue and virtue should be unified with the "nuclear hometown", and no one should be biased. He argues that the previous selectors had not thought deeply in their use of people, so they brought in friends and relatives, and sometimes forgot about morality.
He Kui suggested that Cao Cao should employ people in the "hometown of the nuclear", so that he could distinguish between virtuous and unscrupulous. Therefore, what He Kui said about "thinking that if you use it from now on, you must first verify the hometown", in fact, it emphasizes the meaning of "the morality that must be checked first" in the election and appointment of personnel.
Cao Cao agreed with He Kui's suggestion, but did not actually change the election criteria of "meritocracy". Soon after He Kui's suggestion, Cao Cao issued two more "talent seeking orders" to show that he attached great importance to the selection of talents.
Both of these "Talent Seeking Orders" are based on the theme of "meritocracy", and the words and meanings are gradually improving. For example, in the order of the 22nd year of Jian'an, Cao Cao publicly declared: "Those who may be tainted or ridiculed, or who are unkind and unfilial, but have the ability to govern the country and use the army, must be recommended and not omitted." ”
This is Cao Cao's summary of his life's practice of employing people, and it also reflects the gradual improvement and systematization of his ideological concept of "meritocracy".