"Those who surround and surrender will not be forgiven"It was a military order in Cao Cao's group, and this military order was mainly about how to deal with those who chose to surrender after being surrounded.
However, in practice, Cao Cao did not strictly enforce this military order. In the case of Changfeng, he repeatedly surrendered and betrayed, and Cao Cao repeatedly attacked Changba without success. Although Yu Ban advocated the execution of Chang Xuan in accordance with the military order of "those who surround and surrender will not be pardoned", Cao Cao did not kill the soldiers in the end.
Yu Ban was a general under Cao Cao, and in the eleventh year of Jian'an, he killed Changfeng even though he had already surrendered to him. Chang Feng was originally an old friend of Yu Ban, but he repeatedly betrayed Cao Cao, and after surrendering, he betrayed again. Although Chang Feng surrendered to Yu Ban, hoping that Yu Ban would spare his life for the sake of his old friend, Yu Ban did not favor him because of this.
According to records, when Chang Feng surrendered, the generals thought that Chang Feng should be sent to Cao Cao for treatment. However, Yu Ban rebuked the generals: "Although you are an old friend, can you lose your temperance? This fully demonstrates Yu Ban's determination to uphold military discipline and not bend the law for personal gain. In the end, Yu Ban decisively cut off Chang Xuan's head, showing his resolute attitude.
This story reflects Yu Ban's determination to be loyal to his duty and resolutely carry out his orders. Despite his friend's pleas for mercy, he still firmly carried out the military order and killed Chang Xuan. This behavior demonstrated his integrity and determination, as well as the strict discipline system of Cao Cao's army.
So what is Cao Cao's attitude towards this?
During Cao Cao's crusade against Guan Cheng, Yu Ban killed Chang Xuan. When Cao Cao learned the news, he sighed deeply: "Chang Feng surrendered, and chose to submit to the ban instead of coming to see me, isn't this his fate!" ”
On the one hand, this shows that Cao Cao expressed deep appreciation and recognition of the forbidden behavior. Strictly enforce the military order, no one can say that he is at fault with the ban, not to mention that Chang Feng is a traitor and a traitor.
On the other hand, it also shows that Cao Cao does not have to be executed"Those who surround and surrender will not be forgiven"If Chang Feng surrenders directly to Cao Cao, maybe Cao Cao will let him go.
The rebellion between Tianyin and Subo took place between the sixteenth and seventeenth years of Jian'an (i.e., 211 to 212 AD) and was located in Hejian. At that time, because Cao Cao was fighting with Ma Chao, Han Sui and others in the Battle of Tongguan, there was a power vacuum in Hebei, so Tian Yin, Su Bo and others in Jizhou took the opportunity to revolt.
At that time, Cao Cao left Cao Pi in Yecheng, which was equivalent to supervising the country. In the face of Tian Yin and Su Bo's uprising, Cao Pi originally chose to go out in person, but Cheng Yu stopped him in time, and in the end Cao Pi still sat in Yecheng and ordered the general Jia Xin to lead his troops to attack.
In the course of the uprising, Tian Yin and Su Bo gathered a part of the people, posing a certain threat. However, under the leadership of Jia Xin, Cao's army successfully suppressed the uprising.
After the uprising was put down, more than 1,000 remnants of the party asked for surrender. Under the old law, these people should have been put to death. However, Cheng Yu put forward a tolerant suggestion, arguing that these people are not the first evildoers and should be dealt with lightly.
When Cao Pi was undecided, Cheng Yu proposed to let Cao Pi report to Cao Cao, and finally Cao Cao accepted Cheng Yu's suggestion and let go of these pawns.
When Cheng Yu advised Cao Pi, he said:
"This is the right time to be in trouble. Today's decision is a little, and it cannot be punished; If you are condemned, it is advisable to hear about it first"Pay attention to the eight words that Cheng Yu said: "When there is chaos, the right time is appropriate." Actually,"Those who surround and surrender will not be forgiven"The military order was not only used by Cao Cao, but also used by many people in ancient China.
In ancient times, it was common practice to kill those who surrendered. There are deep historical reasons and strategic considerations behind this approach.
First of all, we need to understand the historical background of the time. At that time, the social situation was turbulent, the world was in turmoil, and wars were raging. In such an environment, various forces often clash and fight for power and territory. In this fierce war environment, those who surrender are often seen as betrayers because they turn their backs on their camp and throw themselves into the enemy.
Secondly, this practice of killing those who surrendered is also a strategic means. "Those who surrender after being surrounded will not be forgiven" means that those enemies who choose to surrender after being surrounded will no longer be given forgiveness, but will be directly executed. What is the purpose of this?
This was done in order to show the other hostile powers a harsh reality: if they did not surrender sooner, then the fate of death awaited them. In this way, the enemy can be effectively deterred, so that they can consider whether to surrender more carefully in the face of strong military pressure.
Finally, there is a practical strategic consideration. That is, if the enemy chooses to surrender before it is surrounded, then there is no need to besiege the city at every turn when using troops in the future. In this way, troops and resources can be greatly saved, and the efficiency of the war can be increased.
In general, the ancient practice of killing those who surrendered had both profound historical reasons and practical strategic considerations. While this practice may seem cruel and inhumane in modern times, it was an effective means of warfare in its time.
The ancient city of the Han and Wei dynasties. Therefore, Cheng Yu said very clearly that the situation is different, and this military order must be viewed from a different point of view.
Cheng Yu believes that in the current situation, the overall situation in the north has tended to be stable and calm. Moreover, the clashes and battles that took place this time were within Cao Cao's territory, and the people involved in the conflict were not organized and large-scale armies, but just scattered and unformed rabble.
Therefore, even if they are successfully defeated, it will not show the strength and deterrence of Cao's army in this way, because the other side does not have enough importance and influence to achieve the purpose of demonstrating or showing fear by defeating them. At the same time, it also deprives our side of the strategic significance of demonstrating our military strength and determination by killing and subjugating the enemy.
Cao Cao besieged Lü Bu, but pardoned Zhang Liao and Lü Bu's iron cavalry. surrounded Yuan Shang and Yuan Tan, but pardoned Chen Lin and Cui Yan. It can be said that it is forgiven and forgiven.
In the Battle of Xiapi, he besieged Lü Bu, but he treated Zhang Liao as a guest and successfully recruited Zhang Liao, turning him from Lü Bu's subordinate to his own general. In addition, Cao Cao also subdued other people under Lü Bu, such as Chen Deng's father and son, and recruited local forces such as Zang Ba, Sun Guan, Wu Dun, Yin Li, and Chang Xian, who were originally dependent on Lü Bu.
For example, a few years after the Battle of Guandu, although Cao Cao besieged Yuan Shang and Yuan Tan, he pardoned Chen Lin and Cui Yan. From these examples, it can be seen that Cao Cao was flexible in dealing with wars and enemies according to specific situations, and sometimes chose forgiveness and solicitation in order to achieve better strategic goals.
Therefore, Cao Cao's military order was not strictly observed, which was in line with Cao Cao's way of using troops, which changed with the situation, and the water was impermanent.