The "Records of the Grand Historian: The Basic Annals of Gaozu" records: When summarizing his experience in seizing the empire, Liu Bang said: "...In planning strategies within the command tent and deciding victory a thousand li away, I am not as good as Zifang (Zhang Liang); in stabilizing the state, comforting the people, providing supplies, and ensuring the grain routes never fail, I am not as good as Xiao He; in commanding an army of a million, winning every battle and taking every attack, I am not as good as Han Xin. These three are all outstanding men. I can employ them—that is why I have gained the empire." Anyone reading this passage will be awestruck by the strategic brilliance of Zhang Liang, Xiao He, and Han Xin. In truth, however, the one truly worthy of admiration and respect is Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang.
Knowing people and employing them well is genuinely difficult for many to practice. Yet Liu Bang managed to achieve precisely this.
In his youth, Liu Bang "did not concern himself with family production and labor." Only in his adulthood did he secure the petty clerical post of Chief of Sishui Pavilion. Amid the great upheaval of "Qin lost the deer, and all under heaven chased after it," he managed to overcome all rivals and ultimately establish the Western Han dynasty. What was the secret to his success? In short, it was that talents like Zhang Liang, Xiao He, and Han Xin played a pivotal role. The entire process of establishing the Han dynasty proves this: Zhang Liang served as a "Chief of Staff" in assisting Liu Bang, making him a founding hero of the Western Han. Xiao He ensured the steady supply of troops and provisions, supporting frontline operations, effectively acting as a "Minister of Logistics." Han Xin, a master of military tactics whose army grew stronger with every recruit, repeatedly achieved remarkable victories. His crushing defeat of Xiang Yu at Gaixia decided the fate of the empire in one decisive battle, fulfilling the role of "Commander-in-Chief."
The civil and military officials under Liu Bang mostly came from diverse social backgrounds. Cao Shen was a minor local clerk from Pei County; Fan Kuai was a dog butcher; Xiahou Ying was a charioteer; Zhou Bo made mats for a living and also worked as a musician at weddings and funerals; Guan Ying was a cloth merchant; Lou Jing was a cart driver; Li Yiji was a poor scholar; Peng Yue and Ying Bu were bandits. As for Chen Ping, he was originally the Grand Steward for King Jiu of Wei, later followed Xiang Yu into the pass and served as a Colonel. After defecting to Liu Bang, he was appointed Commander of the Guards. He proposed using disinformation tactics to make Xiang Yu distrust his strategist Fan Zeng and offered noble titles to win over the general Han Xin, making significant contributions to the founding of the Han dynasty. He later served as Chancellor during the reigns of Emperors Hui, Empress Lü, and Emperor Wen, and collaborated with Zhou Bo to thwart Empress Lü's coup. As for his personal history, he came from a poor family, and while serving as a minor official, he was accused of corruption and bribery and had an ambiguous relationship with his brother's wife, earning the derisive nickname "the one who stole his sister-in-law and took gold." As for Han Xin, during the time he depended on the Chief of Nanchang Pavilion and the kind old woman who washed clothes for food, he suffered endless bullying and humiliation from arrogant young nobles, earning the shameful label of "the one who crawled between someone's legs."
These were people of seemingly poor origins, some even considered "petty thieves and lowlifes," bearing "names of disgrace and shame that invited ridicule." Yet, Liu Bang was able to employ them all, enabling them to "ultimately achieve royal enterprise and leave a name renowned for a thousand years." He utilized their strengths and avoided their weaknesses.
Liu Bang's shrewdness lay in treating people like tools—using their strengths and avoiding their weaknesses. Zhang Liang, a noble of the fallen Han state, lived among the elite and excelled in strategy; Xiao He, a clerk from Pei County, had rich grassroots experience and exceptional administrative and organizational talent, thus handling logistics; Han Xin, who "joined Xiang Liang and Xiang Yu when they rose up, sword in hand," possessed the courage to lead troops. These "Three Heroes" were precisely created by Liu Bang's skill in utilizing their strengths and placing them where they belonged. Furthermore, Fan Kuai, who began as a dog butcher, followed Liu Bang through countless southern and northern campaigns, repeatedly achieving extraordinary feats. Lu Jia, known as an eloquent debater, presented Liu Bang with twelve chapters of the "Xin Yu" (New Discourses), and "the High Emperor never failed to praise each chapter," later becoming a famous political essayist.
Thus, under Liu Bang, strategists gathered like rain, and brave warriors assembled like clouds—a magnificent sight to behold.
Liu Bang's exceptional quality was his principle of trusting those he employed and employing only those he trusted. Many in Liu Bang's ranks had originally served under Xiang Yu but fled to join Liu Bang because they could not endure service under Xiang Yu. Liu Bang opened his doors wide, welcoming them all equally. For example, Han Xin was originally under Xiang Yu; because he could not utilize his talents there, he came to join Liu Bang. Another example is Chen Ping, who had taken a longer path—he first served under King of Wei, but unable to contribute, he defected to Xiang Yu; again unable to contribute, he defected once more to Liu Bang. When Chen Ping fled Xiang Yu's camp and arrived at the Han camp, Liu Bang was "greatly delighted," extremely happy. He asked Chen Ping, "What position did you hold under Xiang Yu, Mr. Chen?" Chen Ping replied, "I served as a Colonel." Liu Bang said, "Good. You shall serve as Colonel here as well." He immediately appointed Chen Ping as Colonel. After the appointment was announced, there was an uproar in the Han camp; many of Liu Bang's old followers were dissatisfied, so some went to Liu Bang to speak ill of Chen Ping. But Liu Bang paid them no heed.
It was precisely because of Liu Bang's trust that Chen Ping was willing to serve him. At one point, Liu Bang and Chen Ping had a conversation. Liu Bang asked, "You see that we are now in a stalemate with Xiang Yu, neither able to defeat the other. Please consider what strategy could achieve a surprising victory and end this war quickly?" Chen Ping replied, "Xiang Yu is suspicious. We can use disinformation tactics to make King Xiang distrust his subordinates, which would be like cutting off his arms and legs. Wouldn't that suffice?" Liu Bang said, "Excellent idea. Please, Mr. Chen, handle the operation. Funding is no problem—four thousand catties of gold are immediately allocated (the 'gold' of that time referred to bronze). Use it however you like, no questions asked." What does "no questions asked" mean? It means no need for reimbursement, no audits, spend it however you wish! As long as you defeat Xiang Yu for me, whatever you save is yours to keep.
For talented individuals, what they need is not just due compensation, but more importantly, respect and trust. The only way to respect such talent is to treat them sincerely and honestly. Liu Bang possessed this virtue. When people like Zhang Liang, Han Xin, and Chen Ping had issues to discuss with Liu Bang and raised questions, Liu Bang always answered truthfully, never telling falsehoods, even if such answers were embarrassing.
When using talent, one must first trust and respect them, but one should also reward them, as rewards are a concrete affirmation of a person's contributions. After seizing the empire, Liu Bang awarded his ministers according to their respective merits. He not only enfeoffed a group of people like Xiao He, Zhang Liang, Han Xin, and Peng Yue, but also enfeoffed the person he disliked most—Yong Chi. Once Yong Chi was enfeoffed, all the other meritorious officials felt reassured, understanding that Liu Bang truly rewarded based on merit, not personal closeness. With fairness established, the effect of impartiality leading to clarity was immediately evident.
When awarding merits, Liu Bang decreed: Xiao He ranked first. From this, one can also see Liu Bang's mature statecraft. Why was Xiao He designated the foremost contributor? First, Xiao He was a revolutionary veteran and a founding hero, having risen in rebellion alongside Liu Bang, with outstanding achievements. Second, Xiao He's crucial contribution lay in his timely rescue of a vast amount of archival documents. When Liu Bang's army entered Guanzhong and rushed into Xianyang, what were the generals doing? They were seizing goods, grabbing gold and treasures, or busy seizing women. Only Xiao He rushed into the Qin dynasty's national archives, preserving all the Qin maps, account books, and various official documents. When Liu Bang finally unified the empire, he had a thorough understanding of the entire nation's situation—knowing which places were poor or rich, which regions produced what goods, and what circumstances existed where.
Liu Bang can be said to be a model of leadership artistry. Precisely because he could trust talent, employ talent, fully mobilize their enthusiasm, and secretly guard against and control them, he was able to gather all the talent of the era around himself, forming an optimized combination. In this way, his attainment of the empire was an inevitable outcome.