http://republicofotters.blogspot.com/2018/10/yolo-because-yodo-pt-i.html
Okay, so let's continue...
[绍因累世之资，高议揖让以收名誉，士之好言饰外者多归之，公以至心待人，推诚而行，不为虚美，以俭率下，与有功者无所吝，士之忠正远见而有实者皆原为用，此德胜六也。]
Translate:
Yuan Shao uses his fame to attract people to serve him and boost his name. His followers are mostly people who are able to disguise their flaws through persuasion and glib talk. You are sincere towards your followers and do not recruit them for the purpose of increasing your fame. Many loyal and truly capable people are willing to serve under you. You win him in virtue.
You don't attract good players with cash and prestige alone. Yes, the two are important. Just look at individuals like Wu King of Zhou and Cao Cao. Who did they get? The likes of Jiang Ziya and Kuok Kah. Look at teams like Barcelona and Real Madrid. Who did they manage to get? The likes of Ivan the Great and #GB11. Resources are important, they're used to attract talented people. But not all who come are truly talented. Like how the capable and inept both exist in the same room (a tale too common when it comes to kingdoms, kings, and political parties), one does not simply group Fa Zheng together with Xu Jing. Because the former was a real talent (albeit his character was arguably as bad as Donald Trump) while the other was a talk cock sing song stooge (most likely that'd be me unless November 6 proved otherwise).
Let's look at Bournemouth. Do the South Coast Cherries have the cash? Given how Abba's anthem of capitalism managed to play the prophet, you can't blame the likes of Lady Amelia Windsor for having a job. Do they have the prestige? Please, where were they when Alan English ownself fire ownself in 2006? But who do they have? Only one bloke. And he's none other than the Great Wizard Howe (not to be confused with something else done by Miyazaki Hayao).
You see, Cao Cao's situation mirrored exactly that of the South Coast Cherries. Why did I say this is very simple: The reason why Howe's Moving Castle is currently floating at a lofty number 6 isn't just a testimony of Howe's awesome wizardry. His exceptional man management is exactly what Kuok Kah was talking about concerning Cao Cao's virtue. Different word, same definition. Don't believe what I said? Unlike Brett Kavanaugh, I have an actual witness to prove Cao Cao's virtue=Great Wizard Howe's man management.
[绍见人饥寒，恤念之形于颜色，其所不见，虑或不及也，所谓妇人之仁耳，公于目前小事，时有所忽，至于大事，与四海接，恩之所加，皆过其望，虽所不见，虑之所周，无不济也，此仁胜七也。]
Translation:
When Yuan Shao sees others suffering from hunger and cold, he will express his concern towards them. However, he will not do so if their sufferings are not obvious. This is a form of unwise care and concern. You sometimes neglect less important things but when you handle big situations, you are connected to the masses within the Four Seas and the rewards you give out are far greater than Yuan Shao's fame. Even though this may not be obvious, your care and concern towards others are complete. You win him in benevolence.
The awesome preacher Nicholas D.Wolfwood once famously said this.
We're nothing like God. That included Yuan Shao. This was why Kuok Kah reserved the harshest criticism possible for him. In ancient China, words like benevolence and righteousness were the historical equivalent of the #MeToo hashtag. It's not a joke, I can assure you. Against foreign invaders, self-defence was always the best reason. Against your own people, that's where morality and honour came into the picture. Yuan Shao knew it. And he used it. His problem and Kuok Kah's problem with him? He's just faking it. Yes, give to poor! But what about that penniless widow? Yes, let's plead the cause of the suffering! Excuse me, we got a rape victim waiting to be helped. Moral hypocrisy is not just a case of our limited powers, but also the fact that we are driven to become the devil himself. More specifically, either we're being driven willingly or we end up becoming monsters after being numbed to the very core. This is why I say Nicholas D.Wolfwood was such an awesome preacher. He's not just preaching to himself and Vash the Stampede. He's also preaching to Singaporeans, Americans, and everybody else.
Ironically, Cao Cao was also nothing like God. To set the record straight, he did commit atrocities. The massacre he caused at the Xu Province was effectively an act of a crazy guy. So what if your dad got killed by bandits? It wasn't Tao Qian's fault that he hired the wrong people for the correct job! But still, Cao Cao went ahead. And what about Xun Yu and Cui Yan? Both were driven to death by the same boss despite their loyalty and integrity. But was Cao Cao just another First Emperor Qin? There's a reason why the people revolted after this emperor's death. Otherwise known as the Second Qin Emperor or 秦二世, this ****ing moron failed to control the people's wrath. Not just because someone named Zhao Gao was controlling him, but also due to Daddy Dearest's tyranny. Despite adopting the approach of governing the people via strict law and order, Cao Cao wasn't this kind of despot. He left enough breathing space for the people, but definitely not enough for the likes of Brock Allen Turner.
Because Cao Cao was nothing like God, it means he only had limited powers. Unlike Yuan Shao, however, he was willing to defend both the penniless widow and that rape victim. There's no way he could save everyone under the sun because it's literally impossible even in times of peace. Let alone an era of inner conflict. Cao Cao knew this and he treated this fact far more seriously than Yuan Shao.
As a result, his reputation grew and his charisma burgeoned. In ancient China, integrity and honour counted for a lot. Yet, actions always speak louder than words in the same way a sincere show of honesty always trumps a token show of morality. This was why Cao Cao trumped Yuan Shao despite both being nothing like God and having limited powers. Moral of the story? He's never Superman or the male version of Wonder Woman, but you can be very sure he's Emiya Shirou from Unlimited Blade Works. And Archer as well if we're talking about the innocent deaths incurred along the way.
[绍大臣争权，谗言惑乱，公御下以道，浸润不行，此明胜八也。]
Translate:
Yuan Shao's followers are often bickering and politicking and they give libelous and troublesome advice. You govern your followers with the right principles, so corruption does not occur under your leadership. You win him in wisdom.
I recall there's this one classmate during my years as a full-time student in ITE Dover. He was a bully and he once said to me, "You don't **** around with me, okay?" Like a Fa Zheng, I still remember his English name. When I was a Sec 2 student at Gan Eng Seng School (there wasn't any Gan Eng Seng Primary School back then because Ms Ho Peng apparently had no intention to ram this idea down the Education Minister's throat), there's this classmate who assassinated my character just to make himself look righteous. Like a Fa Xiaozhi, I still remember his full name.
The problem with Yuan Shao's cronies was exactly the kind of people I had to deal with at school. Ju Shou was chucked aside because of this. Tian Feng was chucked into jail and died as the result for the same reason. And Fa Zheng went crazy like a Danish boss called Hamlet for this very reason as well.
What about Cao Cao then? First, Cao Cao would never say "boys will always be boys" in the face of a moral crisis caused by one of his own men. Yes, he used to be a boy. But so what? You did something dumb, you clean up your own mess. If you know how to wipe your own backside after a session in the toilet cubicle, it means you don't expect others to do it for you. Not even your father, mother, or grandparents. Cao Cao's wisdom could be summed up in this way: He who wipes his own backside knows the value of not wiping another person's backside.
[绍是非不可知，公所是进之以礼，所不是正之以法，此文胜九也。]
Translate:
Yuan Shao cannot distinguish between right and wrong. You respect someone when you think he has done right and you punish someone when you feel he has done wrong. You win him in culture.
Seriously, did Kuok Kah truly believe Yuan Shao to be that dumb? Literal inability to distinguish between right and wrong belongs to dead people. This linked back to what Kuok Kah said about Yuan Shao's followers. The inability to distinguish between right and wrong in this context was never about whether Yuan Shao was a mindless zombie waiting to be shot. Rather, it reflected a worrying problem with human nature all the while.
What kind of sorcery is this? Mothers, please do NOT tell your daughters that the Duchess of Cambridge is their mom. Fathers, please do NOT tell your sons that John Terry is their father. Or do you parents want me to quote Mr Low Thia Khiang himself?
As for Cao Cao, he respected his men without compromising on his principles. A notable example would be when one of his generals Yu Jin was forced to delay his Senate trial before Cao Cao. So guess what happened in the end?
[绍好为虚势，不知兵要，公以少克众，用兵如神，军人恃之，敌人畏之，此武胜十也。]
Translate:
Yuan Shao likes to display bravado and is not aware of the crucial elements in war. You overcome an enemy superior in numbers with a smaller force, just like a god of war. The soldiers look up to you, your enemies fear you. You win him in military skill.
One of the problems plaguing Les Gunners before they become the Los Gunners of today is this: What's the use of passing the ball around if you can't score like a Fergie or hold fort like a Karanka? Overcoming an enemy superior in numbers with a smaller force was never a case of Jewish rocket science. You don't need to be an Einstein to understand the importance of a swift break-and-counter. They've tried it and done it, be they #RoboKlopp or #Pulisman, Sir A. Fergie or the Great Wizard Howe. It's not exactly something only the Irish are known for, so you don't even have to try it before knocking it.
In football, creating an effective offensive fulcrum can do wonders. Done properly, you can even inspire your own lads while making other lads fear you. Take for example England. At this moment, the Three Lions still look like One And A Half Pussycats. This is because Beaumains Southgate needs to get two things right: A central midfield capable of passing the ball as well as the back 3 (this is not a joke because that's what I saw in Engrand's semi-final loss against Croatia). The second thing waiting to be set right? Go ask Ross Charles Barkley. Two fast wingbacks, two decently technical central mids, and one hell of a Rocket Barkley. At the risk of creating a Wayne Rooney out of Rocket Barkley (trust me when I say Rooney's existence in the national dressing room was effectively another Grannygate), I have to say fuel the Rocket and unleash the beast in Barkley.
So what about Los Gunners? El Emerytus, do you still remember Aaron Ramsey? Yeah, that Ramsey who's unrelated to Gordon Strachan. Forget about Ryan's tackle on him, that also happened to me as well (I kid you not, the guy who rugby tackled in a moment of adrenaline rush was also Ryan Shawcross). Just remember one important thing: Get him to sign a new deal and start playing him as your Número Diez. I'm serious here. If Barkley can be England's Godzilla, it means Ramsey can be Los Gunners' Humanoid Typhoon.
Erm, no. Not this Godzilla, please. The entire nation of England is begging all you tabloid-mongers from the Sun to the Mirror not to make Barkley into this kind of Godzilla.
To be cont'd...
Next up: Okay, Pt III will feature why Cao Cao's AG Jeff Wong got a problem with him. That plus the Top Moments of Kuok Kah's Stable Genius.
初，陈群非嘉不治行检，数廷诉嘉，嘉意自若。
[From the beginning, Chen Qun was unhappy with Guo Jia's unruly ways. Despite his behaviour reported numerous times, Guo Jia remained calm. With this face above]
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