The Ruler's Guide: China's Greatest Emperor and His Timeless Secrets of Success

by Chinghua Tang

  He thereby ordered that small cases be handled by junior officials; only major cases might be referred to the prime ministers.

  THE IMPORTANCE OF DELEGATING

  Taizong asked Xiao Yu, former prime minister of the Sui dynasty, about the style of Emperor Wen, founder of the Sui. “What kind of a ruler was he?”

  “Emperor Wen was a self-disciplined and hardworking ruler,” Xiao Yu replied, “who took his job very seriously. He would hold audience sessions from sunrise till sunset. Sometimes he and his ministers were so engrossed in their discussions that they forgot to eat. He might not have been wise, but he was surely conscientious, trying very hard to be a good ruler.”

  “You know only part of him,” said Taizong. “He thought he was smart, but he was not really wise. He decided on every issue himself, big and small, because he didn’t trust his ministers. So even though he exhausted himself, he could not get everything right. Knowing he was a suspicious man, his ministers dared not give him any honest advice. They just agreed with whatever he decided.”

  Taizong went on to explain his own style. “My style is different. Ours is a big country. We have many issues to deal with every day. They should be thoroughly looked into by officials in relevant departments and then the prime minister will make a recommendation to me. Everybody has his limitations. A ruler must have ministers to assist him. If he has to handle so many issues by himself, he is bound to make mistakes. How can he be right every time? Just think what would happen if five out of ten decisions he makes every day are wrong. Day by day, month by month, his mistakes would accumulate, and sooner or later they would lead to disasters. It is much better to delegate responsibilities to the worthy.”

  DIRECT IMPACT ON THE PEOPLE

  Minister Ma Zhou wrote Taizong a memorandum, which read, “How provincial and county officials do their jobs has a direct impact on the life of the people. We may not obtain the best candidates for each county, but if we select qualified men as provincial governors and prefects, we shall be doing the right thing.

  “In ancient times, candidates for ministerial positions had to work as local officials first. Nowadays too much emphasis is placed on central government appointments, but too little attention is given to staffing local posts. The quality of officials in remote regions is even worse. That may be the reason why life is still hard for the people.”

  Whereupon Taizong announced, “From now on, I shall personally select provincial governors and prefects. And each minister from the fifth rank up will be responsible for recommending a candidate for county magistrate.”

  He told his ministers, “I often lie awake at night thinking about the affairs of state. What worries me most is whether provincial governors and county magistrates are up to their jobs. Living in the palace, I see and hear only a limited amount. I count on these officials. How well they perform their duties concerns the fate of our country.”

  A PERVERSE TENDENCY

  Minister Wei Zheng wrote a memorandum to Taizong about a perverse tendency he noticed in the emperor.

  “Your Majesty is a gifted man, but I’ve noticed a peculiar tendency in you. When you hear somebody’s good points, you tend to discount them. But when you hear somebody’s weaknesses, you would readily believe they are true. Why?

  “Those who like to find others’ faults to attack tend to be mean men; those who like to find others’ good points to praise tend to be good men. If you take credit away from people for their shortcomings more than you give credit for their strengths, you will embolden mean men and discourage good men. This is not the way to have a proper relationship with your ministers. On the contrary, it will create a barrier between you and them. And it is bound to impair the smooth running of the government.”

  LOOKING FOR GOOD POINTS IN THOSE YOU DON’T LIKE

  In another memorandum, Wei Zheng wrote, “Your Majesty is willing to forgive some big mistakes of your ministers but is rather intolerant of small errors. A small error can cause you to lose your temper. But you can’t run the government according to your personal preferences. Toward those you like, be aware of their shortcomings. Toward those you dislike, look for their strengths. If you can’t see good points in those you dislike, good people will be scared. If you can’t see weaknesses in those you like, villains will be emboldened.”

  THE NORM OF GOVERNANCE

  Commenting on the way Taizong treated senior and junior officials, Minister Wei Zheng said, “The norm of governance is that senior officials deal with important matters and junior officials deal with less important ones. In appointing officials, Your Majesty rightly pays a lot more attention to senior posts than junior posts. But when something happens, you tend to believe junior officials more than senior officials. Why do you suspect senior officials whom you have carefully chosen yourself?

  “Moreover, senior officials should not be punished for making mistakes in handling small matters, and junior officials should not be responsible for making big decisions.

  “If avoiding mistakes becomes the objective of civil servants, they will try to cover up their mistakes. That will lead to deceit. Then it will be impossible to have a good government.”

  Taizong agreed with his minister.

  MUTUAL TRUST

  Wei Zheng wrote Taizong another memorandum, which read, “Your Majesty appointed worthy men to important posts. You gave them a lot of responsibilities but you did not place enough trust in them. This lack of trust causes them to have misgivings, and misgivings will prevent them from doing a good job. They would just perform their routine tasks perfunctorily, with little sense of duty. And it is impossible to expect them to work toward establishing a long-lasting dynasty.

  “If the ruler does not trust his minister, he can’t make use of him. If a minister does not trust his ruler, he can’t serve him either. Mutual trust is the basis of their working together, and trust is created when neither the ruler nor the minister is guided by self-interest.

  “It is no good if a ruler doesn’t know how to judge a man. It is no good either if he knows how to judge a man but doesn’t know how to use him. It is still no good if he uses him but doesn’t trust him.”

  FATUOUS KING AND CONSCIENTIOUS MINISTERS

  Taizong asked, “Which case is worse: the king is fatuous but his ministers are conscientious, or the king is conscientious but his ministers are irresponsible?”

  “If the king has good judgment,” replied Wei Zheng, “he can tell which minister is good and which one is wicked. Punish the wicked one, and he sends a warning to a hundred others. They won’t dare to be careless. If the king is fatuous and headstrong, he won’t listen to his ministers. Sooner or later he’ll be in trouble.”

  “King Wen of the Northern Qi dynasty was a tyrant, but his prime minister seemed to have managed well enough. Do you know why?” asked Taizong.

  “His prime minister did manage to keep the country from falling apart,” answered Wei Zheng. “But it was a very difficult and precarious situation. It is not to be compared with a wise ruler running a country with honest ministers.”

  DERELICTION OF DUTY

  Jia Chong, governor of Daizhou, was accused of dereliction of duty by an imperial censor because one of his subordinates had committed a serious offense.

  Taizong rejected the accusation and said, “A father may not be held responsible for the action of his son, nor should a man be held responsible for the action of his brother. If we demote a governor because somebody under him committed a crime, it would encourage officials to cover up crimes. Then real criminals may go unpunished. There are criminals everywhere. It is unreasonable to hold the governor responsible. What you should do is to see that he does a good job investigating the crime and prosecuting the culprit.”

  LOCUSTS

  Taizong knew how to use dramatic gestures to win public recognition, just like a modern politician in front of a television camera.

  During the Korean expedition, one of his generals was shot by an arrow. On the battlefiel
d Taizong sucked pus from his wound in front of many soldiers, who were deeply touched by his action.

  One year, swarms of locusts descended upon Chang’an. Taizong went to the imperial park to see for himself the damage they had caused.

  “Grain is the people’s livelihood. But you eat it!” he cursed, picking up a handful of the insects. “Better you eat my heart and lungs!”

  As he put his hand to his mouth, his attendants tried to stop him for fear he might get sick. But Taizong insisted on taking a bite.

  “I’ll eat them for the sake of my people even if I become ill.”

  And he swallowed them. Legend says the locusts disappeared the next day.

  MANAGING STAKEHOLDERS

  Taizong gave the crown prince the following advice on the role of stakeholders and their management.

  “Our country is too large to be run by one man. As emperor, I need others to help me. That was why I awarded my kinsmen fiefs, so that they have a stake in supporting me to maintain the stability of the empire. But you should not allow stakeholders to become too powerful. Or else you may lose control. If the branch is too large, the tree may break; if the tail is too big, it may wag the dog. Therefore it is better to have a large number of stakeholders but keep their individual power small. This way there will be checks and balances among the stakeholders and you will be able to maintain control. All will be loyal to you.”

  WHAT TANG TAIZONG AND HIS ADVISERS TEACH US TODAY

  * * *

  Efficiency is doing things right. You can enhance efficiency by having fewer but talented people as opposed to having many mediocre people. The more mediocre they are, the less will be accomplished.

  Effectiveness is doing the right things. You can enhance effectiveness by encouraging people to voice their opinions so that correct and informed decisions can be made.

  You should delegate responsibilities to worthy subordinates. It will not only reduce your workload but enable you to avoid costly mistakes.

  You should discourage blind obedience and face-saving behavior at the expense of honesty.

  You should be more eager to find others’ good points to praise than to find faults to criticize.

  You should make people feel they’re trusted; they’ll do a better job for you.

  You should pay attention to those working at the grassroots level because they’re perceived as your deputies. Who they are reflects who you are, and how they do their work has a direct impact on the fate of your enterprise or organization.

  Taizong’s emphasis on the quality of civil servants reminds me of what Lee Kuan Yew, the founding father of Singapore, did to shape that nation’s civil service system.

  Lee believed that civil servants should be appointed and advanced on the basis of their abilities, effort, and achievements, regardless of race or family background. He also believed that to recruit and retain talents and to maintain a clean, honest government, civil servants should be well paid.

  He said, “The task of the leaders must be to provide or create for them a strong framework within which they can learn, work hard, be productive and be rewarded accordingly. And this is not easy to achieve.”

  Lee linked the pay of top civil servants to that of top professionals in the private sector while at the same time strengthening anticorruption laws to give the government wider power to investigate and prosecute suspected officials and their families.

  Perhaps because of their Chinese origin, many Singaporeans like to compare the success of their country to that of Tang China. They consider their meritocratic and highly efficient government a key factor in their country’s success.

  * * *

  I Jack Welch (born in 1935) is the former CEO of GE and one of the most successful business leaders of our time.

  5

  On Remonstrance

  Criticism may not be agreeable, but it is necessary. It fulfills the same function as pain in the human body. It calls attention to an unhealthy state of things.

  —WINSTON CHURCHILLI

  The duty of the imperial censor in Taizong’s government was to supervise officials; his weapon was impeachment. He had the authority to investigate complaints and impeach any official for violating the law, for miscarriage of justice, for failing to implement government policies, for overspending, and so on. But the imperial censor could be retaliated against if he offended a powerful official.

  The duty of the remonstrant was to supervise the monarch; his weapon was public remonstrance. His designated role was to criticize the monarch for improper behavior and wrong policies. The position was often filled by mentors of the monarch or men of high stature. Although the job was highly prestigious, it carried inherent risk. The remonstrant could become such an irritant that the ruler might turn against him. He could be demoted, dismissed, corporally punished, or even put to death by an intolerant tyrant.

  TANG TAIZONG AND HIS ADVISERS’ WORDS

  * * *

  SELF-REFLECTION

  Taizong said, “I often sit quietly and reflect on myself. I am concerned that what I have done may not be in keeping with the will of Heaven and cause public discontent. I hope to get advice and remonstrance from honest men so that I am not out of touch with the outside world, and so that I can address any complaint in a timely manner.”

  He told the crown prince about the importance of listening to remonstrance. “The ruler runs the country from the depth of his office. But he cannot see everything he should see and hear every voice he should hear. As a result, if he makes a mistake, he may not know; if he does something wrong, he cannot correct it in time. That is why he needs to hear complaints, heed different views, and listen to other people’s advice. If the advice is good, even if it comes from a slave, he should accept it. If the advice is bad, even if it comes from a nobleman, he should reject it. Don’t fuss about the details or the style of those who give you good advice.”

  A FATUOUS RULER

  Taizong asked his chief remonstrant, “What is an enlightened ruler and what is a fatuous ruler?”

  Wei Zheng replied, “An enlightened ruler listens to different opinions whereas a fatuous ruler listens to only one side. For example, the second emperor of the Qin dynasty listened only to his eunuch minister Zhao Gao. Isolated from other officials, he had no idea that his regime was about to collapse. Emperor Yang of the Sui dynasty listened only to a sycophant minister and didn’t know that rebellions were sweeping over the country. If the ruler makes a point of listening to different people, powerful ministers won’t be able to hide the truth from him. Information flow won’t be blocked. And the voice from below will reach his ears.”

  His advice won Taizong’s hearty consent.

  NO WINNER

  Taizong said to his ministers, “If a man wants to see himself, he needs a mirror. If a ruler wants to know his own faults, he needs loyal ministers. If he thinks he is smart and his ministers don’t point out his mistakes, sooner or later he’ll run into trouble.

  “When the ruler loses, his ministers will also lose. Remember how the Sui dynasty was lost? Emperor Yang was a despot. His ministers all kept their mouths shut. Nobody tried to stop his wrongdoings. In the end, he was killed, and his ministers were not spared either. That is a lesson for all of us. If you want to share a peaceful and stable rule with me, you must talk to me frankly and let me know if I’ve done something wrong. I may not accept your remonstrances right away, but I’ll think about them. Then I’ll choose which good advice to follow.”

  IMPERIAL HUNT

  Taizong said to his ministers, “Somebody wrote me a memorandum saying I go on hunting expeditions too frequently. At present the empire is at peace, but we should not forget military exercises, which hunting provides. That’s why I go hunting in the imperial park with my entourage. We don’t cause any trouble to the public. So what’s the problem?”

  “Since Your Majesty solicits criticisms from officials,” replied Wei Zheng, “you have to let them say what they want. If what they suggest has
merit, it will benefit the country; if not, no harm is done.”

  “You have a point there,” agreed Taizong.

  BEING GENTLE

  Taizong asked Wei Zheng, “I have found that when officials write to me, they present their ideas very well. But when they talk to me, they often hem and haw. They can’t even speak coherently. Why is that?”

  “I know they spend days preparing what to say,” explained Wei Zheng. “But in Your Majesty’s presence, they become nervous. As a result, they only manage to say one-third of what they wanted to. Please be gentle and empathetic with them, or you’ll intimidate them.”

  “I see,” said Taizong. “If they are already nervous when talking about routine business, I can imagine how brave a person must be to come forward and remonstrate with me. If I show any displeasure, I will scare him away and nobody will speak to me frankly. I promise you that in the future I won’t get angry even if I don’t like what I hear.”

  PROVOCATIVE LANGUAGE

  A magistrate in Henan named Huangfu Dezan wrote Taizong a memorandum criticizing the construction work in Luoyang because it imposed a heavy burden on the people. He described the real estate tax as exploitation of the people and blamed the craze for fancy hairstyles among local women on the ladies in the imperial palace, who set the fashion.

  Taizong was incensed. “This is ridiculous! Will he be satisfied if we collect no taxes and if the court ladies all shave their heads?”