100 Historical Stories That Unlock Teenage Wisdom

Chapter 8 Wei Qing is a low-key general

Chapter 17 Wei Qing is a low-key general
——Humility is a kind of nobility. Only by doing things modestly can we win respect.There are many successful people in life, and the more successful they are, the more humble they become.When you are humble is also when you are most noble.

During the reign of Emperor Wu of the Western Han Dynasty, Wei Qing was appointed as a general because his sister Wei Zifu was favored by Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. He was named Changping Marquis and led troops to attack the Xiongnu.

Su Jian, the right general, was wiped out in a battle with the Xiongnu, fled back alone, and was executed according to military law.

Wei Qing asked Chang Shi, Yi Lang and other officials: "What should Su Jian do?"

Yilang Zhouba said: "Since the general sent out troops, he has never beheaded a minor general. Now that Su Jian has abandoned the army and fled back, he can just behead Su Jian to establish the prestige of the general."

Wei Qing said: "Because I am a relative of the emperor, I lead troops out of the fortress. I am not afraid that I will not be able to uphold the majesty of military law. If you persuade me to kill people and establish authority, I will lose my duty as a courtier. Although my authority can kill generals, but Wouldn't it be better for me to return the right to kill the general to the emperor, and let the emperor decide whether to execute him or not, to show that although I am abroad and favored by the emperor, I dare not kill the general?"

The subordinates all said with admiration: "The general has a great opinion, and the subordinates are absolutely inferior."

Wei Qing sent someone to escort Su Jian back to Chang'an. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty took pity on his talent and did not kill him, but asked him to pay for atonement. He was very satisfied with Wei Qing's handling.

Later, Su Jian followed Wei Qing to attack the Xiongnu. He persuaded Wei Qing, "The status of a general is the most important, but no one in the world praises and spreads your prestige. Famous generals in ancient times recommended virtuous talents to the imperial court. I hope that the great general can learn from the practice of the famous generals in ancient times."

Wei Qing shook his head and said, "You only know one thing, but you don't know the other. In the past, Marquis Tianfu of Wu'an and Marquis Dou Ying of Wei Qi each invited guests and formed cronies to extol their reputations. It is the emperor's authority to demote the virtuous and demean the unworthy, and we as courtiers only know how to abide by the laws of the country and perform our duties."

Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty loved Wei Qing very much, and ordered all the officials to kneel and worship Wei Qing when they saw Wei Qing, to show the dignity of the general.

None of the officials dared to resist the decree, and they all prostrated and worshiped Wei Qing when they saw Wei Qing. Only the lord Du Wei Jian saw Wei Qing, and he still saluted Wei Qing. Aren't you afraid that the emperor will be angry by doing this?"

Ji An proudly said: "There are too many people kneeling down to worship the general, one more is not too many, and one less is quite a lot. Does it mean that the general has a friend who is equal to him, so it is not honorable?"

Wei Qing was very happy when he heard about it. He came to visit Ji An and said modestly: "I have admired your lord's reputation for a long time, but I have never had the opportunity to make friends with you. Now I am honored to be respected by you. Please treat me as your friend."

Seeing that he is sincere and not proud of his wealth, Ji An made an exception and made this friend.In the future, whenever Wei Qing had any difficult questions, he would humbly ask Ji An for advice.

Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty also admired Wei Qing's humility, so he didn't care about Ji An's resistance, and his love for Wei Qing never faded.

Wisdom Interpretation:

Self-important people look down on others, and naturally they are not respected by others.If you have a little achievement, you must be humble in life and low-key in your work. Don't be stumped by temporary victories, and always remember that humility is the number one virtue in life.

Having a certain "status" is both a good thing and a bad thing.If you don't know how to treat others with humility, you won't be able to win the respect of others, and the result can only be "too high to be cold".

Therefore, humility is also a kind of nobility!
(End of this chapter)