Governing a Country with Virtue and Appointing Officials Based on Virtue
 
An individual without virtue cannot establish him or herself in the world. "Governing a country with virtue and appointing officials based on virtue" is the foundation to govern a country well and bring peace to the world. This saying comes from China's age-old and profound culture. It is a virtue that should always be remembered and passed on.
 
One who is virtuous often displays a nobility of character as well as the capacity to effect people's well-being. Ancient Chinese people appointed officials who adhered to the principle of virtue and displayed valuable talents, but these qualities had differing degrees of importance. Virtue was primary as it would then guide one's leadership abilities, leading to the saying "talents support virtue, while virtue leads to talents."
 
Sima Guang (1019 – 1086 AD) was an upright scholar, statesman, and poet. He wrote Zi Zhi Tong Jian, or Comprehensive Mirror for Aid in Government, a general chronicle of Chinese history from 403 BC to 959 AD. It is considered one of the finest historical works from the Northern Song Dynasty (960 – 1127 AD). Sima Guang divided individuals into four groups based on their virtue and talent: sages, who have both virtue and talent; fools, who have neither virtue nor talent; noble persons who have more virtue than talent; and sly persons, who have more talent than virtue.
 
When it was time to appoint an official, the first choice would be a sage and then a noble person. If neither a sage nor a noble person could be found, it would be better to use a foolish person rather than a sly one, because individuals with talent but without virtue were most dangerous. They were worse than those who have neither talent nor virtue. This has been a principle that guided emperors throughout history.
 
Emperor Kangxi (1654 – 1722 AD) in the Qing Dynasty (1644 – 1912 AD), when appointing officials, always used this criterion: "When a nation seeks officials, his virtue is most important while his talents are secondary," and "the best candidate is the one who has both virtue and talents, and one with talents but without virtue is worse than one with virtue but lacks talents."
 
There is a story from the Warring States Period (475 – 221 BC). King Hui of the State of Wei asked King Wei of the Qi State, "As king of the Qi Nation, what kinds of treasures have you collected?" King Wei replied, "Nothing." King Hui said, "In a small nation like mine, I have collected several pearls that are about one inch in diameter. These pearls can emit light that illuminates twelve carriages. In your nation that has thousands of carriages, how come you have no treasures?" King Wei replied, "The treasures most valuable to me are virtuous people, and they are different from the treasures you have. I have an official named Tan Zi. I have him govern Gaotang, so the Zhao Nation does not dare to invade our nation. I have another official named Qian Fu whom I have appointed to govern Xuzhou. He takes charge over seven thousand families that have moved there from different places. I have still another official called Zhong Shou under whose governing people lead peaceful and happy lives: no one picks up things that others have lost on the roads, and households don't shut their front doors at night. Treasures like these can shine over thousands of miles, far more than twelve carriages." King Wei's words revealed why the State of Qi was rich and powerful.
 
Prime Minister Zhuge Liang (181 – 234 AD) of the Kingdom of Shu, one of the most accomplished strategists in Chinese history during the Three Kingdoms era (220 – 280 AD), recommended Jiang Wan as his successor. He commended Jiang for emphasizing his personal cultivation, his lofty character, his willingness to accept criticism, and his unselfishness. After Zhuge's death, Jiang managed the nation's affairs prudently and effectively. People's interests were the core of his work; he was forgiving and enjoyed people's trust. At that time, the Shu Kingdom was not as strong as the Wei Kingdom, which had many outstandingly capable people. The Wei army attacked the Shu several times. The fact that Jiang Wan and Jiang Wei (a famous general who succeeded Zhuge Liang in commanding the military) were able to safeguard the Kingdom of Shu and its people for as long as 29 years was testament to Zhuge Liang's correct choice of officials. Zhuge himself was a visionary. In his quest to lead a northern expansion and unite China, he lived up to his own words, "exhausting myself for the nation till I die." In his letter to King Liu Chan just before he died, Zhuge wrote, "I have 800 mulberry trees [which can be used to feed silk worms to produce silk], which should be enough for my descendents to support themselves. After I die, I would not want them to have surplus silk or external incomes, so as to prevent them from failing to live up to expectations." All the officials Zhuge had appointed led thrifty lives. Jiang Wan was "elegant and modest in nature. He did not accumulate and hoard wealth in his home. He ordered all of his children to wear plain clothes and eat plain food, so that they were no different from the common folk." Similarly, Jiang Wei also "lived in a simple house, did not have savings, and had no servants with him when he traveled."
 
Governing a nation with virtue is quite important, as it determines whether power will be used for the benefit of the people. Virtue also significantly influences the officials' and people's conduct as well as the safety of the nation.
 
Ever since ancient time, ethical, virtuous officials and those with good personal integrity have constituted the foundation of honest and fair politics. Such officials are able to put the interests of the people as the priority at all times. By contrast, appointing officials according to kinship can only lead to danger. They take personal interest as their starting point, which promotes selfishness and allows inferior persons to control everything. The result is lasting damage to the country. Historically viewed, the appearance of corrupt officials or prodigal sons has been due to this. The reason behind the biggest calamities is the lack of virtue rather than the lack of talent.
 
Cai Jing (1047 – 1126 AD) was a famous calligrapher during the Northern Song Dynasty. Emperor Huizong (ruling from 1100 – 1126 AD), who was highly accomplished in the arts, admired Cai’s works, so Cai gave his calligraphy, paintings, and other works to the emperor, empress and other officials. Through these methods of flattery, Cai Jing became prime minister. He expended vast amounts of the nation’s treasury to expand the imperial palace. Construction continued until the dynasty’s downfall. Cai Jing was one of history’s most corrupt officials. He amassed an amount of gold and silver that was greater than what the nation’s treasury had. He framed loyal officials, formed cliques and only recognized kinship. Once, Cai Jing asked Wu Boju, an official he had promoted, to perform a task. When Wu decided to act according to the law, Cai Jing shouted in anger, “You already have a good position, yet you also want to be a good person. How can the two coexist?” Wu was fired right away. When Cai Jing was the prime minister, bribery was rampant, the people were destitute and it was the darkest period of the Northern Song dynasty. All the people rose up to call for the execution of Cai Jing to appease the nation. The imperial court had no other choice but to remove Cai Jing from office.
 
Only by adhering to morals can people follow a righteous path and have a bright future. Acting in this way will produce righteous customs and conduct, and make everything prosperous and peaceful.
 
以德施政　任人唯贤
 
人无德不可立于世，德乃修身之首。在我国悠久而深厚的神传文化中，“实行德政，任人唯贤”是治国平天下的基础，是人们一直借鉴和传承的美德。
 
贤人一般指德行高尚、有济世之才的人。古人坚持德才兼备的选人标准，并不是将德与才等量齐观，而是非常重视德对才的统帅和主导作用，把德放在首位，“才者德之资，德者才之帅”。北宋司马光就德与才的关系把人分为四种：德才兼备为圣人，德才兼亡为愚人，德胜才为君子，才胜德为小人。用人时，最好的选择是圣人，然后是君子，如果都没有，那么与其得小人，不如得愚人。因为有才无德的人是最危险的，比无才无德还要坏。清康熙皇帝用人才的一贯标准是：“国家用人，当以德器为本，才艺为末”，“才德兼优为佳，若有才无德，不如有德无才也”。
 
战国时期有这样一个故事，魏国魏惠王问齐国的齐威王：“你身为齐国之王，可收藏些甚么宝物？”齐威王回答：“没有。”魏惠王说：“像我这样的小国，我都藏有直径一寸大的珍珠几颗，这种珍珠所发出的光彩可以照耀十二辆车子。你这千乘之国，何以一件宝物都没有？”齐威王说：“我最珍视的珍宝是贤人，这与你所说的宝物不同。我有一个叫檀子的臣子，我派他驻守高唐，北方的赵人不敢来侵犯；另有一个臣子叫黔夫，我派他驻守徐州，能管理徐州那里四方来往的百姓七千多户；我还有一个臣子叫种首，在他的治理下，百姓安居乐业，路不拾遗，夜不闭户。像这样的珍宝，光辉可以照耀千里，何止十二辆车子？”齐威王的这席话，道出了齐国之所以国富民强的原因。
 
蜀汉丞相诸葛亮临终前向后主推荐蒋琬为相，说他平日注重修身、品德高尚，肯纳忠言，做事无私。诸葛亮病逝后，蒋琬日理万机，为政以安民为本，度量宽宏，深孚众望。当时蜀弱魏强，魏国杰出人才很多，屡次伐蜀，而蒋琬、姜维竟能保蜀达二十九年之久，做到人和国安，证明诸葛亮用人的正确。其实诸葛亮本人就是贤人。他为北图中原，统一中国，做到了“鞠躬尽瘁、死而后已”。他在给后主的《出师表》中写道：“臣家有桑八百株，子孙衣食，自可足用。臣死之日，不使内有余帛，外有盈财，以负陛下也。”他任用之人也都清廉自持，蒋琬“雅性谦素，家不积财。儿子皆令布衣素食，无异百姓。”姜维也是“宅舍弊薄，资财无饰，出入无车从”。
 
为政以德与否，它关系到一个人是否能够用手中的权力为百姓谋福利，关系到吏治民风和政权安危。自古以来，品德高、操守好的官吏是廉洁清明政治的基础，他们任何时候能够把百姓的利益放在首位，这也是任人唯贤的价值所在。相反，任人唯亲只能使国家和民族衰弱危亡。因为它以个人利益为基础，使私欲膨胀，庸人横行，贻害无穷。历来国之乱臣，家之败子，多不是因为无才造成的，无德才是人之大患。
 
北宋的蔡京擅长书画，当时很有名气，宋徽宗看到后非常欣赏，蔡京就把自己的书画及所画条屏、扇面等托人送给宋徽宗、宫妃和宦官，蔡京就是靠这样阿谀逢迎当到了宰相。他耗费大量国家资金扩建皇宫，直到北宋灭亡之前一直都在修筑，贪污的金银比朝廷府库的还多。他陷害忠臣，结党营私，任人唯亲。一次，蔡京找他提拔的中书舍人吴伯举办事，吴伯举想按朝廷制度办，蔡京当即勃然大怒说：“已经做了好的官职，还要做好人，怎么可能两者兼顾呢？”当即将吴伯举贬出朝廷。蔡京把持朝政时期，贿赂公行，民不聊生，是北宋最黑暗的时期。全国人民起来呼吁将蔡京正法以谢天下，朝廷不得不罢免了蔡京。
 
由此可见，无论人才能、智商再高，如果心术不正，不仅不会为国家做贡献，反而会造成巨大危害。这是不修德行造成的。人们只有严守道德的心法，才能行进在人生的正道正途上，才能有光明的前程，才能使民风正、万事兴、天下太平。