General's trusted aides

As a commander, one must have confidants with whom to discuss decisions, eyes and ears to scout information, and wings that resolutely carry out orders. Without confidants, it is like walking at night, not knowing where to put one’s hands and feet; without eyes and ears, it is like living quietly in darkness, unable to act; without claws and teeth, it is like a hungry person eating poison—there is no one who would not die of it. Therefore, a wise commander must select people of broad learning and abundant strategy as confidants, people who are calm, careful, rigorous, and thorough as eyes and ears, and people who are brave, tough, and skilled in fighting the enemy as claws and teeth. Modern Application:This chapter follows immediately after “Pests Within the Army,” turning from “how an organization is hollowed out” to “what an organization relies on for support.” Zhuge Liang uses three bodily metaphors—belly and heart, eyes and ears, claws and teeth—to delineate three indispensable functional roles around a leader. The core judgment is: a person bearing heavy......