The sage Xiahou Xian referred to was Xun Yi's ancestor, Xunzi.
The passage came from the “Discussing Military Affairs” Chapter. Its general meaning was this: those with superior individual martial prowess could not defeat those who trained rigorously; those who trained rigorously could not defeat those driven by profit; and those driven by profit could not defeat a king's army of benevolence and righteousness.
There was nothing wrong with the reasoning itself.
But as the Han Dynasty's moral society grew ever stronger, the scholar-officials gradually twisted this argument.
They believed that giving soldiers too many rewards and treating them too well meant emulating the tyrannical Qin State, driving soldiers through profit. That was wrong. Armies should be transformed through benevolence and righteousness, so they would fight for a righteous cause.
Cao Mao, however, disagreed.
Certainly, an army with conviction in its heart, fighting for a righteous cause, was invincible, but that did not conflict with good treatment!
Would being treated well make them lose their convictions and their righteous cause?
With grain piled as high as mountains, must soldiers suffer and fight for righteousness on empty stomachs?
If they were not treated well, on what grounds could anyone demand that they fight to the death for him?
Cao Mao's perspective differed somewhat from that of these scholar-officials. In Xiahou Xian's eyes, Cao Mao was the emperor, and the armored guards ought to fight to the death for him, regardless of whether they were treated well.
But in Cao Mao's eyes, he was effectively Great Wei's highest-ranking leader, and these men were all his subordinates. His task was to expand Great Wei's operations, give its employees better benefits, and make their lives better and better.
Only then could the Great Wei Corporation flourish day by day.
What sense was there in