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Feng Yi

Not boasting

Feng Yi (Eastern Han · died 34 CE) — Not boasting.

Reading peopleQin, Han and the Six DynastiesNot boasting

What actually happened?

When Wang Lang rose in the north, Liu Xiu fled south-east from Ji, riding day and night and sleeping in sheds. At Wulou pavilion it was bitterly cold and everyone was starving, and Feng Yi brought him a bowl of bean porridge. Next morning Liu Xiu told his generals that the porridge had cured both hunger and cold. Years later, when Feng Yi came to court, the emperor loaded him with gifts, and the edict said: the bean porridge at Wulou and the barley rice by the Hutuo river, a kindness long unrepaid.

When they argue merit, stand under the tree

Whenever the army camped, the generals sat down to argue over merit and Feng Yi went to stand under a tree. When the troops were reassigned, the soldiers all asked for the big-tree general. He was absent from the argument; the men who had fought with him kept the record.

A colleague claims the project in the meeting. Let it go there, and watch who asks to work with you next.

Report what happened, not what you deserve

After his victory at Xunyi he wrote only the course of the battle and did not presume to boast. When other generals wanted a share, Liu Xiu wrote to them himself on Feng Yi's behalf. A plain report gave his defender something to hold up.

Write what broke, on which day, and who decided what. That is harder to take from you than 'I led the team'.

Under suspicion, answer in the open

Accused of ruling the west like a king, he was shown the memorial and replied formally, with no back-channel lobbying. He had already asked to come home, saying he felt uneasy holding so much for so long.

Someone told your boss you act alone. Write one email explaining how those decisions were made.

Overruled and beaten, still clean up

Two commanders ignored his plan and were routed. He went to their rescue, walked back to camp after the defeat, gathered the stragglers and won the next battle with an ambush. The emperor wrote: lost at sunrise, recovered at sunset.

The release you argued against failed. Help fix it now; keep your objection for the review.

How do I use it today?

If you're somewhere everyone scrambles for credit, don't start shouting for your share, and don't go silent either. Write down what you did as a sequence of events: which day, what problem, who decided, what happened. Hand it in without adjectives, then notice who wants to work with you when the next job is shared out. If someone is making a case against you behind your back, don't send friends to find out what was said; put your answer where everyone can see it. And if a plan you argued against has failed, help clean up first and keep your reasoning for the review.

Deep read

The General Under the TreeReport what happened, not what you deserveThe generals sat down to argue merit. He went and stood under a treeWhy the Fear?Put the suspicion on the table and there is one thing left to answerThe memorial accusing him was sent straight to himLost at SunriseThey overruled me, we lost, and I still go and clean upOverruled and beaten alongside them, he gathered the stragglers first

Read alongside

Zhang LiangBoth stepped back from reward. Zhang Liang turned down thirty thousand households and asked for one small county, stepping back from the ruler's gift. Feng Yi kept his rewards and simply stayed out of the argument about merit, filing plain reports and letting the soldiers and the emperor keep the account. Wang JianBoth commanded huge armies far from court and knew they would be suspected. Wang Jian sent back again and again asking for land and houses, playing a man who wanted only property. Feng Yi didn't act a part. He wrote that he felt uneasy and asked to come home, and when accused he answered formally: one made himself look small, the other put everything on the table. Xiao HeBoth stayed out of the scramble for credit. Feng Yi walked away from the table where merit was argued and let the soldiers and the emperor keep his account. Xiao He had no battle record, and his emperor named his merit aloud in front of every general. One was credited by silence, the other by being spoken for.

Further

Zhang Liang Wang Jian Guo Ziyi Han Xin Duke Wen of Jin Xiao He

Lines to keep

Let the state not forget the troubles north of the river.