It means that the benefits must be shared but not pocketed privately, and the strategies must be hidden but not disclosed to the public. If you only want to gain benefits alone, you will definitely fail, and everyone's strategies will be leaked.

From - Zeng Guofan's "Collected Works of Zeng Guofan: Quotations on Military Administration".

Original text: Benefit can be achieved by all but not alone; conspiracy can be achieved by a few but not by many; benefiting alone can result in defeat, and conspiracies by many can lead to failure.

Profits can be obtained by all but not alone, and strategies can be obtained by few but not by many.

Benefits are often what everyone is eager to obtain. If someone monopolizes the benefits and does not share them with everyone, he will definitely arouse resentment and even become the target of public criticism. Liu Bang conquered Xianyang, but did not dare to occupy its territory.

Cao Cao was able to "hijack the emperor to order the princes", but throughout his life he did not dare to usurp the Han Dynasty and stand on his own feet. They were all afraid of becoming the target of public criticism. Therefore, in the face of interests, we must weigh the trade-offs. When planning things, you must work with a few people who have their own opinions, rather than planning things with everyone.

Extended information:

About the author

Zeng Guofan (November 26, 1811 - March 12, 1872), first named Zicheng, courtesy name Bo Han, whose name is Disheng, is the 70th grandson of Zengzi, the great sage. A modern Chinese statesman, strategist, Neo-Confucianist, writer, and the founder and commander-in-chief of the Hunan Army.

Zeng Guofan was born into a landlord family. He was diligent and studious since he was a child, and entered a private school at the age of 6. At the age of 8, he can read the Four Books and recite the Five Classics. At the age of 14, he can read the selected works of "Zhou Rites" and "Historical Records". In the 18th year of Daoguang's reign (1838), he became a Jinshi and entered the Hanlin Academy, where he was a student of Mu Zhang'amen, Minister of Military and Aircraft. Lei Qian was a bachelor of the cabinet, minister of the Ministry of Rites, and minister of the Ministry of Military Affairs, Industry, Punishment, and Officials.

He became close friends with the scholar Wo Ren and Huining Dao He Guizhen, etc., and strengthened each other with "practical learning". During the Taiping Rebellion, Zeng Guofan formed the Hunan Army to turn the tide and conquer the Taiping Rebellion after years of fierce fighting. Throughout his life, he devoted his life to politics and regarded patience as the first priority. He advocated being diligent, thrifty and honest in everything he did and not being arrogant as an official. He cultivated himself and disciplined himself, sought an official position based on virtue, put etiquette first, and pursued politics with loyalty, and achieved great success in the officialdom.

The rise of Zeng Guofan had a profound impact on the politics, military, culture, economy and other aspects of the Qing Dynasty. Under Zeng Guofan's initiative, China's first ship was built, the first military engineering school was established, the first batch of Western books were printed and translated, and the first batch of students studying in the United States were arranged. It can be said that Zeng Guofan was the pioneer of China's modernization construction.

Zeng Guofan and Hu Linyi are collectively known as "Zeng Hu", and together with Li Hongzhang, Zuo Zongtang, and Zhang Zhidong, they are known as "the four famous ministers of the late Qing Dynasty and Zhongxing". He served as governor of Liangjiang, governor of Zhili, and bachelor of Wuyingdian. He was granted the title of first-class Yiyong Marquis, with the posthumous title "Wenzheng" and later generations called him "Zeng Wenzheng".

Baidu Encyclopedia—Zeng Guopan