Between Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang

The first thing is to visit the thatched cottage three times;

The second thing is to persuade Liu Bei to take Jingzhou by chaos. When Cao Cao went south, Liu Biao died and Liu Cong succeeded him as the lord of Jingzhou. Liu Bei retreated south, and Zhuge Liang advised Liu Bei to attack Liu Cong when he passed Xiangyang and capture Jingzhou. But Liu Bei did not adopt this opinion, so there was the defeat of Dangyang and the Battle of Chibi.

The third thing is to persuade Liu Bei to proclaim himself emperor. After Liu Bei acquired Yizhou and Hanzhong, the conditions for proclaiming himself an emperor and establishing a country were ripe. So the ministers persuaded Liu Bei to proclaim himself emperor, but Liu Bei did not agree immediately. At this time, Zhuge Liang used Emperor Guangwu of the Han Dynasty as an example and persuaded Liu Bei with earnest words, so Liu Bei quickly put aside his ideological burden and established the Shu Han regime.

1] History of "Longzhong Dui"

After the Battle of Guandu, Liu Bei fled to Jingzhou and defected to Liu Biao. Liu Biao assigned him some troops and stationed him in Xinye (now Xinye County, Henan Province).

Liu Bei was an ambitious man. Because his ambitions were not realized, he was always unhappy. He wanted to find a good assistant. He found out that there was a famous person named Sima Hui in Xiangyang, so he went to visit him.

Sima Hui said: "There are Wolong and Fengchu (sound chú) in this area. If you can invite one of them, you can pacify the world." Sima Hui told Liu Bei: Wolong's name is Zhuge Liang. , whose courtesy name is Kongming; Fengchu's name is Pang Tong, whose courtesy name is Shiyuan.

Xu Shu was also a local celebrity. He came to join him because he heard that Liu Bei was recruiting talents. Liu Bei was very happy and kept Xu Shu as a counselor. Xu Shu said: "I have an old friend Zhuge Kongming. People call him Wolong. General, would you like to meet him?" Liu Bei listened to Xu Shu's introduction and said, "Since you are so familiar with him, please take the trouble to go there." , invite him here!" Xu Shu shook his head and said, "This is not possible. The general must invite him in person to show your sincerity."

Liu Bei heard Sima. Hui and Xu Shu respected Zhuge Liang and knew that Zhuge Liang must be a great talent, so they took Guan Yu and Zhang Fei to Longzhong to find Zhuge Liang. After visiting the thatched cottage three times, Zhuge Liang was finally moved by Liu Bei's sincerity and received Liu Bei in his thatched cottage.

Zhuge Liang saw Liu Bei's humility in asking for advice, so he discussed his ideas with Liu Bei heart-to-heart. He said: "Now Cao Cao has defeated Yuan Shao and has a million troops, and he has held the emperor hostage to issue orders. This means we cannot compete with him just by force. Sun Quan has occupied Jiangdong for three generations. The terrain of Jiangdong is dangerous, and now the people To join him, there are still a group of talented people working for him. It seems that we can only unite with him and not take his ideas."

Then Zhuge Liang analyzed Jingzhou and Yizhou (today's Sichuan, China). Yunnan and part of Shaanxi, Gansu, Hubei, and Guizhou) believed that Jingzhou was an important military location, but Liu Biao could not defend this place. Yizhou has fertile and vast land and has always been called the "Land of Abundance". However, the owner Liu Zhang was also a cowardly and incompetent man, and everyone was dissatisfied with him.

Finally, he said: "The general is a descendant of the royal family and is famous all over the world. If you can occupy Jing and Yi states, unite with Sun Quan externally, and rectify internal affairs internally, once you have the opportunity, you can start from They marched from Jingzhou and Yizhou to attack Cao Cao. By then, who wouldn't welcome the general? If we can do this, our achievements will be accomplished and the Han Dynasty will be restored." Liu Bei heard this from Zhuge Liang. After some incisive and thorough analysis, my thoughts suddenly became enlightened. He felt that Zhuge Liang's talent was rare, so he sincerely asked Zhuge Liang to come out and help him complete the great cause of reviving the Han Dynasty. Zhuge Liang then came out to assist Liu Bei.

Later, people called this incident "Three Visits to the Thatched Cottage" and Zhuge Liang's conversation was called "Longzhong Dui".

[2] The original text of "Longzhong Dui"

Longzhong Dui

Chen Shou

Liang Gong plows Longmu, good It is "Liang Fu Yin". He was eight feet long. Every time he compared himself to Guan Zhong and Le Yi, no one at that time would even consider him. However, Boling, Cui Zhouping, and Yingchuan, Xu Shu, Yuan Zhi, were friendly to Liang." They said they were Xinran.

At that time, the late master was stationed in Xinye. When Xu Shu saw the late master, he first mastered the utensils and said to the late master: " Zhuge Kongming is a crouching dragon. Wouldn't the general want to see him? "The First Lord said: "You are here with me. The concubine said: "This person can be seen immediately, but cannot be surrendered." The general wasted no time in taking care of it. ”

The First Master then said, “Every time you go there three times, you will see it.” Yinping people said:. "The Han Dynasty was in ruins, its traitorous ministers stole their lives, and their lords were covered in dust. I do not measure my virtue and my strength." I wanted to believe in righteousness in the world, but I was short-sighted, so I used it rampantly, as of today. However, the ambition is not over yet, do you think the plan will be implemented? "

Liang replied: "Since Dong Zhuo's arrival, there have been countless heroes who have joined forces across states and counties. Compared to Yuan Shao, Cao Cao was little famous and outnumbered. However, Cao Sui can overcome Shao and use the weak to become the strong. This is not only due to the timing of the day, but also due to man's plan. Today, Cao Cao has millions of people, holding the emperor hostage to command the princes. This sincerity cannot be competed with. Sun Quan has held Jiangdong for three generations. The country is in danger and the people are attached to it. The virtuous people can use it. This can be used as support but cannot be used. Jingzhou is located in the north of Han and Mian, "to the south of the sea, to the east of Wuhui," and to the west of Bashu. This is a country that uses military force, but its owner cannot defend it. This country is almost destined to have a general. Does the general have any intention? Yizhou is a dangerous fortress, with thousands of miles of fertile fields, and a land of abundance, which is why Gaozu became an emperor.

Liu Zhang is weak and weak, Zhang Lu is in the north, the people are rich and the country is rich but they don't know how to save money, and the wise people think clearly about the king. A general is a member of the emperor's family. He has integrity all over the world, takes charge of heroes, and is thirsty for talents. If there are thorns and benefits across the road, he will protect the rocks. He will make peace with the Rong in the west, appease the Yiyue in the south, befriend Sun Quan externally, and cultivate political principles internally. If there is a change in the world, I will order a general to lead the army of Jingzhou to Wan and Luo, and the general will lead the people of Yizhou out of Qinchuan. Who dares the people to welcome the general without a bowl full of pulp? Then the hegemony will be achieved and the Han Dynasty will be prosperous. "The First Master said: "Good!" So he and Liang Qing became close.

Guan Yu, Zhang Fei and others were displeased, so the First Master explained: "The solitary one has a bright hole, just like a fish has water. Please don't say anything anymore! The feathers and flying will stop.

[3] Translation of "Longzhong Dui"

Zhuge Liang cultivated the fields himself and loved singing "Liang Fu Yin". He was eight feet tall and often compared himself with Guan Zhong and Le Yi. No one in the country admitted this. Only Xu Shu of Boling and Xu Yuanzhi of Yingchuan had a good relationship with him, saying that it was indeed the case.

Xu Shu paid homage to Liu Bei when he was stationed in Xinye. He, Xu Shu, said to Liu Bei: "Zhuge Kongming is Wolong. General, are you willing to see him?" Liu Bei said, "Come with him." Xu Shu said: "This person can only visit him. You cannot wrong him by calling him to your door. You should bend down and visit him." "

So Liu Bei went to visit Zhuge Liang. He went there three times before he saw him. Liu Bei then asked the people next to him to stay away and said: "The world of the Han Dynasty collapsed and traitors stole the power. Your Majesty. Run away. I did not evaluate my own virtue or my own strength, and wanted to uphold justice in the world. However, my resourcefulness was short-lived and I had few methods, so I ultimately failed, resulting in today's situation. But my ambition has not given up yet. What strategy do you think I should adopt? "

Zhuge Liang replied: "Since Dong Zhuo usurped power, heroes from all over the country have raised armies and occupied countless states and counties. Compared with Yuan Shao, Cao Cao has a smaller reputation and fewer troops. However, Cao Cao's ability to defeat Yuan Shao and transform from weak to strong was not only due to good timing, but also due to proper planning. Now that Cao Cao has an army of millions, he can hold the emperor hostage and order the princes. This is really no match for him. Sun Quan has occupied Jiangdong for three generations. The terrain is difficult, the people are loyal to him, and talented people are highly valued by him. Sun Quan can use him as a foreign aid, but cannot seek to steal him. The north of Jingzhou controls the Han and Mian Rivers, and supplies can be obtained all the way to the South China Sea. The east is connected to Wu County and Kuaiji County, and the west is connected to Ba and Shu County. This is a place that military strategists must fight for, but his master Liu Biao cannot Hold on, this place is probably provided by God to support the general. Doesn’t the general intend to occupy it? Yizhou has dangerous passes and vast fertile land. It is a place with superior natural conditions, abundant products, and a dangerous situation. The emperor of the Han Dynasty relied on this place to achieve his imperial achievements. Liu Ling, the herdsman of Yizhou, was fatuous and cowardly, while Zhang Lu occupied Hanzhong in the north. The people were prosperous and the country was strong, but he did not know how to cherish the people. People who are resourceful and talented want to have a wise king. General, since you are a descendant of the emperor of the Han Dynasty, your prestige and loyalty are famous all over the world, and you recruit heroes extensively. You are thirsty for virtuous people. If you occupy Jingzhou and Yizhou, relying on the dangerous terrain of the two states, you can conquer the west and the various states. To reconcile the tribes, pacify the tribes in the south, form an alliance with Sun Quan externally, and improve the country's politics internally; if the situation in the world changes, send a superior general to lead the Jingzhou army to march towards Nanyang and Luoyang. General, you will personally Lead the Yizhou army to attack Qinchuan. Who dares to welcome you without bringing food in bamboo baskets and wine in pots? If this is really done, then the Han Dynasty's political power can be revived. "

Liu Bei said: "Okay! "From then on, the friendship with Zhuge Liang became deeper and deeper day by day.

Guan Yu, Zhang Fei and others were unhappy. Liu Bei persuaded them and said: "I have Kong Ming, just like a fish gets water." I hope you won't say anything more. "Guan Yu and Zhang Fei calmed down.

Three visits to the thatched cottage

At the end of the Han Dynasty, the Yellow Turban incident broke out and the world was in chaos. Cao Cao took control of the court, Sun Quan supported Dongwu, and the Han clan's Yuzhou pastor Liu Bei listened to Xu Shu (A native of Zhouzhoushe during the Three Kingdoms period, who sought land for famous people) and Sima Hui (a native of Yangzhai, Zhouzhou during the Three Kingdoms period, and a famous counselor) said that Zhuge Liang was very knowledgeable and talented, so they took him with Guan Yu and Zhang Fei. The gift went to Wolonggang in Longzhong (now Xiangyang County, Hubei Province) to ask Zhuge Liang to come out and help him do things for the country. It happened that Zhuge Liang was out that day, and Liu Bei had to go back disappointed. Soon, Liu Bei and Guan Yu and Zhang Fei braved the storm. I went to invite him for the second time. Unexpectedly, Zhuge Liang went out for a leisure trip again. Zhang Fei was not willing to come back, so he urged him to go back, so he had to leave a letter expressing his admiration for Zhuge Liang and asking him to come out to help. After some time, Liu Bei went on a vegetarian diet for three days and was ready to invite Zhuge Liang again. Guan Yu said that Zhuge Liang might have a false reputation and may not have real talent, so there was no need to go. He advocated calling him alone. If he didn't come, he would be tied up with a rope. Liu Bei scolded Zhang Fei and visited Zhuge Liang for the third time. When they arrived, Zhuge Liang did not dare to sleep. He was alarmed and stood there until Zhuge Liang woke up, then sat down and talked with each other.

Zhuge Liang saw that Liu Bei was determined to do things for the country and sincerely asked for his help, so he came out to help Liu Bei establish the Shu Han Dynasty.

"The Romance of the Three Kingdoms" calls the incident in which Liu Bei personally invited Zhuge Liang three times "three visits to the thatched cottage." In Zhuge Liang's famous "Execution of the Master", there is also a sentence: "The late emperor did not regard his ministers as despicable, but he was arrogant and wronged himself, and he paid three respects to his ministers in the thatched cottage." So when people in later generations saw someone personally going to that person's home several times in order to ask someone he admired to come out to help them, they quoted this sentence to describe the desire and sincerity of the invitation. That means not being ashamed to ask questions and seeking talents with an open mind.

Liu Bei proclaimed himself emperor

Liu Bei proclaimed himself emperor in 221 AD, the first year of Yankang. His reign name was Zhangwu, his country name was Han, and his historical name was Shuhan. Chen Shou wrote: Zhuge Liang was the Prime Minister and Xu Jing was the Situ. Hundreds of officials were appointed, an ancestral temple was established, and sacrifices were made to the emperor and below. In the fifth month, the empress Wu was established, and Zi Chan was made the crown prince. In the sixth month, Ziyong was the king of Lu and Li was the king of Liang. From then on, he became emperor. "Three Kingdoms", a biography of Liu Bei, Pei Songzhi said in the annotation, but I can't find who Liu Bei sacrificed as the first emperor. This may be Liu Bei, he himself doesn’t know! Worship Liu Bang as the late emperor, and honor Liu Xiu as the late emperor! Who are you offering sacrifices to? We don’t know, Zhuge Liang should know. At the beginning, in the twelfth year of Jian'an, I discussed national affairs with Liu Bei. When I talked about dividing the world into three parts, I knew it would happen today. However, Zhuge Liang did not say which emperor should be worshiped in the temple first. Moreover, the country does not have a history, and it is recorded that there are no officials, so it is difficult to call it a wise prime minister.

I thought that Liu Bei took the restoration of the Han Dynasty as his own duty and wanted to assist the descendants of Emperor Xian to end the split at the end of the Han Dynasty and protect the family and the country. However, in the end, he claimed to be emperor. The oath to destroy the Zuohan Chamber of Commerce! When he proclaimed himself emperor, the ministers in the court also thought that the world was unfair and the results were half achieved. This was not appropriate, so Liu Bei refused! See Records of the Three Kingdoms and Pei's Notes. Is it true that Liu Bei, who restored the Han Dynasty, had to end up not proclaiming himself emperor? At that time, the King of Wei, Cao Pi, had also ordered the Han Emperor to abdicate the throne to himself. However, the mission of restoring the Han Dynasty was as it should be. Otherwise, there would be no talk of restoration. The Han Dynasty did not belong to Liu Bei, he was a member of the Han Dynasty. Dear, you are not an emperor! When Liu Bei became emperor, he abdicated or inherited, but it was neither! Really! Therefore, if you start your own business and start a family, your country will still be called Han! Yes! However, why did Liu Bei make his home and start a business? Liu Bei used the royal family to win over his disloyal subjects, and he competed with other heroes to dominate the world. In this way, those who are not ministers are a group of heroes. Therefore, they fight to divide the world and each has his own plans. Cao Cao fights by holding the emperor hostage, Sun Quan takes Jiangdong as his property, and you are called the Han Dynasty. You are not the emperor of the Han Dynasty, but you are a member of the royal family. Yes. You live in your own land and seek hegemony, where is your loyalty? Can I see 24 emperors? If you stand alone, you are a hero of the time, but your actions are not heroic! Cao Cao clearly used the emperor's power to fight for the world. Anyone who moved him would attack him in order to spread his ambition to bring peace to the world. Anyone with insight should be cautious! Sun Quan claimed to be a minister in vain and repeatedly broke his oaths! Relying on Jiangdong's capital and monopolizing the south of the Yangtze River, if we don't tend to be unified, we will eventually destroy the country. Isn't that sad!

Liu Bei made a mistake in proclaiming himself emperor, and Zhuge Liang’s crusade was unjust! To seek righteousness with wrongdoing is to have consequences and antecedents. To this day, it chills the minds of people all over the world. In history, even Shu Han who is not famous for Liu Bei knows it!

Just a discussion! ! !

The White Emperor asked the orphan

Liu Bei, the White Emperor asked the orphan, and said to Zhuge Liang, if his son Liu Chan "is not talented, you can take it yourself" [1] ("Book of Shu·Biography of Zhuge Liang" ), the ancients often praised the emperor and his ministers for their sincerity in dealing with each other, and used the metaphor of fish and water to prove it. However, some people think that this is Liu Bei's "deceitful words" [1] ("Book of Shu: Biography of Zhuge Liang" notes Sun Sheng as saying), and they are suspicious of Zhuge Liang, so they test him by "taking it for themselves". Mr. Tian Yuqing disagreed with these two diametrically opposed views and gave a new interpretation in his article "Four Topics in the History of Shu - Liu Bei Tuo Gu Yu". Whether Mr. Tian's opinion is reasonable or not, I will not comment for the time being. I think whether Liu Bei's words of Tuogu were sincere, false, or had other intentions, it is no longer possible to verify, and it is indeed an eternal mystery. The question that needs to be reviewed now is not whether Liu Bei wants Zhuge Liang to be emperor, but whether Zhuge Liang himself wants to go to the next level and have the prime minister ascend the throne. This question has never been thought about by anyone since ancient times. As Mr. Tian Yuqing said: "No one has ever doubted Zhuge Liang's loyalty to the Shu Han." [2] (P226) The reason why no one has doubted it is simply because of the exaggeration by literati and novelists of the past dynasties. Zhuge Liang has been evolved into " "Saint" has become a model of dedication and loyalty. Historians who are affected by it will probably feel that this is a forbidden area in ancient history and dare not touch it easily. To remove Zhuge Liang from the altar, I think it is necessary to discuss this most difficult issue.

In fact, when Zhuge Liang was in power, he was not regarded by his contemporaries as a model of courtesy for the emperor and loyalty to the country. On the contrary, in the Shu Han regime, Li Yan, Liao Li, Lai Min, Wei Yan and others criticized Zhuge Liang's dictatorship. When Zhuge Liang was still alive, no one dared to speak out against him due to his authority. However, after Zhuge Liang died and the Prime Minister joined the army, General Li Miao of Anhan wrote to Liu Chan, the emperor, saying:

Lu Lu and Huo Yu may not have rebellious intentions, and Xiaoxuan is not good enough to kill his ministers. It is true that the minister is afraid of his force and the master is afraid of his power, so treachery arises. The body is bright and the staff is strong, and the wolf is looking at the tiger. If the five elements are not around, the minister is always in danger. Today Liang is dead, the Gai clan is intact, Xirong is at rest, and everyone is celebrating.