Evaluation of Cao Cao

(1) Cao Cao’s positive role in unifying the north.

As mentioned before, in the late Eastern Han Dynasty, due to political darkness, social production was severely damaged and people could not live, and the vigorous Yellow Turban Uprising finally broke out. However, under the historical conditions at that time, it was impossible for the peasant uprising to achieve final victory. What followed was the disintegration of the Eastern Han Dynasty and warlord melee. In the melee, not only Dong Zhuo, Li Jue and other Liangzhou warlords slaughtered people and looted property everywhere, but also the Eastern generals under the banner of King Qin also "plundered". As a result, the desolate scene of "people eating each other and causing depression in the state" generally appeared. In addition to the reactionary rule of the Eastern Han Dynasty that should be blamed for this situation, the warlords who suppressed peasant uprisings and destroyed social production were naturally the unforgivable culprits. But relatively speaking, there are still differences between the various warlords. Take Cao Cao as an example. Although he suppressed peasant uprisings and killed innocent people indiscriminately, judging from his political, military, and economic performance, he was still better than the warlords he eliminated. For example, he promoted farming, built water conservancy projects, and implemented the official sale system of salt and iron, which played a positive role in social and economic recovery and economic rectification. These will be introduced when talking about the economy.

As soon as Cao Cao started his official career, he tried to use stricter laws to change the situation where powerful men were rampant. But because the source of the disaster was in the center, Cao was unable to carry out his own intentions. Only after he took control of the political power did he have to fully implement the policy of rule of law to restrain the powerful. He said: "Husband's punishment is the life of the people"; "To bring order to chaos, punishment is the first priority." He appointed local officials such as Wang Xiu, Sima Zhi, Yang Pei, Lu Qian, Man Chong, and Jia Kui to restrain the lawless and powerful. If we compare the governance techniques implemented by Yuan Shao and Cao Cao in Jizhou, we can see two different situations: "At the end of the Han Dynasty, the government failed to be lenient, and Shao used lenient to compensate for lenient, so he did not take care of it." Under Yuan Shao's permissive policy, "the powerful and powerful were allowed to indulge in tyranny and annexation by relatives, while the common people were poor and weak. They rented out their wealth on behalf of others and showed off their wealth, but they were not able to fulfill their orders." In this way, it is naturally impossible to make "the people close to each other and the armor and soldiers strong". Therefore, although Yuan Shao had a larger territory, more troops, and more food, he was ultimately defeated by Cao Cao. After conquering Jizhou, he immediately "emphasized the method of annexation by powerful powers", thus achieving an effect that "pleased the people". We only need to look at "Three Kingdoms Wei Zhi" to see that under Cao Cao's rule, the political outlook and social atmosphere from the central to the local governments were different from before. There were few ministers in the DPRK who were seeking selfish ends; local officials and powerful men who acted with impunity were also restrained to a certain extent. Sima Guang's statement that cao "turns chaos into order" is not unfounded. Moreover, he does not value false reputations when employing people. The officials he selects must "understand legal principles" and be able to implement the rule of law. Cao also advocated integrity. He appointed Cui Yan and Mao Jie to be in charge of the election. "The people he appointed were all upright people. Although they were famous at that time, those who did not act according to their own standards would never get ahead. We must lead people with frugality, so this is the reason." All men in the world must be upright and upright, and although they value their favored ministers, they dare not overdo it.” As a result, the social atmosphere improved.

Complementing the implementation of the rule of law policy, Cao strives to concentrate power on himself and does not allow his subordinates to form cliques. He ordered: "In this Qing Dynasty, you must be loyal to the country and serve the king. Although your private relationship is better than others, it will still be useless if you use thousands of silks, thousands of stones and grains." In order to monitor the officials, Cao set up "school affairs". This matter was opposed by the ministers, who believed that it was "not the order of the superiors and the subordinates." Cao Cao explained this: "If you want to be able to do all kinds of things and make wise men and gentlemen do it, you can't do it." The so-called "virtuous gentleman" mainly refers to ministers from aristocratic families. They have been officials for many generations, have great reputation and influence. On the one hand, Cao Cao had to win over them and make them occupy a superior position without giving them real power; on the other hand, they also used school officials from humble backgrounds to check their actions. As for whether this is necessary? We can answer with the words of Sun Quan in the future. Sun Quan said: "In the past, the disciples of Chang Wen (Chen Qun's character) were able to guard their good deeds by holding their heads in place, fearing that they would become strict, so they devoted themselves wholeheartedly and did not dare to do anything wrong." Sun Quan also followed Cao's example and set up the post of school secretary. It can be seen that under the circumstances at that time, it was not unreasonable to set up a school secretary to monitor the actions of ministers to prevent the recurrence of cliques and cliques among ministers in the late Han Dynasty and Yuan Shao's group. Judging from the internal structure of Cao Wei's regime, there are the most ministers from aristocratic families, and the potential dangers are also greater. For the sake of himself and his descendants, Cao Cao set up a school to monitor the ministers. Although it was a bit harsh and power-minded, it would be difficult to subdue them otherwise. History says: "Gong Cao was strict in nature, and he often added a staff to his official duties." Cao also ordered the generals' families to live in Ye to prevent them from rebelling and fleeing. This was a reflection of the estrangement and contradiction between Cao and his subordinates.

In general, under the rule of Cao Cao, the Yellow River Basin had a certain degree of political clarity, the economy gradually recovered, class oppression was slightly alleviated, and the social atmosphere improved. Therefore, we say that the unification of the north and some of the corresponding measures will still have a positive effect.

(2) Cao Cao is an outstanding military strategist.

First of all, Cao Cao is good at controlling generals; for example, in the 19th year of Jian'an (214), Cao Cao attacked Sun Quan eastward and retreated, leaving three generals Zhang Liao, Le Jin, and Li Dian and the guard Xue Ti to guard Hefei. The following year, before Cao Yu sent his army to attack Zhang Lu in the west, he sent someone to send a teaching order to Xue Ti. The cover said: "Thieves will be punished when they arrive." Soon, Sun Quan personally led an army of 100,000 to attack Hefei. Xue Ti and others sent a letter to ask for advice, saying: "If Sun Quan arrives, Generals Zhang and Li will go out to fight, General Le will guard, and the defending troops will not be able to fight." At this time, the total number of Hefei garrison troops was only over 7,000.

The enemy is outnumbered and we are outnumbered. The generals will be confused as to whether it is a good idea to divide our forces to fight. Zhang Liao said: "The Duke is out on an expedition, and I am trying to rescue him. He will defeat me. I will use my teachings to counterattack him and break his momentum, so as to calm the hearts of the people, and then we can defend. The chance of success or failure lies here." After a battle, you have no doubts!" ??Li Dian immediately agreed upon hearing this. So Liao and Pawn Night recruited 800 people who dared to follow, and killed cattle to reward them. At dawn the next day, Liao, armed with a halberd, climbed into the formation first, killed dozens of people, beheaded two generals, shouted his name, and rushed straight to Sun Quan's command. Seeing the ferocious force coming from Liao, Quan was greatly frightened, and his left and right were also at a loss, so he had no choice but to climb the high tomb and defend himself with his long halberd. Liao called Quan to fight, but Quan did not dare to move. Seeing that Liao's generals had few soldiers, they gathered a large number of people to surround Liao. Liao repeatedly broke through the encirclement, and the powerful men and horses were invincible. No one dared to take the lead. From the early fighting to the middle of the day, the Wu people lost their strength. Liao and others then returned to repair the garrison, and everyone felt at ease. After this battle, Quan's army suddenly lost its vigor and defended Hefei for more than ten days before withdrawing. After the masses have gone, Quan and several generals will still stay in Xiaoyao Jinbei. When Zhang Liao saw him from high up, he led his troops to capture Quan. He fought Gan Ning, Lu Meng, Ling Tong and others to the death. Quan Shi fled on his horse and was almost captured alive. Historians praised Cao Cao's teachings quite a lot. Hu Sansheng believed that Cao Cao used "Liao and Dian to be brave and sharp to make them fight; he was happy to advance and prudent to make them defend." Sun Sheng believed that Cao Cao's original intention was to combine bravery and timidity. ". I think: Zhang Liao is extremely brave in battle, and Le Jin is also famous for his "heroic spirit". He is often the first to get into the battle, "break through the enemy with strong force, and fall without any difficulty." It would be inappropriate to describe Le Jin as a "timid" person or a person who can only be "prudent". Cao Cao's original intention was that when Sun Quan came, he would rely on his large number of troops, and the defenders of Hefei were few, so he would be arrogant and underestimated the enemy. They can take advantage of this to launch a sudden and lightning-fast attack. That is, as Zhang Liao said, "If it is not combined, it will lose its prosperity", that's all. It is important to cover up troops quickly and cover up their unpreparedness. It is extremely clever to know how to predict the enemy.

Since Sun Quan often invaded Hefei, some governors of Cao Wei states close to Hefei also led troops to garrison here. In the twenty-fourth year of Jian'an (219), Cao ordered Pei Qian, the governor of Yanzhou who was garrisoned in Hefei, and others to prepare for the march. Because there was no military atmosphere in Hefei at this time, Pei Qian and others did not move quickly. Wen Hui, the governor of Yangzhou, secretly said to Pei Qian: "This must be Xiangyang's urgent need to go there. Therefore, those who are not in a hurry do not want to alarm the people at a distance. In a day or two, there will be a secret letter urging you to advance, and Zhang Liao and others will He will be summoned. Liao and others will know the king's intention quickly, and the later summons will come first. You will be responsible for it!" So Pei Qian quickly prepared for a quick march. Sure enough, I soon received the order to march quickly. Then Zhang Liao and others also received the edict. It shows that Cao has strict restraints on the generals, and there is no room for heeding orders or slow actions.

It can be seen from the above that Cao Cao is good at using generals and has strict requirements for them, but he can get their support. Even Sun Quan said that Cao Zhi was "a rare imperial general since ancient times." It proves that Cao is good at guarding generals.

Cao Cao is also rich in strategy and resourcefulness, and can often cope with difficulties in terms of strategy and tactics. In battle, Cao can often make decisions on the fly based on the situation between the enemy and ourselves, and is very changeable. As mentioned before. In a series of battles against the poisonous peasant army, Lu Bu, Zhang Xiu, Yuan Shao, Ma Chao, Han Sui, etc., Cao Cao often used false pretense to attack the west, avoid the real situation, ambush, outflank, surprise attack, alienate, rob food, attack each other to save one, and abandon things. Lure the enemy and other methods to trick the enemy to win and turn weakness into strength. In terms of strategy, Cao Cao can concentrate the wisdom of his subordinates, choose what is good, and rarely make mistakes. For example, when Cao Cao and Lü Bu were fighting over Yanzhou, Tao Qian, the herdsman of Xuzhou, died of illness. Cao Cao wanted to take the opportunity to attack Xuzhou and then attack Lü Bu. Xun Yu dissuaded him. Cao Nai changed his mind and defeated Lu Bu with all his strength, pacifying Yanzhou. Then Xuzhou also surrendered. In the sixth year of Jian'an (201), that is, the year after the battle of Guandu, Cao Cao was unable to control Hebei due to lack of food. He wanted to attack Liu Biao because of Shaoxin. Xun Yu said: "Now that Shao is defeated and its people are disloyal, it is better to take advantage of its difficulties and make a decision; and turn its back on Yan and Yu, and march far away from Jiang and Han. If Shao collects the remaining embers and takes the emptiness to get out of the rear, then the official business will be done. ". Cao followed it and finally pacified Jizhou.

It can be seen from the above that Xun Yu repeatedly corrected Cao Cao's misconceptions in strategic decision-making, thus playing a key role in Cao's success or failure. Other advisers such as Xun You and Guo Jia also had similar achievements and were praised by Cao Cao. This proves that Cao attaches great importance to strategic deployment and carefully discusses it with his colleagues in advance. His ability to adopt the correct strategies of others shows that his judgment is very strong.

When Cao Cao and Yuan Shao launched an army to attack Dong Zhuo, Shao asked Cao: "If things are not sorted out, what basis can we rely on?" Cao said, "What do you mean by this?" Shao said, "I am in the south. According to the river, the Yan and Dai are blocked in the north, and the Rong and Di are united, and the people of the south are fighting for the world. Can the common people help? " Cao Cao said: "I will use the wisdom of the world to control it, and I can do anything." Cao Cao said to others: "How can the kings of Tang and Wu be the same as Tu? If you rely on danger and solidity as your capital, you will not be able to change according to the opportunity." One of the main reasons why Cao Cao was able to defeat the enemy and win was because, as he himself said, "the intelligence of the world" was to give full play to the wisdom of his ministers and the fighting enthusiasm of his officers. As the saying goes, "a wise man does not care about his plans, but a group of men spares no effort".

No matter how well Cao Cao did in terms of strategy and tactics, it would not work if his army did not have strong combat effectiveness. Lu Bu's army is known as brave; Yuan Shao's army has the largest number of people. After many battles, they were all defeated by Cao Cao, which shows that Cao's army's combat effectiveness is very strong. The reason why Cao Cao's army has strong combat effectiveness is because Cao Cao has consistently adopted measures such as elite troops, streamlined administration, and emphasis on food production and transportation. Cao Cao once said: "The reason why I can always defeat the enemy with a small number of soldiers is that I always think of adding more soldiers, but nothing happens. In the past, I encouraged people to walk, because soldiers love horses; if they don't like to have more officials, soldiers love food." also".

Cao Cao said that during the battle of Guandu, Yuan Shao had ten thousand armors and he only had twenty; Yuan Shao had three hundred horses and armors, and he didn't even have ten. Although Cao Zhijun had a small number of soldiers and poor equipment, Cao Zhijun led the troops, paid more attention to discipline, and had stricter rewards and punishments. As a result, Yuan Jun was defeated. Once during the march, Cao passed an order not to let horses trample the corn fields. Any violation will be beheaded. So the soldiers all dismounted and walked, for fear of trampling on the wheat. But the horse he was riding was so surprised that it trampled the wheat field. So Cao immediately drew his sword and cut off a bunch of his own hair as punishment. Although this was just for show, it also showed that Cao was serious about upholding the law in the army. In the early days of Cao Cao's army, he fought many defeats, but the army never collapsed. This was because Cao Cao managed the army strictly and could better cooperate and support the military in all aspects of politics and economy. Therefore, we can eventually turn danger into safety, and turn weakness into strength. Other warlords such as Yuan Shao were "lenient in guarding the army and did not establish laws"; Lu Bu was "courageous but reckless" and "cunning and repetitive"; Liu Biao was "not trained in military affairs" and only "defended the territory"; Yuan Shu was " "Extravagant and wanton", "no fine virtue". So Cao was able to defeat each of them in the end.

From this, we say that Cao Cao can be called an outstanding military strategist in ancient times.

(3) Cao Cao’s conduct and style.

Cao Cao is one of the well-known figures in Chinese history. People have mixed opinions about him, with varying degrees of praise and blame. Detractors describe him as a white-faced traitor, an extremely self-interested person who specializes in playing power, "I would rather betray others than others betray me"; those who praise him regard him as a life-saving hero, an outstanding military strategist, politician, and writer. Home. According to relevant historical records, both good and evil are mistaken, and it is difficult to distinguish between true and false. If we rely on certain accounts one-sidedly and quote them out of context, even if we publish more commentaries, it will not help. When commenting on historical figures, one should summarize the mainstream things (such as virtue, talent, merit, fault, good, evil, role, influence, etc.) from relevant reliable accounts, so as to draw precise conclusions. Not only should this figure be compared with his contemporaries, but also with people of the same type in the long river of history, so that it is not difficult to estimate his value in all aspects and determine his historical role. For example, we have already analyzed the issue of Cao Cao's loyalty and treachery before. The Cao Wei regime was created by Cao Cao himself under the influence of the peasant uprising. At that time, none of the territory or people belonged to the Han Dynasty. What else could the Han Dynasty have for Cao Cao to usurp? Cao Cao did play a trick of "holding the emperor to order the princes", but in doing so, he still extended the nominal state of the Han Dynasty for more than 20 years. If Cao is a treacherous minister, then who is the loyal minister, Er Yuan, Liu Biao, Liu Bei, Sun Quan...? If we can't find a loyal minister who can safeguard the Han regime, can we still say that Cao is a traitor?

As for whether Cao Cao is treacherous to others? What about using others to benefit oneself? Is it true that Cao Cao said in the legend, "I would rather betray others than others betray me"? According to the annotation of "Wudi Ji" in Volume 1 of "Three Kingdoms" quoted from "Book of Wei":

Taizu Yizhuo would eventually be defeated, so he refused to bow down and fled back to his hometown. He rode several times past his old friend Cheng Gaolu Boshe, Boshe was not around, so his son and his guests robbed Taizu, took horses and other things, and Taizu killed several people with his sword.

The note of "Wudi Ji" also quotes "Shiyu":

When Taizu visited Boshe, Boshe went on a trip, and all his five sons were there to prepare the guests and host the ceremony. Taizu thought he had betrayed Zhuo's fate, and suspected that he had his own agenda. He killed eight people with his sword and left at night.

The annotation of "Wudi Ji" also quotes Sun Sheng's "Miscellaneous Notes":

When Taizu heard the sound of his food utensils, he thought it was for his own benefit, so he killed him at night. Then he said sadly: "I would rather betray others than others betray me!" Then he did it.

According to the "Book of Wei", killing someone happens after being robbed. This kind of killing cannot be said to be betrayal, but just an act of punishing the gangster. "Miscellaneous Notes" said that Cao Ye killed people because he was afraid that others would kill him, so he struck first to gain advantage. This can also be said to be an act of "I would rather betray others than others betray me". However, after the incident, he still felt sad and sad very quickly, indicating that the killing was a misunderstanding, and it was not his nature to be content with doing things that hurt others. Moreover, the phrase "I would rather betray others than others betray me" is only found in this book and is not mentioned in the other two books. It can be seen that this statement is unreliable. Judging from the actual situation at that time, he ran away out of fear and had no time to escape for his life. An Neng could easily commit murder and cause trouble. If he was afraid that others were out for his own good, he should have escaped when others were unprepared. Why should he kill people to increase the burden of his crimes and delay his departure? The records in the above three books are very different. Chen Shou did not adopt them. Although Pei's notes quoted them, he did not comment on them and only kept them as anecdotes. Therefore, we should not regard it as real material. Rather than dwell on this issue, it is far better to find the answer from many more confirmed actions. For example: Chen Gong turned out to be a meritorious official who supported Cao Cao as the pastor of Jingzhou, and Cao "treated him like an innocent son". But later, Chen Gong took advantage of Cao Cao's eastern campaign to conquer Tao Qian, the Mu of Xuzhou, and rebelled against Cao and welcomed Lü Bu as the Mu of Yanzhou, causing Cao Cao to be almost destroyed. Later, Chen Gong and Lü Bu were captured together by Cao Cao. "The palace asked him to be punished, and Cao Cao cried over him." After Gong's death, "Cao called his mother to support him throughout his life, married his daughter, and took care of his family, all of which were better than before." Another example is that in the 19th year of Jian'an (214), before Kuai Yue died of illness, he asked Cao Cao to take care of his family. Cao Cao wrote in the newspaper: "The dead are reborn, and the living are worthy of it. The lonely young man has done so many things, and his soul has spirit." , I will also hear Gu Gu’s words.” It can be seen that Cao did not bear the responsibility of the deceased. Wang Can's son was executed by Cao Pi for participating in Wei Zhi's rebellion. Cao Cao sighed and said, "If I am alone, Zhongxuan will have no heirs." Cao Cao redeemed Cai Wenji from the southern Xiongnu with a golden jade, which is more well-known.

Cao also said to himself: "I have never been disappointed in my heart through my actions." This shows that he is afraid of betraying others, and it seems impossible to say "I would rather betray others than others betray me." Lu Simian said: "The way you treat others is generally more generous." This statement is consistent with the facts. Those rumors and anecdotes about cheating and cheating people are mostly not historical truth. But where does this argument come from? First of all, Cao Cao is good at using his troops to "set up surprises according to circumstances and trick the enemy to win." When Lu Bu fought against Cao Cao, he once warned his subordinates: "Cao Cao is very cunning." Therefore, some people extend Cao Cao's "much cunning" in military use to his personality and style; secondly, Chen Shou said that Cao Cao is "less alert and more powerful." "Taking hold of the emperor to command the princes" was the power he used in politics. Zhao Yiyan used power to control people. When it comes to employing people, there is indeed a place for power, but to say that he relies solely on power to employ people would be an overstatement. How many feudal political leaders do not use power? How many of them have never killed anyone indiscriminately? Yuan Shao had already asked Cao to kill Yang Biao, Kong Rong, and Liang Shao. Take Kong Rong as an example, why didn't he kill people at will? When he was the Prime Minister of Beihai, he killed five postal governors at once just because he "rented Fu Shaoji". Kong Rong could neither protect the territory on his own nor cooperate with neighboring states and counties. Therefore, Zuo Chengzu advised him to "entrust a strong country on his own." However, he was killed by Kong Rong just because of this suggestion. As for the founding emperors of the past dynasties, there are endless records of indiscriminate and wrongful killings due to the eradication of dissidents. It would be unfair to only blame others for their treachery and deceit.

Cao Cao’s stain is, first of all, his participation in suppressing the Yellow Turban Uprising. This matter has been mentioned in many places before and will not be detailed again. Secondly, he committed the crime of massacring the people of Xuzhou, which I have mentioned before. As for the reasons why Cao Cao attacked Mu Tao Qian of Xuzhou, different books have different opinions. Even if Cao's father was really killed by Tao Qian, Cao should not have massacred innocent people. Chen Shou never overly belittled Cao Cao's affairs in his "Three Kingdoms". His description of Cao Cao's atrocities in attacking Xuzhou was also simpler than in other books, but he had to admit that "too many were killed and too many were killed." Cao Cao also had a decree that "those who surrender after being surrounded will not be pardoned." Cao Cao and his generals often committed "massacres of cities", which should not be condoned. Others include when Cao Cao besieged Lu Bu in Xiapi, Guan Yu repeatedly asked Cao Cao for the wife of Bu general Qin Yilu, Du. A little before this incident, when Cao Zaiwan surrendered to Zhang Xiu, he also accepted Zhang Xiu's aunt, which caused Zhang Xiu's rebellion. Things like that, which weren't really bad at the time, were always lacking. When Chen Shou commented on Cao Cao, he highly praised his strategy, contingency, magic, employment, and entrepreneurial achievements, but he never praised his moral character. When Chen Shou talked about Liu Bei, he believed that Bei "has power based on strategy and does not capture Wei Wu." However, he strongly praised Liu Bei's "magnanimity and generosity, knowing people and treating scholars". It shows that Chen Shou is good at grasping the respective characteristics of Cao and Liu in terms of moral integrity and talent.

Many people think that Cao Cao was an outstanding military strategist in ancient my country, and I agree. Some people also think that Cao Cao was an outstanding politician in ancient my country, but I think it is a bit high. Because Cao Cao had a history of killing innocent people indiscriminately. A great politician should not be like this. In addition, Cao Cao also had some shortcomings in his personal moral style and was not good enough for future generations. Since he is called a politician in history, he should set an example for future generations. Cao Cao is not qualified enough in this regard.

(Post time: 2003:12:14 03:20:28)

---Ida^_^

(1): What do you think? It smells like a textbook~?

In fact, using Chen Shou's "Three Kingdoms" as a basis for analyzing Liu Bei and Cao Cao based on historical facts, the credibility may not be higher than that of the novel.

(When the Shu Han Dynasty was still alive, Chen Shou served as the official historian of Shu Guan Pavilion. The reason why he is famous is not because of how wonderful his writing is, but because he did not kill his father because of Zhuge Liang. He wrote it on the paper. Kong Ming has a long-standing reputation, so others often refer to him as a model of "straight writing"; in fact, only he knows best whether there is a "straight writing" in the Three Kingdoms. The protection is very obvious)

In fact, no matter in terms of literature, military, or politics, Liu Bei's rank is far away from Lao Cao.

Cao Cao and Liu Bei are both celebrities. Cao Cao’s celebrity was created through strength, while Liu Bei’s celebrity was created through bragging. Liu Bei claimed to be a relative of the emperor and said that he was a descendant of Liu Sheng, the son of Emperor Jing of Han Dynasty and King of Zhongshan. Not to mention that during the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, Liu Sheng's son had been expelled from the country because of the issue of gold coins donated to the Ancestral Temple. By the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, who knows where his descendants were. What's more, when Wang Mang replaced the Han Dynasty, the descendants of the Liu family who did not cooperate with Wang Mang were either killed or rebelled like Liu Xiu. After Liu Xiu's restoration was successful, the descendants of the Liu family who cooperated with Wang Mang also did not end well and rebelled. You should have a fiefdom anyway. There are only a few purebred descendants of Liu Bang left among the people. Liu Bei also had the surname Liu. His grandfather served as a county magistrate, and his father, who died long ago, served as a clerk in the government office. He had nothing to rely on. Ever since he was a child, his current kindergarten kid's surname was Sun, and he always said that he was related to Sun Wukong, bragging to others that he was a royal relative. However, when kindergarten children grow up, they will know that it is not good and will not say it again. But Liu Bei kept insisting that he believed it, just like some witches and wizards who first said that they were possessed by gods to defraud money. In the end, even he believed it, and ended up risking the lives of the patient and himself. Damn it. In this way, Liu Bei gradually regarded himself as a representative of the Han Dynasty and the embodiment of justice. He always said to everyone: "Bei is a member of the Han Dynasty", which made him completely insane.

But according to the old Chinese saying: "It is better to be respectful than to be arrogant." Ordinary people just think, how can he be so persistent about things that have no shadow? After all, Liu Bei should have some contact with the emperor's family. By spreading rumors, others would think that he might really have some relationship with the emperor, and give him a little respect. Then Liu Bei and his supporters would spread the news more confidently, and others would find it more credible. This weakness in people's psychology has not changed until now, so those cults and swindlers are able to succeed. Sometimes I suddenly thought that if a young woman with long flowing hair put on a pair of sunglasses and stood on the streets of Wangfujing, and several of her companions pretended to be her bodyguards and movie fans to ask for her autograph, I believe it would create a stir in Wangfujing. Chaotic, for the most part. The mentality of preferring to believe that something is true rather than something that is not true is the root of why people are deceived and the root of the success of scammers.

In addition to nervously talking about being a "Han clan", Liu Bei is usually very taciturn to show stability, so that others and himself can believe that he is a Han clan clan member. Nowadays, some people who don't understand or are slow to react also pretend to be deep like big ears. At first, Liu Bei's livelihood was in what the Han Dynasty considered to be a lowly occupation, half industry and half business, selling straw sandals and mats. Later, he met Zhang Shiping, a big businessman in Zhongshan, and tricked Zhang Shiping into giving him money with just a few words. Come and organize the underworld for him. Chen Shou, who had always been very protective of Liu Bei, said in "Three Kingdoms" that "the first master was not very fond of reading, but liked dogs, horses, music, and beautiful clothes." After receiving funding from a big businessman, he "had to use his disciples to unite the masses." At that time, the Yellow Turbans had not revolted yet. Liu Bei's gang was probably not a charitable donation organization. To put it lightly, they were the bodyguards of big businessmen, and to put it more seriously, they were gangs such as the Ax Gang.

From this we can see the political chaos of the Eastern Han Dynasty. The period when the underworld existed and flourished was a period of shrinking government administrative power. What the underworld performs is the original function of the government, protecting the interests of certain groups and formulating and maintaining a certain order. The underworld initially filled the government's vacuum, often taking advantage of vulnerable groups that the government failed to protect. In the Eastern Han Dynasty, merchants were a politically discriminated group. In their battles with local powerful people, they were often treated unfairly by officials who were mainly the scholar-bureaucrat group. Therefore, forces like Liu Bei were cultivated to safeguard their interests. It can be said that the key to eradicating the underworld lies in the fairness and breadth of the political power. In this regard, Chairman Mao's era provided a model for the eradication of underworld. The underworld that had been rampant in China for thousands of years was destroyed in a blink of an eye under the new regime. It is precisely because Mao Zedong's government represented the Chinese people to the greatest extent. interests, especially those of disadvantaged groups.

The Liu Bei Gang, with the merchant group as its main pillar, was originally going to be suppressed by the scholar-bureaucrat group in the Eastern Han Dynasty, because according to the mainstream social concepts at the time, Liu Bei and his like should be scoundrels. At this time, the Yellow Turbans headed by Zhang Jiao began to revolt, saying that they were more powerful than Liu Bei's royal relatives: "The sky is dead, Huang Tian should be established, and the world will be prosperous at the age of Jiazi." Liu Bei and other gangsters were known for fighting, so they were recruited into the militia to cooperate with the official army. Liu Bei's gang can bully and dominate the market, but it is not very useful against the armed Yellow Turbans. Liu Bei was knocked to the ground in a cowardly manner, and then he pretended to be dead. It seemed that the Yellow Turbans did not have the rules to cut off the opponent's ears to record merit, so Liu Bei was able to save his own life and a pair of proud big ears.

Liu Bei, who crawled out from the pile of corpses, was regarded as a hero in suppressing the Yellow Turbans. After the Yellow Turbans' Zhang brothers were destroyed, he became the Anxi Wei of the Han Dynasty, which was regarded as an official national civil servant. After obtaining the official position, Liu Bei became more serious, stopped engaging in gangs, and determined to be a good official of the Han Dynasty. However, he did not serve as a good official for long. The Han Dynasty wanted to reduce personnel and increase efficiency, and Liu Bei suspected that he was among those to be eliminated. Because he knew that those who were eliminated by the Han Dynasty to reduce personnel and increase efficiency were not necessarily incompetent, but it certainly did not matter. The current establishment of eight people actually only requires five people to do the work. Therefore, it seems reasonable to eliminate three people to reduce people and increase efficiency. It may not be possible to implement it, because out of an establishment of eight people, only three people may work, and the five people who do not work must have a background and relationship based on the philosophical principle that the existence of the basis for not working is reasonable. In the end, the remaining ones may be For these five people who are not working, reducing the number of people does not necessarily mean increasing efficiency.

Liu Bei, who had self-awareness, no longer showed his anger and anger, and did a bloody thing, which was to tie the postal supervisor sent by the county to a tree. He was beaten severely with a whip, then hung his official seal on the governor's neck and abandoned his official position. Compared with later generations, Tao Yuanming heard that the governor was coming and sighed: "You can't bend your back to a country boy for five measures of rice." When he went back to his hometown to plant chrysanthemums and watch the beauty of Nanshan, what Liu Bei did was more manly. His first official failure made Liu Bei realize that it was useless to just claim to be a royal relative, and it was useless to be a good official who kept his integrity. If you want to get ahead, or live a decent life, you must have your own backer and a powerful person. Powerful people come to appreciate him, put him to good use, and give him opportunities. In such a world, there is not much meaning in working for the court, because the court is illusory and the emperor does not know it. Working for a specific official is realistic. After figuring this out, Liu Bei began his career as a refugee.

Defecting everywhere

There are indeed many people who have taken refuge in Liu Bei.

After leaving Anxi County, he happened to meet the captain Guanqiu Yi who was out to recruit troops under He Jin's order. At that time, the captain encountered robbers in Xiapi. Liu Bei made meritorious service, repelled the bandits, and became a sesame official again. But it was not easy to be a sesame official in troubled times. Soon, Liu Bei was "broken by thieves" and went to seek refuge with his old classmate Gongsun Zan. During this period of time, he did not attack Dong Zhuo, which led to the glory of "Three Heroes Fighting Lu Bu". Otherwise, Chen Shou, who had always been protective of him, would have recorded his great contribution in "Three Kingdoms".

Subsequently, Liu Bei followed Gongsun Zan's ally Qingzhou Governor Tian Kai and fought with Yuan Shao. After having some military exploits, he was appointed as Pingyuan Prime Minister by Gongsun Zan. In the first year of Xingping, Tao Qian killed Cao Song, which triggered Cao Cao's crazy revenge. Tao Qian asked Tian Kai for help, and Liu Bei, as Tian Kai's subordinate, went to help Tao Qian. At that time, Liu Bei had thousands of men, including Karasuma cavalry, and "several thousand hungry people", who was a small follower under Tian Kai. In order to get Liu Bei to work for him, Tao Qian gave Liu Bei four thousand Danyang soldiers as a bribe, so Liu Bei stopped following Tian Kai and mixed with Tao Qian instead. In the Battle of Tancheng, Liu Bei was defeated and retreated to Xuzhou. It happened that Chen Gong rebelled against Lu Bu at this time, and a fire broke out in Cao Cao's backyard, forcing Cao Cao's army to return to Yanzhou. At this moment, Tao Qian and Liu Bei, who were in Xuzhou City, were unable to pursue the retreating Cao army because of their previous defeat. That winter, Tao Qian died in distress. Liu Bei took advantage of the situation and took possession of Xuzhou with the support of local businessmen Mi Zhu and others. It seems that Liu Bei does have business connections.

At the beginning of the second year of Xingping, Liu Bei had not found the feeling of being a frontier official. Lu Bu, who was defeated by Cao Cao, came to Liu Bei, which made Liu Bei forgetful. People who are suddenly broad are often like this. Most people only take a serious look at themselves and feel fear when they have learned from the pain. In fact, extraordinary blessings and extraordinary disasters are the same, both are beyond a person's tolerance and ability to grasp. The most important thing for people in extraordinary blessings or extraordinary disasters is to control themselves. In a sense, extraordinary blessings are more terrifying than extraordinary disasters. Extraordinary disasters are just a few rocks thrown at you, but you can still dodge them; extraordinary blessings are like a flood that threatens you to hit the rocks and sail against the current. At best, if you don't advance, if you don't control the smooth flow, you will hit the rocks and die. Liu Bei occupied Xuzhou as an outsider and a man of little fame. Naturally, many of Tao Qian's old generals were dissatisfied. However, Liu Bei really believed that he was a member of the Han clan and others should support him. He regarded himself as the embodiment of justice, and was eyeing Yuan Shu, who was planning to become emperor in Huainan; of course, Yuan Gongli, the fourth generation and the third Duke, even looked down on his concubine brother Yuan Shao, let alone a big ear? So the two sides faced off in Xuyi, and Tao Qian's old general, Cao Bao, who guarded Tancheng with Liu Bei back then, offered Xiapi City to Lu Bu. Liu Bei's army was in disarray and lacked logistics. First, his soldiers fled, and then they were defeated by Yuan Shu. They could not advance or retreat, so they had to surrender to Lu Bu. Big Ears had another old master.

In the third year of Jian'an, Cao Cao captured Lu Bu in Xiapi. Lu Bu surrendered to Cao Cao and wanted to become a general for Cao Cao. Liu Bei, who was standing next to him, remembered the two times his wife fell into the hands of the lecherous Lu Bu, so he lost no time in advising Cao Cao, asking him to learn the lessons of Lu Bu's two old masters, Ding Yuan and Dong Zhuo. Cao Cao listened to his words and sent Lu Bu to his death. He was strangled to death and took him back to Xuchang.

Counting from Guanqiu Yi, plus Gongsun Zan, Tian Kai, Tao Qian, and Lu Bu, Cao Cao should be regarded as Liu Bei's sixth boss. Liu Bei was not very satisfied with this boss because he thought he was He was a relative of the emperor, and Cao Cao was an eunuch, so he was more jealous of Cao Cao than Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu. So he and the declining noble Dong Cheng and others planned to kill Cao Cao. In order to show that he had no ambition, Liu Bei, who had evil intentions, usually grew turnips behind closed doors, hoping to make Cao Cao lose his vigilance towards him. But this pretense couldn't be hidden from Cao Cao. Cao Cao looked at Big Ear's clever tricks like a monkey, and felt that Big Ear's deception was just like this. When Big Ear went out to sell straw sandals, he didn't even farm. What kind of land is he farming now? If he were an honest man, he would not fight Yuan Shu as soon as he became the governor of Xuzhou. However, Cao Cao felt that Liu Bei was afraid of him and was psychologically satisfied, so he invited Liu Bei to his house for a drink, which is known as the famous "Qingmei Cooking Wine Discussing Heroes".

The purpose of Cao Cao saying that Liu Bei was a hero was to indirectly tell him that he had seen through his deception. When Liu Bei heard this