At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Cao Cao, Liu Bei, and Sun Quan divided the world into three parts and stood in a tripod. Among the three monarchs of the Three Kingdoms, one of them, Cao Cao and Sun Quan, was originally a court official and had a prominent family background and a strong foundation. A second-generation rich man who inherited his father's legacy from his own son did not even have to fight for it himself, but directly inherited Jiangdong's huge empire. Only Liu Bei, who was a commoner with no family background and no background, succeeded in counterattacking as a diaosi and became one of the last three big bosses, conquering the Shu Han Dynasty. country.

In the eyes of many people, Liu Bei’s success story is just a story of grassroots entrepreneurship, diaosi’s counterattack, and salty fish’s turnaround. But is it really that simple? Is Liu Bei really a commoner with no identity, background, background, or social circle? Of course not. Although his two sworn brothers, Guan Yu was indeed just a farmer selling dates, and Zhang Fei was indeed just a butcher who killed pigs, Liu Bei was not a simple mat weaver and shoe seller.

Liu Bei is one of the most powerful bosses in the Three Kingdoms. Even his biggest enemy Cao Cao thinks that he is the only hero besides himself. Liu Bei is not only not a weaver but a shoemaker as he seems on the surface. Although he is an ordinary person, he has an extremely strong background. Not only is he an uncle of an extremely remote branch of the Han royal family who is not very recognized, but he also has extremely strong social strength.

1. A powerful sect

"Three Kingdoms? Book of Shu? Biography of the First Master": In the fifteenth year of the year, my mother went to school, and became the prefect of Jiujiang together with Liu Deran and Liaoxi Gongsun Zan. Lu Zhi of the same county. Liu Bei was sent by his mother to study under Lu Zhi when he was 15 years old. First of all, in the late Eastern Han Dynasty, going to school was not something that ordinary people could do. If you wanted to become a teacher and go to school, you had to have at least a certain financial strength and social status. Moreover, Liu Bei’s teacher Lu Zhi was an extraordinary figure. Ordinary people It is absolutely impossible to be his student. Lu Zhi was an important official of the imperial court in the late Eastern Han Dynasty. He served successively as the prefect, minister, and minister of Jiujiang and Lujiang. During the Yellow Turban Rebellion, Lu Zhi was worshiped as General Beizhonglang. Lu Zhi was a man of both civil and military skills. He was credited with pacifying the barbarians and suppressing the Yellow Turbans. His literary work included collating the Xi Ping Shi Jing (sometimes called the Taixue Stone Classic) and continuing to write the "Han Ji" (historically known as "Dongguan Han Ji"). ) ability.

Liangping Barbarians

In the fourth year of Xiping (175), the barbarians in Jiujiang County of Yangzhou launched a rebellion. The imperial court worshiped Lu Zhi as the prefect of Jiujiang County and went to quell the rebellion. And Lu Zhi lived up to expectations. After he took office, he quickly put down the rebellion. After that, another barbarian rebellion broke out in Lujiang County. Because Lu Zhi once served as the prefect of Jiujiang County and had the effect of pacifying the barbarians, the court once again worshiped Lu Zhi as the prefect of Lujiang County. After Lu Zhi took office, he once again put down the barbarian rebellion. , which has great prestige among the local people.

Collation? Xiping Stone Classics?

In the fourth year of Xiping (175), Cai Yong, Li Xun and others proposed the idea of ??re-collaborating and compiling major Confucian classics. And it was unanimously approved and recognized by the imperial court and scholars. When the imperial court selected candidates for participation, Lu Zhi took the initiative to write a letter and recommended himself to participate in the incident. Later, Lu Zhi and others successfully completed the task of re-editing and compiling Confucian classics, and carved them into stone tablets and erected them at the gate of Taixue. It was known in history as "Xiping Stone Classics" or "Taixue Stone Classics".

Continuing writing "Han Ji"

In the fifth year of Xiping (176), Lu Zhi was recalled from Lujiang County to the imperial court to serve as a councilor. During this period, Lu Zhi had a close relationship with Ma Ri. He, Cai Yong, Yang Biao, Han Shuo and others continued to collate Confucian classics in Dongguan, and participated in and completed the "Han Ji", one of the continuations of the Two Han Dynasties, recording the history from Emperor Guangwu of the Eastern Han Dynasty to Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty. (historically known as "Dongguan Hanji"). Not only that, Liu Bei's teacher Lu Zhi also studied under Chen Qiu and Ma Rong, and was also a fellow student of Zheng Xuan, Guan Ning, and Hua Xin.

Chen Qiu was an official to Taiwei in the late Eastern Han Dynasty. "Taiwei", "Prime Minister" and "Yushi Dafu" are both "three princes". He was the highest military officer of the central government during the Qin and Han Dynasties, the head of the military attachés in the world, and had the power to command the world's troops and horses. He was a first-class official in all dynasties.

Chen Qiu was well versed in Confucianism when he was young. He was familiar with laws and regulations and was promoted to Xiaolian at a young age. Later, he served successively in the court as a doctor, Shangshu Fujielang, Fanyang County magistrate, Lingling prefect, etc. Due to the efforts of Li Yan and Zhu Gai to quell the rebellion, he was successively appointed as the prefect of Wei County, the general as a master craftsman, the prefect of Nanyang, the Tingwei, and the Sikong. In the first year of Guanghe (AD 178), he was promoted to the rank of Taiwei.

Ma Rong was the most famous Confucian scholar in the Eastern Han Dynasty. Although his official career was not as good as that of Chen Qiu, and he was no higher than the prefect of Nanjun. In his early years, he was only a school secretary, a county meritor, and a Yilang without any official positions. However, he His achievements are even worse than those of Chen Qiu.

Ma Rong, who has beautiful words and talents since he was a child, studied under the grandson of Ma Yuan, General Fubo, the famous Eastern Han Dynasty general. He often set up accounts to teach disciples. It is said that he often had thousands of disciples. Duo was a representative figure of Confucianism at that time. Ma Rong made great achievements in the study of ancient Chinese classics throughout his life. He successively annotated the "Book of Filial Piety", "The Analects of Confucius", "Poetry", "Book of Changes", "Three Rites", "Shang Shu", "Biography of Lienu", "Laozi" ", "Huainanzi", "Li Sao" and other books. Moreover, Ma Rong was different from traditional Confucian scholars. He did not stick to pedantic etiquette. On the contrary, he kept a lot of luxury decorations. He sat in a high hall, covered with a crimson gauze tent, and taught students in front of him, while female musicians played in the back. ?.

In later generations, during the Tang Dynasty, Ma Rong received the highest treatment among Confucian disciples, including Confucius in the Confucian Temple. For Confucian students, this was undoubtedly the greatest honor. In the Ming Dynasty, someone even wrote "Ma Jichang Collection", which recorded his life's achievements.

Liu Bei’s uncles Zheng Xuan, Guan Ning, Hua Xin and others were also celebrities in the late Eastern Han Dynasty. Zheng Xuan was a famous Confucian and classics master during the Three Kingdoms period. Like his teacher, he has written extensively about Confucian classics, including "Jingshi Yi", "Gongyang Chunqiu", "Santong Li", "Nine Chapters of Arithmetic", "Guwen Shangshu", "Zhou Li" and "Zuo Zhuan" etc. . He also personally wrote "Seven Political Treatises on Astronomy" and "Zhonghou" and other books handed down to the world, with more than a million words. He was the founder of "Zheng Xue" and had thousands of disciples.

During the Zhenguan period of the Tang Dynasty, Zheng Xuan was listed as one of the twenty-two "ancestors" of Confucianism, and was as worthy of sharing the Confucius Temple as his teacher Ma Rong. Later generations even built Zhenggong Temple to commemorate him. Compared with his teacher Ma Rong, Zheng Xuan can be said to be better than his master, and Zheng Xuan is also Liu Bei's teacher. Guan Ning was a famous hermit during the Three Kingdoms period, and together with Hua Xin and Bing Yuan, he was known as "Yilong". Guan Ning lived in seclusion all his life to avoid war, and did not serve in any of the princes at that time. Even when the emperors of Cao Wei and Wei later called him to serve as officials several times, he simply refused. Guan Ning only talked about classics and paid no attention to worldly affairs throughout his life. He lived a life similar to that of Zhuge Liang before he came out of the mountain. He devoted his whole life to the enlightenment work of offering sacrifices, regulating dignity, and demonstrating etiquette.

Hua Xin was a famous figure in the Three Kingdoms period. Together with Guan Ning and Bing Yuan, he was called "One Dragon". Hua Xin was the leader. In the late Eastern Han Dynasty, Hua Xin served as a doctor, a minister, and the prefect of Yuzhang. During the Battle of Guandu, he was recruited by Cao Cao as Yilang and participated in Sikong Military Affairs. Later, he became Shangshu, Shizhong, and replaced Xun Yu as Shangshu Ling. During the reign of Cao Wei, Hua Xin held the positions of the three princes successively. First, he became the imperial censor during the reign of Cao Cao, then the prime minister during the reign of Cao Pi, and then the Taiwei during the reign of Emperor Wei Ming.

2. Rich and powerful elders of the same clan

Deran’s father Yuanqi always gave money to the late lord, and Deran and others. Yuan Qi's wife said: How can we always have evil spirits if we live in separate families? ? Yuan Qi said: ? There is such a son in my sect, he is very human. ?Although Liu Bei's family was quite poor, he had a rich uncle. This uncle was Liu Yuanqi. Liu Yuanqi helped Liu Bei when he was young. It was Liu Yuanqi who also supported Liu Bei and his son Liu Yuanqi to study with Lu Zhi. Of course, Liu Bei's later achievements were just as Liu Yuanqi said, extraordinary, much better than his son Liu Deran. Liu Bei also received help from many of his own clan on the way to starting his own business. Liu Yu was the first choice, and then Liu Biao.

Liu Yu and Liu Bei are both members of the Han clan, but compared to Liu Bei, Liu Yu is not that far away from the Eastern Han Dynasty royal family. Liu Yu is the son of Donghai, the son of Liu Xiu, Emperor Guangwu of the Eastern Han Dynasty. After Prince Gong Liu Qiang, Liu Bei followed Liu Sheng, Prince Jing of Zhongshan, son of Emperor Jing Liu Qi of the Western Han Dynasty, while Emperor Guangwu Liu Xiu of the Eastern Han Dynasty descended from Liu Fa, Prince Ding of Changsha, son of Emperor Jing Liu Qi of the Han Dynasty. It can be seen that Liu Bei was no longer a royal family during the reign of Emperor Jing of the Han Dynasty, and Liu Yu was a direct descendant of Emperor Guangwu Liu Xiu. "Book of the Later Han? Volume 73? Biography of Liu Yu Gongsun Zan and Tao Qian" Li Xian quoted from "Xie Chengshu" and said: Yu Fushu was the prefect of Danyang. Yu Tong's "Five Classics", after Prince Gong of the East China Sea.

Liu Yu was the governor of Youzhou. He was stationed on the border and had great achievements in pacifying Xianbei, Wuhuan, Fuyu and Huiqi. During the Yellow Turban Rebellion, Liu Bei served under Liu Yu, and Liu Yu gave Liu Bei great help.

Liu Biao is also a lineage of the Han Dynasty, but strictly speaking, like Liu Bei, he is not a lineage of the Eastern Han Dynasty but also a Han Dynasty lineage of the Western Han Dynasty. According to the "Book of the Later Han", he is the son of Liu Qi, Emperor Jing of the Western Han Dynasty. After King Lu Gong and Liu Yu.

However, Liu Biao's branch was not as declining as Liu Bei's branch, and it also had great strength in the late Eastern Han Dynasty. Liu Bei and Liu Bei are brothers of the same clan, and they value Liu Bei very much. "Book of the Later Han? Volume 75? Biography of Yuan Shao and Liu Biao":

Liu Biao, courtesy name Jingsheng, was a native of Gaoping, Shanyang, and the queen of King Lu Gong. He is more than eight feet long and has a gentle appearance. Liu Biao served as the governor of Jingzhou in the late Eastern Han Dynasty and was known as a virtuous man. It is said that Jingzhou under his governance was purified and the people were happy. ?He often opened scriptures and established schools, loved the people and nurtured scholars, and his reputation spread far and wide. After Yuan Shao's defeat, he took in Liu Bei and provided Liu Bei with territory, which was like providing help in the snow. It can be said that he gave Liu Bei a great help. And he also hoped that Liu Bei could take over as the governor of Jingzhou in his place, and wanted to hand over Jingzhou to Liu Bei for management, but unfortunately Liu Bei refused.

3. Making friends with both strength and finances

In addition to his disciples, Liu Bei also has an extremely strong social circle, the first of which is his classmate Gongsun Zan. "Three Kingdoms? Book of Shu? Biography of the First Lord": Zan Shen was friends with the First Lord. When Zan was old, the late master took care of him as a brother. Who is Gongsun Zan? Gongsun Zan was one of the most powerful warlords in the early Eastern Han Dynasty. He was born into a noble family. He was handsome, had a loud voice, and was witty and eloquent. His official title was "White Horse Yi Cong".

Gongsun Zan commanded the troops and horses, guarded the border, and always used a tough attitude to fight against the northern nomads. He fought bravely, shocked the border, and was credited with pacifying Wuhuan. During the Yellow Turban Rebellion, Gongsun Zan was even more successful in defeating the Yellow Turbans. He first led 20,000 troops to defeat the Qingzhou Yellow Turbans in Dongguangnan, beheading more than 30,000 people. Later, when the Yellow Turban Army was crossing the river in Qingzhou, they attacked at Bandu and defeated the Yellow Turban Army again, killing tens of thousands and taking more than 70,000 prisoners. Later Gongsun Zan was authorized by the governor of the four northern states and became one of the most powerful princes in the north. Gongsun Zan's strength and reputation are so great, and Liu Bei and him are not just ordinary classmates, but also close brothers. With such a powerful prince as his backer, Liu Bei's social circle can be said to be extremely powerful.

Not only that, in addition to Gongsun Zan, a very powerful prince as a close friend, Liu Bei also has extremely powerful economic friends? Zhang Shiping and Su Shuang. "Three Kingdoms? Book of Shu? Biography of the First Master": Zhongshan merchants Zhang Shiping, Su Shuang and others accumulated a lot of gold and sold horses around Zhuo County. When they saw something different, they gave them more gold and wealth. The First Master had to use the disciples together.

Zhang Shiping and Su Shuang were big businessmen in Zhongshan in the late Eastern Han Dynasty. They had extremely strong economic strength, and they were obviously close friends with Liu Bei. During the Yellow Turban Rebellion, they happened to be selling horses in Liu Bei's hometown of Zhuojun. They met Liu Bei and felt that Liu Bei was extraordinary, so they met and became friends. When Liu Bei raised an army during the Yellow Turban Rebellion, these two people helped Liu Bei and gave Liu Bei money, which allowed Liu Bei to recruit and arm many troops and successfully raise an army.

During the Three Kingdoms at the end of the Han Dynasty, Liu Bei, the first lord of the Shu Han Dynasty, was not just a commoner weaving mats and selling shoes. On the contrary, he had an extremely terrifying social circle. Not only is Lu Zhi a teacher with a very high status, his sect is simply terrifyingly powerful. From his masters Chen Qiu and Ma Rong to his uncles Zheng Xuan, Guan Ning and Hua Xin, they are all extraordinary figures. Even Liu Bei The Fanyang Lu family of Lu Zhi, the teacher of Lu Zhi, was also a famous big family later. In addition, Liu Bei also has friends with strong military and economic strength. Militaryly, he has Gongsun Zan, one of the most powerful princes in the north, and economically, he has Zhang Shiping and Su Shuang, who are rich. In the early days, Liu Bei relied on their constant help to persist.

Liu Bei never left the help of his elders, clan brothers, classmates and friends during his entrepreneurial journey. First, Zhang Shiping and Su Shuang gave him money to help him successfully recruit troops, and then Liu Yu led him to fight during the Yellow Turban Rebellion. During the Yellow Turban Rebellion, his teacher Lu Zhi also provided considerable help to Liu Bei. Gongsun Zan also took him in. When the princes gathered to attack Dong Zhuo, it was Gongsun Zan who took him there. After the attack on Dong Zhuo, Liu Bei temporarily stayed with Gongsun Zan (Liu Bei's general Zhao Yun was originally Gongsun Zan's general, but Liu Bei gave Zhao Yun to Gongsun Zan when he was there. Abducted). After the defeat in Xuzhou, Liu Bei, who had nowhere to go, received help from his teacher Zheng Xuan. It was Zheng Xuan's lobbying that made Yuan Shao feel free to take Liu Bei in. After Yuan Shao's defeat, Liu Bei received help from Liu Biao, who gave him the territory of Xinye and was willing to give up Jingzhou to him.

So Liu Bei’s story is not a diaosi’s counterattack, nor is it a salted fish’s story of turning around. Not only is he not an ordinary citizen, but he has a strong social background and has the help of noble people along the way.

It is conceivable that there are thousands of people under Zheng Xuan's sect alone, all of whom are Liu Bei's classmates. This alone makes his social circle extremely terrifying.