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 since the root 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 tyrants. 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 is Cao's attempt to centralize power within himself and 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. They feared 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 politics of the Yellow River Basin became clear to a certain extent, 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 an edict 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 as a reward. 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 all 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 character". He is often the first to fall into battle, and "breaks through with strong force, and can't fall without any difficulty." It would be inappropriate to describe Le Jin as a "timid" person or a person who can only be "cautious". 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 attack that is as fast as lightning. 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 act 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 it 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 right, 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 conquer 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 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 troops is to always think about 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's army was small in number and poorly equipped, he led the troops, paid more attention to discipline, and had stricter rewards and punishments. As a result, he defeated Yuan's army. Once during the march, Cao passed an order not to let horses trample the corn fields. Any violation will be beheaded. So the soldiers dismounted and walked, fearing that they would trample 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. The detractors describe him as a treacherous minister with a white face, an extremely self-interested person who specializes in playing power and "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 literary figure. 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, no matter how many comment articles we publish, 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 indeed play a trick of "coercing the emperor to order the princes", but in doing so, he still extended the nominal state of the Han Dynasty for more than twenty 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 was 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 "Book of Wei" annotated in Volume 1 of "Three Kingdoms", "Wudi Ji":
Taizu Yizhuo was bound to be defeated eventually, 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 the horses and other things, and Taizu killed several people with his sword.
The annotation 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" says that Cao Ye killed someone 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 much, 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 Pi heard this and sighed: "If I am alone, Zhongxuan will have no heirs." Cao Cao used a golden jade to redeem Cai Wenji from the southern Huns. The incident 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 and attracting 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 conduct and style; secondly, Chen Shou said that Cao Cao is "less alert and more skillful." "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, it is true that there is a place for power, but to say that he relies solely on power to employ people is to overgeneralize. 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’s stain, first of all, is 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's description of Cao Cao's events in "Three Kingdoms" never made excessive belittling. 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 comrades believe that Cao Cao was an outstanding military strategist in ancient my country, and I agree very much. Some comrades 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.
Guan Yu
"Three Kingdoms: Biography of Guan, Zhang, Ma, Huang, Zhao" discusses Guan Yu and Zhang Fei: "Both Guan Yu and Zhang Fei are known as enemies of ten thousand people and are tiger ministers in the world. Yu. Serving Duke Cao, Fei Yi expresses his Yan Yan, and has the style of a national scholar. However, Fei is fierce but merciless, and he is defeated by shortcomings. "It is also said: "Yu treats his soldiers well and is arrogant. Scholar-bureaucrats love to respect gentlemen but do not care about villains." This is indeed the case.
In the 19th year of Jian'an (214), when Liu Bei captured Yizhou, he surrendered Ma Chao. After taking over Yizhou as a pastor, he worshiped Ma Chao as General Pingxi. Guan Yu was dissatisfied because Ma Chao was not an old friend, and he heard that Ma Chao was brave, so he wrote to Zhuge Liang and asked: "Who can compare superhuman talents to others?" Zhuge Liang knew what he meant, so he wrote back and said: "Meng Qi (Ma Chao's courtesy name Meng Qi) is both civil and military. He is an outstanding hero and a hero of his generation. He is a disciple of Ting Bu and Peng Yue. He should be associated with Yide." (Zhang Fei's courtesy name is Yide) They are fighting to be the first, but they are still not as good as Beard's peerless group." ("Three Kingdoms, Book of Shu, Biography of Guan Yu"). Guan Yu had a good beard, so Zhuge Liang called him the Beautiful Beard Gong. Guan Yu was overjoyed and showed it to his guests.
In July of the 24th year of Jian'an (219), Huang Zhong's formation killed Xia Houyuan, a famous general of Cao's army, and was promoted to the general of the Western Conquest for his merits. In the same year, Liu Bei ascended the throne as King of Hanzhong and appointed Guan Yu as the former general, Huang Zhong as the rear general, Zhang Fei as the right general, and Ma Chao as the left general. Zhuge Liang said that Liu Bei said: "The reputation of loyalty has never been the same as Guan and Ma's ethics, and now he has ordered them to be in the same rank. If Ma and Zhang are close, if they see their achievements in person, they can still be compared to them; if Guan and Zhang hear about them from afar, they will probably be displeased. "Isn't it impossible?" Liu Bei said: "I should explain it myself" ("Three Kingdoms·Shu·Huang Zhongzhuan"). He also sent Sima Feishi from the front of Yizhou to deliver seals and ribbons to Guan Yu.
When Guan Yu heard that Huang Zhong was on the same level as himself, he was furious and said: "A real man will not be on the same level as a veteran?" He refused to accept the appointment. Fei Shi said to Guan Yu: "My husband established a kingship for different reasons. In the past, Xiao (Xiao He) and Cao (Cao Shen) were close to Gao Zu (Liu Bang) when they were young, but Chen (Chen Ping) and Han Ming (Han Xin) died after their death. Lord, when it comes to the ranks, Han is the best. I have never heard of Xiao and Cao complaining about this. Now I think of Han Sheng for his temporary merits. But in terms of importance, I would rather be equal to the king and the king? The arms of a prince are like one body, and they share the same relationship, misfortunes and blessings. As a fool, it is not appropriate for a prince to care about the rank of his official title or the amount of his salary. , if so, we will return it, but if we cherish this move, we may regret it." ("Three Kingdoms, Book of Shu, Biography of Fei Shi")? Guan Yu was greatly enlightened and worshiped and received the seal ribbon.
Guan Yu’s natural weakness of arrogance led to the Battle of Fancheng. From the beginning, his command was correct, which shocked China, to the end, he was deceived, the entire army was annihilated, and Jingzhou was carelessly lost, which ultimately led to the alliance of Sun and Liu. Disintegration, the lessons are painful. At the beginning, Cao Cao often warned Xia Houyuan: "When a general is timid, he should not rely solely on his courage. A general should take courage as his basis and act with wisdom; but he knows that if you are brave, a man is no match for your ears." ("Three Kingdoms, Book of Wei, Xia Houyuan" "), and ended up being played in the palm of his hand. Xia Houyuan finally died due to his bravery. This was the case for Xia Houyuan, as was the case for Guan Yu and Xiang Yu.
Guan Yu also has an excellent side to his character.
Guan Yu is loyal to Liu Bei and his group's interests. He and Liu Bei shared the joys and sorrows for many years and kept their faith unswervingly. Even though Baima was captured and was in Cao's camp, he still did not forget his old kindness and finally returned to Liu Bei. His loyalty was unwavering.
Guan Yu was extremely brave and was the best in the entire army. Later novels include stories about him beheading Hua Xiong while warming wine, three heroes fighting Lu Bu, beheading chariots and armors, beheading Yanliang, punishing Wen Chou, sealing gold with seals, riding alone for thousands of miles, beheading six generals through five passes, Huarong Road, attending meetings alone, and floods. Although the Seventh Army and others are contrary to historical facts, they also highlight his bravery and charm. As for bone scraping to cure poison, everyone knows it.
Guan Yu was shot by random arrows, which penetrated the other left arm. Although the wound is healed, the bones often hurt in rainy weather. The doctor said: "The arrowhead is poisonous, and the poison has penetrated into the bone. It is necessary to break the arm and scrape the bone to remove the poison. Then the ear will be removed." Guan Yu stretched out his arm and asked the doctor to open the wound. At that time, Guan Yu was hosting a banquet with the generals. "The blood flowed from his arms and filled the dishes, while the feathers were cut and burned to drink wine, and he talked and laughed freely" ("Three Kingdoms·Shu·Guan Yu").
The description of this period in the novel "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms" is even more wonderful: "Tuo used the knife to cut open the skin and flesh until it reached the bone, which was already green; Tuo used the knife to scrape the bone, and there was a sound. Everyone who saw him in public was drinking and eating meat, talking, laughing and playing chess, with no sign of pain."
In order to consolidate their dominance, the feudal ruling classes in the past dynasties regarded Guan Yu as their leader. The embodiment of "loyalty", Guan Yu's status was raised higher and higher, "from a lord to a king", "to become an emperor", and finally he was revered as a "martial saint". During the Chen and Sui Dynasties, the Buddhist capital built Guan Yu's temple in Dangyang under the pretense that Guan Yu would appear. In the third year of Jianzhong of the Tang Dynasty (782), Guan Yu was listed as one of the sixty-four famous generals in ancient and modern times, and was put into the Wu Temple to share with Jiang Taigong. After the Song Dynasty, Guan Yu was crowned "Martial Saint". Guan Yu, who had been unknown for 800 years, was promoted three levels by Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty: first, he was named "Lord Hui Gong", then "Zhenjun Chongning", and then "King Zhaolie Wu'an" and "Yiyong Wu'an King". Emperor Wenzong of the Yuan Dynasty named Guan Yu the "King of Zhuang Miao Yi Yong Wu An Xian Ling Ying Ji", Emperor Shenzong of the Ming Dynasty named him "The Great Emperor of the Three Realms to Suppress Demons, the Power of the God is Far Shocking to Heaven and the Lord of Guan Sheng", and Guan Yu's temple was also named the "Martial Temple", together with the Confucian Temple and the Confucian Temple juxtaposed. The emperor of the Qing Dynasty praised Guan Yu as "the ultimate human being in the world" and named him "the loyal, righteous, martial, benevolent, brave, powerful, protective of the country and people, sincere appeasement, praising Xuande Guan Sheng" ("Manuscript of Qing History·Rites and Music"), and built the Guan Yu in Beijing. The emperor's temple also issued an order to the whole country to build Guan temples and offer incense on time. The number of Guan Gong temples of Wu Sheng far exceeds that of Confucius Temple of Wen Sheng. During the Qing Dynasty, there were 116 Guan temples in Beijing alone. Moreover, the architectural scale of some Guan temples far exceeds that of Confucius' Confucian Temple. Some people say that Guan Gong is a culture; others say that Guan Gong is a spirit. Otherwise, why are there so many Guan Gong temples in China and even overseas.
Among all the Guan temple buildings in China, there are five or six that are best preserved to date: Guan Lin in Luoyang, Henan, Guan Ling in Dangyang, Hubei, Guandi Temple in Jingzhou, and Guandi Temple at Balingqiao in Xuchang, Henan. , Guandi Temple in Changping, the hometown of Guan Yu in Shanxi, and so on. The largest and most magnificent one is the Guandi Temple located in the west of Jiezhou City, Yuncheng City, Shanxi Province, the hometown of Guan Yu. It still intactly retains the largest Guandi Temple in the country. There are more than 300 pavilions and pavilions in the temple, making it one of the tourist attractions in Shanxi. It can be called the best temple in the world.
In the historical process of the development of Chinese drama, there was a craze for "Three Kingdoms Opera". Many famous dramas have a considerable number of "Three Kingdoms Opera" and "Guan Gong Opera". Taking Peking Opera as an example, there are 148 "Three Kingdoms Operas", of which 20 are about Guan Gong alone. Taking Puzhou Bangzi, Guan Yu's hometown, as an example, there are 88 recorded performances of "Three Kingdoms Opera", including 18 "Guan Gong Opera". On the stage, the image of Guan Gong is a perfect hero, with a face as heavy as a jujube, a long flowing beard, and a mighty spirit. Even in "Zoumaicheng", his heroic qualities are still unabated.
For thousands of years, through the posthumous titles given by rulers of all dynasties, and the descriptions in dramas and literature, a person who is "loyal to the country, treats others with kindness, handles things with wisdom, makes friends with justice, and fights with courage" , the perfect image of Guan Gong, who represents the traditional virtues of the Chinese nation, appears in front of the world. He rose from "the great man of all times" to "the god among gods" and became the god of war, the god of wealth, the god of literature, and the god of agriculture. Together, worship up and down.
It goes without saying that the feudal rulers of all dynasties respected Guan Yu. Even the peasant uprising leaders such as Li Zicheng, Zhang Xianzhong, and Hong Xiuquan also regarded Guan Yu as a hero.
Not only that, not only in China, but also in Japan, Southeast Asia and overseas Chinese, the worship of Guan Yu is also everlasting.
In Taiwan, which has a population of more than 20 million, there are as many as 8 million followers of Guan Gong. Almost every household has an incense burner, a memorial tablet, and a holy image for Guan Gong. The annual sales volume of Guan Gong portraits in Taiwan far exceeds that of Mazu, their most worshiped deity.
The "Longgang General Association" in the United States is a non-governmental organization with Guan Gong as its ancestor. It has more than 140 branches all over the world where Chinese people live.
Countries in South Asia competed to build temples to worship Guan Gong, and the most prosperous one was Thailand.
In Japan, there was a Guan Temple as early as the Qing Dynasty; a few years ago, a new Guan Temple was built, which is said to be the largest overseas construction.
Mr. Davidk Jordan (Chinese name: David Jiao), a professor at the Department of Anthropology at the University of California, San Diego, and a Ph.D. in Anthropology at the University of Chicago, once said a very interesting thing; "I respect this great god of yours, he deserves Respected by all. His benevolence, righteousness, wisdom, and courage are still meaningful to this day. Benevolence is love, righteousness is credibility, wisdom is culture, and courage is not afraid of difficulties. If God’s people are like your Guan Gong, we will be respected. The world will become a better place." The words of this American scholar are quite insightful.
The loyalty, righteousness, trustworthiness, wisdom, benevolence, and courage condensed in Guan Yu and suppressed by all generations contain the ethics, morals, and ideals of traditional Chinese culture, and are permeated with the essence of the Spring and Autumn Period of Confucianism. , and the values ????of life that are consistent with the teachings of Buddhism and Taoism are essentially the shining sun and moon, the majestic soul of China.