According to the history books, Liu Zhen, the son of Liu Sheng, the ancestor of Liu Bei, lost the title of Tinghou in Lucheng, Zhuoxian. However, both Liu Bei's grandfather and father worked as county officials, and Liu Bei's grandfather, Xiong Liu, achieved the goal of the East County. From today's point of view, Liu Bei is also a son of a government official. But Liu Bei lost his father when he was very young, so he had to make a living by weaving mats and selling shoes with his mother. Under the atmosphere of paying attention to the door valve at that time, this is really not a good background. Judging from the History of the Three Kingdoms, Liu Bei has little ambition, and the so-called "riding this feather to build a car" is not much worse than Xiang Yu's "he can replace it". At the age of fifteen, Liu Bei and Gongsun Zan studied with Lu Zhi in the same county. Lu Zhi was one of the great Confucianists at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty. The Book of the Later Han Dynasty said that he was "eight feet two inches long and had a bell-like voice. Ma Rong, who is less involved with Zheng Xuan, is able to learn ancient and modern, and is good at studying fine but not keeping chapters and sentences ... He resigned after learning, and closed the door to professor. Sexual fortitude has a big festival, and I often cherish the ambition of helping the world. It is not good to pay tribute and I can drink a stone. " However, it seems that Liu Bei's ambition is not here. The annals of the Three Kingdoms said that he was "not very interested in reading, and he liked dogs, horses, music and beautiful clothes." What is easy to misunderstand here is that in ancient education, reading more refers to studying Confucian classics. Obviously, Liu Bei's ambition is not to study knowledge. In Lu Zhi's place, Liu Bei learned more about being a man. It should be said that Lu Zhi's "sexual fortitude has a big knot, and he always cherishes his ambition to help the world" has a great influence on Liu Bei's later character "magnanimity, generosity and perseverance". Liu Bei's leadership ability has been demonstrated very early. "Less language, being kind to others, and being angry is invisible. Good friends and heroes, young people fight for it. "
in the last years of emperor ling, the yellow turban insurrectionary was in chaos. Liu Bei led the attached teenagers to join the army and crusade against the Yellow Scarf Army. The synopsis records such a detail, "When a thief is in the wild, he will die in case of creating a sun. After the thief goes, the old man will take it in the car and be exempted." It can be seen from this that Liu Bei is courageous and quick-witted. Later, he was awarded an xiwei for military service. The commandant of the later Han Dynasty was an official in charge of arresting people in a county. After whipping Du You, he abandoned his official position. Strangely, in the romance, this episode was put on Zhang Fei by Luo Guanzhong, perhaps because he thought such a reckless thing was more suitable for Zhang Fei's character. Later, Liu Bei was recruited to join the army several times, and he was "in addition to being a secret servant" for his work. Return to office. Later, he was Gao Tangwei and moved to order. " Cheng was also a grass-roots official in the Eastern Han Dynasty, who was in charge of clerical work in a county. Then he defected to his classmate Gongsun Zan. Gongsun Zan appointed him as another Sima, and fought Yuan Shao with Tian Jie, the secretariat of Qingzhou. Later, it was replaced by the plain order, and then moved to the plain facies. The posts of order and phase are all county-level official posts in the late Eastern Han Dynasty, but the plain belongs to the country, so there is a phase. The History of the Three Kingdoms recorded a detail. Someone sent an assassin to assassinate Liu Bei, but the assassin couldn't bear to start, told Liu Bei and left. In the Book of Wei, it is recorded in more detail, "Ping Liu made a guest stab, but he was very thick when he was unprepared, and the guest left with an adverbial. At that time, the people were hungry, and there was a sudden accumulation of money. It is difficult to prepare for foreign defense, but those who are inferior to scholars will sit at the same table and eat with the same basket, and there is no simple choice. Many returns. " From this incident, we can see Liu Bei's popularity. Generally speaking, Liu Bei traveled a lot in his early days, but his words were vague. This is also consistent with the concept of paying attention to birth at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty. As a civilian figure, it is very difficult to really get ahead. However, in the era when the Rangers were rampant in the Three Kingdoms period, Liu Bei's early experience and reputation for faithfulness in the world gradually began to be established, which undoubtedly laid a good foundation for his future stepping into the historical stage.
Swing: Xuzhou-Xuchang-Yecheng
Liu Bei really started to set foot on the historical stage of the Three Kingdoms and entered the public's sight at that time, when he rescued Xuzhou Tao Qian. In the fourth year of Chuping and the first year of Xingping, Cao Cao avenged his father and attacked Xuzhou twice. Liu Bei was sent by Gongsun Zan and went south with Tian Jie to help Tao Qian resist. After Liu Bei led thousands of his men to Xuzhou, Tao Qian allocated 4, Dan Yang Bing. Later, Cao Cao withdrew his troops because Lu Bu attacked Yanzhou, his base camp. Tao Qian Liu Bei is the secretariat of Yuzhou. This is also an interesting phenomenon at that time. However, whenever the warlords who were independent at that time wanted to enfeoffment their men, they often took the above-mentioned Han Emperor and recommended someone as a certain official position, and then they did not necessarily wait until the Han Emperor's imperial edict was approved before the recommended person took office. Of course, this appointment is mostly in name only, and it may not be really practical. Because warlords from all sides will appoint their own people, sometimes there will be several secretariat and several state shepherds in a state. The Qingzhou secretariat Tian Jie mentioned earlier was sealed by Gongsun Zan; Similarly, Lombardi's Qingzhou secretariat was once Yuan Tan. In the official system of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the secretariat was a state, and the post of picketing and supervising the bureaucrats below the state animal husbandry was 2, tons. In modern words, it was a provincial-level official. However, Yuzhou at that time, that is, most of Henan now, including northern Anhui, western Shandong and other vast areas, was not under Tao Qian's rule, so Liu Bei could not take office. So Liu Bei broke away from Tian Jie's command, belonged to Tao Qian, and was stationed in Xiaopei. One reason for later generations to criticize Liu Bei is that Liu Bei's attachment to many people in his life, from Gongsun Zan, Tao Qian, Cao Cao, Yuan Shao to Liu Biao, seems to be capricious, and some people even describe it as "biting others". This is really a view caused by insufficient understanding of the political structure in the Three Kingdoms period. At that time, the rule of the Han Dynasty was still there at least in name, and those independent warlords who were from the secretariat and the state shepherd were still Han ministers in name, so the following characters could never bear the word "betrayal" when they went here or there. Moreover, in troubled times, it was normal to choose people and wait on them. It was the opinion of the vast majority of people at that time, and it was common to change mountains. It should never be linked to character.
In the first year of Xingping, Tao Qian died. Before his death, he entrusted his subordinate Mi Zhu to welcome Liu Bei. Some people think that there is something suspicious here. It seems that Liu Bei took Xuzhou from the Taoists. To illustrate this problem, we must first understand two points. First, the secretariat and state animal husbandry at that time were all Han ministers, and there was no hereditary statement. Therefore, Xuzhou could not be regarded as Tao Qian's private property; Second, at that time, it was often the local noble families who played a great role in the political pattern of a place. Therefore, the trend of many political patterns was decided by them. At first, when Tao Qian entered Xuzhou, it was under the support of Dan Yangbing that he mastered the actual sovereignty of Xuzhou, and formed a political alliance with the local great men. Now, once Tao Qian dies, the local tycoons will look for another agent. Therefore, the local tycoons, represented by Donghai Mi Zhu and Guangling Chen Deng, entrusted the future of Xuzhou to Liu Bei. In this sense, it cannot be said that Liu Bei took Xuzhou subjectively. In fact, at first, Liu Bei didn't have confidence and courage in this position. There is a dialogue between Liu Bei and Chen Deng in the History of the Three Kingdoms, which is quite telling. Kong Rong, who was famous all over the world at that time, also persuaded Liu Bei to take over. Chen Deng and Kong Rong were both celebrities at that time, and later they were not from Liu Bei's camp. Therefore, from the evaluation of Liu Bei and his attitude towards this matter, it can be seen that Liu Bei's acquisition of Xuzhou should be said to be expected. What is particularly interesting is that there is a record in Xian Di's Spring and Autumn Biography that even Yuan Shao, Liu Bei's long-term enemy, agrees with this decision very much. "Shao replied:" Liu Xuande Hongya has faith, and now Xuzhou is happy to wear it. " In any case, Liu Bei won Xuzhou and really occupied a piece of land, which really made him rank among the heroes of the Three Kingdoms. Liu Bei was thirty-three years old.
Although it has won the support of Xuzhou's famous families, it seems that another important factor to consolidate the rule, that is, Dan Yangbing left by Tao Qian, has not been completely controlled. In the first year of Jian 'an, Yuan Shu attacked Xuzhou, and Liu Bei was holed up in Xuyi and Huaiyin. Dan Yangbing found their ideal agent, Lu Bu. With the help of Cao Bao, the leader of Dan Yang Bing, Lyu3 bu4 attacked Xuzhou, and Liu Bei was in a dilemma. He had to make peace with Lyu3 bu4, bow down and settle in Xiaopei. It is only a short year since Liu Bei got to Xuzhou and lost to Xuzhou. On this issue, Liu Bei's political talents and skills at that time were still far from mature and his experience was too lacking. However, who is a born politician? It is more precious to learn from failure. What's more, this incident once again verified Liu Bei's character of "magnanimity and perseverance".
in the third year of Jian' an, Lu Bu hated Liu Bei and attacked him again. Liu Bei had nothing to resist, so he had to go west to Xuchang and join Cao Cao, and thus began to associate with Cao Cao. (It is said in "Heroes at the End of Han Dynasty" that in the last years of Emperor Ling, Liu Bei and Cao Cao had contacts in Luoyang, and they all returned to the country and recruited the United States). Cao Cao attached great importance to Liu Bei, indicating that Liu Bei was a shepherd in Yuzhou. This is the origin of what Liu Bei later called "Liu Yuzhou" for a long time. Cao Cao sent troops to help Liu Bei defeat Lu Bu. What is worth talking about here is the relationship between Cao Cao and Liu Bei. When Liu Bei began to join Cao Cao, Cao Cao's advisers all had opinions on Liu Bei, and Guo Jia said, "Being equipped with outstanding talents won the hearts of all. Zhang Fei and Guan Yu are all enemies of ten thousand people, and they died for it. If you look at it carefully, you will not be prepared for others, and your plan is unpredictable. The ancients said,' If you keep fighting the enemy for one day, you will suffer for generations.' It is advisable to do it early. "Others, such as Cheng Yu, also have this remark, but Cao Cao's love for talent never agreed. After defeating Lu Bu and returning to Xuchang, Cao Cao "showed that the ancestors were left generals, and the heavier the ceremony, the more they went out, the more they sat together." Cao Cao used this to gather Liu Bei's heart. However, Liu Bei's heart is insecure. The famous story about the hero who cooks wine tells this story. According to the biography of the Three Kingdoms, "Cao Gong calmly said to his predecessor," Today's heroes in the world only make the monarch and fuck his ears. There are not enough people at the beginning. " If you eat first, you will lose your knife and chopsticks. "Many people don't understand, others praise you, what are you afraid of. In fact, it is very simple. Obviously, in Cao Cao's mind, Liu Bei is not only not comparable to the aides and men of the second class, such as Xun Guo Jia and Xiahou, but even far beyond his opponents at that time, such as Er Yuan and Liu Biao. If one day your boss calls you and says to you, "Dude is as good as me." I don't know what you think, man. Are you ready to quit? In that precarious era, the shock in Liu Bei's heart was even more palpable. Fortunately, according to the National Records of Huayang: "It was just the right time in Lei Zhen, and the reason was that Cao Cao said:" The sage said,' Thunder and lightning will change', which is good. The power of a shock is as good as this! " It is a cover-up of the anxiety and shock in my heart. According to the legend of the ancestors in the "Three Kingdoms", Liu Bei and Dong took the imperial edict to plot. In the fourth year of Jian 'an, Yuan Shu went to the end and wanted to go to Xuzhou to vote for Yuan Shao. Liu Bei took the opportunity to leave Cao Cao in the name of crusade against Yuan Shu. After arriving in Xuzhou, Liu Bei killed Che Zhou, the secretariat of Xuzhou of Cao Cao, and formally broke with Cao Cao. However, at that time, Liu Bei's strength was far from enough to resist Cao Cao. Although he defeated the crusade of the generals sent by Cao Cao, when Cao Cao personally marched in Jian 'an for five years, he was finally defeated. Liu Bei's men were scattered, so he could only leave his wife, children and go to Yuan Shao alone. Yuan Shao attached great importance to Liu Bei's submission. Yuan Tan personally led the ride in Qingzhou to meet him and told Yuan Shao. In addition to sending generals to meet him along the way, Yuan Shao personally left his home for two hundred miles to meet him. From the attitude of Yuan's father and son, we can also see that Liu Bei was indeed famous all over the world at that time, far from being an ordinary hero, although he was defeated in many wars. Wei Shu said, "When you are ready to return to Shao, Shao's father and son respect you wholeheartedly.". However, I'm afraid Liu Bei has seen that Yuan Shao and Cao Cao can't win the hegemony. At the same time, with its ambition, it is impossible to be inferior for a long time. A few months later, in the name of uniting Liu Biao, Liu Bei left Yuan Shao and went to Runa to develop, and killed Cai Yang who was attacked by Cao Caopa. Of course, in the romance, this contribution was recorded on Guan Yu, who rode alone for thousands of miles and came back after five passes and six defeats. In order to resist the pressure of Cao Cao, Liu Bei sent his men to establish contact with Liu Biao, and as a guest general, they were stationed in Xinye on the north bank of Xiangyang as a northern shield for Liu Biao. After Xiahou Dun and Yu Jin attacked, Liu Bei pretended to retreat by burning the camp in Bo Wang, and then defeated it by setting an ambush. As you can see, at that time, Liu Bei's ability to fight was far above that of the general generals. He could defeat Cao Cao's men many times, even such contemporary stars as Xiahou Dun and Yu Jin. It can be seen that, of course, compared with Cao Cao's fighting genius, there is still a long way to go. But many people think that Liu Bei can't fight, which is groundless.
During the seven years from the first year of Xingping to the fifth year of Jian 'an, Liu Bei was adrift and turbulent, and suffered repeated battles and defeats. On the one hand, of course, his own ability has not been fully demonstrated. On the other hand, it is also limited to the origin and foundation, and the strength of this department is weak. At that time, strength was the only living condition, so it was normal to hit a wall everywhere. Judging from his opponents during this period, there were Yuan Shu, Lu Bu, Cao Cao, etc. before and after, that is, at that time, they were also powerful figures among governors, so the defeat was not necessarily useless. In particular, this period of experience has made him a world-famous hero. Although there are not many records about his benevolence in history books, it is also very high in terms of public opinion at that time, which can be seen from the attitudes of Yuan Shao, Cao Cao and Liu Biao towards him. Perhaps, with the love of Cao Cao, Yuan Shao and others, Liu Bei's attitude may not be low, but with Liu Bei's hero, his ambition is in the world, and he is not in the position of a mere official.
When Liu Bei left Cao Cao under the pretext of attacking Yuan Shu, Guo Jia entered from the outside and was shocked. He said, "Let's get ready." But Liu Bei has left. Dong Zhao also has this persuasion. After Cao Cao, he hated every word from Guo Jia and Cheng Yu. After reading it, I can only marvel at the foresight of Guo Jia, Cheng Yu, Dong Zhao and others. Sometimes I wonder, if Cao Cao had listened to Guo and Cheng's words at that time, would that Three Kingdoms era still exist? However, history is made up of countless accidents. If we understand this, such problems will no longer haunt us.