Chapter 50 (Fifty) Historical Interlude

Wei destroyed Shu in 263 AD, Jin destroyed Wei in 265 AD, and Jin destroyed Wu in 280 AD. The three families all belonged to the Western Jin Dynasty, and the world was unified again. The historical episode is over, so what criteria should we use to evaluate this period of history and the historical figures in it?Please pay attention to "Historical Interlude" of Yi Zhongtian Pin Three Kingdoms. In the last episode, it was mentioned that Wei, Shu, and Wu were reunited with the Jin Dynasty after a short tripartite confrontation. The historical curtain of the Three Kingdoms was finally opened slowly with the gentry class regaining its dominant position. However, we will not forget the history at the end of the Han Dynasty There are so many heroes on the stage with ebb and flow, high-spirited, thinking that Cao Cao raised the banner of Kuangfu Han Dynasty when he initiated the rebel army after eunuchs, Liu Bei ran around to revive the Han Dynasty, Sun Quan has the foundation left by his father and brother They are also full of ambitions for the future. Cao Cao, Liu Bei, and Sun Quan finally stood on the commanding heights of their own lives and established their own hegemony, which admired the successors.However, there is an evocative problem in the Three Kingdoms. Cao Cao, who held the emperor to make the princes, did not become the emperor in the end, but left behind the historical infamy of usurping the Han Dynasty, and Liu Bei, who had always taken the task of revitalizing the Han Dynasty, finally became the emperor himself , but still left the historical reputation of benevolence and righteousness, so how should we look at the characters in this period of history?Who is the real hero in the Three Kingdoms period? Professor Yi Zhongtian of Xiamen University is a guest at the Baike Forum, and will tell you about the "Historical Episode" of the Three Kingdoms.

In the last episode, we said that the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties with the gentry landlord class as the ruling class were historically inevitable, and the Three Kingdoms was an episode in the process of our historical transformation from the aristocratic landlord class to the gentry landlord class.So how do we view this period of history?There are two options, one is to conduct moral criticism, and the other is to conduct scientific analysis.Moral criticism is the view of history held by many people in China. They always divide historical events and characters into gentlemen and villains, loyal ministers and treacherous ministers, good people and bad people, red faces and bad faces. Of course, it is easier to look at it this way Son, it’s the same when we were young when we watched plays. When a character appeared, we immediately asked our parents whether he was a good person or a bad person.For example, in our Three Kingdoms, if you want to make a moral criticism and draw the boundary according to the gentleman and villain, etc., what is Lu Su?Is Lu Su a loyal minister or a traitor?Is it a gentleman or a villain?Everyone said that Lu Su was of course a loyal minister, and no one regarded Lu Su as a traitor. Let me tell you, Lu Su was the first to say that the Han Dynasty could not be revived. He was the first to betray the Eastern Han Dynasty. Are traitors or loyal ministers?He was earlier than Cao Cao. Cao Cao usurping the Han was not a traitor, and Lu Su's rebellion against the Han was not a traitor.Okay, let me ask again, is Xun Yu a gentleman or a villain?Everyone said that Xun Yu is of course a gentleman, but it is generally recognized that Xun Yu's morality is high, so why did he follow a thief?According to your system, Cao Cao is not a thief, but Xun Yu, an upright and upright gentleman, followed a treacherous and cruel man, who was full of conspiracies and schemes to usurp the Han Dynasty. Such a traitor, that is not called admitting a thief as a father, how do you explain it?Let me ask another question, how to explain the three major battles? We know that the episode of the Three Kingdoms has three movements, which are the three major battles: the Battle of Guandu - the warlord defeated the clan, the Battle of Chibi - the South against the North, and the Battle of Yiling - the three families divided equally world.Then these three major battles have a common feature, that is, whoever initiates loses. The Battle of Guandu was launched by Yuan Shao and Yuan Shao failed. The Battle of Chibi was launched by Cao Cao and Cao Cao failed. The Battle of Yiling was launched by Liu Bei and Liu Bei was defeated.If you were to make a moral critique, how would you do it?If you say that Cao Cao is a thief, then Cao Cao's victory over Yuan Shao means that Jin defeated Shan. If you say that Liu Bei is a benevolent monarch and a good emperor, how could he be defeated in the battle of Yiling, and the person who defeated Liu Bei, Lu Xun, you can't say It's a villain, the gentleman defeated the gentleman, how do you explain it?So this path is actually unreasonable, so we can only choose another method, which is to analyze scientifically.We must have a scientific view of history. Where is this scientific view of history? In Marx’s case, Marx’s famous work "The Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte" was written by Napoleon’s nephew Louis Bonaparte. Following the example of his uncle, he staged another coup d'état. Since the date of his uncle's coup d'état was the 18th Brumaire, Marx sarcastically referred to Louis Bonaparte's coup as the 18th Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte. After the incident, there was a sensation throughout Europe, saying that a man like Louis Bonaparte has become a character, and many people expressed moral indignation. In the words of Engels, Engels said in the preface to Marx's work that of course many people in Europe Show moral anger and moral condemnation, but no one understands this incident, only Marx understands, and Marx's predictions about the subsequent course of the incident have all been fulfilled, so why is this happening?According to Engels, Marx’s point of view was different. Marx told us that it was the conditions and situation created by the class struggle in France that made a mediocre and ridiculous figure like Louis Bonaparte a hero of the times. After a historical event occurs, when a historical figure appears, analyzing conditions and situations is much deeper, wiser, and more important than moral criticism and moral condemnation.

Mr. Yi Zhongtian believes that a historical figure cannot be judged simply by moral standards, that is, one cannot simply say who is good and who is bad.Because good people also have a bad side, and bad people also have good deeds, so the most important thing to evaluate a historical figure is to look at the historical conditions and situation he is in.So what was the situation at the end of Han Dynasty?In the eyes of Mr. Yi Zhongtian, who is the real hero of the Three Kingdoms period? What were the conditions and situation at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty?Eight words: The old government is dead, and the new one is at the end.This policy refers to political power, and it also refers to politics. On the one hand, as a political power, the Eastern Han Dynasty really didn’t say it was dying. Strictly speaking, it should have died. It is very clear that there is not a single inch of land in the world belonging to the Eastern Han Dynasty, and not a single person belongs to the Eastern Han Dynasty. Why does it still exist? Not built up.In addition, the old order of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the political order is gone, and the three pillars supporting the Empire State Building no longer exist.What are the three pillars of the Eastern Han Dynasty: foreign relatives, eunuchs, and gentry.The relatives and eunuchs had already collapsed before Dong Zhuo entered the capital during their internal struggles, and then the pillar of the gentry could not be supported by itself. So what is the most important thing at this time?There are also eight words: rebuild order and return to unity, because at this time, only when the world is unified can there be peace and the people can live a peaceful life. You think these warlords will fight today and I will fight tomorrow. Who will suffer in the end? ah?Ordinary people, no matter which warlord comes here, he will grab food, money, and recruit young men, but our country is an agricultural country, and our nation is an agricultural nation. What is the most important thing about agricultural production?An Ding, because agricultural production depends on the weather, when spring comes, plow quickly, when summer comes, cultivate summer, and when autumn comes, harvest autumn.Therefore, people's desire for reunification is their desire for stability, tranquility, tranquility, and safe living. Only when they live in peace and contentment can they develop their productive forces, and only when they develop productive forces can the nation prosper, the country become rich and strong, and the people be happy. Therefore, reunification is the general trend. Under such a premise, We can easily evaluate, how to evaluate?Whoever can do it is a hero, that is, who can contribute to the reunification of the country and advance the cause of this reunification. Who is the hero of this era, who is the hero?The first one is Cao Cao. Without Cao Cao's pacification of the north and laying such a foundation for the future return of the three families to Jin, it would be difficult to say what history will develop in the future and how much suffering our people will suffer; It was pacified, and Liu Bei pacified a part of Yizhou in Jingzhou. This unification or unification is not the patent of anyone. Cao Cao, Liu Bei, and Sun Quan all have rights and qualifications. You cannot say that only Cao Cao is eligible for unification, and you cannot say that only Liu Bei is eligible for unification because of his surname. For Liu, this is unreasonable, and Sun Quan also wants to unify. It is unreasonable to ignore Sun Quan. After Sun Quan became emperor, he was still dissatisfied. At that time, Sun Quan refused to perform some sacrificial ceremonies. He said that the world How can I do it without unification, but this kind of trouble will come, because everyone has the rights and qualifications, and they all feel that they should realize the unification of the world by themselves. What is the result of this?It is the vicissitudes of life, heroes emerge in large numbers, dragons and tigers fight, and the three kingdoms stand together.The so-called historical episodes are inserted in this way. Once we know how to look at this period of history, we will be fine and easy to evaluate the historical figures in this period of history, and we can solve many mysteries. For example, Xun Yuzhi puzzle.

The death of Xun Yu was an important mystery during the Three Kingdoms period. Xun Yu was the first counselor under Cao Cao. He worked hard for the final establishment of Cao Cao's hegemony, but in the end he had a disagreement with Cao Cao and died in anger. Mr. Yi Zhongtian believed that Xun Yu's death was a Historical tragedy, and at the same time he thinks that Cao Cao is actually a tragic figure, so why is this? Xun Yu was a very important figure in the Three Kingdoms era. He is important not only because of his contributions to Cao Cao's pacification of northern China, but because of his identity. What is his identity?He was born in a gentry family, and he belonged to the gentry landlord class. His grandfather was the magistrate of Langling and the magistrate of Langling County. His father was the chancellor of Jinan, and he was the prime minister of Jinan. Xun Shuang's uncle Xun Shuang was a Sikong, so Xun Yu's family is a noble family, and Xun Yu himself is a celebrity.At that time, there was a famous critic named He Yong. Who was He Yong?He Yong, from Nanyang, was the leader of the celebrity group at that time. He and Qiao Xuan were the first to be optimistic about Cao Cao. He Yong said that Xun Yu was Wang Zuocai, so Xun Yu was a nobleman and a celebrity.Well, as we said before, the regime established by Cao Cao was a non-gentry regime. Cao Cao fought against the nobles and disliked celebrities. For example, he killed Kong Rong and killed the side, so how could such two people cooperate?Moreover, the importance of Xun Yu lies not only in his identity, but also in the timing, that is, when did Xun Yu go to defect to Cao Cao?It is Yuan Shao who has become the shepherd of Jizhou, and Cao Cao is a prefect of the East County appointed by Yuan Shao. For example, Xun Yu ran from Governor Yuan to Mayor Cao. This is very strange, so why did Xun Yu where to go?Why do you want to go to Cao Cao? "Three Kingdoms" says that Xun Yu's Du Shao will not be able to achieve great things in the end, that is, Xun Yu will not be able to achieve great things after seeing through Yuan Shao.So we have to ask Xun Yu what is the big deal?Like Zhuge Liang, to revive the Han Dynasty, he just wanted to restore the Eastern Han Dynasty, so why did Xun Yu go to Cao Cao if he wanted to restore the Eastern Han Dynasty?Because Xun Yu thinks that Zhong Kui must be used to fight ghosts. There are too many ghosts now, and only Zhong Kui can fight ghosts. Cao Cao is Zhong Kui. , or Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty, or the successor of Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty, he never expected that Zhong Kui would become a ghost himself in the process of fighting ghosts. The princes are now, he didn't expect that Cao Cao would become the Duke of Wei in the end, and Xun Yu thought that once Cao Cao became the Duke of Wei, it meant that Cao Cao would usurp the Han.So he had to leave Cao Cao in pain. As for whether he died of depression or suicide, or was forced to death by Cao Cao, I don't think it matters anymore, because the two of them have already parted ways politically. What about such a result?Just because Xun Yu and Cao Cao are both people with ideals, their ideals conflicted.Xun Yu’s ideal is to restore the order of the Eastern Han Dynasty, while Cao Cao’s is to rebuild a new order, an order different from that of the Eastern Han Dynasty. It is the same to establish order and unify China. The question is what path will be taken after the unification?Xun Yu wants to take the old path of the Eastern Han Dynasty, while Cao Cao wants to take a new path, and Cao Cao has reached the point where he has gone to the point of unscrupulous in order to realize his political ideals. He belongs to such a character, so this is a tragic conflict .The so-called tragic conflict must be a good conflict, that is, both sides have a reason, and they are contradictory when put together, so this is a tragic conflict. In the end, the arm cannot twist the thigh, and Xun Yu's arm cannot twist Cao Cao's thigh. Cao Cao's arm can't twist the thigh of the gentry and landlord class.After his death, his son immediately compromised with the gentry landlord class, and history returned to the track that the gentry class hoped for. From this perspective, Cao Cao is also a tragic figure.

There is an ideal conflict between Cao Cao and Xun Yu that is difficult to reconcile, because Cao Cao wants to achieve his own hegemony, while Xun Yu has always taken the restoration of the Han Dynasty as his mission.That being the case, it is inevitable that the two will eventually part ways. Sun Quan of Soochow and Lu Su have the same goal. The rating is not the highest, why is this?How should we view Sun Quan and Lu Su historically? Lu Su can be said to be the first person to recognize the situation in the Three Kingdoms era. When Cao Cao and Yuan Shao had just finished fighting in Guandu and many people still couldn't see the situation clearly, Lu Su came to Sun Quan and said something to Sun Quan ?The Han Dynasty cannot be revived, and Cao Cao cannot be eliminated.You have to know that seven years later, the conversation between Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang in Longzhong was still talking about rejuvenating the Han Dynasty. You said that Lu Su had such a vision, the Han Dynasty cannot be supported, and Cao Cao will not get rid of it for a while. , so how?So you can do something, general, what does it mean that the Han Dynasty cannot be revived?It means that Sun Quan's hegemony can be achieved. Anyway, there is a lot of chaos now. You might as well build a place to gain political power as soon as possible. Since Cao Cao cannot be eliminated by death, he cannot be eliminated at once. Three points are necessary, so Lu Su Proposed to Sun Quan the idea of ​​dividing the world into three parts, Sun Quan, Liu Biao, and Cao Cao divided the world into three parts.Well, since it is necessary to divide the world into three parts, Jingzhou and Yangzhou or Jiangdong must unite against the north and draw the river to rule. Therefore, it is inevitable for the south to fight against the north. Since it is inevitable for the south to fight against the north, it is inevitable to unite Liu against Cao , This is the meaning of Lu Su.Now I can tell everyone responsibly that before the final battle of Chibi, Sun Quan decided to join forces with Liu Bei because Lu Su had already made things clear seven years ago. Zhan Lusu is the number one hero.What about Lu Su's luck?It is also because he met Sun Quan. What kind of person is Sun Quan?As I said earlier, Cao Cao and Xun Yu had ideals, but their ideals conflicted. Neither Sun Quan nor Lu Su had ideals. What is there?have goal.They only have a goal, what is the goal?It is Lu Su's proposal of "building an empire to map the world".If you want to be an emperor, you have to be called an emperor. If you want to be an emperor, you must first secure Jiangdong. If you want Jiangdong, you can’t keep it. What kind of emperor do you want? Woolen cloth?It is necessary to associate with Liu Bei and localize. This is a very clear account.So Sun Quan resolutely joined forces with Liu Bei during the Battle of Chibi, so Sun Quan later resolutely handed over the political power and military power to the Jiangdong gentry. The emperor, I am called the emperor, I can map the world, he is very clear about his calculations.So Sun Quan doesn't care about three things: First, he doesn't care whether the Han Dynasty survives or perishes.It doesn't matter whether the big man exists or not. When I think it will exist, I said that I also want to revive the Han Dynasty. What did he do to revive the Han Dynasty?The second one doesn't care, doesn't care whether Cao Cao is loyal or traitor.It doesn't matter whether Cao Cao is a loyal minister or a traitor. When you need to be a loyal minister, you are a Han prime minister. When you need to think that you are a traitor, you are a traitor. You can see how Sun Quan called Cao Cao. How and what, he has changed several times, and he doesn't care at all.The third one doesn't care, he doesn't care about the nature of the regime, that is, he doesn't care whether his regime belongs to the gentry landlord class or the common landlord class, he doesn't care, he only cares about one thing, the surname is not Sun, the surname is Sun, so he is in Jiangdong became the climate.Because after all, Cao Cao is the Prime Minister of Han, Liu Bei is the royal family, what is Sun Quan?Why can he become famous?related to this.Therefore, there is a kind of tacit understanding between Lu Su and Sun Quan, and there is a kind of tacit understanding between the monarch and his ministers. Yes, the evaluation of Zhou Yu is the highest, and the evaluation of Lu Su is 30-70, why do you say that?Lu Su should not have asked me to borrow Jingzhou, so why did Lu Su borrow Jingzhou?Lu Su is a realist, so he thought that if you don't unite with Liu Bei, you can't fight Cao Cao. Of course, we can discuss this issue. Should I borrow it or not? I don't want to talk about this issue now. I just say that these two people are realist.

Above, Mr. Yi Zhongtian used a scientific view of history to analyze for us that both Cao Cao and Xun Yu were idealists, and Sun Quan and Lu Su were both realists. I am familiar with Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang. It is generally believed that the two of them are like ducks in water, and that the monarch and his ministers trust each other the most. Otherwise, how could there be a historical story of Yongan Tuogu? Is this the truth?How should we evaluate Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang historically? What is the relationship between Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang?Two words: subtle.Like a duck to water Is there, a little, not much, when?After the battle of Longzhong, it was like a fish in water. After the Battle of Chibi, there were changes. Why?Because Zhuge Liang is a person with ideals, what does Liu Bei have?Ambitious.Cao Cao is said to have ideals but no blueprint, Cao Cao has a hazy idea, he doesn't know what to do, he crosses the river by feeling the stones, so he gets scolded the most.Zhuge Liang has an ideal and a blueprint. He has a "Longzhong Dui", and he is implementing it in an orderly manner, which is very beautiful.Sun Quan doesn't have it, he has a goal, to establish the title of emperor to map the world.What does Liu Bei have?Ambitious, want to believe in the righteousness of the world, in fact, before Liu Bei met Zhuge Liang, he didn't know what he should do, he only knew that I was Liu, a man, a man, I had to do something, I couldn't live in the world in vain what.He said to Liu Biao in tears that he was at Liu Biao's place: You see, my thighs have grown fat, what should I do at this age.Because people in their forties were already old people in ancient times. In ancient times, he had an ambition. He had no goals and no blueprints. Who gave the goals and blueprints was Zhuge Liang.Zhuge Liang's "Longzhong Dui" made Liu Bei suddenly enlightened. It turns out that I, Liu, can still do this. Well, then I will do it. How about you, brother, help me raise food and grass.After the Battle of Chibi, Zhuge Liang's official position was called Military Adviser Zhonglang General. What was his mission?To mobilize taxes to enrich the army is the head of the General Logistics Department, the head of the General Armament Department, the head of finance, and the head of military supplies. It is others who really want to win the world. , why not bring Zhuge Liang?Various explanations generally say that the soldiers and horses have not moved, and the food and grass go first. This issue of food and grass is very important.For example, when Liu Bang conquered the world, Xiao He did this. In the end, Liu Bang rated the hero who was the first, and Xiao He was the first, right?Liu Bang said to those generals who were born and died, it was like hunting. A hunting dog chased a rabbit, and whose hunter deserved the credit in the end.So from this point of view, Zhuge Liang is of course a meritorious person, he is not a meritorious dog, but I always feel that there is another reason that Zhuge Liang is too decent, Zhuge Liang is very decent, Pang Tong and Fazheng are hard to say, look at Liu Bei It is not moral to say that it is not moral enough to seize Liu Zhang's territory when entering Sichuan. You are all members of the clan, surnamed Liu, and they asked you to help, and you took their place.How did Pang Tong explain it, saying that he couldn't hold on to his house anyway, and if we didn't go and take it from Cao Cao, then we should give it to Cao Cao instead of giving it to us?This is the first account.Second, after we win Yizhou, won't it be enough to make him a high official?What kind of talk is this? This is equivalent to inviting you as a guest in a villa, and then you become the owner of the villa and say that you will allocate a big house to him. Zhuge Liang will definitely not be able to say such words.But this kind of person is needed at this time, and Fazheng is even worse. He is the housekeeper of the villa. The owner of the villa asked Liu Bei to live there. Who are these people?But at this time, Liu Bei needs such a person. It is not such a person that he can't do anything, he can't take the place.So we see that Liu Bei brought Pang Tong to Shu, Liu Bei conquered Hanzhong and brought Fazheng, Guan Yu attacked Xiangfan and Zhuge Liang didn't say a word, we don't even know whether he agreed or opposed, and finally Liu Bei launched the battle of Yiling whether Zhuge Liang agreed or opposed , we only know that he said afterwards that it would be great if Fazheng was right, and Fazheng would definitely be able to stop the Lord from launching this war. Please think about what kind of state Zhuge Liang should be in during this period of time. In fact, there are still many unsolved mysteries in Zhuge Liang's life. What are the unsolved mysteries?Please watch the next episode.