Introduction: At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the masses rose up together, attacking and killing each other for territory. Even if the Eighteen Princes were to attack Dong Zhuo, the princes were still conspiring and calculating with each other. During the Eastern Han Dynasty, the north was an absolute center of gravity of the state and a land of wealth and taxation, so the princes were far more cruel to the northern states than the south. The battles in Qingzhou, Jizhou, Youzhou, Hezhou, Yuzhou, and even Pingzhou in the northeast were extremely fierce; Gongsun Zhan, Cao Cao, Yuan Shao, Wuhuan, and Liaodong Gongsun clans disappeared one after another on the historical stage, and finally Cao Cao settled on the Central Plains to unify the north. Among them, the strength, pattern, vision and luck of all forces have played an important role.
Yuan Shao of the Fourth Dynasty and the Third Duke, and Gongsun Zhan, the governor of Sizhou, who had a white horse and a righteous congregation, all had the strength and opportunity to pacify the north; even the strong and strong Wuhuan and the Gongsun clan of Liaodong had the opportunity to enter the Central Plains, of course, provided that they did not die and endure loneliness. Unfortunately, they either attacked each other or fought with each other, giving Cao Cao the opportunity to break through one by one, allowing Cao Cao to complete the great cause of unifying the north and laying the foundation of the Cao Wei Dynasty. The Wei and Jin (Western Jin) were all short-lived regimes, so from the end of the Han Dynasty to the Wei and Jin dynasties, Wuhuan and other northern forces still had the opportunity to emerge and then dominate one side.
Gongsun Zhan, the governor of the four northern prefectures, was the first to emerge, but unfortunately the soldiers were defeated and died to make a wedding dress for Yuan Shao
Unlike Yuan Shao and Cao Cao, who were officials of the second generation, Gongsun Zhan, the Taishou of Beiping, was born as a low-level official; whether it was due to historical opportunities or after being suppressed, gongsun Zhan was the first to rise among the various forces in the north. Gongsun Zhan, who also started with the Yellow Turban Uprising, was fierce and strategic: he treated the northern Wuhuan and other ethnic minorities with cruelty and fierceness, and also laid the groundwork for his own demise (Yuan Shao and Wuhuan joined forces); just because of the different attitudes toward the northern minorities (in order to support frequent wars, plundering the people to pay for military expenses), he killed his superior Liu Yu, and through the abduction of imperial emissaries, he obtained the authorization of the governor of the four northern prefectures (Youzhou, Hezhou, Qingzhou, and Jizhou), becoming one of the most powerful princes in the north.
Although Gongsun Zhan's methods are somewhat dark, in the last years of the Han Dynasty, the era of collapse and happiness, the winner is the king, and it is also an effective annotation for the hero not to ask the source. Of course, the so-called governor of the four northern states, in fact, Gongsun Zhan's main territory is still in Youzhou. Since then, Gongsun Zhan's mentality of being small and rich and peaceful has been revealed, and he has not cared for the people, and he has really achieved nothing in terms of people's livelihood. The mentality of getting by and being depressed is far less than the spirit of the time when he and Yuan Shao competed for Jizhou. Of course, the persecution of Liu Yu's remnants, Yuan Shao's attacks, and the intervention of Xianbei and Wuhuan were all the reasons for Gongsun Zhan's defeat.
So does Gongsun Zhan have a chance to become the male lord who dominates the north? The answer is no, no chance at all. First of all, Youzhou is located in the combination of Hu and Han, and the sensitive geopolitical situation is a place where soldiers must fight, no matter who determines the Central Plains, they will not let Youzhou develop independently; secondly, like the Iron Horse of Hezhou, the Iron Horse of Youzhou, represented by the White Horse Yicong, is also a force that cannot be ignored by the chaotic masses; whether it is the idea of not allowing others to snore next to the bed, or the fear of being stabbed in the back when fighting for hegemony in the south, Youzhou belongs to the area that must be conquered. Therefore, in the case of Gongsun Zhan's lack of morality, ability, and strength, the end can only be surrendered to others, so Gongsun Zhan has no chance to become an independent force.
Yuan Shao, the fourth and third dukes, had a family lineage, strength, and strategy, and destroyed Gongsun Zhan like a praying mantis catching cicadas, but eventually lost to Cao Cao
Although Yuan Shao, who was born in the Yuan clan of Runan, was not a concubine, he also had the family lineage of the fourth and third dukes. At the end of the Han Dynasty, when the inspection system was prevalent, this family lineage attracted people like moths to join like flames. After defeating the stepping stone Gongsun Zhan, Yuan Shao ruled the richest and most prosperous Qingyouji and four prefectures, with sufficient food and grain, and quite a majestic posture. The opponent Cao Cao reached the point of occupying Xuzhou, Yuzhou, and Guanzhong before the Battle of Guandu, but the territory suffered from the Yellow Turban Rebellion, and the output was poor and sparsely populated; what was even more fatal was that Cao Cao's territory formed a situation of narrow and long and insufficient depth from east to west (as shown in the following figure); moreover, Cao Cao was located in the land of four battles, with Liu Biao and Liu Zhangsun Jian in the south, which was far less stable than Yuan Shao without worries; so Yuan Shao definitely had the opportunity to defeat Cao Cao and unify the north.
Looking at talents, Yuan Shao's military generals can be described as talented: Tian Feng, Frustrated Zhi, Guo Tu, Zhen Pei, Yan Liang, Wen Ugly, Zhang Guo, and Gao Lan. It can be said that regardless of the size of the territory, the degree of wealth, or the talent allocation, Yuan Shao's Hebei clique can be regarded as the most powerful of the princes of the late Han Dynasty. It can be said that even the most stupid method and Cao Cao's hard consumption can drag Cao Cao down. Yuan Shao, who lost soldiers and soldiers in the Battle of Guandu, still did not hurt his bones, which is proof, so the shortcomings of Yuan Shao's group are Yuan Shao himself. Self-reliance and heir issues are all yuan shao's tricks, truly practicing the parable that the wolves led by sheep cannot lead the sheep. Cao Cao's strength also developed after completely occupying Yuan Shao's stronghold of Jizhou, with Yicheng as the center.
At this time, Sun Quan, who was later divided into three worlds, had not yet come to power (Sun Ce was in charge), and Liu Bei was still living under Cao Cao's account (later stealing Xuzhou's troops and defeating them); although Cao Cao became a prince of the party, he was also sad in the face of Yuan Shao's large army pressure, otherwise there would be no allusion to "barefoot greeting Xu You" in the Battle of Guandu. Although Cao Cao blackmailed Tianzi to order the princes, Yuan Shao, Sun Quan of Jiangdong, Liu Biao of Jingzhou, and Liu Zhang of Yizhou took Emperor Xian of Han seriously? So if Liu Biao, Liu Zhang, and Sun Quan formed an alliance, even if they sent troops to contain Cao Cao when war broke out, Cao Cao would inevitably not be able to take care of each other? Where there is still the opportunity for Cao Cao to dominate the north, so slowly fight to consume, as long as Yuan Shao himself does not make mistakes, Yuan Shao's Hebei clique will definitely have the opportunity to unify the north.
The three counties of Wuhuan with Wuhuan's cavalry had more than 100,000 troops, and if they were not too persistent in opposing Cao Cao, they might have the opportunity to divide Liaodong before the Wuhu Chaohua
Wuhuan, like Xianbei, was born from Donghu, who was defeated by the Xiongnu, and of course, Wuhuan, as a younger brother, was still suppressed by the Xiongnu in the early days. If it were not for the complete defeat of the Xiongnu by the Han Dynasty, there might not have been a Wuhuan raid that later shook the world. At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the Wuhuan Tujue of the three counties of Liaoxi, Liaodong, and Youbeiping rode across Liaodong, and this extremely powerful elite cavalry was quite jealous even if gongsun Zhan, who had a white horse and a righteous congregation (Gongsun Zhan had been besieged by Wuhuan Tuqi for half a year). In the process of Yuan Shao's attack on Gongsun Zhan, wuhuan iron horsemen played a major role. It can be said that Yuan Shao vigorously assisted Wuhuan, so that Wuhuan established a regular army; and Yuan Shao's canonization of Da Danyu gave Wuhuan a complete prototype of a slave steppe khanate.
It should be known that Wuhuan is not only a nomadic people, but also a people who are good at farming; the great cohesion of such a tribe once established may far exceed that of a pure nomadic khanate; the later Tubo Empire, liao state, Western Xia, and Northern Wei (daiguo) are all suitable for farming and herding, and while absorbing agricultural civilization, they also have the strength of nomadic iron horses, and such a regime will usually exceed a hundred years. The reason that triggered Cao Cao's soldiers to send Wu Huan was still in Yuan's body, which can be said to be Cheng and Xiao He defeated and Xiao He. If Wu Huan did not insist on protecting Yuan, Cao Cao, who insisted on cutting the grass and rooting out the Yuan clan, would not have withstood the huge risk of dying wu Huan. As long as Wu Huan did not insist on opposing Cao, then he could follow the practice of allegiance to the Central Plains Dynasty (Five Dynasties) before the founding of the Western Xia Dynasty in the later period. It may not be certain whether it will be able to enter the Central Plains like the Northern Wei, but after the brother tribes that have no intention of unifying the steppe, Xianbei, have moved south to the Central Plains, it is still a high probability that Wuhuan will become a local government that divides the side.
The Gongsun clan of Liaodong is even more proficient, and there is no chance to dominate Liaodong and even enter the Central Plains under enough low-key concealment
The Gongsun clan of Liaodong was even more ambitious, and from the Gongsun Du period, there was a grand ambition of "Han Zuo will be extinct, and he should be with the king of Zhuqing Tu". A large number of immigrants from the Central Plains war came to Liaodong, bringing advanced farming technology and talents to Liaodong; the sufficient population provided Liaodong with a stable source of soldiers and a tax base, which were the basis for the Gongsun clan of Liaodong to divide the side. The attitude of the Gongsun clan of Liaodong towards Cao Wei was much smarter than that of Wu Huan, and nominal submission and tribute could ensure their own peaceful development. Starting from Gongsun Du, who led the Pingzhou Pastor, the successors Gongsun Kang and Gongsun Gong all developed without vain fame and peace of mind. In the time of Gongsun Kang, in order to curry favor with Cao Cao, he killed Yuan Shang and Yuan Xi, who had come to take refuge, and was made the Marquis of Xiangping and the General of Zuo by Cao Cao, while his successor, Gongsun Gong, was made a cheqi general by the Wei Emperor Cao Pi, and a false festival, and was given the title of Marquis of Pingguo. Therefore, low-key development is the king's way, but when it came to the fourth generation of Gongsun Yuan, he coveted a false name, which brought disaster to the Gongsun clan.
The State of Yan of the Gongsun clan of Liaodong was the only extraterritorial force after Wei Shu and Wu divided the world, and became a pawn of Sun and Liu's two families vying to win over Cao Wei (mainly Sun Quan, who was connected by sea, and Shu Han was a bit out of reach). In the face of the fleet sent by Sun Quan to seal the reward, Gongsun Yuan at both ends of the snake and rat killed people and snatched Sun Quan's gold and silver jewelry and reported to Cao Wei (mainly for fear of causing Cao Wei's dissatisfaction). Poor Sun Quan, who also dreamed of establishing military bases overseas like the United States (to contain Cao Wei from Liaodong by sea), was eaten dry and teased by Gongsun Yuan. As for how Gongsun Yuan claimed that the King of Yan triggered Cao Wei's crusade is not the focus of this article, let's see if it were not for the strange Gongsun Yuan, could the Gongsun clan complete the great cause of dividing Liaodong and even entering the Central Plains?
In fact, it is completely possible: after surviving the Wei Ming Emperor Cao Rui, Cao Wei is also about to be replaced by Sima Shi. Most of the territory of the Gongsun clan in Liaodong was obtained through conquest of foreign regimes such as Goguryeo, and the relatively barren land did not have much influence on the Central Plains regime. Moreover, the weak Jin Dynasty was not strong in force, and the Gongsun clan could serve as a barrier against the invasion of Goguryeo. Historically, it was the power vacuum caused by the demise of the Gongsun clan in Liaodong that formed the eastern invasion of Goguryeo and the rise of Murong Yan.com. Since the Xianbei Murong clan could have rapidly developed into a division in the practical sense after submitting to the Jin Dynasty from the time of Murong Hui, why didn't the Gongsun clan do it? Moreover, the rise of Murong Zhuyan, who later entered the Central Plains, was definitely a copy of the Gongsun clan of Liaodong. It should be known that the sima clan was founded in wuhu chaohua for only a few decades, and if it were not for Gongsun Yuan's death, the Gongsun clan of Liaodong who survived to this time would use the world's chaotic strength to soar. Taking advantage of the chaos in the Central Plains to seriously reorganize the armament war, the Gongsun clan may not be able to sweep the Central Plains like An Lushan, at least it can divide the north.
brief summary:
From the end of the Han Dynasty to the Wei and Jin Dynasties, heroes emerged in the Central Plains. Under the strength, pattern, vision, luck and even historical opportunities of the relevant forces in the north, Cao Cao completed the historical task of unifying the north. But it does not mean that the Yuan Shao, Liaodong Gongsun clan and even Wu Huan described in this article have no chance of success, and if the wheel of history rolling forward is shaken by a subtle accidental factor, perhaps this history will turn a new page.
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