For many people, this may be a problem: Zhuge Liang did not turn to Cao Cao, but chose Liu Bei. If you want to make a contribution and turn to the more powerful Cao Ying, it should be easier on this stronger and higher platform.
For Zhuge Liang's choice, there is no clear answer to the search for historical materials. Some people believe that Zhuge Liang did not turn to Cao Cao, because of a psychological shadow in his childhood: Cao Cao avenged his father, once slaughtered the city in Xuzhou, and Zhuge Liang, who was 14 years old at the time, happened to be in Xuzhou, following the displaced people to flee everywhere...
Is this really the case?
1, clear statement: Longzhong has an answer
Why didn't Zhuge Liang turn to Cao Cao? When Liu Beisan looked at Maolu, it was clearly stated in the dialogue between the two men that Cao Cao "embraced millions of people and blackmailed the Son of Heaven and ordered the princes." In Zhuge Liang's eyes, Cao Cao held the emperor hostage and ordered the princes in the name of the emperor. To interpret it in popular language, Cao Cao put the emperor in the air, and the people of the world did not obey the emperor's orders, but Cao Cao's orders, and this person was a thief who stole the country.
How did Zhuge Liang evaluate Liu Bei? "The general is the emperor's house, Xinyi is written in the four seas, the hero is in charge, and the sage is thirsty", General Liu, you are a descendant of the royal family, famous for xinyi, collecting heroes everywhere, and sixian is thirsty. Zhuge Liang believed that Liu Bei was a close relative of the emperor, orthodox and orthodox, paying attention to faithfulness, widely recruiting heroes Haojie, and hungry for the need for talents.
Cao Cao's father, Cao Song, was the adopted son of the eunuch Cao Teng. Despite the official title of Lieutenant, the world still regarded Cao Cao as a "Han Clan". Why Cao Cao didn't care about the other party's origin when he accepted talents, it was because he was also grassroots. After Liu Bei claimed to be the King of Zhongshan Jing, Liu Sheng, when the Han Dynasty was about to collapse, he was of course qualified to support Jiangshan. Compared with Cao Cao's seizure of the emperor's command of the world, Liu Bei occupied a higher ground of morality, morality, and personality.
2. Related to the recommender: there is xu shu's blessing
Zhuge Liang hid in Nanyang, cultivated the land, and liked to sing "Father Liang Yin" when he grew up. The history books record that he often compared himself to the same talents as Guan Zhong and Le Yi, but "when people did not allow him to be", people who knew him at that time did not recognize that he had such talents. Further, zhuge liang's talent and knowledge were not recognized by everyone before he left the mountain.
Zhuge Liang can be compared with Guan Zhong and Le Yi, and is only recognized by two people, one is Cui Zhouping and the other is Xu Shu, both of whom are zhuge Liang's friends. Liu Bei temporarily lived in Xinye, and Xu Shu came to seek an official. According to the "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", Xu Shumiao's tricks were frequently produced and he was deeply valued by Liu Bei. Then Xu Shu recommended Zhuge Liang: "This person is Wolong!" Thus staged the great drama of the three Gu Maolu.
Xu Shu recommended Zhuge Liang to Liu Bei, did he recommend Liu Bei to Zhuge Liang? Judging from the process of Liu Bei's three visits, Zhuge Liang did not know it in advance. After Liu Bei met, he must have explained that Xu Shu was in his camp. Zhiyin's friend turned to Liu Bei, and people visited him three times, so there was no reason to refuse, and it was not surprising that Zhuge Liang joined Liu Bei's camp.
3, related to the Cao Cao camp: the platform competitiveness is too strong
Before Zhuge Liang went out of the mountain, he was only recognized by two people, far from being recognized as a Ji Shi wizard. Zhuge Liang, who is small in fame, young in age, with shallow seniority and shallow roots, will choose Cao Cao and receive courtesy in Liu Bei's camp? Judging from Liu Bei's words that "there is Kong Ming in isolation, and there is water in Juyu", Zhuge Liang's initial entry into Liu Bei's camp encountered a crisis of trust, and Guan Yu and Zhang Fei did not fully recognize it.
This is understandable. As early as 16 years before Zhuge Liang left the mountains, Xun Yu defected to Cao Ying and became Cao Cao's Zhang Zifang; as early as 11 years ago, Guo Jia served as Cao Cao's military division, begging Zhang Xiu, killing Lü Bu, and using troops in the battles of Guandu "like Sun Wu"; as early as 8 years ago, Jia Xu was crowned marquis by Cao Cao. As for Cheng Yu, Zhong Xuan, Xun You, Chen Qun... They have been famous for many years and are deeply trusted by Cao Cao.
Suppose Zhuge Liang joins Cao Ying, in the face of the competition of these people, although the platform is stronger and higher, it will be doubly difficult to stand out. For this reason, see the incident a few years later: Zhuge Liang sent Cao Wei, and when he heard that Xu Shu's official position was only right lieutenant general and imperial history, he couldn't help but sigh: Is there so many talents in the State of Wei? Why not reuse Xu Shu? The competitiveness of Cao Wei's platform is so strong.
4, there is no shadow of youth: how much influence Cao Cao tu Xuzhou has
Zhuge Liang's mother died at the age of 8, his father died at the age of 11, and he spent his life in the wandering of escaping war from the age of 13 to 17. According to Shi Zai, Zhuge Liang's brothers and sisters were adopted by their uncle Zhuge Xuan at the age of 14, and Zhuge Xuan was once an official under Liu Biao. When Zhuge Liang followed his uncle into Xuzhou, because Xuzhou Mu TaoQian attacked and killed Cao Cao's father, Cao Cao sent troops to Xuzhou, and Tao Qian fled in defeat.
Cao Cao, in order to vent his anger, slaughtered the city of Xuzhou and killed more than 100,000 people, "there is no chicken dog left, Surabaya does not flow", chickens and dogs do not let go, and the bones accumulate and block Surabaya and cannot circulate. The following year, Cao Cao sent troops to Xuzhou again, and then went on a killing spree... In order to escape the massacre of Cao Jun, Zhuge Liang's brothers and sisters and uncles hid in Tibet, inevitably leaving a shadow in the depths of their hearts.
When Zhuge Liang was 15 years old, his uncle took him to Liu Biao, and the eight counties of Jingzhou under Liu Biao's jurisdiction were self-contained and were not greatly affected by the war. After spending 2 years of stable life in Jingzhou, his uncle fell ill and died, and Zhuge Liang had to cultivate the land and go. Before Tao Qian and Cao Cao went to war, and then There was Liu Biao who never cooperated with Cao Cao, plus his uncle was originally Liu Biao's old subordinate, Zhuge Liang grew up in this atmosphere.
How much influence did Cao Cao's slaughter of Xuzhou have on Zhuge Liang's young mind? In fact, when he fled with his uncle, Zhuge Xuan should not instill the story of Cao Cao killing people without blinking. Most importantly, after 2 years of stability under Liu Biao, and the shadow of the war approaching Jingzhou, Zhuge Liang must have given this account to Cao Cao—all this was caused by Cao Cao, who was named Han Xiang and was actually a Han thief.
To sum up: Why did Zhuge Liang not turn to Cao Cao, but chose Liu Bei? Cao Cao's slaughter of Xuzhou was only one of the reasons, and it was more related to the evaluation of Cao Cao by mainstream thought at that time. At the same time, Xu Shu took the lead in joining Liu Bei's camp and made recommendations to Liu Bei, and Liu Bei conformed to the values and basic cognition of the Zhuge family, all of which determined Zhuge Liang's final choice.
Are you saying that's the case?
References: Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Shu Zhi, Wei Luo, Han Jin Spring and Autumn, interested parties can read in detail