The novel "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" shows people a wonderful era. In the turbulent situation at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, all kinds of heroes appeared on the stage of history.
As the founders of the three-legged pattern, Liu Bei, Cao Cao and Sun Quan became the main roles in the society at that time, the three states of Wei Shu and Wu also contracted the main roles of the time, and other princes who did not become climatic became supporting roles of the times.
In fact, the Three Kingdoms period was actually four-legged, and the fourth country was deliberately erased by the author. So, which country is this fourth country?
Howe in the Last Days
The so-called "heroes of the chaotic world". At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the masses were divided, and the chaotic era also created many heroes, and it was not easy to gain a foothold in such a chaotic era, and many heroes were quickly submerged in history.
Those who are eliminated are not incompetent, lack of strength, just want to survive in the chaotic world, in addition to talent, luck is also very important. Therefore, Yuan Shao of the Fourth Dynasty and the Third Duke was suppressed by Cao Cao, while Liu Bei, who weaved mats and sold shoes, established the Shu Han regime.
In the context of such an era, there was a Haojie who suddenly rose up, and when there was a scuffle in the hinterland of the Central Plains, he dominated Liaodong and established the Yan state regime, and he was Gongsun Du.
Gongsun Du was a native of Xiangping, Liaodong Province, and his father Gongsun Yan fled to Xuanyu Commandery to avoid capture, and Gongsun Du subsequently became an official of Xuanyu Commandery. Since his compatriot Xu Rong was a lieutenant general under Dong Zhuo, Xu Rong recommended Gongsun Du in front of Dong Zhuo, and Gongsun Du was given the post of Taishou of Liaodong.
Gongsun Du, who became a Taishou, did not receive the respect he deserved in Liaodong. Since he was a native of Liaodong himself, the officials of Liaodong knew Gongsun Du's origins. As a small Xuanjue County official, now with the recommendation of his fellow villagers, he has become a Taishou, and the hearts of the people are naturally dissatisfied.
With the wealth and power inherited from their ancestors, these people were in the fish and meat village, and they did not hide their contempt for him even in the face of Gongsun Du. After Gongsun Du took office, he immediately decided to suppress their arrogance with an iron fist.
After obtaining conclusive evidence of these rich families oppressing the people, Gongsun Du immediately brought them to trial. While safeguarding the rights and interests of the people, these Hao forces were uprooted and their family assets were confiscated.
Gongsun Du's vigorous measures not only gained the support of the people of Liaodong Province, but also obtained huge capital, which can be described as killing two birds with one stone. Gongsun Du also began his expansion plan.
The establishment of the Yan state
Gongsun Du, who had war capital, began to recruit troops and expand their armaments. He knew that just the land of Liaodong was not enough to survive in the chaotic world. Only when the soldiers are strong and strong can the rest of the princes who are eyeing the tiger dare not covet Liaodong.
After full preparation, Gongsun Du began his expansion plan. Under his conquest, Liaoxi and Wuhuan were all included in the jurisdiction of Liaodong. In the face of the seemingly powerful Goguryeo, Gongsun Du did not have the slightest fear, and after several conquests, Goguryeo obeyed the dispatch of Liaodong.
After the external expansion, the surrounding situation in Liaodong gradually stabilized, and the people were given a chance to breathe. Therefore, Gongsun Du vigorously developed agriculture, so that the people could have food and clothing, and the Eastern Liaoning region was full of vitality.
At the same time, Gongsun Du also opened a recruitment hall to attract talents to serve Liaodong. For the displaced people in the Central Plains, Gongsun Du was also extremely generous in opening the door of Liaodong, accepting them, and giving them the necessary assistance to help them settle down in Liaodong.
During this period, many famous people in the Central Plains went to Liaodong to escape the war. Later, the famous general Tai Shi Ci of Jiangdong accompanied his mother to live in Liaodong. It can be seen that Liaodong at that time, under the governance of Gongsun Du, became a paradise at that time.
Compared with Liaodong, the central plains are like purgatory on earth, and the people live in deep water. After Dong Zhuo's dictatorship, Yuan Shao formed an alliance of princes who rebelled against Dong Zhuo. Later, Wang Yun used the mink cicada to oppose Dong Zhuo and Lü Bu, prompting Lü Bu to kill Dong Zhuo.
After Dong Zhuo's death, the Central Plains region completely lost control, and various princes flocked to each other to support themselves. There is much friction between the princes, and they all have the intention of annexation between each other.
After Gongsun Du learned of the situation in the Central Plains, he knew that the Eastern Han dynasty had reached the brink of collapse, and the emperor had no binding force on the princes. Therefore, he established himself as king and established the Yan state regime, which was officially separated from the government's jurisdiction.
The erased fourth country
Although the State of Yan established by Gongsun Du had a place at that time, Luo Guanzhong did not mention it at all in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. There are three main reasons for this.
First of all, although the Yan state was a country of its own, due to its remote location, political struggles and military wars were not affected. Because of this, the people of the Yan kingdom can enjoy a moment of peace in the chaotic world.
Although the Southern Barbarian King Meng Yu was also in the border area, Zhuge Liang, in order to pacify the rear of the Shu Han Dynasty, captured it by the Seven Captures, and in the subsequent wars, the Southern Barbarian forces were also involved, so the Southern Barbarians were mentioned many times in the book.
The State of Yan did not intervene in the struggle from beginning to end, so in the book, the State of Yan was ignored by the author as if it did not exist.
Secondly, the Romance of the Three Kingdoms is not a historical scripture, and its ornamentation is far greater than its authenticity. In order to pursue a wonderful storyline, the author pays more attention to the deeds of the characters and the friction between the country, so as to achieve the effect of making the reader's hand unstoppable.
The establishment of the Yan state is legendary, and the deeds of Gongsun Du are also very exciting, but they have little impact on the pattern of the Central Plains and cannot be related to the changes in the situation of the Central Plains Dynasty. If the author adds it to the book, it will affect the integrity of the novel, and the plot in the novel will be split.
Finally, it is because although the yan state is not bad, compared with the other three countries, it is still very weak and not worth mentioning. Otherwise, Cao Cao would not have ignored the State of Yan and marched south to attack Eastern Wu.
It is precisely because of the above three reasons that Luo Guanzhong chose to turn a blind eye to the Yan kingdom and erase this country that ran through the entire Three Kingdoms period from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms.
epilogue
As an excellent literary work, "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" has always been highly respected. Whether it is the overall structure or the detailed description, it is the result of the author's ingenious conception. That's why it lasts forever.
The roots of artistic creation have always come from life, and although "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" has a lot of artistic processing, it is by no means made up out of thin air. The author's creative processing also needs to comply with historical facts.
The disappearance of yanguo is the author's renunciation of the work after weighing the pros and cons. It can be seen that any form of art needs to be carefully deliberated and polished before it can be passed on to the world through the test of history.