At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, when the masses were in strife, a generation of emperors Liu Bei grew from the grassroots of "weaving mats and selling shoes" to the king of Hanzhong who sat in the land of Jingzhou, Yizhou and Hanzhong, among which in addition to the arduous struggle, there were also many unexpected elements. And no one can guarantee that they will be lucky in life, and so can Liu Bei. Just after Liu Bei defeated Cao Cao and his reputation reached its peak, Liu Bei's good brother Guan Yu was defeated at the Battle of Xiangfan, Jingzhou was lost, and he himself was killed by Eastern Wu. This dealt a heavy blow to Liu Bei's clique and also led to the obstruction of Liu Bei's ambition to unify the world.
The loss of Jingzhou brought a series of chain reactions. Because Eastern Wu was too desperate to do things, Liu Bei basically had no possibility of reconciling with Eastern Wu. Therefore, after Liu Bei became emperor, the first major event was the Eastern Crusade. However, to everyone's surprise, Liu Bei, who was invincible, was actually defeated by Lu Xun, the young governor of Eastern Wu. Liu Bei's clique was further weakened, becoming the weakest of the Three Kingdoms of Wei Shu and Wu, and the Three Kingdoms were officially formed.
Regarding the Battle of Yiling, there has always been much controversy, and many online soldiers pointed out that Liu Bei's military strength was too weak, which was the same as Cao Pi. According to the Chronicle of Emperor Wen of the Three Kingdoms Chronicle, "In the beginning, Emperor Wen prepared his troops to the east and engaged Quan, and the shuzha company camped for more than seven hundred miles. 'The soldiers are birds of the enemy', this soldier is also jealous. ’”。 However, Cao Pi was not a man who was good at fighting, and his views were not necessarily higher than Liu Bei's, and Liu Bei's military talent could not be denied.
There are also some views that directly believe that Liu Bei should not have launched the Battle of Yiling, and even the poet Du Fu is of this view, who wrote in the "Eight Arrays": "The rivers and stones do not turn, and the hatred is lost and swallows Wu", which clearly records his disdain for Liu Bei's wu. However, whether Liu Bei should cut Down Wu or not, whether Liu Bei made a mistake in decision-making, this question really cannot be concluded in vain. A careful analysis of the 3 records in history shows the clues.
First of all, let's see if Liu Beifa Wu is an arbitrary cadre. This is most famously zhao yun's advice, which many people have criticized for it. The Chronicle of the Three Kingdoms, Zhao Yun's Biography, quoted in the Biography of Yun Bei, says: "When Sun Quan attacked Jingzhou, the first lord was furious and wanted to seek power. Yun Zhi said: "The thief of the country is Cao Cao, not Sun Quanye, and if he destroys Wei first, then Wu will obey himself... Wei should not be ignored, and Wu Zhan should be fought first; once the army is exchanged, it must not be dissolved. Although Zhao Yun followed Liu Bei very early, he was a man of integrity, so he directly denied Liu Bei's direction on the issue of Liu Bei's attack on Wu.
Judging from this record, it is true that Zhao Yun advised Liu Bei to cut down Wu. However, it can be clearly seen that there was a debate in the court of Shu Han about whether to cut Down Wu or Cut Down Wei, that is to say, how to determine the specific national policy, Liu Bei did not make a decision, but gave his subordinates room for discussion. However, history clearly records that only Zhao Yun and Qin Mi were opposed to Liu Bei's cutting of Wu, which cannot be said to be that no one else opposed Wu, but it is obvious that it has become the mainstream in favor of Cutting Wu.
Moreover, Liu Beifa Wu was not decided in a hurry with a hot head, but had been brewing and preparing for two years. The Chronicle of the Three Kingdoms and the Biography of the Ancestors quotes the Book of Wei as saying: "Prepare for Cao Gongxue, send Han Ran to hang the book, and give gifts to the gift." Emperor Wen hated him for his death and asked for good, and jingzhou stabbed shi ran and gave up his mission. Judging from this record, Liu Bei only launched the Battle of Wu two years after Guan Yu's death. Therefore, some people think that Liu Bei is because of his arrogance, and the eastern crusade to avenge Guan Yu is obviously unreliable.
This account also reveals another thing, that is, Liu Bei actually intended to stabilize Cao Wei before cutting down Wu, so that he would not be attacked on both sides. Taking the opportunity of condolences, it is no secret to mediate diplomatically. As early as before the Battle of Chibi, Lu Su of Eastern Wu used the opportunity to mourn Liu Biao and convey his intention to form an alliance with Liu Bei and Liu Qi. Although Liu Bei would not ally with the Han thief Cao Wei, peaceful coexistence became the best choice at this time. Unfortunately, Cao Pi was inferior to Cao Cao Shenwu and rejected Liu Bei's olive branch.
There is also a more important record, that is, Liu Bei only began to march after arranging internal affairs. The Chronicle of the Three Kingdoms records that "In the summer and April of the first year of Zhang Wu's reign, there was a general amnesty and a change of year. With Zhuge Liang as the chancellor and Xu Jing as the situ. Set up a hundred officials, establish a temple, and sacrifice the emperor below. In May, Empress Wu was made empress dowager, and ZiChan was made crown prince. Obviously, Liu Bei had already arranged a reasonable team for Chengdu, and even established an heir. This is clearly well prepared.
After Guan Yu's death, Liu Bei did not make the first expedition, but made internal preparations for the crusade. It can be seen from this that Liu Bei's group's crusade is by no means a decision made by Liu Bei alone. Historically, Zhuge Liang did not express an opinion, but as a representative of the Jingzhou faction, he was unlikely to oppose it. Moreover, Jingzhou, as an important part of "Longzhong Pair", is indispensable, and the two of them should have enough tacit understanding. As for the final failure, there were many accidental factors, and the responsibility could not be completely attributed to Liu Bei.
Reference book: Romance of the Three Kingdoms