Whether in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms or the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Meng Da was a third-rate character who betrayed Liu Bei and finally died at the hands of Sima Yi, and from the limited records, it can be found that Meng Da was not with Liu Bei at the earliest, he was Liu Zhang's general. When Liu Bei entered Shu, Liu Zhang sent him and Fa Zheng to greet him, and as a result they both defected and surrendered to Liu Bei. After Yizhou was pacified, Liu Bei rewarded Meng Da's side and made him Yidu Taishou (宜都太守).
In the twenty-fourth year of Jian'an, Liu Bei ordered Meng Da and Liu Feng to join forces to attack Shangyong, and after the battle, Meng Da and Liu Feng together defended here. When Guan Yu sent envoys from Jingzhou to ask for help, Meng Da and Liu Feng were newly attached to the situation, and refused to send troops to the rescue, which led to Guan Yu's defeat and death.
After Guan Yu's death, Meng Da, fearing Liu Bei's punishment, instigated Liu Feng to surrender to Cao Wei with him, but Liu Feng was reluctant and the two sides fought. Meng Da was supported by Cao Wei, and Liu Feng was outnumbered and returned to Yizhou, so Meng Da occupied Shangyong and turned to Cao Wei.
Meng Da was highly valued by Cao Pi in Cao Wei, and was promoted to the rank of Commander of the Scattered Horse, the General of Jianwu, and the Marquis of Fengpingyang Ting, and Cao Pi also combined the three counties of Fangling, Shangyong, and Xicheng into a new city, with Meng Da as the new city Taishou. It is said that once Cao Pi let Meng Da ride with him, and jokingly asked, "Are you an assassin sent by Liu Bei?" It can be seen that Cao Pi favors it.
However, after Cao Pi's death, Meng Da lost his patron, fearing that he would be transferred, and his heart was not at ease. Zhuge Liang took advantage of Meng Da's mentality to communicate with him several times, inducing Meng Da to defect. Meng Da also deliberately rebelled against Wei and surrendered to Shu, and when he was still hesitating, Zhuge Liang deliberately told Wei Xingtai, who was at odds with him, about Meng Da's unstable position in order to force Meng Da to make a decision. As a result, Meng Da did not have time to start an incident, and was defeated and killed under Sima Yi's surprise attack.
Looking at Meng Da's life, Liu Zhang, Liu Bei, and Cao Pi were not bad for them, but Meng Da still said that rebellion was rebellion, and indeed there was no faith or righteousness, and it seemed that it was not a pity that such a person even if he died. However, if you think about it, what Meng Da represents is actually the epitome of the warlords of the Three Kingdoms.
Lü Bu, who was scolded as a family slave with three surnames, followed Ding Yuan, Dong Zhuo, Yuan Shao, and Liu Bei successively. Even Uncle Liu, who was known as the emperor of benevolence and righteousness, did not he also attach himself to Gongsun Zhan, Tao Qian, Lü Bu, Cao Cao, Yuan Shao, and Liu Biao in his early years? Not to mention, even if they were as strong as Cao Cao and Sun Ce, they were not able to fight the world on their own at the beginning. What does this mean? Meng Da was actually another Lü Bu, Liu Bei, and Cao Cao, a small warlord in the chaotic world of the Three Kingdoms.
In this way, the so-called rebellion is nothing more than the warlord Meng Da's attempt to maintain his independence and further expand his territory. If Meng Da did not lose to Sima Yi, but continued to maintain independence in Shangyong, then Cao Wei and Shu Han would inevitably have to find a way to win him over. In this way, even if Meng Da could not become the fourth country of the Three Kingdoms, the worst was the hegemony of Gongsun Yue and Shi Xie.
But Meng Da did not have the luck of Liu Bei, Cao Cao, and Sun Ce, and he finally failed, so he became like Lü Bu and was notorious. Therefore, Meng Da's fault is not in his shamelessness, but in his failure, and the king has been defeated since ancient times.