Sun Quan Cao Cao was stronger than Liu Bei, Zhuge Liang was so wise, why did he finally choose Liu Bei?
Introduction: In 207 AD, Zhuge Liang came out of the mountains, but what was somewhat surprising was that he did not choose to turn to his uncle Liu Biao, nor did he turn to the two families of Sun and Cao, who were the most powerful at that time, but chose Liu Bei, who had been generous, but quickly fell, and was chased and beaten by Cao Cao, and finally although he realized his ideal of being the "Eastern Han Guan Zhong", he only dominated the southwest, and until his death, he could not complete the ultimate pursuit of unifying the Central Plains. Since Cao Cao and Sun Quan were stronger than Liu Bei, and Zhuge Liang was so wise, why did he choose the weakest Liu Bei in the end?
In 207 AD, Cao Cao eliminated the remnants of the Yuan clan and Wuhuan forces in the north, sweeping away the threatening forces behind him in one fell swoop. At this time, Zhuge Liang debuted, and there were actually not many lords who could choose. First of all, Liu Biao, because of his relatives, Zhuge Liang would have no problem if he planned to go out in Jingzhou, but he did not do so. Because although Liu Biao was quite capable and courageous when he was young, but now he is old and has begun to become conservative, he missed a good opportunity during the Battle of Guandu, and the problem of his own heir was not handled well, and the political situation in Jingzhou was basically grasped by the Hao clan led by Cai, and Zhuge Liang had no development opportunities here.
After Sun Quan inherited his father's brother's inheritance, he began to stabilize the political situation in Jiangdong with the assistance of Zhang Zhao, Zhou Yu and others, and he opened a recruitment hall to recruit sages, Zhuge Liang also had a way to vote if he went, and his brother Zhuge Jin also entered the army in Eastern Wu. However, Sun Quan was too young, impetuous, and small in temperament, and he was also inclined to the family clan politically, which was inconsistent with Kong Ming's idea of establishing Han politics, so Sun Quan was excluded.
The person with the most strength to absorb Zhuge Liang was Cao Cao, who, after cutting off All Yuan, won the four prefectures of Ji, Qing, He, and You, and became the warlord with the most extensive territory and the thickest troops, and he had the emperor in his hands and also had an advantage in politics. Zhuge Liang's defection to him was equivalent to his defection to Emperor Xian of Han, and it was a manifestation of loyalty to the Han Dynasty. However, Cao Cao's style of this person was not liked by Kong Ming, and although he loved talent, he was cruel and murderous, not only killing the people, but also killing many scholars, so he was very unpopular, and with Zhuge Liang's temper, he disdained to be with such people with such people with moral problems.
Excluding the above three, only Liu Bei of the other small warlords who divided the territory met his requirements. First of all, this person has the name of benevolence and righteousness, whether it is sincere or political showmanship, anyway, the sign of benevolence and righteousness he has played all his life, and he has not collapsed until his death. Turning over the history books, we can see that Liu Bei never had a record of killing Zhongliang in his lifetime, so his personality charm is very high, although he often loses battles, but he is very popular everywhere he goes, and he never puts up a shelf, from the clan to the strong, down to the grassy civilians, he can push his heart, which is what impressed Zhuge Liang.
Liu Bei not only had a good character, he also had an ambition, although he was weak in strength and small in the territory of Xinye, but his heart of Kuangfu Sheji was not destroyed, and even Cao Cao thought that only he and himself could be called the world's heroes. Although he was often defeated by others, this did not mean that he would not fight, in his early years he had killed Cao Cao Cai Yang, Che Ji, Liu Dai and other generals, Xinye Breaking Xiahou Huan and Hanzhong Broken Cao were actually his command. Compared with the devious Cao Cao, Liu Bei has ambitions and at the same time has considerable affinity, and now that his career has not yet started, zhuge Liang's vision will certainly not turn a blind eye to this potential stock.
Conclusion: Zhuge Liang's encounter with Liu Bei is like a natural match that can play a chemical reaction, although Zhuge Liang is smart enough and wise enough, if he joins either side of Sun or Cao, there will be no future political and military achievements, let alone leave such an important chapter in history. It's just that although he met the Ming Lord, he was not born in a suitable era, and it seems that he has achieved fame and success, or he has left regrets about not being able to unify the Central Plains.