Xu Shu's ability is indeed very strong, he once instructed Zhuge Liang how to govern civil affairs, and can be described as Zhuge Liang's enlightenment teacher. Such a person never returned after leaving Liu Bei, subjectively because his mother was taken captive by Cao Jun and had to go back, objectively Xu Shu had found a place in the north to realize his ideals.
Why do you say that, let's analyze it together.
First, Xu Shu is his own affairs.
Xu Shu's original name was Xu Fu, and the reason why he changed his name was because the young Xu Fu mixed in society and did many unsavory things, so in order to avoid harm to his family, he changed his name to Xu Shu. This kind of thing was not uncommon at that time, for example, many leaders of the Yellow Turban Uprising called their names strangely, such as Liu Shi, Qingniujiao, Huanglong Zuoxiao, Guo Daxian, Li Damu, Yu Digen, and so on. The purpose is to avoid the government tracing the family.
Xu Shu is such a mixed society.
Once, after Xu Shu took revenge on others, in order to escape pursuit, he smeared white powder on his face and fled with a shawl. As a result, he was caught by the officials of the government, and the officials tied him to a tree and called on the people to identify him. Many acquaintances did not dare to come forward to identify, so the officials escorted him to the next level, and was rescued by his companions on the way to escort.
After escaping from death this time, Xu Shu realized that he could not stand in the world by relying on the underworld alone, so he changed his martial arts study and prepared to take the right path.
After Dong Zhuo entered the dictatorship of Beijing, the world became more chaotic, especially the area around Yingchuan suffered from the scourge of the Liangzhou army, so Xu Shu and Shi Tao, a native of the same county, came to Jingzhou to avoid chaos.
After coming to Jingzhou, Xu Shu made many friends, including Langya Zhuge Liang.
In 201, Liu Bei came to Jingzhou and was warmly welcomed by Liu Biao, and after living in Jingzhou, he recruited talents. Many people with lofty ideals either turned directly to Liu Bei or befriended Liu Bei, and it was at this time that Xu Shu turned to Liu Bei and became a counselor under Liu Bei. After Liu Bei saw Xu Shu, he saw that Xu Shu was very talented and valued him very much.
In 207 AD, Xu Shu strongly recommended his friend Zhuge Liang to Liu Bei, and told Liu Bei that Zhuge Liang was a Crouching Dragon, would you like to meet him, general? Liu Bei was not particularly serious, so he said, you can come with him. However, Xu Shu said that he is not an ordinary person, and you have to put down your body to personally invite him before he will come.
Seeing this, Liu Bei ran to see Zhuge Liang three times in a row before seeing Zhuge Liang, who was also moved by Liu Bei's sincerity and decided to go out of the mountain to assist Liu Bei, on the one hand, to realize his ideals, and on the other hand, to repay Liu Bei's sincerity.
However, the good times did not last long, Cao Cao led the army south, Liu Biao fell ill and died, and Liu Junjuzhou surrendered. Liu Bei took his subordinates and the people to the south. Many were lost and dispersed in the chaos and never saw each other again. Xu Shu's mother was separated in this situation and was taken by Cao Jun.
Xu Shu saw that his mother had been acquired by Cao Jun and had to return alone in order to reunite with his mother, thus ending his career with Liu Bei.
Second, how strong is Xu Shu?
When Xu Shu left, Liu Bei was very reluctant, on the one hand, because of the interdependence of nearly eight years of unity and cooperation, and on the other hand, he was reluctant to lose Xu Shu as a talent.
As far as Liu Bei was concerned, there were indeed very few talents under his command, except for Zhuge Liang, that is, Xu Shu, some other scribes could only do what ordinary officials could do, and could not do strategic analysis and planning for Liu Bei.
And Xu Shu is different from those so-called corrupt Confucians, and even comparable to Zhuge Liang in some aspects, and even once guided Zhuge Liang, and Zhuge Liang benefited a lot from it.
According to the "Three Kingdoms Zhi Dong He Biography":
After the light, he was the prime minister, and the teaching and the group said: "Those who participate in the signatory, gather the wisdom of the people and be loyal and benevolent." If it is far away, it is difficult to violate each other, and it will be damaged. Gain by disobedience, abandon the evils and get the pearl jade. However, people's hearts are bitter, but Xu Yuan is not confused, and Dong Youzai has been involved in the office for seven years, and things are not enough, as for the ten antis, come to warn. Gou Nengmu Yuan Zhizhi eleven, the young slaughter's diligence, and loyalty to the country, then the light can be less. He also said: "In the past, when he first handed over the state peace, he repeatedly heard about gains and losses, and then he handed over the yuan straight, and he was diligent in seeing and teaching, and the former counselor was in the young zai, and every word was exhausted, and then he was engaged in greatness, and the number was stopped; Although his posture is contemptible and he cannot be accepted, it is enough to understand that he is not undoubtedly straightforward. "Its remembrance and so.
It can be seen from this record that an important feature of Xu Shu's work is to gather wisdom and grasp the big and let go of the small. When Xu Shu was doing things under Liu Bei, he often discussed things with everyone, and was able to brainstorm, not be arbitrary, and get more suitable ways to do things from many suggestions. At the same time, we can also grasp the big and let go of the small, grasp the main problems without tangling the small problems, so as to focus on the big problems, then the handling of problems will be smooth and not confused.
It can be seen that Xu Shu has his own unique way of handling government affairs, thus making great contributions to Liu Bei's eight years in Jingzhou.
During the years of working with Xu Shu, Zhuge Liang learned many ways and methods of handling political affairs from Xu Shu, and also received many of his teachings.
Therefore, it can be seen that Zhuge Liang learned a lot of knowledge from Xu Shu, and since then, Zhuge Liang has also been deeply influenced by Xu Shu in politics, so to speak, Xu Shu is Zhuge Liang's first instructor on the road to politics.
And Xu Shu can be friends with people like Zhuge Liang, which shows that Xu Shu is indeed very powerful.
Third, why did Xu Shu tell Liu Bei when he left?
Xu Shu's mother was captured by Cao Jun, and Liu Bei agreed to Xu Shu's request to go north, although Liu Bei wanted Xu Shu to stay, but did not forcibly leave Xu Shu, but achieved Xu Shu's reputation of filial piety, and at the same time made Liu Bei's reputation more sublimated.
Xu Shu actually didn't have to run to say goodbye to Liu Bei and went directly to Cao Cao, after all, in this chaotic moment, Liu Bei couldn't even take care of himself, where could he take care of one less person? However, Xu Shu still came to tell Liu Bei that he was going north to join Cao Cao, showing his open-mindedness, because he also believed that his request would be allowed by Liu Bei. A frank Xu Shu met a frank Liu Bei, and the two monarchs complemented each other and achieved each other, thus gaining fame.
Bi Zhan's mother was captured by Lü Bu, and Bi Zhan ran to tell Cao Cao, who said that loyalty and filial piety cannot have both, and if you want to go, you should go. However, Bi Zhan was afraid that Cao Cao was tempting him, so he said with indignation, since I followed you, I am yours, since ancient times loyalty and filial piety cannot be both, I still have to be loyal to you. Cao Cao heard the great joy and asked Bi Zhan to leave. However, after Bi Zhan left, he turned around and ran to Lü Bu.
Bi Zhan thought that Cao Cao was not an open person, lest he calculate him, so he told lies in front of him, which shows that Cao Cao is not such an open person among his subordinates.
It can be seen that compared with Liu Bei, Cao Cao is far worse in this regard.
It was the monarchs who knew each other, and Xu Shu told Liu Bei when he left, and did not leave secretly.
4. Why didn't Xu Shu return to Liu Bei again?
Xu Shu never returned to Liu Bei's side after he left, and even after his mother's death, he remained in the north. Since he and Liu Bei knew each other, why was he not willing to come back again? Zhao Yun ran to mourn and left Liu Bei, but seven years later, he still traveled thousands of miles to continue to follow Liu Bei, but Xu Shu did not persevere like Zhao Yun, but stayed with Cao Cao and served Cao Cao, mainly for the following four reasons.
The first reason is that Xu Shu is a northerner and his homeland is difficult to leave. For many, few would want to leave their homeland if it were not for a last resort. Xu Shu left Yingchuan because Dong Zhuo was in turmoil, and the Yingchuan area suffered a military disaster, so Xu Shu had to leave his hometown. Now that the north has settled down, there is no need to leave his hometown again and go to another country to follow Liu Bei.
Zhuge Liang had four friends, they were Boling Cui Zhouping, Yingchuan Xu Yuanzhi, Yingchuan Shi Guangyuan, and Runan Meng Gongwei, except for Yingchuan Xu Shu who left last, the other three followed Cao Cao when he went south.
After all, these people are all northerners, which shows that their hometown is their roots for them.
Therefore, it is understandable that Xu Shu did not leave his hometown and went south to join Liu Bei.
The second reason is that Xu Shu is a very filial person. After the defeat of the Battle of Changsaka Slope, most of the people who followed Liu Bei to the south were taken north by the Cao army, after all, the population was greatly reduced during the Three Kingdoms period, and the population was naturally the most important resource, so all parties were vigorously taking various measures to attract personnel, including captivity.
Unfortunately, Xu Shu's family is among them, including his mother. Xu Shu is a very filial person, when he changed his name, from Xu Fu to Xu Shu to avoid implicating his family, and because of the war in Yingchuan, he came to Jingzhou to avoid the war, and he did all this to give the family including his mother a stable environment.
Since his mother was already on Cao Cao's side, if Xu Shu did not return to his mother's side, the future life would probably be very difficult. After all, most of these people have since been sent to the vicinity of Xudu, including around Luoyang, to become tuntianmin. For example, the young Deng Ai was moved to the Yingchuan area to become a tuntian after Cao Cao went south. If Xu Shu does not go back, his family, including his mother, will also be sent to the north to become a tuntian citizen, so how difficult can you imagine in the future? I'm afraid it's unpredictable.
Therefore, Xu Shu's departure from Liu Bei was purely voluntary, and was not forced by Cao Cao. He left Liu Bei to better take care of his mother.
After that, even if his mother died, but the grave of his ancestors was still in the north, how could he be far away from home and leave the place of his ancestors' graves?
This is also a very important reason why Xu Shu left Liu Bei and did not want to come back again.
The third reason is that the titles of Xu Shu and Cao Wei's vassals have been decided. Leaving Liu Bei was already a very unfaithful act for Xu Shu, although he was reluctant to do it because of filial piety, since he had left Liu Bei and was now transferred to Cao Cao's command to serve Cao Cao, then a monarchical relationship with Cao Cao was naturally formed, and his name was decided. If he left Cao Wei again and turned to Liu Bei, this would be extremely disloyal to Xu Shu.
He was not loyal to Liu Bei at the beginning, and now he is not loyal to Cao Cao, so what is the difference between this and the courtiers? For a filial piety like Xu Shu, it is completely impossible to do it.
Therefore, with Cao Cao's title as a courtier decided, Xu Shu was categorically unable to return to Liu Bei again.
The fourth reason is that Xu Shu already has a place to use his talents. In the chaotic times, Xu Shu abandoned Wu Congwen in order to better settle down, and the same was true when he turned to Liu Bei. Now coming to the north and joining Cao Cao, Cao Cao also gave him a certain treatment, although this treatment was not as high and rich as Liu Bei gave, but after all, it was also a place for him to use his talents.
After years of hard work, Xu Shu's position became higher and higher, and finally he became a right-lieutenant general and a royal history zhongcheng. Although his position is not as prominent as Zhuge Liang in Shu Han, it is good to be able to do such a position in Cao Wei, who is full of talents, strong strength and many competitors.
And Xu Shu in these positions in his position, can also use his talents and do many things, which should be satisfying for him.
It can be seen that after Xu Shu came to the north, he found a place to use his talents, which is also an important reason why he is unwilling to return to Liu Bei again.
V. Summary.
As Liu Bei's early adviser, Xu Shu's ability was indeed very strong, and he made indelible contributions to Liu Bei's stability in Jingzhou. It not only recommended Zhuge Liang for Liu Bei, but also provided Liu Bei with many favorable guidance on how to govern civil affairs.
And Xu Shu never returned after leaving Liu Bei, subjectively because Xu Shu's filial mother was unwilling to leave his hometown, and the objective reason was that he could also make meritorious achievements and realize his ideals in life in the north.
Therefore, Xu Shu never returned.
In the first year of Yankang (220), Xu Shu changed his name back to Xu Fu and was included in Cao Pi's list of persuasion, but he was not promoted to any important official position, and it was not until the fourth year of the early Huang Dynasty (223) that Xu Shu was appointed as a general of Right Zhonglang and Imperial Shizhongcheng.
Therefore, in the second year of Taihe (228), when Zhuge Liang led his army on the Northern Expedition, he heard that Xu Shu and Shi Tao in the Wei state were not high-ranked, and Xu Shu was only appointed as the imperial shizhongcheng, and Shi Tao was appointed as the county guard and the lieutenant of the cannon school, so he thought that the Wei state did not pay enough attention to talents, and he sighed: "Could it be that the Wei state really has too many advisers, why not reuse the two advisers Xu Shu and Shi Tao?" (See Wei Luo) This sentence of Zhuge Liang shows that he attaches great importance to Xu Shu and Shi Guangyuan, and in his opinion, Xu Shu and Shi Guangyuan are people with profound strategies.
Xu Shu held a low official position during Cao Cao's lifetime, and did not hold a higher official position until the reign of Emperor Cao Pi of Wei. Xu Shu did not make any important contributions in Cao Ying, which may be the reason for the rumor that "Xu Shu entered Cao Ying without saying a word".
Zhuge Liang attached great importance to Xu Shu, but historians seem to not attach so much importance to Xu Shu, for example, Chen Shou's "Records of the Three Kingdoms" did not have a special "biography" for Xu Shu, and Xu Shu's deeds were all attached to the "Biography of Zhuge Liang" and so on.
It is worth noting that Xu Shu is rumored to be a very powerful strategist comparable to Zhuge Xun in the people, and is the embodiment of wisdom. He was extremely knowledgeable, calculating, resourceful, and a very outstanding strategist. The reason why Xu Shu is said to be divine is thanks to the rendering of him in the classical historical novel "Romance of the Three Kingdoms".
Xu Shu (stills)
Second, how does "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" describe Xu Shu as a strategist with extraordinary strategy?
First of all, the novel describes Xu Shu as Liu Bei's first military master, and before Zhuge Liang came out of the mountain, Liu Bei mainly relied on Xu Shu's resourcefulness.
Liu Bei did not have a stable base at that time, there were not many soldiers and horses, and the generals were only related, Zhang, Zhao, etc., and his forces were weak, but Liu Bei, assisted by the military master Xu Shu, with extraordinary resourcefulness, in the battle with the Cao army, ordered Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Zhao Yun to lead troops to resist the enemy, and broke Cao Ren, the forward of the Cao army and one of the main generals of the Cao camp, and killed Lü Kuang, Lü Xiang, etc., defeating the attack of the Cao army. When Xu Shu led the army into battle, he commanded Ruoding, and he easily cracked the eight-gate golden lock array of the famous general Cao Ren and killed the generals of Cao Ren, one of Cao Cao's most trusted generals. This is because Xu Shu was good at predicting, after the defeat of the Cao army, he predicted that Cao Ren would come to rob the camp at night after the defeat, so Xu Shu took precautions early, and Cao Ren really led his troops to rob the camp, as a result, Xu Shu commanded the ambush to besiege the Cao army, the Cao army was defeated, and Xu Shu commanded the army to capture Fancheng. Cao Ren was a famous general of the Wei state, and after Cao Pi established Wei in the Han dynasty, Cao Ren was made a general, and then moved to a great sima, and died in the army soon after, indicating that Xu Shu was able to defeat Cao Ren at that time, and was very good at leading troops, and after the Battle of Fancheng, his reputation was greatly enhanced, and Xu Shu became a military division of Liu Bei's military camp.
Secondly, the novel portrays Xu Shu as a resourceful man who is extremely accurate in his knowledge and very good at recommending talents.
At the beginning of the Three Kingdoms at the end of the Han Dynasty during the war, there were frequent wars and chaos in various places, and Jingzhou was a relatively stable area under the governance of Liu Biao, Liu Biao was one of the more powerful princes at that time, but he only wanted to keep the place of Jingzhou, and had no ambition to compete for power and territory with other separatist forces, he did not participate in the anti-Dong Zhuo, nor did he participate in the dispute between Cao and Yuan, and other forces were not yet able to compete for Jingzhou.
Therefore, Jingzhou became a good place to escape the chaos at that time, and some literati and wise men lived in seclusion in Jingzhou, such as Sima Hui, Zhuge Liang, Cui Zhouping, Shi Guangyuan, Xu Shu and so on. Sima Hui, Xu Shu and Zhuge Liang had a good relationship, and when Liu Bei was under the fence, Xu Shu knew that Liu Bei especially needed the assistance of a counselor, so Xu Shu recommended Zhuge Liang to Liu Bei. Xu Shu looked at people very accurately, he knew that Zhuge Liang was an extraordinary talent, with great ambitions and strategies, and would definitely help Liu Bei achieve great deeds, so he dared to suggest that Liu Bei should take care of Maolu three times, and repeatedly personally invited Zhuge Liang. It can be said that recommending Zhuge Liang to Liu Bei is one of Xu Shu's important contributions in his life.
Xu Shu recommended Zhuge Liang in 207 AD, and Xu Shu was already assisting Liu Bei before, why not recommend Zhuge Liang? There is an explanation that Xu Shu is taboo about Zhuge Liang, thinking that he is not as intelligent as Zhuge Liang, so Zhuge Liang is not recommended, but this possibility is very small, Xu Shu is very familiar with Zhuge Liang, he can deal with Zhuge Liang well, moreover, Xu Shu came first and Zhuge Liang came later, when Liu Bei Group was in the initial stage of development, it was completely possible for the two of them to fully demonstrate their talents and strategies. It is more likely that Xu Shu is very familiar with Zhuge Liang and knows Liu Bei very well, earlier, Liu Bei would not have deigned to go to Sangu Maolu, and Liu Bei's early situation was not suitable for Zhuge Liang to come out of the mountain, so Xu Shu waited until the right time to recommend Zhuge Liang, and strive to be able to recommend it immediately.
Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang (stills)
Third, the novel portrays Xu Shu as a filial son who defected to Cao Ying to protect her mother, and he continued to secretly plot to support Liu Bei in Cao Ying.
Previously, Cao Ren was defeated at Fancheng, Cao Cao felt very strange, Cao Ren was a general he trusted, and he should not have lost so badly, Cao Cao verified that Liu Bei had a counselor Xu Shu behind him. Cao Cao loves Cai, he really wants to get Xu Shu, in his opinion, if Xu Shu can be allowed to enter the Cao camp, this can not only weaken Liu Bei's strength, but also make the Cao camp add a powerful adviser, so, Cao Cao asked the advisers around him, if he gets Xu Shu?
The strategist Cheng Yu said that Xu Shu was a very filial person and could capture Xu Shu's mother in Xu Du and let Xu Shu join Cao Ying himself. So, Cao Cao approved Cheng Yu's strategy. Cheng Yu imitated Xu Shu's mother's handwriting and wrote a letter to Xu Shu, asking Xu Shu to go to Xudu, and after Xu Shu arrived in Xudu, he knew that he was deceived, but it was too late. This time, Xu Shu, a wise man, was unable to see through Cheng Yu's tricks. Xu Shu's mother saw that Xu Shu had left Liu Bei and severely rebuked him, believing that Xu Shu was unfaithful for his filial piety, so she committed suicide, hoping that Xu Shu could be loyal and return to Liu Bei's camp to assist Liu Bei.
After Xu Shu's mother committed suicide, Xu Shu vowed not to sacrifice a plan for Cao Cao for life, which became an allusion to "Xu Shu entered Cao Camp without saying a word". Of course, although Xu Shu did not say a word, he did not want to do anything, he was "in Cao Ying's heart in Han", and he still continued to do his best for Liu Bei with his extraordinary wisdom. Cao Cao knew that Xu Shu was unwilling to do his best for him because of his mother's death, but he still hoped that after a long time, he could be relieved and offer advice to Cao Ying, so Cao Cao temporarily put Xu Shu under semi-house arrest in Xuchang. When the Battle of Chibi approached, Cao Cao took Xu Shu with him and wanted him to offer his plan, but Xu Shu still did not offer his plan for Cao Cao, and when he saw the major ills of Cao Jun, he still did not say a word. For example, Xu Shu identified Pang Tong's "serial meter", but he pretended not to know and did not point it out to Cao Cao, which ensured the smooth implementation of Pang Tong's "serial meter", which caused Cao Jun's navy division to suffer tragic consequences in the Battle of Chibi. After that, Xu Shu secretly cooperated with Pang Tong and persuaded Ma Teng and Han Sui of Western Liang to rebel and attack Xudu, and Xu Shu took the opportunity to request 3,000 soldiers and horses to suppress the rebellion, successfully avoiding the disaster of the Chibi War.
Although the description of Xu Shu in "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" has elements of beautification and exaggeration, if it is said that Xu Shu's image of great filial piety is pretended, his wisdom is created out of thin air, and he left Liu Bei to direct and act, etc., this is unfounded and unreasonable.
First of all, there are records in the history books that show that Zhuge Liang still attached great importance to Xu Shu, and Zhuge Liang believed that Xu Shu was a man with great wisdom. If Xu Shu did not have great talent and wisdom, Zhuge Liang would have said so, at least, Zhuge Liang thought that he had the talent to be an assassin or a county guard; Moreover, Zhuge Liang once felt a pity for Xu Shu's appointment as an official in the Wei state, lamenting that it was a waste of his intelligence. In fact, the history books juxtapose Xu Shu with Zhuge Liang and other very intelligent people, which shows that historians are still positive about Xu Shu's wisdom.
Thirdly, although the world was in chaos at the beginning of the Three Kingdoms at the end of the Han Dynasty, most literati were still very filial, and Xu Shu could not have designed to leave Liu Bei on the grounds that his mother was captured by Cao Cao; Xu Shu would not have recommended Zhuge Liang to Liu Bei in the early stage because he was jealous of Zhuge Liang's resourcefulness. If so, not only will Xu Shu not be used by the Ming Lord, but it will also be difficult to mix in the circle of literati and advisers.
So, according to the description of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", why did Xu Shu not leave Cao Ying and return to Liu Bei after his mother committed suicide?
First, Cao Cao knew that Xu Shu was a great strategist, and since he had tricked Xu Shu into Cao Ying, he would not easily let Xu Shu leave, and he would not let Liu Bei have Zhuge Liang and add such an outstanding strategist as Xu Shu.
When Xu Shu arrived at Xuchang, Cao Cao really wanted him to help with the plan, but Xu Shu had a grudge against Cao Cao and was always hard to let go. Cao Cao was clear about this, but he would not let Xu Shu go, Cao Cao himself was very strategic, he would rather keep Xu Shu by his side, even if he did not dedicate himself, he could not let him contribute advice to the enemy forces. In addition, it was Cao Cao who tried his best to get Xu Shu to Cao Ying, so Cao Cao could not kill Xu Shu, otherwise, he would be ridiculed by the world as an indiscriminate killing of talents, so Cao Cao could only leave Xu Shu under semi-house arrest in Xuchang. In this way, Xu Shu had no chance to return to Liu Bei's camp.
Cao Cao (stills)
Second, Xu Shu was a great strategist, not a general, and he did not have to be in Liu Bei's camp to assist Liu Bei, he could "be in Cao Bei's camp and his heart was in Han", and although he was under semi-house arrest by Cao Cao, he could still use his strategy to help Liu Bei.
Although Xu Shu was in the Cao camp, there were some facts that showed that he was still contributing wisdom to Liu Bei in the enemy camp. For example, the above-mentioned "serial scheme" to see through Pang Tong's "serial scheme" but did not point it out to Cao Cao was tantamount to using wisdom to help Liu Bei win the battle; For another example, he joined forces with Pang Tong to incite Ma Teng and Han Sui of Western Liang to rebel and attack Xudu, although this gave him an opportunity to avoid trouble, but it was also to encourage the hostile forces of the Cao army to interfere with Cao Cao's southward march, which was also very beneficial to Liu Bei, who was facing the army against Cao Wei. The strategist's use of wisdom and strategy is different from the general's leading troops to battle, there is no need to be in the battle formation, the strategist uses a clever strategy, but thousands of miles away, even if Xu Shu is in the Cao camp, he can still help Liu Bei with extraordinary wisdom, so Xu Shu's refusal to return to Liu Bei's camp is related to the special way in which the strategist assists the Ming Lord he identified.
Third, Liu Bei already has Zhuge Liang in his aid, Xu Shu knows Zhuge Liang very well, he knows that Zhuge Liang will definitely help Liu Bei achieve great causes, since he has left Liu Bei's camp, there is no need to go back, which makes Zhuge Liang more convenient and concentrated on his talents and strategies.
Xu Shu and Zhuge Liang are both great wise men, they know each other very well, as early as when they lived in seclusion in Jingzhou, the two were already very familiar, Xu Shu was very familiar with Zhuge Liang's great ambition, talent and wisdom, since Zhuge Liang was already trying his best to assist Liu Bei, Xu Shu did not need to return to Liu Bei's camp to become a military master, he used his wisdom to help Liu Bei in the way of "being in Cao Ying's heart in Han", perhaps it was more appropriate to let Zhuge Liang concentrate on playing his talents around Liu Bei.
Besides, Xu Shu's ambition is not as great as Zhuge Liang's, and his personality does not seem to be as strong as Zhuge Liang, so although he was first under house arrest in Cao Ying, and later held a certain official position, he also admitted it and did not want to toss anymore.
Also, the situation of the Three Kingdoms has been formed, as a far-sighted wise man, the Wei army is strong, and Liu Bei's army is constantly expeditioning north, Eastern Wu is firmly defending Jiangnan, it is difficult for anyone to defeat the other two camps for a while, the general situation is difficult to change in a short time, even if Xu Shu returns to Liu Bei's camp, it is difficult for Liu Bei to do better, so Xu Shu will not want to return to Liu Bei's camp.