Preface
On the stage of the history of the Three Kingdoms, Liu Chan is a controversial figure. He had a prominent background and was the son of Liu Bei, the founder of Shu Han, but he was criticized for being mediocre and incompetent because he "couldn't think of Shu".
Liu Chan is a rare monarch in the historical picture scroll who has been given the name of "happy and unthinkable". His reign was full of controversy, on the one hand because of the decline of Shu Han, and on the other hand, he was questioned because of his ostensible "optimism and fate".
However, with the passage of history, the evaluation of Liu Chan has become more and more complicated. Is he really incompetent, or is he adopting a clever "foolish" strategy in political wrangling?
Liu Chan had a rough life and could not escape death
Liu Chan was born in the Liu Bei military camp in Jingzhou in 207, when Liu Bei was still fighting Cao Cao to the death, and had no time to take care of his son, who had only been born for a long time. In 208, Liu Bei was defeated at Changbanpo and could only flee with his wife and children on his back, and Liu Chan also began his exile career in the rush of his wife and children.
This kind of life of following his father to hide in Tibet is so difficult for a baby, it can be imagined that Liu Chan has often been hungry and cold since he was a child, and he has not been able to get enough nutrition in time. A child who needs careful care from his family, but in the chaos of war, he has seen the wasteland of bones and the impermanence of life.
In 211, in order to escape Cao Cao's army, 5-year-old Liu Chan and his mother were left in Jingzhou and given to Sun Quan's sister to raise. A stepmother, coupled with an unstable living environment, Liu Chan lost the warmth of home since he was a child, and he failed to get a good education.
There is no need to repeat the importance of parental care to children's growth, and it is this most precious thing that Liu Chan has lost. In his stepmother's house, he was always an outsider and could never feel true maternal love. This made him form a deep desire for dependence and a lack of security in his personality, and also planted the bane of mediocrity and incompetence in the future.
After the young lord was established, the grass and trees were all soldiers
In 219, Liu Bei was proclaimed king of Hanzhong, and the 14-year-old Liu Chan was made the prince. In 221, Liu Bei died and was succeeded by 16-year-old Liu Chan. According to the will of the first emperor, Liu Chan handed over the power of the country to Prime Minister Zhuge Liang.
During the 12 years of Zhuge Liang's auxiliary administration, Liu Chan generally carried out the edict of the first emperor, supported the prime minister's governance, and did not cause trouble. However, he had little interest in politics and was obsessed with amusement all day long. Liu Chan was born with low intelligence, and his personality also carries dependence and cowardice.
If he can follow the crowd, he will follow the crowd and not block the auxiliary minister, which is already the limit of his ability. And indulging in lust is also the emperor's instinctive way of seeking security and self-compensation for a long time without warmth and comfort.
In 234, Zhuge Liang died, and Liu Chan had to govern himself. He has no experience in governing the country, and he is unwilling to work diligently, so he can only be controlled by traitorous ministers. At this time, Liu Chan had lost his imperial bearing, and he was idle all day long, ignoring state affairs.
He lacked political ambitions and relied on the Auxiliary Minister for a long time, so he was naturally helpless when he lost his mentor and friend. What's even more terrifying is that Liu Chan also deeply resented the advice of Dong Yun and other loyal ministers, and turned to trust the traitors who flattered him. This twisted mentality led him to the abyss of mediocrity altogether.
Perhaps driven by this distorted psychology, Liu Chan had the idea of revenge against the government, and was at the mercy of the traitors who occupied the magpie's nest, further paralyzing himself, and ignoring the ancestral inheritance.
Don't think about it, let go of the country
In 263, Shu Han was defeated by the Wei army. Liu Chan surrendered to Sima Zhao and said the famous saying "Be happy here, don't think about Shu". This sentence was once interpreted as Liu Chan's clever plan to protect his life, pretending to have forgotten his homeland in exchange for Sima Zhao's tolerance.
However, these remarks can only show that Liu Chan has long lost his national responsibility in his heart and has become a hedonist. Not only did he have no sorrow for the ruin of his country, but he also openly expressed that he was happy in Wei and had no intention of restoring his homeland. This is in stark contrast to the first emperors Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang who swore to fight Wei to the death, and it also made the majority of Shu people excited.
In fact, Liu Chan has been wandering since he was a child, and he has long relied on sound and sex for pleasure, and he has long been numb to his identity and responsibility. At this time, he succumbed to the temptation of Wei Guo's beauty, and no longer had a little heroism.
This sentence of "never thinking about it" is just a confession that he is tired of politics, and behind it is the passivity and degeneration of completely abandoning the country.
An emperor who shouldn't have failed
As the only son of the ancestor Liu Bei, Liu Chan should not have such an ending. Born as an emperor, he should inherit the past and recreate the prosperous era of Han Wu. It is a pity that the double deprivation of congenital conditions and acquired environment has led him to the wrong path.
Perhaps Liu Chan was born intelligent and well versed in power and strategy, or he was fortunate enough to meet a wise strategist and teach him how to govern the country, and he would be able to fulfill the legacy of the first emperor and rule the world in peace. But in reality, Liu Chan has neither a talented person, nor a mentor and friend, and it is unimaginable to support the great cause alone.
Coupled with the trauma of a long-term turbulent life, it has been difficult for him to grow mentally since he was a child. All kinds of bad luck are intertwined, and the outcome of this emperor can only withdraw gloomily in the long river of history has become a foregone conclusion.
Liu Chan's ending enlightens us that a good environment and guidance are important on the road of a person's growth. At the same time, as individuals, we must also hold our chests high in the face of adversity and not be defeated by fate.
Liu Chan's experience is worthy of reflection by every reader. It is really embarrassing and deplorable that a new life with infinite possibilities will eventually fail. We should not blame Liu Chan personally, but learn lessons from the changes in fate, cherish everything around us, develop our strengths and avoid weaknesses, and make progress together.
Perhaps everyone has the potential to become a wise monarch, as long as they are helped and enlightened. We must not allow circumstances to prevail over the will and leave fate at the mercy of fate. This is the wisdom of life that never goes out of style.