Preface
In the long history of troubled times and strife, Yuan Shu is undoubtedly a controversial figure. With his bold rhetoric of being a loser based on strength, he portrays himself as a character who is both strong and ambitious. However, such ambition eventually became a footnote to his discredit. This article will delve into the story of Yuan Shu and analyze the tortuous path he has taken, so as to present us with a real and vivid historical negative teaching material.
In this confusing battle for power, who has endorsed his prowess, and who has opposed his ambitions? Savor it, maybe we can learn some precious historical lessons from Yuan Shu's life experience and fate.
1. Family disputes under the golden signboard
Yuan Shu should have been the most favored son-in-law under this golden signboard, but his second brother Yuan Shao gradually encroached on his limelight.
At first, Yuan Shao was only a concubine of the Yuan family, and his biological mother was just a maid of the Yuan family. And Yuan Shu is from the main room of the Yuan family, and he is the eldest son of the righteous son. It stands to reason that he should inherit the incense of the Yuan family and be favored by everyone.
However, fate made people, Yuan Cheng, the head of the Yuan family, had no heirs, and in order to pass on the incense, Yuan Shao was passed on to Yuan as the heir. For a time, Yuan Shao jumped from the edge of the Yuan family to the orthodox lineage, and his status continued to improve. The uncles treated them as brothers, and the clansmen also regarded them as their heirs.
In contrast, Yuan Shu has a violent personality and makes friends mostly as chivalrous people. He is not as sycophant as Yuan Shao, so his position in the clan is gradually embarrassing. He was indignant and often complained that Yuan Shao was taking power and taking love, but he was helpless after all.
This resentment continued until the two entered the official career. Yuan Shao was a lieutenant of the Central Military Academy and won the trust of the government and the opposition, while Yuan Shu was a lieutenant general of the Tiger Ben, and his powers and responsibilities were far inferior to Yuan Shao's. Yuan Shu was unwilling to let Yuan Shao override him, and he was worried in his heart.
In later generations, there was a proverb that "the grievances and grievances of the deep palace are all born from the concubine". Princess Taiping, who is rumored to be a beautiful talk, was originally Wu Zetian's half-sister, but she was snubbed because of her concubine. After that, he made a knot in his heart, and finally murdered his eldest brother Li Xian. The battle between the concubines is almost imprinted in the genes of the feudal dynasty.
Therefore, when we ask about the deep reasons why the Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu brothers are against their purpose, the opposition between the concubines and the concubines is the dominant factor. Yuan Shu regarded Yuan Shao as a thorn in his side and could not let go, and Yuan Shao also knew that Yuan Shu's heart was not even, and he was extremely guarded. This has already laid the groundwork for the final fall of the Han Dynasty.
2. The ups and downs of the DPRK and China officialdom
At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Dong Zhuo was in power, and the Yuan father and son had deep grievances. Under the recommendation of the heroes, Yuan Shao staged a palace coup d'état, intending to kill Dong Zhuo. This mutiny was also led by Yuan Shao, and Yuan Shu only played a supporting role.
Afterwards, the two were rewarded, Yuan Shao was appointed as the Taishou of Bohai and was located on the border, and Yuan Shu was the later general, in charge of the Praetorian Guard, and should have a higher status.
According to the analysis, at that time, there may be powerful people who want to support Yuan Shu and let him occupy a place among the Yuan brothers. They hoped that by promoting Yuan Shu, Yuan Shao's power in the DPRK and China would be weakened and his dominance would be prevented.
However, the good times did not last long, Yuan Shu's personality was unruly, and his career was quite ups and downs. He and He Jinjun, who was in turmoil with Dong Zhuo, were incompatible, and he also ordered archers to shoot He Jin's subordinates. This was a big taboo at that time! He Jin was Dong Zhuo's confidant, and this move was tantamount to pulling teeth out of the tiger's mouth.
Later, Yuan Shu led the Praetorian Guards to besiege the palace and set fire to the Taiji Gate. In the end, the government and the opposition will respect and stay away from it, and no one will be willing to support it.
Eventually, after the power of the Yuan family in the DPRK and China subsided, Yuan Shao went to Jizhou, and Yuan Shu went to Nanyang, near his hometown. The two seem to have parted ways, each leading the title.
3. The treachery of Nanyang's dominance
When he arrived in Nanyang, Yuan Shu was warmly welcomed by the indigenous forces. The Nanyang Shi clan even elected Yuan Shu as the main one, hoping to revive Nanyang with its gate valve prestige. And Sun Jian, who had previously taken Nanyang, was regarded as an outsider who disrupted the order.
However, Yuan Shu suddenly turned against Sun Jian, and not only took in his subordinates, but also named Sun Jian as the pastor of Yuzhou!
This move immediately aroused strong dissatisfaction among the Nanyang Shi clan. They originally had high hopes, but they didn't expect Yuan Shu to betray them and support the seizing of power. They all secretly sighed that Yuan Shu's thinking was too short, and he insulted his ancestors.
As a result, the Nanyang scholars, who had been hesitant to wait and see, decisively fell to Yuan Shao, preferring to travel thousands of miles to Jizhou. Others cut off their arms to show that they would no longer follow him.
And the seemingly shrewd actions also made Yuan Shu lose the important reliance of the Shi clan. In the future, when I was in trouble and asked for help, I remembered that day, but no one paid attention to it, which is like a bow and a snake.
Fourth, shoot yourself in the foot
Despite this, Sun Jian was still the sharpest weapon in Yuan Shu's hands. During the years he led his troops, Nanyang's strength grew stronger and stronger, and even almost controlled Yuzhou and part of Yangzhou.
However, Yuan Shu not only despised Sun Jian, but also intended to kill people with a knife. He cut off Sun Jian's army rations several times in a vain attempt to weaken his power. The latter couldn't bear it anymore and came to question it in person.
What's more serious is that Yuan Shu actually led Sun Jian to attack Liu Biao in Jingzhou, trying to open a passage to Jiangdong. This is undoubtedly a move to destroy the foundation of one's own diplomacy and to provoke oneself to burn oneself.
Liu Biao has always relied on the Yuan family, and he has also been courteous to Yuan Shu. Seeing this now, he immediately decided to establish an alliance with Yuan Shao, and was very contemptuous of Yuan Shu.
As expected, Liu Biao promptly transferred troops to Jiangling and broke Sun's army. Sun Jian's target was Xinye, and the blood flowed like a river by the Huating Bridge. Yuan Shu lost this sharp blade, and it was difficult to collide with others.
Fifth, the dream of self-destruction as the emperor
After successive setbacks, Yuan Shu retreated to Yangzhou Shouchun. Seeing that he was so down, his brother-in-law Chen Yu refused to open the city to help.
Later, after receiving the title of the imperial court, Yuan Shuzhi was so complacent that he set himself up as the emperor!
This move immediately became the target of public criticism. Ally Sun Ce took the opportunity to mutiny and occupied the Jiangdong stronghold. Cao Cao also led an army to attack and captured his general. Yuan Shu, who had almost never won a battle, was greatly injured.
At the end of his life, he remembered his brother who he hadn't seen for many years, and wrote to Yuan Shao for help. I didn't expect to plant a different species many years ago, and today I can't escape it.
In the end, Yuan Shu was defeated and retreated to Shouchun and died of hunger and cold. I couldn't even look at the warmth of a breath, and it was extremely miserable.
epilogue
Tracing the ups and downs of Yuan Shu's life, what we see is the tragedy of betrayal of faith, arrogance, and finally self-destruction.
He disobeys discipline and deviates from the rules of the noble clan, he is stubborn and self-serving, and he is enemies everywhere, and he is empty-eyed, recruiting tigers but not knowing how to control them.
Under all kinds of acts, Yuan Shu fell from the pearl of the fourth world and the third prince to the lord of the defeated family that everyone spurned, which is embarrassing.
In fact, each of us is more or less "Yuanshu", a little conceited, stubborn and impulsive. When we pursue success in our career and family, we need to examine ourselves and stay humble and calm in order to avoid being misled by emotions and heading towards the abyss of failure.
Because we all stand on the shoulders of giants, we all depend on others for survival. Only by not forgetting the original intention and forging ahead can we avoid the ups and downs of life, work steadily and move towards success.