All of the information stated in this article is based on reliable sources of information and is detailed at the end of the article.
There are four people in Chinese history, who are only one step away from dominating the world, but they did not go well, which made countless descendants sigh.
So who are these four people, and why did they fail?
Shameless to face Jiangdong's father
The first one that must be mentioned is Xiang Yu, the overlord of Western Chu.
In the last years of the Qin Dynasty, the world was in turmoil. Xiang Yu soon emerged with his martial arts and brave fighting skills, and became the focus of the late Qin Dynasty's struggle for hegemony.
In 206 BC, Xiang Yu led his army to defeat the main force of the Qin army, Zhang Hanbu, in the Battle of Julu, which established Xiang Yu's position as the leader of the rebel army.
However, at this time, Xiang Yu made the first mistake. He did not choose to take Xianyang directly, but instead surrounded and intercepted the lone troops of the Qin army.
The purpose is very simple, it is to avenge his uncle Xiang Liang - because Xiang Liang died at the hands of Zhang Han before.
This act directly led Liu Bang to capture Xianyang first, accept the surrender of Qin Ziying, and become the king of Guanzhong. (Once King Chu Huai agreed that whoever captures Xianyang first will be the king of Guanzhong) This is undoubtedly a huge stimulus to Xiang Yu.
At this time, Xiang Yu made a strategic mistake again.
He once again sent troops to the east, and soon captured Hangu Pass, and 400,000 troops were stationed at Xinfeng Hongmen to deter Liu Bang from going to the banquet by force.
That is the famous Hongmen Banquet in history.
According to historical records, at the decisive Hongmen banquet, the strategist Fan Zeng tried his best to persuade Xiang Yu to take the opportunity to get rid of Liu Bang, a big henchman.
However, Xiang Yu, who had a straightforward personality, was confused by Liu Bang's weakness and directly let go of this great opportunity.
This decision became an important fuse for Xiang Yu's failure.
Later, Liu Bang took advantage of Xiang Yu's expedition to the east and west, stabilized the rear base and accumulated strength. By the time of the battle of Qixia, Xiang Yu was already embattled.
Seeing that his former henchmen and generals defected one after another, Xiang Yu had to fight himself with Jiangdong's fathers and elders.
Xiang Yu could have dominated the world, but he failed because of strategic mistakes. He missed two once-in-a-lifetime opportunities to let his opponent grow under his nose.
In the end, if you fail to turn over, you can only blame yourself.
Ichidai Yu
Cao Cao, some people commented that he was "a capable minister who rules the world, and a traitor in troubled times". His life was full of ups and downs, and he was only one step away from ascending to the throne.
In the early days of the Three Kingdoms turmoil, Cao Cao was appointed as the pastor of Yanzhou because of his meritorious service in pacifying the Yellow Turban Army. He soon relied on his talents and strength to claim the title of king and emperor in the north.
At that time, Yin Liu Yan of Yinping Mansion recommended Cao Cao to be appointed as Sikong and "control the princes". That is, to use the name of the emperor to integrate the forces of the heroes.
Cao Cao took this opportunity to compete in the Central Plains.
He had a heavy army in his hands and fought again and again. Yuan Shu, Yuan Shao, Lu Bu and others were all difficult to resist his offensive.
During this period, Liu Bei's foundation was still shallow, and he once defected to Cao Cao, which became an important turning point in the development of major events in the future.
At first, Cao Cao did not have a good impression of Liu Bei, and many of his advisers, such as Sima Hui and Cheng Yu, suggested that he get rid of Liu Bei, a future confidant.
However, under the influence of Guo Jia's scheme, Cao Cao still decided to adopt Liu Bei.
"The phoenix chicks must be frightened for food, and the tiger should be fearful when it is born. Liu Bei was secretly waiting for an opportunity to develop and strengthen his strength, and soon he rebelled in Xuzhou.
At that time, Cao Cao regretted it, but it was too late. He sent troops to conquer, Liu Bei had already occupied the whole of Xuzhou, and he was rightfully called king.
Cao Cao did not seize this opportunity to remove the hidden danger, which directly led to his defeat in the Battle of Red Cliffs. After this battle, Jiangdong Sun Wu stood firm.
Cao Cao's prestige has also collapsed since then, and he no longer has the strength to integrate the south.
It can be said that the Battle of Chibi directly changed the pattern of the Three Kingdoms! And the reason for all this is that Cao Cao initially let Liu Bei go and gave this henchman enough time to sit and grow.
If it weren't for such a wrong decision, maybe there wouldn't be any Romance of the Three Kingdoms in our history textbooks!
Replace the chaos with the prosperity
Compared with the previous two famous examples, the name Chai Rong should not be familiar to many people. He was active in the period of division and chaos of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, and was a short-lived British lord.
Chai Rong was originally a confidant of the last emperor of the Later Tang Dynasty, Shi Chonggui (Later Zhou Taizu, later Guo Wei). Relying on his rich military experience and outstanding political skills, he was named the king of Qi and the envoy of Hedong Jiedu by Guo Wei.
Later, after the change of the Zhou Dynasty, Chai Rong was finally proclaimed emperor, which is the famous Later Zhou Shizong in history. At the beginning of Chai Rong's ascension to the throne, he faced the joint attack of Houshu in the south, the Southern Tang Dynasty and the Khitan in the north.
Chai Rong strategized and chose a strategy that focused on the north. He first sent the general Fan Yanguang to lead the army to destroy Houshu. Then he personally led the army north to conquer the Khitan and fought fiercely against the Liao army.
In the end, Chai Rong successfully recovered the sixteen states of Yanyun.
This made Chai Rong's prestige reach its peak. Even the distant Western Xia and Hui heard that Chai Rong's soldiers were pressing the border, and they all sent envoys to pay tribute.
At this time, Chai Rong was only one step away from unifying the whole country.
However, at this moment, fate played a big joke on him. In the sixth year of Zhou Xiande, Chai Rong died suddenly of illness on the battlefield with the Southern Expedition of the Later Tang Dynasty at the age of thirty-nine.
Chai Rong's death not only brought the great cause of the Later Zhou Dynasty to an abrupt end, but also fulfilled the rise of the Northern Song Dynasty. His son was young, and his subordinate Zhao Kuangyin took the opportunity to seize power and establish the Northern Song Dynasty.
It is a real pity that Chai Rong's reforms laid a solid foundation for the later Northern Song Dynasty. Zhao Kuangyin actually used the system of the Later Zhou to govern the world, and he didn't need too much of his own achievements.
Looking at it this way, didn't Chai Rong lay the foundation for Zhao Kuangyin, the emperor, and finally retired!
Li Zicheng, the leader of the peasant rebel army
Unlike the previous three, Li Zicheng's rise is purely a historical opportunity.
He was originally just a reckless, and in the context of the chaos in the late Ming Dynasty, he relied on conforming to the will of the people, and finally captured the capital in one fell swoop and ascended to the throne.
However, Li Zicheng's defeat came just as quickly.
He did not understand politics, and after he ascended the throne, he still carried out the style of robbing the house and robbing the house, which led to the separation of the government and the opposition. In addition, he was deeply immersed in pleasure and couldn't extricate himself, and he neglected to guard against foreign enemies.
Soon, the Qing soldiers crossed the river and went south, but Li Zicheng had nothing to do and his morale was disheartened.
At the last moment, Wu Sangui, the general who could have relied on Toucheng, also defected, causing Li Zicheng to be defeated outside the Shanhai Pass, and the first peasant emperor in history was also wiped out in the midst of the changes.
epilogue
That's it for the stories of four historical heroes. Each of them has come very close to success, but they have all failed for various reasons.
It can really be said that the opportunity is missed, and success or failure is a thought.
However, I have to say that Chinese history is so thrilling! It is precisely because of the existence of these legendary figures that China's history has become rich and colorful.
Thankfully, although they did not fulfill their wishes, they all left immortal examples in the history books. This is the charm of Chinese history!
bibliography
[1] "Historical Records: Xiang Yu Benji VII".Sinology [Citation date:2013-01-1]
[2] "Historical Records: Gaozu Benji VIII.Guoxue.com] [Citation date: 2013-01-1]
[3] "Chronicles of the Three Kingdoms, Volume 1, Wei Shuyi, Emperor Wu Ji I".
[4] "Chronicles of the Three Kingdoms" volume 1 "Emperor Wu Ji I": In December, Sun Quan prepared for the attack on Hefei. Gong requisitioned from Jiangling, went to Baqiu, and sent Zhang Xi to rescue Hefei. When the right is heard, it is gone. Gong to Chibi, with the preparation for war, unfavorable. So there was a great plague, and many of the officials died, but they brought the army back. There are Jingzhou and Jiangnan counties.
[5] Li Zicheng, Yulin City Local Chronicles Compilation Research Office [Citation date: 2020-06-12]
【6】《旧五代史·周书·世宗本纪》
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