Preface
Have you ever questioned the historical figures of the Three Kingdoms period? Why was Cao Cao, a figure known as a "traitorous male," more respected and worshipped by the people? While Liu Bei was regarded as a representative of integrity and kindness, he was inferior to Cao Cao in terms of historical status? What kind of stories and secrets were hidden in this?
Cao Cao's rise to prominence
At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the world was in turmoil, and the Yellow Turban Rebellion swept through most of the Central Plains. In these turbulent times, a man named Cao Cao gradually rose to become an important role on the stage of history.
Cao Cao, formerly known as Cao Mengde, was born into a family of eunuchs. In the society at that time, Cao Cao's background was destined for him to be discriminated against and ridiculed. However, Cao Cao was not bothered by these obstacles, but relied on his intelligence and courage to gradually expand his power in the troubled times.
In the process of suppressing the Yellow Turban Rebellion, Cao Cao showed extraordinary military talent. He was adept at using various means to strengthen his army, not only co-opting many talented generals, but also using strategy to defeat the enemy. Gradually, Cao Cao's power grew stronger, and eventually he succeeded in blackmailing the princes and became one of the most important political figures of the time.
Cao Cao's approach, in the eyes of conservative scholars at the time, was undoubtedly a kind of "clever" behavior. They believe that Cao Cao's background and methods of doing things are not noble enough to be worthy of being a real hero.
However, in the troubled times, Cao Cao's approach has become the best policy. Not only did he succeed in expanding his power, but he also succeeded in maintaining the rule of the Han dynasty, which made his place in history even more exalted.
The reason why Cao Cao was able to rise in the troubled times was that in addition to his military talent and political wisdom, it was also closely related to the social environment at that time. At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the world was in turmoil, and all the powerful people seized one side and fought for control of the world. In this context, Cao Cao gradually expanded his power with his own means and skills, and eventually became the most important political figure at that time.
Although Cao Cao's approach was despised by conservative scholars, it was a superior policy in the troubled times at that time. He not only succeeded in expanding his own power, but also succeeded in maintaining the rule of the Han family, which also made his position in history even more exalted.
Even in later generations, people had mixed reviews of Cao Cao, with some considering him a traitor and others as a hero. This complex evaluation also reflects the complexity of Cao Cao's character.
Liu Bei's difficult journey
Unlike Cao Cao, Liu Bei was considered a descendant of the Han family and possessed a more noble lineage. However, in the chaotic situation of the Three Kingdoms period, Liu Bei's situation was not as smooth as people imagined.
Before the Battle of Chibi, Liu Bei actually lived a life of "the four seas as his home", and when his power was the strongest, he was not as good as Ma Chao, Han Sui and others. Even in "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", Liu Bei only had an army of 20,000 people before the Battle of Chibi, which was far less than Cao Cao's strength. It wasn't until Zhuge Liang made a plan that Liu Bei and Sun Quan joined forces, and a situation of three parts of the world was truly formed.
Even after that, Liu Bei's forces have always been at a disadvantage. Faced with Cao Cao, a formidable opponent, Liu Bei and Sun Quan had to deal with it carefully. This also made people question Liu Bei's strength.
However, although he was inferior to Cao Cao in terms of strength, Liu Bei won the love of more people with his integrity and kindness. In "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", Liu Bei was portrayed as a representative of benevolence, righteousness and morality, which also made his position in history even more lofty.
The reason why Liu Bei was in such a difficult situation during the Three Kingdoms period was not only the disadvantage of his own strength, but also closely related to the political pattern at that time. At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the world was in turmoil, and all the powerful people seized one side and fought for control of the world.
In this context, although Liu Bei was considered a descendant of the Han family, he had always been in a weak position due to the disadvantage of his own strength, and had to deal with a strong opponent like Cao Cao carefully.
Even after joining forces with Sun Quan to form a three-point situation, Liu Bei's power has always been at a disadvantage. This also made people question Liu Bei's strength.
However, although he was inferior to Cao Cao in terms of strength, Liu Bei won the love of more people with his integrity and kindness. In "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", Liu Bei was portrayed as a representative of benevolence, righteousness and morality, which also made his position in history even more lofty.
Cao Cao's tolerance and loyalty
Although Cao Cao was known as a "traitorous male", he also showed his tolerance and loyalty in some ways. In the incident of Guan Yu's defection to Liu Bei, Cao Cao showed his tolerance. At that time, Guan Yu was extremely loyal to the Han family, which was why Cao Cao finally let him go.
Cao Cao himself was loyal to the Han family, and he always wanted to maintain the rule of the Han family. However, as time passed, Cao Cao also gradually saw that the Han Dynasty was terminally ill. Despite this, Cao Cao was never proclaimed emperor until the end, which also reflects his loyalty to the Han family.
This kind of tolerance and loyalty, in the eyes of the conservative scholars of the time, was undoubtedly a kind of "clever" behavior. However, in troubled times, this approach has become the best policy. Cao Cao not only succeeded in expanding his own power, but also succeeded in maintaining the rule of the Han dynasty, which also made his position in history even more exalted.
Cao Cao's tolerance and loyalty, in the social environment of the time, were undoubtedly a very rare quality. In troubled times, most people are unscrupulous for their own interests, but Cao Cao was able to maintain his principles and bottom line. This practice not only allowed Cao Cao to expand his own power, but also successfully maintained the rule of the Han family, which also made his position in history even more lofty.
Even in later generations, people's evaluations of Cao Cao were mixed. Some people think he's a traitor, others think he's a hero. This complex evaluation also reflects the complexity of Cao Cao's character.
He was not only a brilliant military strategist and statesman, but also a man with the qualities of tolerance and loyalty. This complex character image also makes Cao Cao's status in history even more lofty.
Liu Bei's public image
In contrast, Liu Bei's public image was more praised. In "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", Liu Bei was portrayed as a representative of benevolence, righteousness and morality, which also made his position in history even more lofty.
However, Liu Bei's strength was not as strong as Cao Cao's. Before the Battle of Chibi, Liu Bei's power was not even as good as Ma Chao, Han Sui and others. Even in "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", Liu Bei only had an army of 20,000 people before the Battle of Chibi, which was far less than Cao Cao's strength. It wasn't until Zhuge Liang made a plan that Liu Bei and Sun Quan joined forces, and a situation of three parts of the world was truly formed.
Even after that, Liu Bei's forces have always been at a disadvantage. Faced with Cao Cao, a formidable opponent, Liu Bei and Sun Quan had to deal with it carefully. This also made people question Liu Bei's strength.
However, although he was inferior to Cao Cao in terms of strength, Liu Bei won the love of more people with his integrity and kindness. In "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", Liu Bei was portrayed as a representative of benevolence, righteousness and morality, which also made his position in history even more lofty.
The reason why Liu Bei was able to have such a lofty position in history was not only his own integrity and kindness, but also had a close relationship with the social environment at that time. In troubled times, people crave a leader who can represent justice and morality, and Liu Bei just meets this need. He was portrayed as a representative of benevolence and morality, which also made his place in history even more exalted.
However, despite being so popular in terms of public image, Liu Bei has always been at a disadvantage in terms of strength. Faced with a formidable opponent like Cao Cao, Liu Bei had to deal with it carefully, which also made people question his strength a little.
This contradictory evaluation also reflects the complexity of Liu Bei's character. He is not only a representative of integrity and kindness, but also a leader of insufficient strength. This complex character image also makes Liu Bei's position in history more unique.
epilogue
To sum up, Cao Cao and Liu Bei, two legendary figures, both played an important role in the Three Kingdoms period. Although Cao Cao was known as the "traitorous male", he showed extraordinary military talent and political wisdom in troubled times, and eventually became one of the most important political figures of the time. Although Liu Bei is considered to be a descendant of the Han family, he has always been at a disadvantage in terms of strength, but he has won the love of more people with his integrity and kindness.
The stories of these two characters not only reflect the history of the Three Kingdoms period, but also reflect the complexity of society at that time. Although Cao Cao's approach was despised by conservative scholars, it became the best policy in troubled times. And Liu Bei's integrity and kindness, although he has made his position in history more lofty, has always been at a disadvantage in terms of strength.
These stories tell us that in the long river of history, heroes and heroes coexist, and justice and evil coexist. We need to look at history with an open and inclusive attitude, to understand those complex people and events. Only in this way can we truly comprehend the deep meaning of history and draw wisdom and strength from it.