Preface
During the Three Kingdoms period, the conflict between Sun Quan and Liu Bei did not stem from hatred, but from a fierce power game. This game not only affected the pattern of the Three Kingdoms, but also changed the direction of history. So, what is it that makes these two heroes have to go against each other, and who has the upper hand in this power struggle?
1. The battle for Jingzhou
In 219 AD, Guan Yu led the Shu Han army to the north, which was like a bamboo. He attacked the city and plundered the land all the way, and finally captured Jingzhou. This was undoubtedly a huge victory for Liu Bei, because Jingzhou was not only a fertile land, but also an important passage to the Central Plains. However, just when Guan Yu was triumphant, Sun Quan of Eastern Wu had other plans.
Although Sun Quan had an alliance with Liu Bei, his ambitions went far beyond that. He longed to dominate Jiangdong and had his eye on Jingzhou. When he learned that Guan Yu had occupied Jingzhou, he immediately sent a large army to attack. This battle was later known as the "Battle of Yiling" and ended in a crushing defeat for Guan Yu.
There are two main reasons why Guan Yu lost this battle: first, he underestimated the strength of Eastern Wu and thought that he could easily defeat the other party with his military talents; The second is that he is too conceited and ignores Sun Quan's cunning. Sun Quan had already sent someone to secretly buy Guan Yu's generals before the war, causing Guan Yu to be betrayed at a critical moment.
The outcome of this battle not only caused Guan Yu to suffer heavy losses, but also deprived Liu Bei of an important general. But more importantly, it marked the beginning of Sun Quan's immediate threat to Liu Bei. Since then, the contradiction between the two has intensified.
The reason why Sun Quan was so obsessed with attacking Jingzhou was not just out of greed for this fertile land. His ambition is far more than that, he wants to destroy Shu Han in one fell swoop and realize the "couch strategy" proposed by Lu Su.
Lu Su was Sun Quan's advisor, and he once put forward an ambitious plan, that is, to let Sun Quan "go to the extreme of the Yangtze River, and then build an emperor to map the world". In other words, Sun Quan should first seize Jingzhou, and then march into Shu Han to finally unify the world.
This plan was undoubtedly very tempting for Sun Quan at that time. He saw the possibility of dominating the world and set out to implement the plan. However, he also knew that in order to achieve this goal, he must first solve the obstacle of Shu Han.
So, Sun Quan began to deal with Guan Yu. He knew that killing Guan Yu would trigger Liu Bei's revenge, but he was not afraid. On the contrary, he even hoped that this revenge would take place, because in this way, he would be able to launch an attack on Shu Han in the name of it.
Second, the tragedy of Guan Yu
The reason why Guan Yu became Sun Quan's target was mainly because his position in Shu Han was too important. Zhuge Liang once said that if there is a change in the world, as long as Guan Yu is ordered to lead the Jingzhou army to march to Wan and Luo, then the Han family can rise again, and the world can also be unified. This sentence is undoubtedly a high affirmation of Guan Yu.
In the pattern of the Three Kingdoms at that time, Guan Yu was undoubtedly the most important general of Shu Han. Not only was he outstanding in military talent, but he was also deeply trusted by Liu Bei. This makes him Sun Quan's biggest obstacle.
In order to realize his ambitions, Sun Quan had to find a way to get rid of Guan Yu. He first sent Lü Meng to attack Guan Yu, but was met with resolute resistance from Guan Yu. Later, Sun Quan sent Lu Xun and ordered that Guan Yu should not be killed. This may seem like a form of tolerance, but in fact it is a conspiracy.
The reason why Sun Quan did not allow Guan Yu to be killed was because he knew that if Guan Yu was killed, Liu Bei would inevitably launch a retaliation. And he hoped that Liu Bei would do this, because in this way, he could take the opportunity to launch an attack on Shu Han.
In the end, Guan Yu was killed by Sun Quan's calculations. This is not only a heroic tragedy, but also a tragedy of the times. Guan Yu's death not only hit Liu Bei hard, but also cast a shadow over Shu Han's future. The reason why Guan Yu became Sun Quan's target was mainly because his position in Shu Han was too important.
Zhuge Liang once said that if there is a change in the world, as long as Guan Yu is ordered to lead the Jingzhou army to march to Wan and Luo, then the Han family can rise again, and the world can also be unified. This sentence is undoubtedly a high affirmation of Guan Yu. In the pattern of the Three Kingdoms at that time, Guan Yu was undoubtedly the most important general of Shu Han. Not only was he outstanding in military talent, but he was also deeply trusted by Liu Bei. This makes him Sun Quan's biggest obstacle.
In order to realize his ambitions, Sun Quan had to find a way to get rid of Guan Yu. He first sent Lü Meng to attack Guan Yu, but was met with resolute resistance from Guan Yu. Later, Sun Quan sent Lu Xun and ordered that Guan Yu should not be killed. This may seem like a form of tolerance, but in fact it is a conspiracy.
The reason why Sun Quan did not allow Guan Yu to be killed was because he knew that if Guan Yu was killed, Liu Bei would inevitably launch a retaliation. And he hoped that Liu Bei would do this, because in this way, he could take the opportunity to launch an attack on Shu Han.
In the end, Guan Yu was killed by Sun Quan's calculations. This is not only a heroic tragedy, but also a tragedy of the times. Guan Yu's death not only hit Liu Bei hard, but also cast a shadow over Shu Han's future. The reason why Guan Yu became Sun Quan's target was mainly because his position in Shu Han was too important.
Zhuge Liang once said that if there is a change in the world, as long as Guan Yu is ordered to lead the Jingzhou army to march to Wan and Luo, then the Han family can rise again, and the world can also be unified. This sentence is undoubtedly a high affirmation of Guan Yu. In the pattern of the Three Kingdoms at that time, Guan Yu was undoubtedly the most important general of Shu Han. Not only was he outstanding in military talent, but he was also deeply trusted by Liu Bei. This makes him Sun Quan's biggest obstacle.
3. Cao Pi's intervention
After Guan Yu was killed, Liu Bei really launched a revenge as Sun Quan expected. He led a large army to attack Eastern Wu, and this battle was later known as the "Battle of Red Cliffs". As a result of this war, although Liu Bei failed to achieve victory, he also inflicted heavy losses on Eastern Wu.
It was at this time that Cao Pi appeared. Cao Pi was the son of Cao Cao, and after his father's death, he inherited the rule of Cao Wei. He saw the internal friction between Eastern Wu and Shu Han, so he decided to take the opportunity to make a move.
Cao Pi first launched an attack on Eastern Wu, and this war became known as "Cao Pi's Attack on Wu". As a result of this war, although Soochow was ultimately victorious, it also suffered heavy losses. This forced Sun Quan to temporarily abandon his plan of attack on Shu Han and instead submit to Cao Wei.
This move was undoubtedly a huge blow to Sun Quan. He originally hoped to provoke Liu Bei's revenge by killing Guan Yu, so as to take the opportunity to launch an attack on Shu Han. However, Cao Pi's intervention disrupted his plans, forcing him to temporarily abandon his attack on Shu Han.
Cao Pi's intervention was undoubtedly a pivotal event. His move not only disrupted Sun Quan's plan, but also changed the pattern of the Three Kingdoms. Cao Pi's purpose was very clear, that is, to take advantage of the internal friction between Eastern Wu and Shu Han to expand his power. He saw the opportunity brought by this internal friction and decided to make a move.
Cao Pi's move is undoubtedly a huge challenge. Not only did he have to deal with the alliance of Eastern Wu and Shu Han, but he also had to deal with an internal power struggle. However, he eventually emerged victorious and established his own dynasty. This not only changed the pattern of the Three Kingdoms, but also affected the historical trend of later generations.
Fourth, Zhuge Liang's strategic vision
In this power game, there is another figure worthy of our attention, and that is Zhuge Liang. Zhuge Liang was an important strategist of Shu Han, and he once put forward a very important strategic idea, that is, "Longzhong Pair".
The core idea of "Longzhong Pair" is that if there is a change in the world, as long as Guan Yu is ordered to lead the Jingzhou army to march to Wan and Luo, then the Han dynasty can be re-established and the world can be unified. This shows that Zhuge Liang is very aware of Guan Yu's status and role in Shu Han.
However, Sun Quan clearly did not have Zhuge Liang's strategic vision. He only saw Guan Yu's military strength and ignored his position in Shu Han. This made him not take Liu Bei's revenge into account when he killed Guan Yu.
In fact, if Sun Quan could join forces with Liu Bei to fight Cao Wei together, then the pattern of the Three Kingdoms might change. However, Sun Quan's small-scale peasant mentality and short-sighted behavior ultimately made him miss this opportunity.
Zhuge Liang's strategic vision is undoubtedly outstanding. He not only saw Guan Yu's important position in Shu Han, but also put forward a very far-sighted plan. If this plan can be implemented, then the Han dynasty can be re-established and the world can be unified.
However, Sun Quan's short-sighted behavior ultimately frustrated this plan. He only saw Guan Yu's military strength and ignored his position in Shu Han. This made him not take Liu Bei's revenge into account when he killed Guan Yu.
If Sun Quan can join forces with Liu Bei to fight against Cao Wei, then the pattern of the Three Kingdoms may change. However, Sun Quan's small-scale peasant mentality and short-sighted behavior ultimately made him miss this opportunity. This is not only a heroic tragedy, but also a tragedy of the times.
epilogue
To sum up, the contradiction between Sun Quan and Liu Bei does not stem from hatred, but from a fierce power game. This game not only affected the pattern of the Three Kingdoms, but also changed the direction of history. Sun Quan's ambition and short-sightedness eventually made him miss the opportunity to unify the world, and Zhuge Liang's strategic vision was not fully utilized. The result of this power struggle not only made Guan Yu the protagonist of the tragedy, but also cast a shadow on the future of the Three Kingdoms. This history is undoubtedly a lesson worth pondering.
What lessons should we draw from this? First, we must be vigilant against the dangers of the desire for power. Sun Quan's ambition ultimately caused him to miss the opportunity to unify the world, which shows that the desire for power often blinds people and makes people lose their rational judgment. Second, we need to learn to think long-term.
Zhuge Liang's strategic vision far surpassed that of Sun Quan, but in the end it was not fully utilized, which shows that we must learn to start from the overall situation, rather than just focusing on immediate interests. Finally, we should cherish the heroes. The tragedy of Guan Yu is not only a heroic tragedy, but also a tragedy of the times, which shows that we must learn to appreciate and cherish those heroes who have contributed to the country and the nation.