During the Three Kingdoms period, an era of heroes, Zhao Yun, as a bright star, was engraved in the long river of history with his loyalty and bravery. But do you know that although Zhao Yun performed well in "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", Liu Bei left a sentence on his deathbed in history: "Zilong cannot be reused". What is the story behind this sentence? Why did Zhao Yun, a loyal and brave general, fail to gain Liu Bei's ultimate trust? Next, let's unveil the mystery of Zhao Yun and find out.
Zhao Yun, whose name is Zilong, was a famous general of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms period, known for his bravery, good fighting, loyalty and reliability. In 191 AD, Zhao Yun, as the leader of his hometown, organized a militia to fight against thieves and bandits. But unlike the all-round hero image in the novel, although Zhao Yun in history is outstandingly talented, he has never been completely reused by Liu Bei. The reasons for this are worth pondering.
Zhao Yun did not initially go directly to Liu Bei, but took refuge with Gongsun Zhan, a warlord who had a certain amount of power in Hebei but was not at the top. At that time, Liu Bei did not have the prestige of "Uncle Liu Huang", and his status was not prominent. When Zhao Yun first saw Liu Bei, although he felt that his character was good, he was just an ordinary appreciation, and he did not follow him directly.
Zhao Yun's performance under Gongsun Zhan's account made him gradually attract Liu Bei's attention. In particular, Zhao Yun was able to perform well on the battlefield and had outstanding political insight, which made Liu Bei look up to him. But the arrangement of fate is always full of uncertainties, in 193 AD, Zhao Yun had to return to his hometown for funeral due to the death of his eldest brother in the family, and temporarily left the battlefield.
During this time, Liu Bei's situation experienced great ups and downs. From the peak to the trough, and finally had to take refuge in Cao Cao, Liu Bei's fate was like a roller coaster. In the past few years since Zhao Yun left, he missed the opportunity to experience the ups and downs with Liu Bei, which affected his status in Liu Bei's heart to a certain extent.
After Zhao Yun returned to Liu Bei's command, although he performed well in the battle of "Changban Slope", rescued Liu Bei's young children, and performed bravely in many battles, his political status and military responsibilities have never been compared with veterans such as Guan Yu and Zhang Fei. Although Zhao Yun is loyal, in Liu Bei's view, his political sensitivity and ability to control the situation may not be as good as Guan Zhang.
Some of Zhao Yun's decisions also made Liu Bei feel suspicious. Zhao Yun took the initiative to ask Ying to fight on many occasions, and although he showed his personal bravery, it also reflected that his strategic considerations may be too aggressive and lack sufficient comprehensiveness. In the process of commanding many generals and maintaining a stable situation, Liu Bei prefers to use generals who can charge bravely and be far-sighted.
Not only that, some of Liu Bei's decisions in his later years also showed that he had a deeper consideration for the use of generals. For example, when assigning important positions in Shuzhong, Liu Bei seems to be more inclined to let generals with deep political and military backgrounds take on important responsibilities. And although Zhao Yun performed well on the battlefield and was extremely loyal to Liu Bei, his role in the complex political situation did not seem to be so prominent.
Moreover, an important factor that we cannot ignore is that Zhao Yun's background and early experience did not allow him to have a high starting point on the stage of the Three Kingdoms. Although Zhao Yun later proved his worth through unremitting efforts, his political status never matched that of the old generals who had followed Liu Bei since the Yellow Turban Army uprising.
In Liu Bei's eyes, although Zhao Yun is a fierce general, he may lack the political sensitivity and breadth of decision-making required as a senior general. This may be part of the reason why Liu Bei left his last words on his deathbed that "Zilong cannot be reused". Liu Bei knew that building a solid country required not only force, but also political wisdom and broad support.
Liu Bei's last words may also contain a concern about the predicament that Zhao Yun may face in the future. He may have feared that Zhao Yun would not be able to maintain his position and influence in the complex political environment of Shu Han after his death. After all, in Liu Bei's view, being able to gain a foothold in troubled times requires not only courage and wisdom, but also the ability to deal with various political challenges.
Although Zhao Yun was praised as loyal and brave throughout his life, his role in Liu Bei's strategic layout was always limited. This may explain why, although Zhao Yun is heroic in "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", his status and achievements in the actual historical record are not as dazzling as in the novel. In the complex history, the fate of each hero is not a single linear, but a complex picture interwoven by countless factors.
Zhao Yun's life is an interweaving of loyalty and regret. His name lives on, but there is always a hint of helplessness in the depths of history. Liu Bei's sentence "Zilong cannot be reused" is not only a reference to a certain limitation of Zhao Yun's personal ability, but also reflects the tragic color of the hero in the troubled times.