During the Three Kingdoms period, the storm was surging and the flames of war were raging, and every hero was fighting for his ambition. In this era of endless strife, Liu Bei is an ordinary person in the eyes of ordinary people, but he has extraordinary dreams.
He longed to be able to build a stable and prosperous country, but he felt powerless in the face of strong opponents such as Cao Cao and Sun Quan. However, it was this unwavering belief and persistent pursuit of his dreams that made him an outstanding historical figure.
However, if Liu Bei wants to realize his dream, he also needs a more outstanding strategist to help. This person is Zhuge Liang, who has been handed down to the world as a military advisor and a wise and brave man.
However, in ancient times, there were no modern means of communication, and the transmission of information was not as convenient as it is today. This raises a thought-provoking question: how did Liu Bei know Zhuge Liang's talent and be willing to spend so much time and energy looking for him in order to achieve his great cause?
01 Originated from Zhuge
Thousands of years ago, in that war-torn era, heroes emerged one after another, and the tide of competition for the world was surging. And in this chaotic stage, an obscure wise man gradually reached the pinnacle of history because of the recommendation of a loyal recommender.
In the troubled times, Xu Shu is an ill-fated orphan. His life was in an era of wars and broken mountains and rivers, and he was destined to be ordinary. However, it was this troubled era that connected him to Liu Bei, the later emperor of Shu Han.
Xu Shu is intelligent by nature, and his eyes reveal a special light, which people of that era did not have. He often wandered alone among the steep mountains and rivers, thinking about this
One day, he heard Liu Bei's name, which was the name of a teacher known as benevolence and righteousness, a name that had been placed on countless expectations. So, Xu Shu did not hesitate to embark on the road of finding Liu Bei. He hopes to join this group of benevolent teachers and find a home to rely on.
Xu Shu's arrival injected new blood into Liu Bei's army. His intelligence and courage allowed him to quickly rise to prominence under Liu Bei's account. In a fierce battle with Cao Ren, his resourcefulness helped Liu Bei achieve victory, a battle that impressed Liu Bei. Little did he know, however, that this victory would be a turning point in his fortunes.
When Cao Cao learned that Xu Shu was assisting Liu Bei, he decided to make a move. He sent an envoy to find Xu Shu, claiming that if he went to Cao Ying, his mother would be spared the disaster. Xu Shu cared about his mother, so he had to agree to go to Cao Ying and left Liu Bei's side. This decision was an extremely difficult decision for him.
However, before leaving, Xu Shu left behind a precious gift. He highly recommended a young man to Liu Bei, who had not yet shown extraordinary talent at the moment, but who had a proud family background. This recommendation changed Liu Bei's fate and left a strong mark on the history of the Three Kingdoms.
That strategist is none other than Zhuge Liang. When Xu Shu recommended Zhuge Liang to Liu Bei, perhaps he himself never imagined that this young man with ordinary appearance and unremarkable reputation would become one of the most outstanding military strategists in the history of the Three Kingdoms in the future. But Xu Shu dared to strongly recommend Zhuge Liang to Liu Bei, perhaps because he saw the potential in the heart of that humble young man.
This recommendation changed the course of history. Although Liu Bei had not yet seen Zhuge Liang's amazing talent, Xu Shu's firm belief and his own intuition made him actively persuade Zhuge Liang to join his camp. This is an encounter of fate, an unknown Xu Shu, a budding Zhuge Liang, and an ideal Liu Bei, holding each other and intertwined fates.
02 The connection behind the resourcefulness
Thousands of years ago, the land of Jingzhou was shrouded in strife and war, and under the vicissitudes of the storm, Liu Bei sailed like a lonely boat in the turbulent waves, but he had a firm ambition in his heart. However, he knew that it was not enough to be resourceful to gain a foothold in this difficult place, he needed a precious treasure - connections.
Jingzhou, that is a chaotic and troubled place, every corner is full of strife and deceit. In this dangerous land, Liu Bei is like a pearl, eager to find a pearl shell suitable for him, a strong support, to stabilize his career.
So, Liu Bei began to carefully observe the wealthy families in this land. He knew that in order to establish himself here, he needed to establish close ties with those wealthy families. It's not just a matter of resourcefulness, it's an art of socializing.
In this search for allies, he discovered a striking clue - Zhuge Liang. The young wise man's family background is surprisingly strong, his brother-in-law Kuai Qi is from the Kuai family, and his second brother-in-law Pang Shanmin is a member of the Pang family. Both of these are prominent families in Jingzhou, and their prestige and influence spread throughout Jingzhou. These connections became an important link for Liu Bei to take root in Jingzhou.
However, the most impressive is Zhuge Liang's wife, Huang Yueying. Her father, Huang Chengyan, was the head of the Huang family in Jingzhou, a family that had been passed down for generations and had extensive influence and wealth in Jingzhou. This discovery made Liu Bei feel like he had discovered a hidden treasure, and he knew that in order to gain a firm foothold in this land, Huang Yueying, a key link, would be part of his success.
With these key connections, Liu Bei's expansion plans became smoother. He not only obtained Zhuge Liang, a strategist with extraordinary wisdom, but also established close ties with the major wealthy families in Jingzhou through Zhuge Liang's family background. These bonds, intertwined, have made Liu Bei's ambition and hegemony and made him stand out in the troubled times.
03 Epilogue
On that war-torn and turbulent historical stage, Liu Bei showed unusual wisdom and tenacity, but his success did not only come from his personal talent. The reason why Liu Bei was able to become the master of Shu Han was because he deeply understood the key role of human connections in the historical process.
In the troubled Jingzhou, Liu Bei was not only an ambitious leader, but also a master who was good at establishing connections with the super-wealthy. He skillfully used the family ties of Zhuge Liang, Huang Yueying, Kuai Qi, Pang Shanmin and others to bring together the forces of all parties so that his career could move forward smoothly. His resourcefulness and connections complemented each other and together created the glorious history of Shu Han.
However, Liu Bei's success also reminds us that history is not all smooth sailing. Behind the prosperity, there are countless setbacks and sacrifices. Not only did he suffer setbacks in the political struggle, but he also had to reluctantly break ties with his relatives in exchange for greater success. This complex choice is the dilemma faced by many of history's greatest figures, whose success has often been accompanied by great sacrifices.
Resourcefulness and connections are part of historical success. On the path of pursuing our dreams, we need not only to have bright minds and strong determination, but also to be good at building deep relationships with others.
These relationships may be the backbone of our success at critical moments, but also remember that success often comes with sacrifice and hardship. It is this perseverance that has shaped the legends of many great figures in history, and has also made us admire and follow them.