Guan Yu, the word cloud is long, is a famous military general in Chinese history, he is loyal and brave, strong in martial arts, upright, and deeply admired by people. However, in the twenty-fourth year of Jian'an (219), Guan Yu was captured by Sun Quan's general Lü Meng in the Battle of Fancheng and was eventually executed. So, why didn't Guan Yu choose to commit suicide before being captured alive?This issue has always been the focus of debate in the field of history. This paper will analyze the historical background, personal beliefs, and political factors in order to give a more reasonable explanation for this problem.
First of all, from the perspective of historical background, when Guan Yu was captured alive, although the Eastern Han Dynasty had already existed in name only, Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty was still in power, and the Eastern Han Dynasty official system and title system also existed. Therefore, as a loyal Han Dynasty general, Guan Yu believed that he should serve the country loyally instead of easily choosing to commit suicide. In addition, Guan Yu has always been known for his loyalty, bravery, benevolence and other qualities, and he has worked for Liu Bei all his life, striving to realize Liu Bei's ideals. In this case, Guan Yu may think that even if he is captured, he should stick to his beliefs and ideals instead of giving up his life easily.
Secondly, from the perspective of personal beliefs, Guan Yu has always believed in Taoism, and he believes that human life is sacred and should not end easily. In "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", Guan Yu once dreamed of a Taoist priest telling him: "Your life is not over, don't take your life." This may also be one of the reasons why Guan Yu did not choose to commit suicide before being captured alive. In addition, Guan Yu has always believed that he has a divine power to protect his body, and he can turn evil into good fortune. In "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", Guan Yu has repeatedly made great achievements on the battlefield, and even under Cao Cao's pursuit, he was able to stay safe and sound. This self-confidence may also be one of the reasons why Guan Yu did not choose to commit suicide before being captured alive.
Again, from the perspective of political factors, when Guan Yu was captured alive, his younger brother Zhang Fei had already been killed, and Liu Bei died of illness soon after. In this case, Guan Yu may have thought that he still had a chance to avenge Liu Bei and work for the revival of Shu Han. As a result, he may consider suicide to be an escapist act that is inconsistent with his beliefs and ideals. In addition, after Guan Yu was captured alive, Sun Quan once sent people to persuade him to surrender, hoping that he would surrender to Eastern Wu. However, Guan Yu resolutely refused, saying that he would rather die than give in. This also shows that Guan Yu did not choose to commit suicide before being captured alive.
However, Guan Yu finally chose to be executed. There may be several reasons for this:
Sun Quan's attitude changed. After Guan Yu was captured alive, Sun Quan once sent people to persuade him to surrender, hoping that he would surrender to Eastern Wu. However, with Liu Bei's death and the decline of Shu Han, Sun Quan's attitude changed. He began to think about how to consolidate his position in Jiangdong and how to deal with his relationship with Cao Wei. In this case, Sun Quan may have considered killing Guan Yu an advantageous option, as it would eliminate Liu Bei's hopes of reviving Shu Han and also make his position clear to Cao Wei.
Guan Yu's pride and stubbornness. Guan Yu has always been known for his loyalty, bravery, benevolence and other qualities, and he has worked for Liu Bei all his life and struggled to realize Liu Bei's ideals. However, this loyalty and persistence can also be his drawback. After being captured alive, Guan Yu may have thought that he would rather die than surrender to Sun Quan. This pride and stubbornness may also have contributed to his eventual execution.
Guan Yu's fate arrangement. In Chinese history, there are many sayings about fate. Some people believe that a person's destiny is arranged by God and cannot be changed no matter how hard he tries. Guan Yu did not choose to commit suicide before being captured alive, probably because he thought that his life had not come to an end, and that he still had the opportunity to avenge Liu Bei and work hard for the revival of Shu Han. However, in the end, he could not escape the arrangement of fate and was forced to walk the path of death.
To sum up, Guan Yu did not choose to commit suicide before being captured alive for the following reasons: First, he was loyal to the Han Dynasty and believed that he should serve the country loyally;The second is that he believes in Taoism, believing that human life is sacred and should not be ended lightly;The third is that he thinks that he still has a chance to avenge Liu Bei and work hard for the revival of Shu Han;Fourth, factors such as Sun Quan's change of attitude, Guan Yu's pride and stubbornness, and the arrangement of fate all contributed to his eventual execution.
Guan Yu's life is full of legends, and his loyalty, bravery, benevolence and other qualities have been praised by future generations. However, his tragic ending also leaves us with a profound lesson: a person's destiny is not entirely in their own hands, and sometimes we need to follow the trend of history in order to find our own way of survival.