Liu Bei, as one of the protagonists in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, is known as the king of benevolence and has a wide range of popularity and influence. However, although Liu Bei had advisers such as the Five Tiger Generals and Zhuge Liang, and mastered important regions such as Jingzhou, Yizhou, and Hanzhong, he ultimately failed to achieve his grand goal of unifying the Three Kingdoms. The reason is mainly due to Liu Bei's personal and his inadequacies in historical changes.
The root cause of Liu Bei's frustration in his dream of reunifying the Three Kingdoms was that he failed to seize the opportunity of historical turning points and missed many opportunities to achieve reunification. He did not correctly assess the current situation, could not grasp the pulse and changes of history, and did not take the initiative to act. As a result, he missed many hard-won opportunities to quickly promote the formation of a unified situation.
Liu Bei's defeat in the Battle of Yiling was one of the important factors that led to his loss of unifying the Three Kingdoms. The Battle of Yiling was a critical moment in the decline of the prosperity of the Shu Han Dynasty, and it was also a battle in which Liu Bei personally buried the dominant forces. If he could correctly assess the situation and carry out appropriate strategies against the enemy, then Shu Han would not have fallen into such a passive situation, and the prospects for the unification of the three kingdoms would have become clearer.
Pang Tong was one of Liu Bei's important advisers and a figure with far-reaching influence. In Liu Bei's pursuit of Yizhou, the existence of Pang Tong played a crucial role. Pang Tong's death and its impact on Yizhou also played a key role in Liu Bei's failure to unify the Three Kingdoms.
Pang Tong's death was an important turning point that led to Liu Bei's failure to unify the Three Kingdoms. If Zhuge Liang had not been transferred to Yizhou, but had stayed behind Jingzhou to provide support, then even if Guan Yu was defeated in the war, he would not have lost Jingzhou. However, due to Pang Tong's tragic ambush death while taking Yizhou, Zhuge Liang was forced to go to support Yizhou, which eventually led to Guan Yu being alone and in a desperate situation.
Liu Bei could have directly annexed Yizhou, but because he remembered the affection of his clan, he was unwilling to seize Liu Zhang's family power. At the same time, he is also eager for Yizhou's support. In order for Liu Bei to get Yizhou, Pang Tong became a benevolent person and gave Liu Bei the title of attacking Yizhou. However, in reality, Pang Tong's sacrifice was completely avoidable. If Liu Bei can change his past attitude of sticking to benevolence and righteousness, and take the initiative to take action in troubled times, the goal of unifying the three kingdoms may be achieved.
The reason for Liu Bei's failure to unify the Three Kingdoms was his personal limitations and his lack of grasp of historical opportunities. Although his benevolence and righteousness are commendable, it is difficult to accomplish great things in troubled times. The unification of the three countries requires decisive decision-making, active practice, and overriding courage and wisdom.
In Liu Bei's body, we can see a person who struggles for benevolence and righteousness, and he has been swaying thoughts and actions for personal emotions and morality. While this made him a well-respected and beloved monarch, it was one of the important reasons why he failed to achieve unity.
For individuals, Liu Bei's story has inspired me deeply. In pursuing our goals, we must not be bound by personal emotions and morals, but must look at the situation objectively and evaluate opportunities. Only by taking the initiative to act on the big stage of history can we have a greater possibility to realize our ideals and goals.
In short, there are many reasons for Liu Bei's failure to unify the Three Kingdoms, including his personal shortcomings, as well as the constraints of the historical environment and situation he faced. His dependence on the talents of his subordinates and the influence of personal emotions caused him to miss many opportunities, and ultimately failed to achieve the grand goal of unifying the three kingdoms. This has provided us with profound enlightenment, and we must continue to sum up lessons and lessons in practice, move forward bravely, and work hard to realize our dreams.