"Romance of the Three Kingdoms", a historical work created by Luo Guanzhong, a writer in the late Yuan Dynasty and early Ming Dynasty, has become a classic in the history of Chinese literature with its vivid character building, twists and turns of the plot and far-reaching cultural influence. However, as a work of art based on historical events, Romance of the Three Kingdoms inevitably underwent some distortions and adaptations in the process of reconstructing history, and these changes have largely shaped modern readers' understanding and cognition of the Three Kingdoms period.
First of all, the exaggeration and beautification of the characters is a significant feature of the historical distortion of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms". The main characters in the **, such as Liu Bei, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei and Zhuge Liang, are endowed with distinct personalities and legends. However, these images are often too idealistic or dramatic, and there is a certain deviation from the real people in history. For example, Liu Bei is portrayed as a benevolent, generous, heroic and fearless hero, while Guan Yu is portrayed as the embodiment of loyalty and righteousness. Although these character traits are based to a certain extent on historical records, they are exaggerated and embellished in **, making it easy for readers to ignore the flaws in their true character and behavior.
Secondly, the fiction and adaptation of historical events are also an important way for "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" to distort history. Many well-known battles and strategies in **, such as the Battle of Chibi, the straw boat borrowing arrows and the empty city plan, etc., although they are true in history, the specific details and processes have been processed and imagined by the author. For example, the victory in the Battle of Chibi is mainly due to Zhuge Liang's resourcefulness, while in actual history, the roles of Zhou Yu and Sun Quan are more crucial. Although this fiction and adaptation enhance the appeal and drama of the story, it also leads to a skewed understanding of historical events by readers.
Moreover, the one-sidedness and bias of political concepts are also reflected in "Romance of the Three Kingdoms". Although the values of loyalty, benevolence, and bravery emphasized in ** have certain positive significance, they often have the influence of the author's subjective tendency and the background of the times in their specific performance. For example, Cao Cao is portrayed as a cunning, insidious, cruel and ruthless character, while his political, economic, and cultural contributions are relatively ignored in **. This one-sided and biased portrayal not only affects the reader's understanding of Cao Cao personally, but also reflects the society's view of morality and power at that time.
In general, "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" is a historical **, and its distortion of history is an inevitable phenomenon in the creative process. These distortions stem not only from the author's artistic needs, but also from the social perceptions and cultural background of the time. Although "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" may mislead readers about history in some aspects, it also stimulates people's strong interest and in-depth understanding of the history of the Three Kingdoms through vivid stories and profound character building, thus playing an irreplaceable role in spreading Chinese culture and shaping national identity. Therefore, while appreciating this work, we also need to rationally look at the difference between it and the historical truth, in order to understand and evaluate this historical period more comprehensively and accurately.