One wrong step, and you lose the whole game. Step by step to the end, just because of an episode to bet all his life and life, no matter who feels pity, right?Such examples are not uncommon in ancient Chinese history. In the past, there was Xiang Yu, who was the 'unsold scholar overlord', and Cao Cao, who was the 'hero of the troubled times', and Li Zicheng, the 'king of the storm', also had a very similar fate to these two.
History has its own theories about these three people, but it cannot be denied that they all had the opportunity to win the world, but in the end, they fell short. So, what caused them to end up dead?In a sense, it has a lot to do with Xiang Yu's character. It is undeniable that Xiang Yu was born into an aristocratic family and has outstanding martial arts, which once made him quite popular.
But with only the so-called superior force, how can he be Liu Bang's opponent?After reaching the top, Xiang Yu soon ushered in the Waterloo of life. The most important reason for this is that the status of hatred in Xiang Yu's heart is too high, causing him to lose his goal and be unable to calmly judge the situation.
Back to the confrontation with Zhang Han by the Zhangshui River. After the death of Xiang Yu's parents, he was raised under the knee of his uncle Xiang Liang. In Xiang Yu's heart, Xiang Liang's status can be imagined. When the news of Xiang Liang's death at the hands of Zhang Han came, Xiang Yu was sad and angry in his heart, and there was no need to say much. After Xiang Yu led the army to Julu, he cautiously observed the layout of the Qin army, quickly grasped the weak points, and made a bold decision to break the cauldron and fight with it. Zhang Han soon fell into the trap set by Xiang Yu and retreated, and Xiang Yu successfully won the battle. Everyone praised Xiang Yu's use of soldiers like a god.
However, Xiang Yu did not do what everyone expected. After King Huai asked Xiang Yu to return to his division, he continued to chase after Zhang Han. In Xiang Yu's heart, if he can subdue Zhang Han, he will be able to clear the obstacles for subduing the coalition forces of the princes, and he will be able to dominate the world. However, Xiang Yu hung Zhang Han, and every time he was defeated, he did not fight with him, causing Zhang Han to bow his head and surrender in desperation. Xiang Yu thought that Zhang Han's motives for surrendering were not pure, but he thought that he had nothing to do, and finally led his army to defeat Zhang Han again. However, this made Zhang Han only ally with Xiang Yu, but he was killed by Xiang Yu. Xiang Yu chose to fight Liu Bang when he had nothing to do, but the appearance of the traitor promoted the process of the 'Hongmen Banquet'.
This series of events reveals the indecisiveness of Xiang Yu's personality and the danger of exalting hatred too much. He was unable to make a calm judgment at critical moments, which ultimately led to defeat.
Cao Cao almost failed to win the world, but in the end he regretted letting Liu Bei go. In Cao Cao's eyes, among the two opponents of Yuan Shu and Liu Bei, the former is more threatening. Cao Cao was willing to woo Liu Bei in order to deal with Yuan Shu. After Liu Bei was defeated by Lu Bu, he could only choose to take refuge in Cao Cao. However, Liu Bei's eloquence and high morale made Cao Cao wary. Cao Cao ultimately missed the opportunity to get rid of Liu Bei. After Cao Cao let Liu Bei go, although Liu Bei was relieved on the surface, he had actually been waiting for the opportunity. In the confrontation with Liu Bang, Cao Cao took the initiative to show weakness, but was stopped by Fan Zeng, which eventually led to his later defeat. Cao Cao's indecision in dealing with Liu Bei ultimately led to a failed outcome.
Li Zicheng's failure was attributed to the fact that he only thought about 'fighting', but did not consider 'defending'. Li Zicheng flocked to Beijing, but the peasant army did not have enough food. In order to solve the problem, they carried out the liquidation of their ill-gotten gains, which eventually led to chaos. Li Zicheng's great cause was also counterattacked by the Qing army, and finally ended in defeat.
Overall, all three historical figures ended up failing because of problems with their personalities, decisions, or strategies. By analyzing the experiences of all three, this article highlights how a small mistake can have huge consequences on the stage of history.