In 263 AD, Deng Ai, the general of Cao Wei, led a large army to attack Shu Han, and the situation was critical. Historically, Liu Chan's decision to surrender seemed to be the only choice on the surface, but in fact, Liu Chan had three paths to choose from at that time, each of which contained profound considerations and challenges.
1. Stick to Chengdu, Jiang Wei will return to the division or wait for help.
Although Shu Han's troops were weak, if he held on to Chengdu, he might be able to continue to block Deng Ai before Jiang Wei returned to his division or foreign aid arrived. However, Jiang Wei was in a stalemate with Zhong Hui in the Sword Pavilion, and there was no time to divide troops to rescue, and Chengdu was in danger of being directly attacked. This is a difficult one.
Second, take refuge in Soochow and make a comeback.
Historically, Shu Han and Eastern Wu had cooperated against Cao Wei many times, and Liu Chan might have chosen to take refuge in Sun Quan in the hope of Eastern Wu's assistance. However, at that time, Soochow was also dealing with its own internal challenges, and Sun Quan stopped the rescue operation after the news came, and the possibility of Liu Chan defecting to Soochow became very small.
3. Flee to South China and wait and see how the situation changes.
The terrain in Nanzhong is dangerous, and it may be an ideal place for Liu Chan to evade Deng Ai's pursuit. However, this move also meant the abandonment of Chengdu, and the surrender of Huo Yi and others showed that the possibility of Deng Ai's rapid occupation of Nanzhong existed, and Liu Chan's safety there could not be guaranteed.
Although Liu Chan had these three options, history ultimately proved that he chose Kaesong to surrender. The reasons behind it are complex, not only because of the lack of elite forces to break through the encirclement, Jiang Wei has no time to take care of the safety of Chengdu, but also because of the imbalance of internal forces, which leads to helplessness in decision-making.
Liu Chan faced difficult choices at the crossroads of history, and each choice concealed challenges and tests, and the surrender of Kaesong, although criticized, was the only choice that seemed to be the only choice at that time.
Liu Chan has historically faced extremely difficult choices, which in many ways reflect the profound struggle between weighing the pros and cons and the persecution of the situation. History is a complex narrative, and different choices may change the fate of Shu Han, but the considerations and challenges behind these choices are obvious.
First of all, Liu Chan faced a powerful military threat from Cao Wei, and he had only a limited number of troops at his disposal. In this case, any decision is fraught with risk. Holding on to Chengdu may be a conservative choice, but without the support of foreign aid and internal elite forces, Chengdu's defense is difficult. Defecting to Soochow or fleeing to Nanzhong, although it seems that they can avoid direct confrontation, they also face uncontrollable risks. At that time, Soochow was suffering from internal and external troubles, and the possibility of assistance was slim, and the terrain in Nanzhong was dangerous, but it was also difficult to ensure safety.
In terms of choice, Liu Chan may have been forced to abandon the more adventurous path, not least because Jiang Wei was unable to return to Chengdu in time and the city lacked sufficient military support. He was forced to make the decision to surrender Kaesong, a decision that was questioned but seemed to be a relatively safe choice in the circumstances. However, this choice also revealed Liu Chan's dilemma as ruler, namely the lack of effective internal support and military resources.
Liu Chan's choices have led to different directions in history, but there are also some important historical lessons to be learned. Historically, every decision has been made in a specific context, and we should not just look at the surface, but understand the considerations and challenges behind it. Liu Chan's choice may not have been perfect, but it seemed to be the most reasonable under the circumstances. This complex historical decision-making provides us with insights into history, leadership, and addressing challenges.
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