Liu Bei attacked Eastern Wu, revenge is only the surface, and the reasons behind it are three layers
In the twenty-fourth year of Jian'an, Wu defeated and killed Guan Yu;In the twenty-fifth year of Jian'an, Cao Pi usurped the Han Dynasty and became emperor;In the twenty-fourth month of the twenty-sixth year of Jian'an, Liu Bei was proclaimed emperor in Chengdu for Zhang Wu. Three months later, Liu Bei sent troops to attack Wu as Guan Yu"Revenge"。
At that time, Liu Bei sent 750,000 troops, and the company camp was more than 700 miles, which was huge, and Sun Quan was scared for a while. If it weren't for Lu Xun's unexpected victory, the Soochow crisis would not be trivial. However, the result was that Liu Bei was defeated, his troops were lost, and the White Emperor City was isolated. Shu State's military prestige and national strength for more than ten years were burned.
Here, many readers believe that Liu Bei really insisted on the war in order to avenge Guan Yu, which ended in a catastrophe. Even if it is"Taoyuan Ties", you can't joke with the fate of Shu!
Liu Bei was very wise and generous in ** "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" and "Romance of the Three Kingdoms". Looking at the thatched house three times and asking Zhuge Liang for advice, it is estimated that it is not Liu Bei's thigh, Zhuge Liang will not be tempted.
Therefore, Liu Beijun never meant to avenge Guan Yu, this is just an excuse, and the key is a political game.
In the twenty-fourth year, Guan Yu was defeated and left Jian'an, and in the twenty-sixth year, Liu Bei went out to Jian'an. Two years have passed, and if it were just pure revenge, he would not have waited another two years. There are three main reasons behind this:
i.Win the hearts and minds of the people and stabilize the overall situation.
Guan Yu was stationed in Jingzhou before his defeat. Although Liu Bei borrowed Jingzhou from Eastern Wu, after years of civil rule, the people of Jingzhou were very supportive of the Shu Han regime. After Guan Yu's defeat, Jingzhou was conquered by Eastern Wu, but the people of Jingzhou did not fully accept the rule of Eastern Wu.
In addition, many of the ** who served in the Shu Han regime at that time also came from Jingzhou. For example, Huang Zhong, Wei Yan, Ma Liang, Liao Li and others. These people, out of affection for their hometown or relatives in Jingzhou, supported Liu Bei's military campaign.
Those who dissuaded Liu Bei from going on the expedition were Zhao Yun, Zhuge Liang and Qin Mi. Zhao Yun dissuaded the most, Zhao Yun said.
Zhao Yun said:"Destroy Wei first, and then Wu will surrender. Cao Cao's corpse is dead, Zipi usurped the throne, popular for the people, early picture Guanzhong, living on the river, killing the thieves under the advice of Wei, the Kwantung Righteous Army turned the grain, grass and horses to the Wang Division. Wei cannot be introduced into war with Wu, and the military situation will not be resolved in time. "
Zhao Yun analyzed it very well, Zhuge Liang praised it, and Liu Bei actually knew it. He knew that it was not the best policy to send troops to Soochow, but he wanted to explain to the ministers' group and the people of Jingzhou that he should send troops to solve the current problems.
Second, overthrow Sun Quan and destroy his ambitions.
Many readers may think that Liu Bei's attack on Sun Quan was an active attack, and Dongwu was a passive defense. But that's not the case. After defeating Guan Yu and seizing Jingzhou, Sun Quan's ambitions became even greater, and he even had plans against Shu Han.
The Chronicles of the Three Kingdoms - The Biography of Zhou Tai records:"After Sun Quan broke Guan Yu, he wanted to enter Shutu. "。Sun Quan's ambitions seemed to have greatly swelled after seeing Lü Meng's successful sneak attack on Jingzhou and the defeat of the general Guan Yu to Shu.
Cao Cao once said:"Zidang learns from Sun Zhongmou"。Sun Quan, whom Cao Cao admired, was not an ordinary person. Perhaps Liu Bei and Sun Quan were the two people Cao Cao admired the most in the Three Kingdoms.
Sun Quan has been yearning for Shu for a long time. When Zhou Yu was alive, he and Liu Bei talked to Sun Quan about the idea of conquering Shu. Later, in the era of Lu Su and Lu Meng, many people had the same idea.
Liu Bei's current military action can also be regarded as an arrow on the bow and has to be launched. For the long-term stability of Shu, Sun Quan's intention to destroy Shu must be thwarted.
Although Liu Bei was defeated, Dongwu took a sentence"The Son of Heaven guards the country"Won the battle. After the victory, Wu no longer attacked, but sent envoys to sue for peace.
iii.Regain the lost territory and revive the majesty of Bashu.
Jingzhou is located in the northeast of Shu Han, the north can directly take Xuchang, the east can be used as a barrier and the passage to Jiangdong, its strategic position is very obvious, it can be seen that the importance of Guan Yu's troops at that time.
The third reason why Liu Bei sent troops to Eastern Wu was to hope that his 750,000 army would achieve a great victory and recover the lost territory of Jingzhou. In this way, the territory of the country will be expanded, and the people will be punished. It was a perfect plan, but it turned out to be regrettable.