In "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" and "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", Cao Cao is portrayed as a traitor and a Han thief, while Liu Bei is a relative of the Han family and an imperial uncle, and naturally becomes the emperor of Shu.
The authors apparently believe that all of Cao Cao's actions were contrary to the way of heaven, while Liu Bei's actions were in accordance with the mandate of heaven.
Everyone knows that Liu Bei's success is inextricably linked to his background. In "Romance of the Three Kingdoms: The Biography of the First Lord", the author unconditionally accepted Liu Bei's self-promotion.
It was clearly stated that Liu Bei was a descendant of Liu Sheng, the king of Zhongshan Jing, the son of Emperor Jing of the Han Dynasty; And Luo Guanzhong's research ability is even more amazing, he was able to verify that Liu Bei is Liu Sheng's seventeenth great-great-grandson.
Even if we accept Luo Guanzhong's fabrication and believe that Liu Bei is Liu Sheng's seventeenth great-great-great-grandson, we cannot conclude that Liu Bei is the cousin of Liu Xie, Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty.
On the contrary, Liu Xie's identity can be verified, he is the fourteenth great-great-grandson of Emperor Liu Qi of the Han Dynasty.
Based on this calculation, Liu Xie should be Liu Bei's great-great-grandfather, not the emperor's uncle.
Therefore, the issue of Liu Bei's identity deserves further study and verification.
In this way, the authenticity of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" and "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" is also worthy of our reconsideration.
Although this one thing alone may not be able to completely convince readers, we might as well take a look at a well-known "big event" - the hero of green plum cooking wine.
When Cao Cao first arrived in Xudu by Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty, he urgently needed talents from all over the world to decorate the façade, so he did not follow Cheng Yu's advice to kill Liu Bei, who came to take refuge.
Instead, he recommended Liu Bei as the pastor of Yuzhou and asked him to defend Xiaopei against Lu Bu.
However, in the three years of Jian'an, Liu Bei was unable to resist Lü Bu's attack and left Xiaopei with the defeated army.
Cao Cao finally captured Lü Bu alive in December of the third year of Jian'an, and killed him with his own hands at Baimen Tower.
After that, Liu Bei followed Cao Cao to Xudu, and although he became the general of Zuo, he was actually set aside.
Chronicles of the Three Kingdoms: The Biography of the Ancestors records that once at a private banquet, Cao Cao once said to Liu Bei: "Looking at the world, only you Liu Bei and I, Cao Cao, are the real heroes." ”
Liu Bei was taken aback when he heard this, and the chopsticks in his hand accidentally fell to the ground. "Huayang National Chronicles" added that at the same time as Liu Bei's chopsticks landed, thunder roared.
Liu Bei was in a hurry, and took the opportunity to explain that it was the thunder that scared off the chopsticks.
Cao Cao was convinced of this. However, there are many loopholes in this account, first of all, Liu Bei heard Cao Cao's praise and had no reason to be afraid to the extent that the chopsticks fell to the ground.
Secondly, Cao Cao was not mentally retarded enough to believe Liu Bei's explanation.
Although this unconvincing story is vividly portrayed by Luo Guanzhong as a "hero of green plum cooking wine", the real story is no longer exquisite.
However, the story of "Heroes on Cooking Wine with Green Plums" has been passed down to this day and has become an important allusion to the Three Kingdoms period.
Boiled sake is a type of sake made from grain, and the best time to drink freshly brewed sake is the season when the green plums are ripe, that is, in late spring.
At that time, Liu Bei was in Xudu, so from the perspective of time, it is indeed possible for Cao Cao to be a "hero of green plum cooking wine" with Liu Bei.
However, it is doubtful whether Cao Cao really regarded Liu Bei as a hero, as stated in the "Romance of the Three Kingdoms".
Because in that era, Liu Bei's strength was indeed far from Cao Cao's.
In ancient times, the word "hero" had a clear definition, and only people with outstanding talents in both civil and military aspects could be called heroes.
Obviously, Liu Bei at that time was far from reaching the standard of a hero, and it was not too much to say that he had "nothing", and he did not see any possibility of getting ahead.
Therefore, it is certain that when Liu Bei was in Xudu, Cao Cao would never be like what "Three Kingdoms: The Biography of the First Lord" said, "If you go out, you will be in the same opinion, and if you enter, you will be at the same table".
The Romance of the Three Kingdoms is even more exaggerated, saying that Liu Bei was cordially received by Emperor Han Xian on the second day after entering Xudu, and after consulting the "clan genealogy", he was recognized as "Uncle Huang" by Emperor Han Xian on the spot.
It can be said that Cao Cao let Liu Bei enter Xu Capital, which was undoubtedly a mistake.
History has clearly shown that Liu Bei had only a negligible force before entering the Xu capital, and no matter how much he tried, he could not pose a substantial threat.
However, when Liu Bei was in Xudu, his horizons were expanded, and after leaving Xudu, he began to refer to himself as "Liu Shenghou, King Jing of Zhongshan", and claimed that he had received a secret edict from Emperor Xian of Han to crusade against Cao Cao, which made him a representative of justice.
In fact, Liu Bei's experience in Xudu not only changed the trajectory of his life, but also had a profound impact on Chinese history in the late Eastern Han Dynasty.