At the beginning of the Three Kingdoms, the strongest was not Cao Liu, but two straw bales
At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty and the beginning of the Three Kingdoms, many heroes competed for hegemony, and in order to expand their territory and realize their dream of dominating the world, they fought with each other and fought endlessly. Among them, the names of Dong Zhuo, Cao Cao, Yuan Shao, Yuan Shu, Gongsun Zhan, Han Fu and others are remembered by history.
However, among these people, the most unexpected thing is that it is not Cao Cao, Liu Bei and other influential figures who really have the potential and the possibility to dominate the world, but two ordinary brothers.
They were inconspicuous in the beginning, but over time they showed incredible strength and resourcefulness.
Elder brother: Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu, although they are half-brothers, they were born in the fourth and third princes of Runan Yuan Si. Yuan Shu was born in the main room, and Yuan Shao was a concubine, but he became a concubine because he was succeeded by Yuan Cheng.
Yuan Shao was favored by Yuan Feng and Yuan Kui because of his unique temperament, and was appointed as the magistrate of Puyang County at the age of 20. Subsequently, he was worried at home for at least six years because of his filial piety.
When the Yellow Turban Army revolted, Yuan Shao was recruited by the general He Jin and re-embarked on his official career. He tried his best to persuade He Jin to get rid of the eunuchs who caused chaos in the government, revitalize the dynasty, and restore the former majesty of the Han Dynasty.
However, He Jin hesitated, and in the end, instead of eradicating the eunuchs, he was killed by them. Dong Zhuo then led troops into Beijing and deposed the emperor without authorization, Yuan Shao expressed dissatisfaction with this, so he left Beijing and was named the Taishou of Bohai.
In 190 AD, Yuan Shao was elected as the leader of the alliance and led the princes of all walks of life to crusade against Dong Zhuo. If he can follow Xiang Yu's example in the Battle of Julu and destroy the main force of Dong Zhuo's Western Liang Army, he may become the second "Overlord of Western Chu" and unify the world.
After Dong Zhuo burned Luoyang and went west to Chang'an, it was Yuan Shao's second chance to dominate the world, and he planned to set up a new monarch, abandon Liu Xie, the emperor of Han Xian, and choose Liu Yu, the pastor of Youzhou.
However, due to the opposition of his brother Yuan Shu and Liu Yu himself, Yuan Shao finally abandoned this plan. In fact, Yuan Shao should not give up supporting the new monarch, Liu Yu did not agree to be the emperor, he could choose a new one, because at that time there were a large number of Han clan relatives, and even Liu Bei, who sold straw sandals, called himself a Han clan relative.
Yuan Shao who missed the opportunity: After the collapse of Dong Zhuo's army in the Kwantung crusade, various forces began to fight for territory, and Yuan Shao successfully annexed many states and counties with his family's reputation and strength, with a large army and vast territory.
At this time, the strategist Tian Feng proposed to welcome Emperor Xian of Han to Xudu and use the authority of the Son of Heaven to order the princes, which may be the best time for him to dominate the world. However, Yuan Shao hesitated because of his personal grievances against Emperor Xian of Han, and ultimately missed this important opportunity and failed to realize his dream of dominating the world. "
Yuan Shu, Yuan Shao's half-brother, although he was born in the Yuan family of Runan, the fourth generation and the third prince, his personality is very different from Yuan Shao's. Compared with Yuan Shao's humility and stability, Yuan Shu is more rigid and self-serving, and acts arbitrarily.
He opposed Yuan Shao's support of Liu Yu of the Han clan as emperor, not out of loyalty to the Han family, but because he himself had a dream of being an emperor. When Yuan Shao obtained the gold-inlaid jade seal, he believed that the Han dynasty could no longer be revived, and only he Yuan Shu could replace the Han dynasty and become the new ruler.
Soon, Zhang Xiao calculated a hexagram for Yuan Shu, saying that he could become emperor one day in the future, which made Yuan Shu ecstatic. So, in 197 AD, he proclaimed himself emperor in Shouchun, established the Zhong clan, and canonized the civil and military hundred officials.
If Yuan Shu was able to pay homage to the corporal after becoming emperor, recruit talented people extensively, exert himself to strengthen his power, and rely on the influence of the fourth and third dukes, he might really replace the Han family and become the founder of a new dynasty.
After Yuan Shu became the emperor, he began to enjoy extravagance, absurdity and luxury, which was far from the emperor's frugal virtues. He frantically collected hundreds of wives and concubines, indulged in eating, drinking and having fun every day, and lost the responsibility and responsibility that an emperor should have.
Under his rule, the people in the Jianghuai region lived in dire straits, with frequent disasters and famines, and even cannibalism. In the end, Yuan Shu was defeated by Cao Cao, Liu Bei, Lu Bu and others, and disappeared in the long river of history.
At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty and the beginning of the Three Kingdoms, the Yuan brothers relied on the influence of their families to establish their own power and once became the most promising princes to dominate the world. However, the incompetence and straw bales of Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu caused them to lose this historic opportunity, which eventually led to a situation in which Cao Cao, Liu Bei, and Sun Quan were divided into three worlds.