The prophecy of fate, should we believe it? Is the trajectory of our lives really bound by a kind of foreknowledge or fate? Or are we at the helm of our own life's course?
Historically, some of the greatest people seem to have been driven by certain prophecies at critical moments to make decisions that would change their own fate and the lives of others. However, what kind of mystery is hidden behind the cause and effect and the overall situation?
All this seems to be predestined, but is it actually a human factor? Perhaps, we are accustomed to attributing the products of our desire for power to "providence" or "prophecy" in order to relieve responsibility and justify ourselves.
However, the potential risks of this way of thinking can be far greater than we think.
In the context of the war in the late Eastern Han Dynasty, the Han clan and important ministers set up their own doors in order to survive, and Cao Cao became the leader among the princes with his strong strength and extensive territorial control.
He realized that in order to stabilize people's hearts, he needed a legitimate emperor as a symbol. As a result, he seized the power of the Son of Heaven and used it to command the princes, which was widely supported.
After Cao Cao's unified position in the north was firmly established, many of his enemies no longer posed a threat, but he did not let his guard down. As a brilliant leader, he is thoughtful, sensitive and suspicious, and any wind and rain can trigger his fear of power.
This overly sensitive and suspicious personality makes Cao Cao extremely susceptible to external factors. One night, Cao Cao had a very shocking dream about three horses sharing the same trough.
After waking up, Cao Cao's first thought was: "trough" and "Cao" have the same sound, and the three horses indicate that in the future, there will be three people surnamed Ma who will steal Cao's country. Cao Cao then took great pains to think of any opponents who might threaten him and were surnamed Ma.
In the end, he locked on Ma Teng, Ma Chao and Ma Dai. In particular, Ma Teng and Ma Chao are both world-class fierce generals, and they are very likely to pose a threat to Cao's foundation.
An absurd dream immediately made Cao Cao uneasy, and he repeatedly thought about how to deal with it.
There is no deep hatred between Ma Teng and Cao Cao, Ma Chao was Cao Cao's subordinate, but because Cao Cao was not good, he switched to Liu Bei. Despite the difference in position, Ma Chao did not intend to be an enemy of Cao Cao.
If Ma Chao can communicate with Cao Cao calmly, maybe they can resolve the misunderstanding. However, Cao Cao was controlled by the prophecy in his dreams and firmly believed that the Ma family would subvert his country.
So, in the winter of 212, Cao Cao suddenly killed Ma Teng's father and son under the pretext of Ma Chao's rebellion in the west. Ma Teng was originally a loyal subordinate, but because of Cao Cao's suspicion, he died unjustly, and even his three clans suffered bad luck.
When Ma Chao had nowhere to go, Cao Cao sent the fierce general Zhang He to closely monitor him, and finally forced Ma Chao to take refuge in Liu Bei, which made the fate of the three fundamentally change from then on.
A seemingly absurd dream turned out to be the remote cause of the establishment of the Three Kingdoms in the future. If Cao Cao hadn't had that dream, history might have gone in a completely different direction.
In fact, Ma Teng and Ma Chao did not want to seize Cao Cao's country, but it was this empty dream that rewrote their fate.
Could it be that the prophecy in the dream really led Cao Cao to what he thought was the "inevitable result"? But is it really inevitable? If Cao Cao can face it calmly, will he be able to break this "fate"?
After Cao Cao's death, Cao Pi inherited his father's great cause and established the Wei state. However, Cao Pi's death made the Cao regime gradually exist in name only, and it was Cao Shuang and Sima Yi who really controlled the imperial court.
In the subsequent Gaopingling Incident, Sima Yi skillfully staged a coup d'état, successfully killed Cao Shuang**, and officially seized the power of Wei. Sima Yi was a very shrewd and cautious politician.
He was keenly aware that those in power often feared losing power, and therefore must always be vigilant against a possible coup. He, like Cao Cao, is extremely sensitive to any sign that might threaten his power.
During one of the battles of the Northern Expedition, the army was exhausted, and Sima Yi ordered all the soldiers to rest. At this time, he inadvertently saw the four big characters "Ox follows horse" engraved on the roadside stone.
Sima Yi immediately understood that this was a hint that his power would be replaced by someone surnamed Niu.
Faced with this sudden omen, Sima Yi felt frightened, and couldn't help shouting: "The safety of the Sima family is all in one move!" Although he was desperate to return to Beijing to handle government affairs to ensure safety, the scattered morale of the military forced him to act cautiously.
After careful consideration, Sima Yi decided to strike first. He began to search for important generals surnamed Niu among his subordinates. Soon after, he set his sights on Niu Jin.
Niu Jin's martial arts are outstanding, and he has always been favored and reused by Sima Yi. However, it is precisely because of this that Niu Jin has become a big stone in Sima Yi's heart.
At a banquet, in order to protect himself, Sima Yi set up a poisonous plan, drunk Niu Jin and poisoned him. This accidental roadside carving directly led to the murder of Sima Yi's henchmen.
Niu Jin was extremely loyal to Sima Yi, and just wanted to follow him to make achievements, and did not have any thoughts of rebellion. However, this sudden poisonous ploy cost him his life.
It seems to be providence, but in fact, Sima Yi completely interpreted it himself and put it into action. If he could remain rational, maybe Niu Jin would not have died unjustly. However, his sensitivity and suspicion of power made him a slave to proverbs, and in the end, he was controlled by his own suspicions, killing his loyal servants.
The glory of the past has become history, and the bloodline of the Sima family continues in this land. In 265, Emperor Wu of the Jin Dynasty, Sima Yan, ascended the throne in a battle of intrigue, establishing the Western Jin Dynasty.
He was expected to bring peace and prosperity, but fate played a joke. The mystery of Sima Yan's life experience is surprising. It turned out that his biological father was not of Sima family blood, but Niu Qian, a minor official in the palace.
All this makes people sigh that the turning point of history often comes from seemingly insignificant moments.
Back then, in order to eliminate future troubles, Sima Yi set up a poisonous plan to kill his henchman Niu Jin. But no one expected that decades later, it was Sima Yan, a descendant of the Niu family, who seized power, this is the reincarnation of heaven, creating and making people.
Sima Yi tried his best to change his fate and escape the prophecy of fate, but in the end he was ruthlessly defeated by fate. He tried his best to prevent the rise of the surname Niu, but in the end, it was still the descendants of the Niu family who replaced him.
This prophecy has become a reality without any suspense. Sima Yi was obsessed with changing his fate, but he was led by the nose by the tricks of fate. He imagined countless possibilities and wanted to change his fate, but fate never favored those who were self-righteous.
If he had been able to stay awake, perhaps the outcome would have been different.
Why did Cao Cao and Sima Yi believe in some prophecies and prophecies? Perhaps, the expansion of power will make people blindly confident and disoriented. When their power is at its peak, vanity and suspicion grow.
They are afraid of failure, and even more afraid of the harbingers of failure. Therefore, even an absurd dream or an accidental stone carving will be infinitely magnified in their hearts and become the key to influencing their emotions and decisions.
This kind of over-interpretation also stems from another need in their hearts - to excuse themselves. They try to alleviate their sense of responsibility by blaming the possibility of failure on "fate" and even find excuses for their cruelty.
The tragic fate of Ma Teng and Niu Jin is a direct result of this mentality.
Should we really blame "fate" or "providence" for our decisions? In fact, each of us has more ability to control our own destiny, rather than passively accepting the arrangement of fate.
Mencius once said, "For oneself, not for others." "It's our thoughts and actions that determine our destiny. Cao Cao and Sima Yi could have chosen to use reason to get along with others, and in doing so, they might be able to get rid of the constraints of omens.
But they believe too much in the omen of nothingness, so they make cruel decisions, which they are undoubtedly to blame for.
In the cycle of fate, can we comprehend the wisdom of life? Perhaps, we should remain rational and not let short-term negative emotions hinder our pace. Perhaps, we should take the initiative to meet the challenge, instead of passively waiting for fate to be arranged.
Perhaps, everyone should understand that our destiny is in our own hands. It is necessary to prevent the accidental wind and grass from making us lose control of the future. Perhaps, the real strong are those who are not bound by prophecy and can calmly steer the ship of life.