Xu Shu, whose character is straight, was a strategist under Liu Bei's account in the late Eastern Han Dynasty, and later returned to Cao Cao. Xu Shu's real name is Xu Fu and he was born poor. In his early years, he avenged others and changed his name to Xu Shu after being rescued. Later, he took refuge in Jingzhou with Shi Guangyuan of the same county, and had close contacts with Sima Hui, Zhuge Liang, and others. When Liu Bei was stationed in Xinye, Xu Shu went to defect and recommended Zhuge Liang to Liu Bei. When Xu Shu went south, because his mother was captured by Cao Cao, he bid farewell to Liu Bei and entered Cao's camp. Later, this incident was called "Xu Shu entered Cao Ying without saying a word" in art, and it was widely circulated. And Xu Shu also became a model of filial piety and was praised. During the time of Emperor Wen of Wei, Xu Shuguan was the right middle Lang general and the imperial history Zhongcheng.
The encounter between Xu Shu and Liu Bei is a good story. When Liu Bei was in Xinye, Xu Shu came to defect, and after Liu Bei saw Xu Shu, he valued him very much. Xu Shu also admired Liu Bei's benevolence and righteousness, and was willing to give advice to Liu Bei and help Liu Bei achieve the cause of the king. Xu Shu also recommended Zhuge Liang to Liu Bei, saying that he was a man of Wolong and could assist Liu Bei. Liu Bei listened to Xu Shu's words, looked at the thatched house, and finally got Zhuge Liang's help.
The separation of Xu Shu and Liu Bei is a tragedy. Cao Cao went south to attack Jingzhou, and Liu Bei fled south with Xu Shu, and on the way, Xu Shu's mother was captured by Cao's army. In order to protect his mother, Xu Shu could only abandon Liu Bei and go to Cao Ying. Liu Bei couldn't bear it and wanted to keep Xu Shu, but Xu Shu was afraid that the world would laugh at him, so he refused on the grounds that Liu Bei was assisted by Zhuge Liang, and told Liu Bei that although he was in Cao Ying, he swore not to sacrifice anything for Cao Cao. Liu Bei had no choice but to agree, so Xu Shu gave up his loyalty and said goodbye to Liu Bei in order to be filial to his mother.
Why is Xu Shu reluctant to follow Liu Bei again? This is because of the contradiction between Xu Shu's filial piety and loyalty. Although Xu Shu took refuge in Cao Cao, he did not forget Liu Bei's kindness, nor did he turn his back on Liu Bei's ambitions. Xu Shu was in Cao's camp, did not say a word, did not give advice to Cao Cao, and even secretly helped Liu Bei, warned Liu Bei of Cao Cao's attack, and persuaded Cao Cao to give up the pursuit of Liu Bei. Xu Shu did this to show his loyalty, and also to avoid becoming an enemy of Liu Bei, causing a lose-lose situation.
However, Xu Shu could no longer follow Liu Bei, because his mother was still in Cao Cao's hands. Xu Shu is a filial son, and he can't ignore his mother's safety and defect to Liu Bei again. Xu Shu knew that if he betrayed Cao Cao again, Cao Cao would inevitably kill his mother in revenge for his infidelity. Xu Shu couldn't bear such a result, and he couldn't let his mother sacrifice for his loyalty. Xu Shu could only choose to endure the humiliation and stay in Cao Ying to save his mother's life.
Xu Shu's choice is a sad choice. He can neither realize his loyalty and righteousness, nor can he fulfill his filial piety. He could only be in Cao Ying, obscure, enduring the torment in his heart. He may wonder what his life would have been like if his mother had not been taken captive by Cao Cao, if he had been able to follow Liu Bei all the time. Will he become Liu Bei's right and left hand, and assist Liu Bei with Zhuge Liang to establish a country of benevolence and righteousness? These are all dreams that Xu Shu can never realize, he can only bury these dreams in his heart and forget about them with Liu Bei.
The story of Xu Shu is a story about filial piety and loyalty. It tells us that filial piety and loyalty are both virtues, but in a given historical context, filial piety and loyalty may conflict, making it difficult to choose. Xu Shu's choice is a helpless choice, and it is also a tragic choice. He used his life to interpret the meaning of filial piety and loyalty. People who read a lot can have a lot of temperament