Siheyuan: Pushing Huairu, the Prime Minister admits defeat

After watching the flashing of swords and the sound of drums and horns, one can't help but feel the surging waves of war in the Three Kingdoms. Stavrianos, the author of "A Global History", once said: "War is the fastest way for civilization to progress!"

As he said, the sedimentation of nearly a thousand years of history has long consumed that dusty memory. We cannot judge what is right and what is wrong, and can only make a little guess based on the clues under the wheels. Perhaps we will reverse black and white, or it may be far from the facts. But as far as Luo Guanzhong is concerned, the Three Kingdoms is an endless struggle between open and secret struggles, the cycle of nature, or it may be purely the unpredictability of fate, the destiny of cause and effect, and its own laws of nature.

"Romance of the Three Kingdoms", also known as "Popular Romance of the Three Kingdoms of Wei, Shu and Wu", was written by Mr. Luo based on "Records of the Three Kingdoms" by Chen Shou. For modern people like us, we often take it out of context and understand it as the Three Kingdoms. It seems that there is nothing wrong with it, but the word "righteousness" is missing, and this word is undoubtedly the soul of the whole text. It is difficult to read "The Three Kingdoms" without it.

There is an old saying that goes, "One should not read Shui Hu when young, and one should not read Romance of the Three Kingdoms when old." It has always been regarded as a criterion, and we can get a glimpse of the spirit of the Three Kingdoms from it.

Different from the chivalrous and righteous spirit of the Water Margin of the same period, the righteousness emphasized in the Three Kingdoms is bound by rules, whether it is love, country, or family, collectively known as loyalty. These kinds of righteousness are all forms of righteousness that transcend the shackles of material things. For example, Xu Shu, also known as Dan Fu, who defeated Cao Cao's army with the Eight Gates Golden Lock Formation, was kind to Liu Bei, so he also tried his best to repay Liu Bei.

But when Cao Cao threatened him with his old mother, he resolutely abandoned Liu and joined Cao. Although he left behind the allusion of being in Cao's camp but his heart was with Han, it also indirectly revealed that righteousness was restrained by human feelings. In short, "loyalty and righteousness are the backbone of the spirit of the Three Kingdoms and should not be ignored.

Secondly, conspiracies, intrigues, and scheming are endless. The famous chain of schemes is a political intrigue that cost the life of Diao Chan. No matter it is the so-called holding the emperor hostage to command the princes, or the Longzhong Plan, they are all platforms for the upper class to compete with each other in wits and courage. On the surface, it seems prosperous, but in reality it is all show and no substance. Like Zhuge Liang's brilliant plans, no matter how wise you are, under the trend of unification, you can only die of illness in Wuzhangyuan. The counselors' omnipotence and ability to call the wind and rain have the effect of starving the flesh and tendons in the spirit of the Three Kingdoms.

The second is the legendary experiences, life stories and character of various characters in the Three Kingdoms. No one is perfect, and heroes are no exception. The talented and strategic Cao Cao was suspicious, selfish, and scheming by nature. He was extremely inferior when he was busy fighting in all directions. When the Huns envoy came to the meeting, he asked someone to replace him, leaving only a joke. Liu Xuande, who carried the banner of restoring the Han Dynasty and talked about benevolence and righteousness, turned out to be a hypocritical and crying old man. The positive and negative images were perfectly exchanged in the character creation, but there was no sense of disobedience.

This is the brilliance of Luo Guanzhong. There is no right or wrong, no good or evil. The world is just like this. There is no clear boundary between good and evil, and no accusation or exaggeration of evil. Even Dong Zhuo and Dong Zhongyi, who were full of evil and committed countless crimes, were heartbroken by the great Confucian scholar Cai Yong after their deaths. "Good and evil" are mixed and intertwined, and the definition of loyalty and righteousness also changes accordingly.

Is it like Xun Yu, the minister who was loyal to the lingering Han Dynasty, or like Guan Yu, Zhang Fei and Kong Zi, who were loyal to Liu Bei, or Lu Meng and Zhou Yu, who served the same family? The vague loyalty makes people confused. What is loyalty? What is disloyalty? Loyalty, to whom? Disloyalty, to whom? So when Zhang Fei angrily scolded Lu Bu for being a slave of three surnames, I was silent and thought deeply.

Lü Bu is a peerless hero. He first surrendered to Ding Yuan and then to Dong Zhuo, and then moved to Xiaopei. His unparalleled power shook China. But what is his image like? If he is really a wolf or a tiger, why did Chen Gongtai remain so determined and never give up? I can't help but recall the opening line of "Linjiangxian", "How many things in ancient and modern times, all become a joke!"

In order to prevent heroes from being tarnished and wolves from taking over, there are flaws in the spirit of the Three Kingdoms. The fact that the flaws outweigh the merits may only exist in a utopian world, but human hearts are enough to prove the true feelings in the world, and their roots are hidden in the purest land of the soul.

Life is like a play, and a play is like life. The law of nature will clearly distinguish between good and evil. Luo Guanzhong had a bit of a temper, so it is inevitable that there is a lot of talk about the cycle of nature in "Romance of the Three Kingdoms". After the death of Cao Pi, who stole the Han Dynasty, his descendants were killed by the two Sima brothers, and the country was lost.

The three Zhuge brothers, who were known for their great talent and knowledge, thought they had "financing" in installments and bet on Wei, Shu and Wu, hoping that no matter which one succeeded, their family would be safe. Unexpectedly, Deng Ai traveled thousands of miles to destroy Shu, Zhuge Tian of Wu was killed by Sun Jun in anger, and Zhuge Dan of Wei rebelled and exterminated his three clans. It was full of drama. Man proposes, God disposes, and every bite and drink has its cause.

In the turbulent and stormy times, there appeared "heroes", "treacherous ministers", "beauties" and "patriots", and the only constant was the extraordinary sentiment of "the greatest heroes serve their country and the people." Just as the hands of a clock move for the hour hand, and the hour hand drives the hands, the two complement each other and are indispensable.

"The Yellow Turban Rebellion of the Three Brothers of Julu and Zhang Jiao", "Liu, Guan and Zhang sworn brotherhood in Peach Garden", "Cao Cao assassinated Dong alone", "A thousand-mile journey alone", "Battle of Guandu", "Battle of Chibi", "Battle of Yiling", "The orphan entrusted to Baidi City", "Death at Wuzhangyuan", all, all, to a cold-eyed bystander, are just cold words, but the spirit of the Three Kingdoms has always troubled me. When I can't fall asleep at long nights, I say to myself: "There is no end to the compassion for the people, and the unseverable love for the Three Kingdoms.

Legend has it that every general is a dazzling star, and the night sky is their shining stage. When the day falls, everything disappears into thin air...