The story of Liu Bei's "rags to riches" counterattack has always been talked about by people. His success is often summed up in two words: "harmony".

The story of Liu Bei's counterattack "from scratch", the leader of Shu, has always been talked about by people. His success is often summed up in two words: "harmony". The first is that Liu Bei is able to save his subordinates and treat the people well, so he can gain a group of loyal fans wherever he goes; the second is his origin, as a descendant of the Han Dynasty, Liu Bei always regards "restoring the Han Dynasty" as his goal. This goal has never wavered since he became the king of Hanzhong, founded the country and proclaimed emperor, and even Zhuge Liang's Northern Expedition.

In the film and television drama, Liu Bei expressed his ambitions during the "Longzhong Duel". Source/Screenshot of the TV series "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms"

In the novel "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms", Liu Bei became the "uncle of the emperor", which made his series of military and political actions in the future more "justifiable", and more and more people came to join him. many. However, Liu Bei's imperial origin is not unique in novels or official history. During the chaotic times at the end of the Han Dynasty, we can see many clan figures from one side of the separatist regime - Youzhou Mu Liu Yu , Jingzhou Mu Liu Biao , Yizhou Mu Liu Zhang , Yangzhou Mu Liu Yao , Yanzhou governor Liu Dai ... And compared with Liu Bei, these clans have better conditions and greater reputation.

However, when faced with the impending fall of the Han Dynasty, these feudal officials in a separate country often "swept away the snow in front of them" and did nothing. On the contrary, Liu Bei, whose family was in decline and whose occupation was weaving mats and selling shoes, has been unswervingly "reviving the Han Dynasty." So, why didn’t the true clans such as Liu Yan, Liu Biao, and Liu Yao take up the banner of “restoring the Han Dynasty”?

Is it a coincidence that the clans are divided into different clans?

At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, in addition to Liu Bei, there were five clan clans, Liu Yu, Liu Yan, Liu Biao, Liu Yao, and Liu Dai, that were divided into one clan. This phenomenon is by no means accidental.

Since the Eastern Han Dynasty, the royal family has suppressed the clan lineage. "The kings have a system and can only entertain themselves in the palace. They are not allowed to visit the people or interfere in political affairs. There are heavy prohibitions on transportation and transportation." This directly led to the collapse of the clan. Dejected. In feudal society, those who could directly control power through connections mainly included clan members, relatives and eunuchs. In the Eastern Han Dynasty, after the clan was forced to "retire", it was the turn of the eunuchs and relatives to "take the throne". Therefore, after Emperor Huan eliminated the "domineering general" Liang Ji, he consciously allowed the clan to enter the court, forming a three-legged situation with his relatives and eunuchs.

In the last years of Emperor Ling's reign, the Yellow Turbans broke out and thieves appeared. Liu Yan, the clan member, asked the court for orders: "You can choose important ministers from the Qing Dynasty who will be considered Bo Mu to stabilize Fangxia." This was the strategy of "Abolish History and establish Mu" that had a far-reaching impact on the current situation. , it strengthens the real power of local governors, making them not only responsible for their duties but also respected. At that time, with the rise of local surnames and crown clans, the central government's control over local areas was not as strong as before. Therefore, although Liu Yan's proposal was not a good strategy, it allowed the court to see a possibility: if the power of Bo Mu was strengthened, and it was held by a clan member named Liu or a loyal person, he might not be unable to defend the central government and regain control of the central government. Control of place. It was under such circumstances that Liu Yu, the Mu of Youzhou, and Liu Yan, the Mu of Yizhou, took office.

In the film and television drama, Liu Yan issued a conscription notice to encircle and suppress the Yellow Turban Army. Source/screenshot of the TV series "Romance of the Three Kingdoms"

By the time of the chaos at the end of the Han Dynasty, Wang Gang no longer existed, and Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty was once reduced to a puppet of the Xiliang warlords. During the time when Dong Zhuo and Li Jue were in power, in order to establish their image and maintain their own rule, they actively rehabilitated the party's intellectuals, so that "the stagnant intellectuals were often distinguished." At the same time, they also recruited a large number of famous intellectuals and sons of noble families to serve as officials. The famous Liu Biao, Liu Dai, and Liu Yao thus obtained the posts of governor and bomu of the three major states of Jing, Yan, and Yang.

Compared with the bitter Liu Bei, these clans received "emperor's favor" and the early path to separatism was extremely smooth. But in troubled times, the situation was unpredictable. After Dong Zhuo retreated to Chang'an , the Kwantung Allied Forces fell apart and conquered each other. The clans surnamed Liu in these separate factions were inevitably affected by the torrent of the times and had to give up their "imperial" status. Instead, seek a more stable path that is suitable for your own development. The reason why they did not take up the banner of "restoring the Han Dynasty" was that they were disturbed by the current situation to a certain extent, which led to a change in their own mentality.

Liu Yu had always been prestigious and loyal, but he had more than enough ambition and lack of strength. He was later killed by Gongsun Zan; Liu Biao and Liu Yan (Zizhang) were famous officials in the clan. They should have stayed on one side and defended the court, but because of The changes in the current situation gradually gave rise to evil intentions; the brothers Liu Yao and Liu Dai were not talented in border affairs, and they did not have strong backing. If they themselves were in danger, let alone others. Only Liu Bei rose up from adversity and successfully established the Shu Han under the banner of "restoring the Han Dynasty". The details of the separatist status of these clans in the late Han Dynasty can be found in the following table:

Tabulation / Yingzhou Haike

What the clan officials wanted

Among the several clan members, Liu Yu had the best innate conditions. In terms of background, his grandfather Liu Jiaguan went to Guangluxun and was ranked as one of the nine ministers; his father Liu Shu also served as the prefect of Danyang and was listed as a high official. With this background, Liu Yu entered the official position as a filial and honest man. Later, although he was "estranged from the master of the time", he moved to Youzhou to be the governor of Youzhou based on his solid political achievements. Long before the Yellow Turban Rebellion, he was a very talented official in the border areas. Not only the people of Youzhou were grateful to him and "singed to cheer him"; The nation also revered it and took the initiative to send envoys to pay tribute. It was precisely because of this experience that Liu Yu was still able to rise rapidly after he was dismissed from office. He "recruited Shangshu Ling and Guang Luxun, and used the courtesy of the public family to be more orthodox." After the imperial court "abolished history and established animal husbandry", Liu Yu was successfully granted the title of Youzhou Mu, and became the earliest member of the clan to separate the kingdom.

Liu Yu in the film and television series. Source/Screenshot of the TV series "Three Kingdoms"

Liu Yu's lineage has been deeply favored by the emperor for three generations. He himself is also known for his "morality and righteousness", so he will naturally be loyal to the Han Dynasty. The most direct indication of their attitude is that Yuan Shao, Han Fu and others wanted to establish Liu Yu as emperor, but the latter firmly refused. As the leader of Yuan Shao's Kwantung Allied Forces, he had to rely on Liu Yu's "famous reputation and the hope of the people", which shows that the latter had already "prestige and kindness to the north". In this regard, "Anthology of the Three Kingdoms" quotes He Zhuo as saying: "But he belongs to the clan and is obeyed by others, which is the effect of the feudalism of the Han Dynasty." Liu Yu has a high reputation and close blood. If he can "revitalize the Han Dynasty" The effect must be better than Liu Bei's banner, but why didn't he do it?

In fact, Liu Yu is "one-minded". Wherever the emperor is, his position will be biased. After Dong Zhuo came to power, he made Liu Yu the Grand Sima , and the following year he recruited him as the Taifu. According to the "Book of the Later Han·Biography of Liu Yu", Liu Yu failed to take office not because he did not want to do so, but because "the road was blocked and the king's order was not fulfilled." In other words, if the road is open, Liu Yu is very likely to go to Chang'an to answer his orders. This phenomenon is by no means an isolated case. Although the Han Dynasty is in decline, it still has a certain appeal: the famous generals Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun, who saved the building from collapse, successively came to Beijing by imperial edict; the famous Confucian Cai Yong , also Qujie became an official. Given Liu Yu's loyalty, if Dong Zhuo issued an edict in the name of the emperor, how could he not obey?

The Han Dynasty is still there and has not been completely reduced. With Liu Yu's loyalty, he will naturally not start anew and carry out the act of "surpassing the servants and replacing the servants". What's more, another powerful force in Youzhou, Gongsun Zan, also made it difficult for Liu Yu to distract himself from other things. In the fourth year of Chuping (193), Liu Yu was defeated in a battle with Gongsun Zan and died unexpectedly, ending his career in separatism prematurely. If he could be active until the Jian'an period and saw Emperor Xian's pity, he might have launched a banner of "restoring the Han Dynasty".

Those who were slightly inferior to Liu Yu were the father and son of Jingzhou Mu Liu Biao and Yizhou Mu Liu Yan and Liu Zhang. After both being Western Han King of Lu Gong and Liu Yu, Liu Biao and Liu Yan (Liu Zhang) were very similar in their careers, experiences and changes in mentality. Liu Yan "was an official in several prefectures and counties, and worshiped Zhonglang as a clan member", which shows that his status as an emperor was an important factor in his smooth career. Liu Biao rarely had a clear name, and was one of the "Eight Gus". He was the mainstay of the party group. Although he was later imprisoned, his reputation became even greater than before. When chaos broke out at the end of the Han Dynasty, Liu Biao and Liu Yan were divided into Mujing and Yizhou. One went to Jing alone and created a cultural holy land; the other separated Bashu and made the people in the southwest prosperous.

Liu Biao in the film and television series.Source/screenshot of the TV series "Romance of the Three Kingdoms"

Objectively speaking, both Liu Biao and Liu Yan are quite talented. Although they are weak in power, they can successfully control a state and turn it into a paradise. If they are in a political world, they might as well be famous ministers in the court. Unfortunately, the two people encountered a series of changes and had long been dissatisfied with the court. After the successful separatism, they, who were born in the clan, witnessed the decline of the royal family and actually had the intention to overstep their control and become self-reliant.

Liu Yan was originally a famous official in the clan. After witnessing "the political decline of Emperor Ling and the many problems in the royal family", he "wanted to escape the world" and traveled far away to meet the emperor. But the servant Dong Fu told him: "The capital is about to be in chaos, and the Yizhou division has the spirit of the emperor." After hearing this, Liu Yan focused more on Yizhou. With the support of Dongzhou people ( Nanyang and scholars living in Sanfu area) and Yizhou powerful men, Liu Yan successfully took control of Yizhou, and then ordered Zhang Lu to kill Hanzhong prefect Su Gu , isolated the passage, and could no longer communicate with the imperial court. As a result, Liu Yan became the "Tu Emperor" of Yizhou. He heard that Wu Yi's sister Wu (namely Empress Wu of Shu Han Dynasty) was "a noble person", so he betrothed her to his son Liu Mao. In addition, Liu Yan also "made more than a thousand chariots and chariots", which was a blatant act of transgression. His behavior made Liu Biao curse him.

The irony is that although Liu Biao claimed to "do not neglect his duties internally and never betray the leader externally", he also gradually had the intention of "stealing artifacts". According to the "Book of the Later Han·Biography of Kong Rong": "At that time, Liu Biao, the herdsman of Jingzhou, did not pay tribute and engaged in many acts of hypocrisy, so he went to the suburbs to worship heaven and earth, intending to denounce Chengyu." Based on the context, it can be seen that Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty had moved the capital to Xu at this time. "The ancestral temple system was finally established." Under such circumstances, Liu Biao still committed crimes against the trend, which shows his betrayal of Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty, and he should be regarded as a "sitting thief".

Liu Yan and Liu Biao separated themselves from each other and attempted to overstep their control. How could they be expected to promote the banner of "restoring the Han Dynasty"? I'm afraid that in their eyes, they are the so-called "Han orthodox".

Compared with the first three, the brothers Liu Yao, the shepherd of Yangzhou, and Liu Dai, the governor of Yanzhou, were the worst off. Judging from their origins, although the two were nephews of Taiwei Liu Chong and "both had great talents," they lacked the skills to govern one party. Liu Dai was "filial, benevolent and forgiving, and accepted others in vain", and Liu Yao was "reverent in his reputation and good in Zang Fu", both of whom were famous figures at that time. Therefore, Dong Zhuo and Li Jue named them governors in the name of the imperial court. But Yanzhou and Yangzhou, which the two withered men chose for Liu Yao and Liu Dai, were both key targets for warlords from all walks of life.

Although Liu Dai was named the governor of Yanzhou, he still had Zhang Miao, the governor of Chenliu, Wu Zi, the governor of Jiyin, Bao Xin, the prime minister of Jibei, Yingshao, the governor of Taishan, Qiao Mao, the governor of Dongjun, and Qiao Mao, the governor of Shanyang. Yuan Yi, Rencheng Guoxiang Zheng Sui and others. These local officials were either from local wealthy families or had joined the Kwantung Allied Forces, and they echoed each other. Although Liu Dai attacked and killed Qiao Mao, Dongjun fell into Cao Cao's hands. It can be seen that he, as the governor, does not have as much say as Yuan Shao, the leader of the Kwantung Army. With the latter's support, Cao Cao powerfully took control of Dongjun and cannibalized various ministries in Yanzhou. In the second year of Chuping (191), Yuan Shao ceded Bohai County to Gongsun Zan, leading him to attack the Qing and Xu Huangjin armies heading north. After being intercepted by Gongsun Zan, this Yellow Turban Army absorbed many remnants, and "accidentally" came to Yanzhou the following year, killing Liu Dai and Zheng Sui. Soon after, Cao Cao became the governor of Yanzhou.

Like his brother, Liu Yao is also an "unlucky guy". When he was in Yangzhou, he was always under the attack of Yuan Shu and Sun Ce. What was also "unexpected" was that Zuo Rong, who was originally under Tao Qian (Yuan Shu Alliance), also looted all the way to Yangzhou, and Start a battle with Liu Yao. Although Liu Yao defeated Zuo Rong, he himself was exhausted mentally and physically, and died of illness in the second year of Jian'an (196).

Liu Yao in the film and television series. Source/Screenshot of the TV series "Romance of the Three Kingdoms"

As Mr. Tian Yuqing said: "Liu Yao himself is not a talent for border feudalism. He has no long-term strategy for peace and stability in Jiangdong and lacks strong backing.His use of Confucian scholars to control the outside world is just a symbol of the Han Dynasty's customs and Zhengshuo's actions, and has no other effect. "The same applies to Liu Dai. Although these brothers were brilliant for a while, they were also miserable people who were caught up in the torrent of the times and couldn't help themselves. Therefore, although they were able to rule one party, they were unable to even solve basic survival issues. Under such circumstances, how could Liu Dai and Liu Yao, who were trapped in the turmoil, use the banner of "reviving the Han Dynasty"?

Although the circumstances and development of the above five clans are different, it is not ugly. It can be seen that their clan status and reputation of purity provided a lot of help for them to separate themselves in the early stage. In contrast, Liu Bei was the real "lonely figure", although "Three Kingdoms" says that Liu Bei was the king of Zhongshan after Liu Sheng. , but because the lineage between Liu Zhen (son of Liu Sheng) and Liu Xiong (grandfather of Liu Bei) is unclear, many historians are skeptical about this matter. As Pei Songzhi said: "The first master. Although the cloud comes from Xiaojing, the world is far away and it is difficult to understand clearly. Sima Guang also said: "The clan members are estranged, and it is impossible to record the number of names in the family." "

Having said that, Liu Bei and the Shu Han regime he established have always had the political goal of "getting rid of the traitors, reviving the Han Dynasty, and returning the old capital". So, compared with the concerns of other Zhen clans, What capital does Liu Bei have to shout the slogan "Reviving the Han Dynasty" without any scruples?

How did Liu Bei revive the Han Dynasty?

Liu Bei's biggest capital is that he has no capital. Chen Shou is an old minister of Shu. It is impossible to compile a complete pedigree without knowing much about the motherland, which shows that Liu Bei did not know much about it. This means that at the beginning of Liu Bei's rise, he could not use his "imperial lineage" to obtain political capital. Therefore, Liu Bei wanted to rise. It is necessary to win over all the connections and use all the names that can be used.

According to the "Three Kingdoms: The Biography of the First Master": "The First Master was not very fond of reading... he was few words, good at treating others, and could not express his emotions or anger. He likes to make friends with heroes, and he is eager to join them when he is young. Zhongshan merchants Zhang Shiping, Su Shuang and others accumulated thousands of gold, and they traded horses around Zhuojun. Therefore, the First Lord had to use the disciples together. "

Although Liu Bei studied under the great scholar Lu Zhi, he did not like to study and could not follow the path of "learning from Confucian classics to becoming an official". It happened that his fellow senior Gongsun Zan served as the magistrate of Zhuoxian County due to his military exploits, so Liu Bei was able to gather people from the countryside and successfully obtained the title. With the financial support of local tycoons, the joining of Guan Yu and Zhang Fei at this time added to Liu Bei's reputation as a "martial warrior" in his early years. Under the care of Gongsun Zan, he was about to rise in troubled times. , Liu Bei conquered the Yellow Turban Army, made many military exploits, and moved to the prime minister position in Pingyuan, becoming a border warrior who started with military exploits. This experience made Liu Bei different from other clan officials in the separatist regime, and also accumulated for his future success. Specifically, there are three main aspects:

First of all, Liu Bei is good at recruiting talents from various backgrounds. It is a necessary means to attract the loyalty of talents. Liu Bei and Guan Yu and Zhang Fei "sleep together like brothers", and they "separate each other" from Zhao Yun; , (Be prepared) must sit at the same table and eat with the Gui"; after arriving in Jingzhou, he spread his kindness, so "more and more heroes in Jingzhou returned to the late master", and local powerful families such as Pang, Ma, Xiang, and Xi all followed Liu Bei entered Shu. On the contrary, Liu Biao, Liu Yan and others were in good condition, but they repeatedly made major mistakes in hiring people. Liu Biao was "loose on the outside and taboo on the inside, but could not use talents". Those who took refuge in Jingtu at that time were all outstanding people. However, they would rather find other ways out than make a living under Liu Biao. When Liu Yan and Liu Zhang and their son governed Yizhou, they mostly relied on the local powerful families. However, after taking power, they allowed "the Dongzhou people to invade the old people". As a result, the wealthy people in Yizhou gradually became resentful. It is not difficult to find that Liu Bei was born in a young age and could put down his figure; while Liu Biao was rarely famous or came from a superior family, and he often treated the scholars in a condescending manner.

In film and television dramas, Liu Bei and he Two "good brothers".Source/Screenshot of the TV series "Romance of the Three Kingdoms"

Secondly, Liu Bei is indomitable and has positive ideas to make progress at all times. Liu Biao and Liu Yan were well-known members of the clan and had good reputations, so they easily gained the attention of the court and became high-ranking officials. Such a smooth road to separatism, coupled with the obstruction of local wealthy families, left them lacking the ambition to always be proactive and willing to be "sitting thieves." In contrast, although Liu Bei, who started his career with military exploits, failed many times and wandered around the Central Plains, these experiences aroused his fighting spirit. Therefore, Chen Shou called him "a person who will never give in or be inferior to others".

In the end, Liu Bei was willing to be a hero. Although he valued his reputation, he was never pedantic. Liu Bei is known as "forgiving and tolerant" and often uses "I can't bear it" as his catchphrase. But when it comes to his own real interests, he can often make a decisive decision and resort to "black hands". Cao Cao treated him with great courtesy, but he secretly participated in the " Belt Edict" plot to kill Cao; Liu Biao left him alone, but when Cao Cao called, Liu Bei immediately thought of running away; after establishing a foothold in Jingzhou, Liu Bei deceived Sun Quan , took the lead in seizing Yizhou from his benefactor Liu Zhang. Therefore, the "heroic posture" mentioned by Zhou Yu is the most consistent evaluation of Liu Bei's true image. In contrast, although Liu Yu had strong capital, he placed too much emphasis on reputation, which caused Gongsun Zan to reverse course and complete his "counterattack" against him. Liu Biao, Liu Yao, Liu Dai and others are also more or less burdened by their reputations, and they often cannot lose face or shed their burdens at critical moments. It is true that reputation is a major shortcut for the promotion of clan members; but in troubled times, they do not know how to adapt, and instead the good reputation accumulated in the past becomes a drag.

Facts have proved that only by truly succeeding can his reputation and identity be recognized by the world. Liu Bei's status as a clan member in his early years did not bring him much help; however, when Liu Bei had a group of allies who solidly supported and recognized him, all his past actions could be summarized as "Xingfu" Under the banner of "Han Dynasty", the specific situation can be seen in the following table -

tabulation / Yingzhou Haike

In the fifth year of Jian'an (200) , Liu Bei secretly participated in the "Belt Edict". The uncle of the country Dong Cheng said that he was entrusted by Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty, so he became a famous teacher. After Dong Cheng and other personnel were defeated and died, Liu Bei, as the only survivor of this plan, had the political capital to fight against Cao Cao's "obeying the emperor's orders and not obeying the orders". But at this time, he was living under the fence of others and had not yet formed his own separatist power. Even if he raised the slogan of "reviving the Han Dynasty", it was just a lie.

The real turning point should be around Battle of Chibi . As Liu Bei's group gradually took shape, more and more people recognized Liu Bei's "imperial lineage" status and used it as an important basis for fighting against Cao Cao. As a result, Liu Bei successfully received funding from Sun Quan and Liu Zhang. It is worth mentioning that one of the important reasons why Ma Chao, who is "strong but unrighteous" and "brave but unkind", was able to hold a high position in the Shu Han Dynasty was because he had fought against Cao Cao, which was in line with Liu Bei's group's goal of "restoring the Han Dynasty" Political goals and public opinion propaganda. Regarding this point, please refer to the following table for details -

tabulation / Yingzhou Haike

From the above table, it is not difficult to see that in the process of fighting against Cao Cao, the Shu Han regime and its allies have formed the spirit of "getting rid of evildoers and promoting prosperity." The consistent concept of "Fu Han Dynasty". To achieve this step, it will not work just to rely on identity and name; the most important point is to have a series of political and military actions corresponding to the slogan. This is also another main reason why other clan members failed to take up this banner. Mr. Tian Yuqing pointed out: "Since the legal system of Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty still exists, Liu Bei cannot ignore it and flaunt it in other ways. The so-called imperial status does not contribute to Liu Bei's success." This conclusion is actually more applicable to other clan leaders. member.On the other hand, Liu Bei, after integrating his identity, name, and actions, and relying on his unique experience of participating in the "Yidai Zhao", he successfully ran the brand of "Reviving the Han Dynasty" and successfully applied it to Shu Han's road to becoming emperor.

It is not difficult to see that Liu Bei did not necessarily want to "revive the Han Dynasty", but in terms of his background and experience, this method of political propaganda was more conducive to his entrepreneurship. In fact, Liu Bei, like Liu Biao, Liu Yan and other clan members, as well as the clan clan members surnamed Liu scattered across the country, did not have a high sense of belonging to the Han Dynasty at all. In the Cao Wei regime, the Han clan clan members represented by Liu Fang and Liu Ye even submitted to Cao Cao early and supported the usurpation of the Cao family.

I still remember that at the end of the Western Han Dynasty, Wang Mang usurped power and changed his orders overnight, causing chaos in the world. The clan members of the Han Dynasty, represented by Liu Xiu, Liu Xuan, and Liu Penzi, actively attacked the feudal ministers and tried to help the country. Why by the late Eastern Han Dynasty, why did the clan members of one of the separatist factions or other clan members surnamed Liu who controlled local resources do nothing?

Why did the clan look on with a cold eye

As mentioned above, Liu Yan, Liu Biao and other clan officials looked on at the Han Dynasty with a cold eye and never raised the banner of "reviving the Han Dynasty". Although this was related to their own circumstances and changes in mentality, it was also inseparable. Another important factor is that during the Eastern Han Dynasty, local surnames and the Guan clan had quietly emerged, which to a certain extent influenced the wishes of the Liu clan.

Among the clan members in the late Han Dynasty, including Liu Bei, they could not separate themselves from one party in the early days without the support of local powerful families. For example, when Liu Biao entered Jingzhou alone, he stopped at Yicheng. According to Sheng Hong's " Jingzhou Ji": "More than a hundred miles south of Xiangshou Mountain in Xiangyang County to Yicheng, there are carved walls and majestic buildings, and Luyans are filled in. At the end of Emperor Xuan of the Han Dynasty, there were dozens of officials, officials, and officials, with a total of 2,000 stones and dozens of houses. "The road from Yicheng to Xiangyang is inhabited by many local wealthy people. Liu Biao traveled to Yicheng and was recognized by local celebrities Cai Mao and Kuai Yue. Only then did he successfully gain the support of these wealthy families.

Mr. Tang Changru once pointed out: The local political power during the Eastern Han Dynasty was controlled to a certain extent by the local surnames and Guan clan. Although Liu Biao was the lord of Jingzhou, Jingzhou was by no means exclusive to him. Many of his decisions must first get the support of these local wealthy families before they can be implemented smoothly. Otherwise, it will lose its own ruling foundation just like Liu Zhang and the Shu Kingdom in the late period. The key to the problem is that these large clans have been firmly tied to the region during their long-term development. Therefore, compared to local governors, they are the ones who least want to fight. One of the important reasons why Zhang Miao, Bao Xin and others welcomed Cao Cao into Yanzhou was to use Cao Cao's military talents to eliminate the Yellow Turban Army that had looted Yanzhou.

Obviously, the "sit and guard" mentality of clan officials such as Liu Biao and Liu Yu was deeply influenced by local wealthy families. In order to protect their own interests, local wealthy families can provide money and personnel at critical moments. However, if the superiors want to fight back or compete for hegemony in the Central Plains, these wealthy families will recalculate their gains and losses. Just like Jiangdong before the Battle of Chibi, Zhang Zhao and others tried their best to persuade Sun Quan to surrender. For them, it is just a change of lord, and their own interests will not be lost. Therefore, He Zhuo said: " (Kuai Yue and others) There are fifteen people who have been listed as candidates. This is why Zibu and others are watching the wind and urging power to welcome Cao Cao." In the same way, after Sun Quan became emperor, the Jiangdong clan headed by Lu Xun "progressed against him" The opposition to the strategic plan of "Tu Huainan" was also due to their negative mentality that favored self-preservation.

In the film and television drama, Zhang Zhao persuaded Sun Quan to surrender. Source/Screenshot of the TV series "Romance of the Three Kingdoms"

Therefore, even if Liu Biao, Liu Yan and others have the intention to help the Han Dynasty, the local wealthy families who originally supported them may not continue to agree. If the clan insists on going its own way, it may also cause a backlash from the local wealthy families, such as Chen Gong and Zhang Miao chose to betray Cao Cao and instead welcomed Lu Bu as Yanzhou's new spokesperson.It can be seen from Liu Bei's experience that if you want to carry out the banner of "restoring the Han Dynasty", you must have corresponding political and military actions. This kind of "thankless" tossing behavior is obviously "high risk, low return", and it is difficult to impress local wealthy people who value profits. Under their opposition, many members of the clan could only helplessly watch the decline of the Han Dynasty.

This situation was actually caused by the Eastern Han Dynasty imperial family. As mentioned at the beginning, since the establishment of the Eastern Han Dynasty, it has implemented quite strict restrictive policies on the clan. It can be said that it is extremely difficult for a clan member to become an official. "Since the rise of the Han Dynasty, no descendant of the clan has been able to hold the position of public minister." At that time, the wealthy families of the Eastern Han Dynasty developed rapidly in the local area because they monopolized the power to elect officials at the grassroots level. As a result, the Eastern Han Dynasty clan could neither obtain a high political position nor have the strength to compete with the powerful families in the local area, so its overall strength naturally plummeted. What made them even more angry was that instead of standing up for the clan surnamed Liu, the imperial court acquiesced in the infringement of local clans on them, so that "the world wanted to carve out the thief king for merit", which put great pressure on the clan.

This attitude of the court not only caused heavy losses to the clan and its inability to develop, but also caused them to alienate themselves from the court and lose their sense of cohesion and belonging to the central government. Because of this, even during the reign of Emperors Huan and Ling, many clan members were promoted to the court; but for the distant clan clan, which had already been heartbroken, this move was already overwhelming and would never have any significant effect. Many clans surnamed Liu, in order to seek the development of their own lineage, either attached themselves to warlords with strong military strength, or simply gave up their clan status and transformed into local wealthy families. Therefore, some people with the unknown origin surnamed Liu are likely to be from the clan. For example, Liu Xiao, the Sili captain in the Xian Emperor's reign, Liu Ruo, the Jianwu general who persuaded Cao Cao to join Wei Gong, Lujiang prefect Liu Xun, Shu Han Yilang Liu Bao, and Liu Bei's adopted son Liu Feng and others.

In addition, we can also see from the first chart that in addition to Liu Yu, who was deeply favored by the emperor for three generations and loyal to the Han Dynasty, there were five other clan leaders including Liu Bei. The members were all from the clans of the Western Han Dynasty. In the Eastern Han Dynasty, the status of this distant clan clan was naturally the main target of suppression and invasion.

It is conceivable that when Liu Yan, Liu Biao and other clan members surnamed Liu experienced the same situation, when they saw that the Han Dynasty was about to collapse, it would be difficult for them to truly help the country from the bottom of their hearts. Liu Yan, the true clan member who was highly regarded by the court, even thought of passively escaping from the world and staying on one side for the first time, let alone those down-and-out clan members like Liu Bei whose family fortunes had already fallen into decline.

At this point, many famous families, schools, and scholar-bureaucrats who have been deeply favored by the emperor for generations have done better.

References:

[1] Written by Chen Shou, annotated by Pei Song, and annotated by Lu Bi in "The Chronicles of the Three Kingdoms", Shanghai: Shanghai Ancient Books Publishing House, 2009.6

[2] Written by Fan Ye, annotated by Li Xian in "Book of the Later Han", Beijing : Zhonghua Book Company, 1982.7

[3] Sima Guang, edited by Hu Sansheng's phonetic annotation of "Zizhi Tongjian", Beijing: Zhonghua Book Company, 2018.5

[4] Tang Changru: "Famous Scholars in the Late Eastern Han Dynasty", "History of Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties" "On Supplements", Beijing: Zhonghua Book Company, 2011.04

[5] Tian Yuqing: "Sun Wu's Road to the Founding of the Kingdom", "Re-Understanding of Longzhong", "Exploration of the History of Qin, Han, Wei and Jin (Revised Edition)", Beijing, Zhonghua Book Company, 2011.6

[6] Fang Shiming: "Cao Cao's Rise and Yuan Cao's Political Group", "Liu Bei's "Struggle for Alliance in Huaiyu"", "Cao Cao·Yuan Shao·Yellow Turban (Updated Edition)", Shanghai: Shanghai Dictionary Publishing House, 2021.8

[7] Yang Liansheng : "The Rich Tribes of the Eastern Han Dynasty", Beijing: The Commercial Press, 2017.12

[8] Mao Hanguang: "On the Social History of Medieval China", Shanghai: Shanghai Bookstore Press, 2002.12

[9] Wang Yongping: "Migration and Cultural Exchange of Scholars in Medieval Times" ", Beijing: Social Science Literature Press, 2005.6

[10] Rao Shengwen: "The Han Empire in Bashu: The Rise and Fall of the Shu Han's Destiny", Beijing: China Literature and History Press, 2016.12

[11] Yin Jiandong: "The Two Han and Wei Dynasties" Research on the Guandong Rich Tribes during the Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties", Chengdu: Sichuan University Press, 2007.04

[12] Wang Ling: "Economic and Social Changes in Jingzhou Area during the Han, Wei and Six Dynasties", Beijing: China Social Sciences Press, 2010.09

[13] Yue Qingping : "The Political Restrictions and Utilization of the Clan in the Eastern Han Dynasty", "Journal of Shandong Normal University (Social Science Edition)", Issue 2, 1987

[14] Zhang Nan "The Clan Governor and State Shepherd in the Late Eastern Han Dynasty", "Tang "Journal of Capital Studies", Volume 36, Issue 6

[15] Zhao Xuanchun: "Research on the relationship between Liu Bei's imperial lineage and his group", Master's thesis of National Donghua University, 2013