Image analysis of Liu Bei! ! `

Liu Bei in Romance of the Three Kingdoms is one of the most prolific writers except Zhuge Liang, Guan Yu and Cao Cao, and has been shaped into an ideal "wise king". However, quite a few modern readers and researchers do not have a high evaluation of Liu Bei's image, and even have some criticisms. Some researchers think that Liu Bei's image is "pale and powerless". How to treat the gains and losses of Luo Guanzhong's portrayal of Liu Bei is a question of artistic value.

First, Ming Jun is fierce, and one person has two sides.

Historically, Liu Bei, as a world hero standing with Cao Cao and Sun Quan, was the founding king of the Shu-Han regime, and was known as "the wise king" and "the lean man".

As a "wise monarch", Liu Bei's life behavior basically conforms to the two most important expectations of the ancients for "wise monarch": first, the feelings of caring for the people and saving the world; The second is to respect the virtuous and polite, and to preserve our sanity. There are many records about these two aspects in history books.

As far as "caring for the people" is concerned, Liu Bei has been running around for most of his life and has been frustrated repeatedly, and there are not many opportunities for kindness to the people; However, he is well aware of the truth that "those who win the hearts of the people win the world" and attaches importance to being lenient with others, which is different from those warlords who are arrogant and murderous, thus winning the hearts of the people. When Liu Beiling's plain phase was recorded in the biography of the Three Kingdoms Shu Shu, Ping Liu, a county citizen, refused to accept it and sent an assassin to assassinate him. It's so popular. Wei Shu, quoted by Pei Songzhi, added: "It was an era when people were hungry, and there was a riot in collecting money. It is difficult to prepare for foreign defense, not as good as scholars' meeting at the same table and eating in the same basket. There is no simple choice. " Therefore, "there are many rewards. "During his attachment to Liu Biao in Jingzhou," more and more Jingzhou heroes returned to their original owners ". In the autumn of the 13th year of Jian 'an (208), Cao Cao marched south to Jingzhou, which coincided with the death of Liu Biao. Liu Cong, the youngest son who just succeeded to the throne, surrendered without a fight. At this time, Zhuge Liang suggested that Liu Bei attack Liu Cong and seize Jingzhou, but he replied, "I can't bear it." From FanCheng south, "Liu Cong, jingzhou many people return to their ancestors. More than 100,000 people and thousands of cars in Dangyang, more than ten miles a day. " Someone advised him to abandon the people and protect Jiangling as soon as possible, but he flatly refused: "People-oriented is the key to economic development. Now that people are mine, how can I have the heart to abandon them! " At this safe moment, it is rare for the founding monarchs of past dynasties to refuse to abandon their people even if their lives are in danger. Zhu Pei quoted a historian of the Eastern Jin Dynasty as saying: "Although my late master was in danger, his beliefs became clearer and clearer. When he was forced to do something dangerous, he did not lose his way. Pursuing the care of quiet life, you will feel the three services; Those who love righteousness are willing to die with each other. Those who look at the reasons why they love things are just asking questions about the cold. It is not appropriate to help the great cause in the end! " This is also quoted in Zi Tong Zhi Jian in the fifty-seventh year of Han Dynasty, which shows that Liu Bei's benevolence has been widely recognized by historians of past dynasties.

As far as "respecting the virtuous and being polite" is concerned, Liu Bei's performance is particularly outstanding. In the 12th year of Jian 'an (207), he was a 47-year-old left general. He is regarded as a great hero in the world. Full of sincerity, he personally visited the cottage and respectfully invited Zhuge Liang, who was only 27 years old and had no name and left a beautiful talk for generations. When taking countermeasures in Longzhong, Zhuge Liang praised him for "being loyal to the four seas, commanding heroes, and thinking of sages like thirst", which was not empty talk. After the capture of Yizhou in the 19th year of Jian 'an (2 14), it was only a meritocracy to accommodate the old headquarters of Jingzhou and the new annex of Yizhou. "Everyone in a prominent position, do your best. People with lofty ideals are advised. " Among them, Huang Quan, a celebrity from Yizhou, resolutely discouraged Liu from letting Liu Bei into Shu. When Liu Bei captured Yizhou, he insisted on Guanghan. He didn't give in until Liu Zhang surrendered, but Liu Bei let bygones be bygones and appointed Huang Quan as a partial general, which he trusted very much. Liu Bei called Hanzhong king, led Yizhou animal husbandry, and took Huang Quan as the rule; After Liu Bei proclaimed himself emperor, he led an army to attack Wu, took Huang Quan as the general of Zhenbei, and supervised the armies in Jiangbei to defend Wei. After Liu Bei's fiasco in the battle of Yiling, Huang Quan was unable to return to Shu and was unwilling to surrender to Soochow, so he had to lead his troops to surrender to Wei. The official in charge of Shu Han wanted to arrest Huang Quan's wife. Liu Bei said, "If you bear Huang Quan alone, you will not be alone." Treat the dead wife in the same way. In this regard, Pei Songzhi sincerely praised the "Biography of the Three Kingdoms Shu Shu Huang Quan": "Hanwu destroyed the home of Li Ling with empty words, and Liu Zhu refused to hold the post of constitutional secretary, leaving Huang Quan's room, and the two masters gained and lost a lot." "Poetry" says that "only a gentleman is happy, and Queen Aier protects him", and its main name is Liu Ye. "Another celebrity, Liu Ba, a native of Lingling, Jingzhou, had a longer struggle with Liu Bei: when Cao Cao invaded Jingzhou in the south, many Jingzhou scholars followed Liu Bei's retreat, but Liu Ba surrendered to Cao Cao; After Battle of Red Cliffs, Cao Cao ordered Liu Ba to surrender Changsha, Lingling and Guiyang to compete with Liu Bei. Because Liu Bei won three counties in time, the plot failed, and Liu Ba could not return to a job. Zhuge Liang wrote to persuade him to submit to Liu Bei, but Liu Ba refused and ran far away to the first step, which made "Old Master Q hate it"; Later, Liu Ba reached Shu on tiptoe. When Liu Zhang wanted to welcome Liu Bei to Shu, he repeatedly dissuaded him. It was not until Liu Bei won Yizhou that Liu Ba expressed his obedience. Liu Bei was more tolerant of this Liu Ba: when he attacked Chengdu, he ordered the army to say, "The Ba people were harmed, and the three clans were harmed. "After pacifying Yizhou, Liu Ba was quickly appointed General Zuo and Xi Cao Yu (Liu Bei's main official position at this time is General Zuo, and Xi Cao Yu is in charge of the appointment of government officials); Liu Bei called Hanzhong King and took Liu Ba as his history. After Fazheng's death, Liu Ba was promoted to a secretary, who was in charge of daily affairs. All these fully show Liu Bei's tolerance as the founding monarch. In particular, when he was critically ill in April of the third year of Zhangwu (223), he confided to Zhuge Liang and said, "You are only ten times as talented as Cao Pi, and you will be able to settle down in the world and eventually achieve great things. If the heir can supplement it, supplement it; If you are incompetent, you can take it yourself. "Future generations may have doubts about this or even the theory of killing the heart, but this is just a delusion. Throughout thousands of years of feudal social history, it is not uncommon for the emperor to appoint ministers to take care of his life before his death. However, how many emperors are willing or dare to entrust orphans like Liu Bei? Of course, Liu Bei did not encourage Zhuge Liang to take his place, but hoped that Zhuge Liang would try his best to assist him; However, such tolerance and generosity are rare. Or Chen Shou's evaluation at the end of "Ancestor Biography" is fair: "The whole country is committed to Zhuge Liang, but it has no second thoughts, and it is also the track of ancient and modern prosperity. "

The other side of respecting virtuous and polite people is to know others. The advantages of employing people, such as reusing Zhuge Liang, Pang Tong and Fa Zheng, are of course the best "knowing people and being good at their duties", so there is no need to talk about them more; Knowing people's shortcomings is also a great "knowing people's wisdom." For example, Ma Su, "brilliant, good at strategizing", was deeply appreciated by Zhuge Liang; On his deathbed, Liu Bei specially reminded Zhuge Liang: "Ma Su is exaggerating, so you can't use it, you can watch it!" Later, although Ma Su had a good idea of "putting heart first" when Zhuge Liang went south, he was willful and lost the street pavilion, which destroyed the achievements of Zhuge Liang's first northern expedition, but proved Liu Bei's foresight. For talents like Wei Yan, the advantages are outstanding and the shortcomings are obvious. However, Liu Bei boldly entrusts him with the important task of guarding Hanzhong, which is even more insightful. Without a wise monarch, it is impossible. In this respect, even Zhuge Liang, who is known as "knowing people and being good at their duties", seems to be slightly inferior.

As a "warrior", there are many records in historical books. The so-called "fierce" is "a brave and heroic person." Liu Bei was born in a long-lost royal family with a poor family. He doesn't have the illustrious family background like Cao Cao and Yuan Shao (Cao Cao is ugly as a "fat official", not as prominent as Yuan Shao's family background, but his father Cao Song is a courtier of Qiu, so Cao Cao entered his official career very early), and he doesn't have the vast territory inherited from his father and brother like Sun Quan, and he is almost self-made. In fact, "lean" is precisely a major feature of Liu Bei, which became the evaluation of many people at that time. For example, in the 13th year of Jian 'an (208), just after Liu Biao's death, Lu Su suggested that Sun Quan and Liu Bei should jointly fight against Cao Cao, so he called Liu Bei "a lean man in the world". In the 14th year of Jian 'an (209), Liu Bei went to Beijing to see Sun Quan, and Zhou Yu wrote to Sun Quan, also called Liu Bei "lean", and advocated that he be detained in Wu. The following year, Zhou Yu died and wrote to Sun Quan before he died, also known as "Liu Bei stayed like a tiger". This brave spirit is mainly manifested in four aspects: First, the spirit of adventure. From the beginning of his political stage, Liu Bei often took risks and did not avoid difficulties and obstacles. Early serenade is weak and young. It is inevitable that he "made meritorious deeds in fighting" and "recorded meritorious deeds". Battle of Red Cliffs, faced with the opportunity of life and death, it is not surprising that he "sticks to the lines, stays awake and tries his best to rule Wei". By the twenty-fourth year of Jian 'an (2 19), he was 59 years old and had many troops. But when the arrows rained down, he still took the lead and went forward bravely, which reflected his adventurous spirit. When Peng Yang complained behind his back, he called him "brother" ("veteran" in Jewish), which reflected this feature. The second is the power of machine change. In the first year of Jian 'an (196), Lu Bu, who was defeated and defected to him, took advantage of the situation and attacked Xuzhou with Yuan Shu. He lost his foothold and had to make peace with Lu Bu and settle in Xiaopei. In the third year of Jian 'an (198), after Lu Bu was captured and killed, he followed Cao Cao to Xudu, which was a temporary residence. In the fourth year of Jian 'an (199), we talked with Cao Cao about heroes and covered up our shock with the power of thunder, which can be described as improvisation. Then, in the name of intercepting Yuan Shu, he left Xudu and got rid of Cao Cao's control. It can be said that he acted according to circumstances. All this can be seen from its mechanical variable power. The third is perseverance. At the end of the Han Dynasty, Liu Bei suffered repeated defeats and wars, and sometimes even suffered a fiasco. But he never lost heart, but was defeated and persevered. This indomitable spirit made him often turn the corner, and finally, with the help of Zhuge Liang, he seized the historical opportunity and gradually developed into one of the three pillars. Fourth, at some point, to some extent, bullying. The most typical case is that Changyu was killed. Zhang Yu was originally engaged in Liu Zhang. When Liu Bei went to Shu to see Liu Zhang, he once mocked Zhang Yu. Because Liu Bei didn't need it, he called it "Jun" (the sound of "dew pecking jun"). Liu Bei was angry at his rudeness. Later, Zhang Yu said to people privately, "Your Majesty has gained something. After nine years, it will be lost between yin and hair. " This is indeed a big taboo, and Liu Bei ordered the punishment of "missing words". Zhuge Liang asked Zhang Yu why he had to be executed, and Liu Bei replied, "Fang Lansheng had to hoe." This doesn't make sense. Although this kind of overbearing behavior is not much, it is enough for people to see that Liu Bei can't avoid the inherent autocracy of feudal monarchs after all.

Throughout history, almost all the founding kings who rose in troubled times and really made a difference were somewhat arrogant. From Emperor Gaozu Liu Bang to Emperor Taizong Li Shimin, from Song Taizu Zhao Kuangyin to Ming Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang, they are all lean. In feudal times, being capable and being wise were not diametrically opposed, but were often different sides of the same monarch. Can't you see this clearly from the recognized Ming Taizong?

Second, there are strengths and weaknesses, gains and losses.

Luo Guanzhong's description of Liu Beishi in The Romance of the Three Kingdoms is based on the historical figure Liu Bei. At the same time, according to the ordinary people's choice of politicians in feudal times, according to his own political ideal and aesthetic tendency, he focused on highlighting his image as a wise monarch, but deliberately downplayed his fierce color.

First of all, the work shows Liu Bei's generosity, kindness and love for the people in many ways, and won the hearts of the people. 1 A recurring affair, Liu took an oath in Taoyuan, and the oath was marked with eight big characters: "To serve the country and live in peace and prosperity". This is not only their political goal, but also a moral banner they hold high. Since then, being lenient and caring for the people has won the hearts of the people, which has become a remarkable sign that Liu Bei is different from other political group leaders. Being an official for the first time-Anxi County Commandant, he "has no offense with Qiu Min, and all the people are influenced by it". Du You failed to ask for a bribe, and people complained about it (the second time). Since then, he has served as a plain facies, and is known as "the person who saves people from danger through benevolence and righteousness" (seeNo. 1 1). On his deathbed, Tao Qian gave way to Xuzhou, and Liu Bei made a firm statement. The people of Xuzhou "gathered in front of the government and cried and worshipped, saying,' If Liu Shijun does not lead this country, we cannot coexist peacefully!'" ""(the first time 12) Cao Cao captured and killed Lu Bu, and when he left Xuzhou, "The people burned incense to block the road, please stay as a shepherd" (the 20th time). This shows that although he occupied Xuzhou for a short time, he has won the hearts of the people. When he suffered another serious setback and had to go to Jingzhou to defect to Liu Biao, and was ordered to be stationed in Xinye, he still took the safety of the people as his own responsibility, so "the army and the people are happy and politics is new" (back to 34). The new savage eulogized happily: "Xinye Shepherd, Liu Huangshu; Since then, the people have become rich. " (back to 35)

From the sixth year of Jian 'an (20 1) to the thirteenth year (208), Liu Bei lived in Xinye for seven years. The first half of his life is the longest and relatively stable period. During this period, Liu Bei seriously reflected on his political career, accepted the criticism of "Mr. Water Mirror" Si Mahui, and at the same time put talents at a strategic height, striving for talents; On the one hand, it pays more attention to winning people's hearts and preparing conditions for re-emergence. When Cao Cao led a great army south to conquer Jingzhou and Liu Cong surrendered without fighting, Liu Bei was forced to retreat to Xiangyang, and the people in Xinye and Fancheng shouted with one voice,' Even if we die, we are willing to obey your command! I cried that day. "Xiangyang city, bretz closed the door, Cai Mao and Zhang Yun also ordered the arrow. Seeing the injustice, Wei Yan drew his sword to help him, opened the city gate, put down the suspension bridge, and shouted, "Liu Huangshu, lead the troops into the city quickly and kill the traitor! When Liu Bei saw Wei Yan and Wen Pin fighting at the edge of the city, he said, "I wanted to protect the people, but I hurt them. I don't want to go to Xiangyang. " So "lead the people away from Xiangyang Road and Wangjiang Mausoleum. Many people in Xiangyang fled the city and left with Liu Bei "(No.4 1). In this way, in the autumn of the 13th year of Jian 'an, Liu Bei led more than 100,000 soldiers and civilians to help the old and bring the young, and staged a tragic scene of "taking people south". Such a retreat obviously violates the military principle of "your troops are flying fast", which is very unfavorable for saving strength and avoiding Cao Jun's pursuit. Therefore, all the generals said, "Now we have tens of thousands of people and travel more than ten miles a day. When will we arrive in Jiangling? If Cao Bing comes, how can we meet the enemy? It is better to abandon the people temporarily and act first. " Liu Bei knew that this statement was reasonable, but he cried and refused, saying, "Those who make great things must be people-oriented. People today are mine. How can I abandon them? " When he arrived in Dangyang, he was caught up by the elite soldiers led by Cao Cao himself, and hundreds of soldiers and civilians were suddenly in chaos. Liu Bei fought and left under the protection of Zhang Fei. When he saw it in the morning, there were only one hundred riders left beside him. He couldn't help crying: "hundreds of thousands of creatures have suffered because they love me;" Generals and young people don't know life or death. Although he is a man of letters, he would rather not be sad! " In this battle, Liu Bei was defeated militarily, but won a great victory morally. This conscious choice of success or death is unique among the leaders of various political and military groups written in The Romance of the Three Kingdoms, and it is by no means comparable to the posturing of ordinary heroes in troubled times. Since then, Liu Bei's "Benevolence and Love for the People" has become more deeply rooted in the hearts of the people and has become his greatest political advantage that distinguishes him from other entrepreneurs.

Secondly, the work tries to render Liu Bei's image of respecting sages and loving scholars, knowing people and being good at their duties. Among them, his respect and trust for Xu Shu, Zhuge Liang and Pang Tong surpassed the historical records and was very vivid and touching; Especially the description of his relationship with Zhuge Liang is of exemplary significance.

Xu Shu in history did not belong to Liu Bei for a long time. Apart from recommending Zhuge Liang to Liu Bei, it did not play much role in politics and military affairs. "The History of the Three Kingdoms, Shu Shu and Zhuge Liang Biography" only said: "When Xu Shu saw the first master, he took charge of it first ... Cao Gong came to levy ... The first master was in Fan and led his troops south; After Zhuge Liang and Xu Shu; When I bid farewell to my late master, I pointed to his heart and said,' I want to solve the problem with the general, so I can take this inch of land. Now that I have lost my mother, I am in a mess. It's no use. Please say goodbye from now on. "So, Cao Gong." In Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Liu Bei met Xu Shu, treated him honestly, worshipped him as a strategist, and entrusted him with the important task of commanding the whole army. After defeating the Lv Kuang brothers and Coss successively, Liu Bei regarded Xu Shu as a genius in the world. When Xu Shu learned that his mother was imprisoned by Cao Cao and said goodbye to Liu Bei, Liu Bei reluctantly agreed to take care of his mother and son, although it was difficult to give up. On the eve of parting, "the two sat crying and waiting for Dan." The next morning, Liu Bei personally sent Xu Shu out of the city and bought a farewell dinner; After the banquet, I was still "reluctant to leave, gave a ride and gave another ride." It was not until Xu Shu rode away that Liu Beicai immediately stood at the edge of the forest, "weeping" and even "trying to cut down the forest here" because "it prevented me from looking directly at Xu Yuan" (back to 36). Although these descriptions mainly pave the way for "recommending Zhuge by Ma" and "visiting Mao Lu", they are enough to show that Liu Bei is thirsty for talents and loves talents like life, which is quite artistic. The Romance of the Three Kingdoms is a vivid description of Liu Bei's high trust and reliance on Zhuge Liang. In history, Liu Bei invited Zhuge Liang to come out of the mountain. The biography of Zhuge Liang in the Three Kingdoms has only one sentence: "Therefore, my late Lord is willing to be clear, and I will see you every three times." Romance, which is two and a half times as long, has been carefully designed and dyed repeatedly, making the process of "three cares" euphemistic and fascinating. When Liu Bei first saw Kong Ming, he condescended to "worship"; After listening to Longzhong's countermeasures, first of all, "avoid the seats and thank you", and then "nod your thanks"; When I first heard that Kong Ming didn't want to go out of the mountain, I immediately "stained my robe sleeves with tears and my clothes were all wet"; Kong Ming promised to help, and he was "overjoyed". These details, full of ideal colors, vividly show Liu Bei's sincerity in seeking talents. After Zhuge Liang came out of the mountain, Romance fully highlighted his key position and role in Liu Shu Group, and strongly emphasized Liu Bei's high trust and dependence on him. I analyzed the image of Zhuge Liang in the article Loyalty and Wisdom.

Zhuge Liang in history was very close to Liu Bei as soon as he came out of the mountain and was fully trusted by Liu Bei; However, his position in Liu Shu Group has been gradually improved. According to the usual political mechanism, it is natural ... In The Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Luo Guanzhong wrote that Zhuge Liang was the commander-in-chief who was under one person from the beginning and had power over ten thousand people, which greatly improved his position and role in Liu Shu Group ... These descriptions greatly surpassed historical records and made Zhuge Liang always at the core of Liu Shu Group. Before getting Zhuge Liang, Liu Bei suffered many setbacks, but after getting Zhuge Liang's help, he won one victory after another. In contrast, readers can't help feeling that the success or failure of Liu Shu Group is not related to Liu Bei, but to Zhuge Liang.

Historically, Pang Tong returned to Jingzhou after Liu Bei's shepherd, and began to "keep Leiyang order, die in counties, and be exempt from official duties". Later, Lu Su and Zhuge Liang recommended, "First, be arbitrary, be good at tan, and make great achievements, thinking that you are engaged in governance. I am not as good as Zhuge Liang, and I am a military commander with Liang. " Romance, on the basis of historical facts, gave full play to the romantic imagination. When Pang Tonggang defected to Liu Beishi, Liu Bei judged people by their appearances and only named him Leiyang county magistrate. Once I learned that Pang Tong had broken his official duties for a hundred days, Liu Bei immediately blamed himself: "I didn't treat Daxian well!" Liu Bei read Lu Su's recommendation and listened to Zhuge Liang's evaluation. He immediately ordered Zhang Fei to come to Leiyang County and invited Pang Tong to Jingzhou. He made a confession, so he worshipped Pang Tong as a military commander and "praised the strategy with Kong Ming" (back to the 57th). Treating others so hypocritically can't help moving the wise. This relationship between monarch and minister, harmony between fish and water, has been the ideal realm that intellectuals yearn for for for thousands of years.

In a word, the full expression of these two characters, namely generosity, kindness, benevolence and respect for the virtuous, made the image of Liu Bei in Romance of the Three Kingdoms get rid of the careless atmosphere of Liu Bei's image in the popular literature and art of the Three Kingdoms in the past, and became an unprecedented "wise monarch" paradigm in ancient literary works.

For Liu Bei's fierce color, The Romance of the Three Kingdoms deliberately played down, or did not write it, or replaced it with body double. The most obvious and easy-to-think example is "flogging Du You". According to the Records of the Three Kingdoms, Shu Shu, Ancestors and Zhu Pei, it was Liu Bei who whipped Du You in history. What happened was: due to the imperial edict, people who became officials because of their military exploits were eliminated. Liu Bei, a county commandant in Anxi county, is worried that the official position he bought with his blood may not be kept; Just Du You came to Anxi County, ready to send Liu Bei back; Liu Bei went to the inn to ask for an audience, but Du You refused to see him. In a rage, Liu Bei took people into the inn, tied Du You up, tied him to a tree and gave him a good beating. Then he took off his seal, hung it around Du You's neck and walked away. It is not surprising that Liu Bei, who was originally called "lean" in history, was resolute and young at this time, and naturally refused to submit to humiliation when he was bullied. However, in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Luo Guanzhong moved this matter to Zhang Fei in order to mold Liu Bei into an ideal "wise king", which did not damage Liu Bei's "generous" image, but also helped to highlight Zhang Fei's violent and hateful character, killing two birds with one stone. The first part of this paper analyzes four main characteristics of Liu Bei's fierce character. Romance focuses on his persistence and his flexibility, which is not discussed in detail here. This arrangement is naturally beneficial to highlight Liu Bei's image as a "wise monarch", but it also has two obvious disadvantages: one is to strengthen this and weaken the other, which damages the richness of the characters to some extent. Secondly, over-diluting Liu Bei's lean color virtually reduces Liu Bei's appeal and influence as the leader of Liu Shu Group, making the suffering founding monarch less heroic and more mediocre.

Third, multi-angle, successful image

For a long time, researchers have criticized the image of Liu Bei in The Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Among them, there are two opinions that have the greatest influence. We might as well discuss this problem.

One of the criticisms: "The image is pale." More than one scholar believes that Liu Bei's image is not full of flesh and blood, and his personality is not strong, which makes him look pale and powerless. Indeed, compared with Zhuge Liang, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei and Zhao Yun, the image of Liu Bei is relatively thin. The reasons are roughly as follows:

First, as a "wise monarch", although the description of Liu Bei in The Romance of the Three Kingdoms is mostly based on historical records; However, from the above discussion, it can be seen that the historical basis and life basis of "caring for the people" are actually quite limited to the two characteristics of "caring for the people" and "respecting morality". In other words, for the general public, Liu Bei's "love for the people" is more of a wish, a flag, or even a gesture, a slogan, and real action does not have much practical benefits. If we calculate Liu Bei's life chronology, we can know that he has been in a hectic state all his life, running around: before the Chibi War, he fought one after another, frustrated one after another, and relied on others again and again. Basically, he didn't really own a stable territory. After Battle of Red Cliffs, in the 14th year of Jian 'an (209), it was called Jingzhou Animal Husbandry, which had jurisdiction over four counties in the south of the Yangtze River. Sixteen years (2 1 1), led the troops into Shu. In the 17th year of Jian 'an (2 12), he attacked Liu Zhang as an excuse. After two years of fighting, Yizhou was pacified in the 19th year of Jian 'an (2 14), Jingzhou competed with Sun Quan in the 20th year (2 15), and Hanzhong competed with Cao Cao in the 22nd year (2 17). In the summer of the twenty-fourth year of Jian 'an (2 19), Hanzhong was occupied, but Jingzhou soon fell, and Guan Yu, the number one general, and a large number of elite soldiers were lost. In the first year of Zhangwu (22 1), he proclaimed himself emperor in April and led an army to attack Wu in July. The next year, he suffered a fiasco and died. It can be said that he really didn't have many opportunities to practice the idea of "caring for the people". Moreover, even if he had enough opportunities, as a feudal ruler, his "love for the people" could only be the ruling means rather than the ultimate goal, and it was impossible to really meet the expectations of the people. Popular literature writers lack deep feelings about this, so it is naturally difficult to write Liu Bei's love for the people vividly and touching enough in his novels.

Secondly, as we all know, the real protagonist of Romance of the Three Kingdoms is Zhuge Liang. In addition, Guan Yu is the writer who uses the most pens in Liu Shu Group. As for Liu Bei, although he is the leader of Liu Shu Group, he mainly bears the moral responsibility of "being a good king", but there are few words and deeds full of personality. Such an image of Liu Bei cannot but give people a certain degree of "flattening" feeling.

Thirdly, as mentioned above, the author intends to strengthen Liu Bei's image as a wise monarch and downplay his fierce color, which not only damages the richness of the characters, but also reduces his actual position in the Liu Shu Group, making him less heroic and more mediocre. In this way, it is difficult to shape Liu Bei's image as lifelike as Zhuge Liang, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei.

It should be said that Luo Guanzhong's pursuit of the idealized image of the monarch in shaping the image of Liu Bei violated the dialectics of art to some extent. In this way, the uniqueness and richness of the characters are not fully demonstrated.

But from another point of view, it is commendable that Luo Guanzhong can write the image of Liu Bei to this extent without enough artistic accumulation. As long as we compare Liu Bei in Romance of the Three Kingdoms with Liu Bei in Drama of the Three Kingdoms and Story of the Three Kingdoms, we should affirm that Luo Guanzhong's efforts are basically successful.

The second criticism is "as thick as a fake." There are many people who hold this view, and it has great influence. How to understand this?

First, the contradiction between purpose and means, utilitarian pursuit and moral yearning makes it difficult for Liu Bei to avoid "imitation". As a generation of Yingjie, when the world was in chaos, Liu Bei could only seize the territory in the hands of others if he wanted to revive the Han Dynasty and unify the whole country, but he could not expect all separatist regimes to be as polite as Tao Qian. In order to catch it, it is essential to use clever tactics. Take Yizhou as an example. As early as in Zhuge Liang's "Long Zhong Dui", he formulated the strategic policy of "crossing the scenic spot for profit" and waiting for an opportunity to explore the north, which is related to the fundamental interests and long-term goals of Liu Bei Group. After the occupation of Jingzhou, Liu Bei had doubts about whether to seize Yizhou:

Pang Tong said, "Jingzhou has Sun Quan in the east and Cao Cao in the north, so it's hard to achieve anything. Yizhou has a registered permanent residence of one million, with vast territory and abundant resources, which can make great use of the great cause. Fortunately, it is a godsend to have Zhang Song and Fazheng as helpers. Why doubt it? " Liu Bei said, "Cao Cao is my enemy in fire and water. Fuck with urgency, I am wide; Fighting violence with violence, I am benevolent; Fuck with praise, I with loyalty: every time contrary to fuck, things can be done. I can't bear to lose confidence in the world for petty profits. " Pang Tong said with a smile, "Although your master's words are in line with heaven, I hope to strive for strength from chaos, but they are different. If you cling to common sense, it is not feasible to move a step, so you should be flexible. And' weak and offensive' and' offensive and defensive', Tang and martial arts are also. When this matter is settled, it will be rewarded with righteousness and sealed as a big country. Why should it be broken? If you don't take it today, someone else will. Adults are fortunate to think. " Liu Bei suddenly said, "Remember the words of the stone."

The matter is clear: Liu Bei will either stay in Jingzhou and stop making progress; Either enter Yizhou and change. If Yizhou is seized by others (such as Cao Cao), it will be extremely unfavorable to Liu Bei Group. So Liu Bei took Pang Tong's advice. When Yizhou really took it, Liu Bei could not be without guilt in the face of Liu Zhang, a cowardly and kind sister-in-law. "shake hands with tears and say,' I can't be kind, but I must!' "(back to the 65th) This reflects the contradictory mentality that political leaders often have in sharp and complicated struggles. In order to win the hearts of the people, they can love the people and respect the virtuous, but they can't be "generous" to their competitors everywhere. Fraud cannot be completely avoided here, but it would be extreme to condemn it as "fraud".

Secondly, the description of Liu Bei's love for the people in the romance is indeed distorted. For example, in paragraph 4 1, Liu Bei took the people across the river, and when he saw that the people were helping the old and taking care of the young, Liu Bei couldn't help crying. This is reasonable, which is consistent with his later behavior of risking his life not to abandon the people. But the work immediately wrote that he "wanted to throw himself into the river, so that the first aid was stopped", which was too much, but it was not true. The author devotes himself to beautifying Liu Bei, but exaggerates too much, which leads to the bad effect of "imitation".

Thirdly, in Chapter 42 of Romance, Zhao Yun gave Liu Bei the sinus he saved at the risk of his life. "Liu Bei took it and threw it on the ground and said,' Here you are, good boy, it will hurt one of my generals!' "Later generations scoffed at this, and there was even a folk saying that" Liu Bei toppled Adou-bought the hearts of the people ". It seems that this is also a scam. In fact, in the minds of politicians who competed for the world in ancient times, confidant generals sometimes seemed more important than wives. The Biography of the Three Kingdoms Shu Shu Zu Shi clearly records that when he was defeated by Dangyang, "Zu Shi abandoned his wife and rode away with Zhuge Liang, Zhang Fei and Zhao Yun". The description of romance can be said to be a natural extension of this historical fact. There are differences in political and moral concepts between ancient and modern times, and heroes in troubled times have different choices from ordinary people, so it is not appropriate to make a simplistic negative understanding of this.

Fourth, Chapter 85 of Romance is quite emotional on the basis of historical facts. The historical facts have been analyzed before, so I won't repeat them here. If we regard this as "fraud", it will not only belittle Liu Bei, but also damage Zhuge Liang's image. I don't think so.

In addition, "the trace of doubt can not be ignored." Liu Bei's words and deeds in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms are indeed "pseudo-like"; But on the whole, its "length and thickness" is generally true and credible, which is the keynote of its image, "not fake."

The conclusion is: Throughout the history of China's novels, among many monarch images, especially the image of the founding monarch, the image of Liu Bei in The Romance of the Three Kingdoms is not only unprecedented, but also beyond the reach of most similar images in later generations. So although he is not completely typical, he is still a relatively successful and unique artistic image.