During the period of the warring princes at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Nanyang Taishou Yuan Shu was also a force to be reckoned with in the Central Plains. Although Yuan Shu was defeated in Yuan Shao's struggle and had to transform into a local force dominating the Jianghuai region, in terms of strength, Yuan Shu's strength was still relatively strong. Curiously, within a few years, Yuan Shao's clique began to fall apart and was eventually annexed by Cao Cao.
The reason for this, the author believes that the fundamental reason for Yuan Shu's defeat, is actually only one - that is, he did not properly handle interpersonal relationships. Obviously, this has a lot to do with Yuan Shu's personality. As we all know, Yuan Shi is the fourth and third duke, with a history of more than 100 years; and as the younger son of the family, Yuan Shu has developed the habit of arrogance, arrogance, and lasciviousness since childhood. The Book of the Later Han Dynasty? The Biography of Yuan Shu records that" says: "Although the art is still famous and strange, it is arrogant in nature and respects its own tombs." It was precisely because of this fatal character that Yuan Shu first lost Yuan's protégés, then was betrayed by allies and subordinates, and finally died tragically in the scorn of the people of the world.
Treachery - the loss of the fierce general Sun Ce
Yuan Shu, as a person, has always been self-centered; in the face of his own subordinates, he is often jealous and suppressive. Sun Ce, the little overlord of Jiangdong, was a tiger general that Yuan Shu had missed. After Sun Jianzhan died in Jingzhou, his son Ce took over his father's position and led more than a thousand of Sun Jian's troops to continue to serve Yuan Shu. The Book of the Later Han Dynasty? The Biography of Yuan Shu mentions that one of the fundamental reasons for the decline of Yuan Shu is that "the soldiers are weak, the generals are dead, and they are rebellious."
Sun Ce fought bravely, and Yuan Shu admitted: "If you have a son like Sun Lang, you will hate it after death!" Even so, Yuan Shu could not rest assured of Sun Ce. This led to Yuan Shu promising Sun Ce a lot of benefits when he needed him for his own use, and once Sun Ce completed the task and Yuan Shu no longer needed him, he would treacherously and pretend to forget his promise. According to the Chronicle of the Three Kingdoms? The biography of Sun Ce records: "The technique of dispatching the strategy to attack Kang is said: 'Before the misuse of Chen Ji, every hatred did not succeed.' Now Ruo Dekang, Lujiang Zhenqing has also. 'Attack Kang, pluck it, and reuse his former official Liu Xun as Too Shou, ce yi disappointed. Not only that, when Yuan Shu learned that Sun Ce had the Imperial Jade Seal in his hand, he also threatened him with Sun Ce's mother, forcing Sun Ce to be helpless and had to hand over the Jade Seal very reluctantly. If you ask Yuan Shu about this move, how could Sun Ce be willing to serve him? Soon after, Sun Ce broke away from Yuan Shu and returned to his hometown of Jiangdong to develop.
Former and backward - intended to annex allies
In addition, Yuan Shu's attitude towards his allies also made people feel chilled. As early as when Tao Qian was appointed as the pastor of Xuzhou, Yuan Shu felt that his ally was weak and deceitful. After returning to Yongqiu, Yuan Shu led an army to attack and replace The Yangzhou assassin Chen Wen, while he also declared himself Xuzhou Mu in order to attack Xuzhou at any time.
Although Xuzhou Mu Taoqian was honest, he did not want Yuan Shu to succeed. In this way, The benevolent Liu Bei temporarily became the lord of Xuzhou. Yuan Shu hated it and launched an attack on Xuzhou in the first year of Jian'an (196 AD). At the same time, he lured Lü Bu into attacking the Xuzhou fortress of Xia Picheng. According to the Chronicle of the Three Kingdoms? Lü Bu's biography records that Lü Bu was well aware of Yuan Shu's temper of turning his face and not recognizing people, and he said to his subordinates: "If the technique is broken, then the generals of Taishan in the north will have to be saved because I am in the siege." Sure enough, although Xuzhou had fallen into Lü Bu's hands, Yuan Shu did not hesitate to attack Xuzhou the following year. Not to be outdone, Lü Bu united with Liu Bei, Yang Feng, and other forces to drive Yuan Shu's army out of Xuzhou.
Usurpation is called emperor - not shameful for the people of the world
One reason for the rapid decline of the Yuan Shu clique was Yuan Shu's foolish arrogance as emperor. I think that at the beginning, Dong Zhuoquan fell to the opposition, and he did not dare to commit a rebellion. However, Yuan Shu actually believed some rumors popular in the Han Dynasty, believing that his destiny was his own; coupled with the fact that Yuan Shu had snatched the Chuanguo Jade Seal from Sun Ce, it could be said that he was "full of confidence". Romance of the Three Kingdoms? The Biography of Yuan Shu quotes the Canonical Strategy Yun: "(Yuan Shu) see Yuwen Yun: 'The Han Dynasty, be Tu Gaoye.'" 'Since his name is deserved, Naijian is called Zhongshi.' Soon after, Cao Cao took Emperor Xian of Han hostage to the old lair Xudu, and Yuan Shu finally couldn't bear it when he saw this scene, so he ascended the throne as emperor in Shouchun and changed the name of the country to "Zhong", which was the second year of Jian'an (197 AD).
It is mentioned in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms that Yuan Shu, the first empress dowager, was attacked by the princes of the world, which eventually led to his own downfall. In fact, after Yuan Shu became emperor, although there were not so many princes besieging him, his move could also be regarded as losing the hearts of the people in the world. Originally, Yuan Shu could emulate his brother Yuan Shao and use the influence of the Yuan family to slowly try to figure it out, but he chose this extreme and stupid way, which led to the world's people criticizing him. Under such circumstances, yuan shu ended up with a rebellious fate, which is naturally understandable. According to the Book of the Later Han Dynasty? The Biography of Yuan Shu records: "(Yuan Shu) is to burn the palace room, and ben his parts Chen Jian and Lei Bo are in The Haoshan Mountains. The restoration was rejected by Jane and others, so they were impoverished and the soldiers scattered. ”
Adultery is very much worse - the people are separated from morality
Various deeds show that Yuan Shu is incapable of handling interpersonal relationships. As early as when he and Yuan Shao's brothers rose up in the Central Plains, it can be seen that most of the reasons of the Shijia Hao clan were attached to Yuan Shao. Even after Yuan Shu later became emperor of the Jianghuai region, and even after he became emperor, he failed to change the habit of sexual luxury: "And stealing false numbers, adultery and extravagance, hundreds of concubines, all of them are also Luo Yi, tired of sorghum meat, hungry from below, Mo Zhijian is compassionate." As a result, the capital is empty and cannot stand on its own. ”
Yuan Shu's behavior fully illustrates the extravagant nature of the family. Even in Shouchun, Yuan Shu's own "imperial capital", the lower classes of the people were naked and hungry, living a life of deep water and heat. On the other hand, the "emperor" Yuan Shu ate the taste of mountains and treasures of the sea, wore silk silk, and lived a god-like life. The most ironic thing is that the soldiers who were born and died for Yuan Shu also lived the same miserable life. Because they have not had enough to eat for a long time, their combat effectiveness has been greatly reduced. In just a few years, the originally rich Jianghuai region was under the wanton splurge of Yuan Shu, resulting in a fiscal deficit.
Throughout Yuan Shu's life, although he quickly accumulated a huge family business by relying on his family reputation, Yuan Shu never realized the importance of "people" to himself. Yuan's protégés, allies, generals, people, and troops eventually left him because of Yuan Shu's ego. It can be seen that Yuan Shu's rebellion and separation are the inevitable result.
Reference Books: Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Book of the Later Han Dynasty