Speaking of Liu Chan, the last emperor of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms period, many people do not think highly of him and classify him as an incompetent puppet monarch.
However, after carefully reading the life of this emperor who has been somewhat misunderstood by history, we will find that he is not so simple.
Liu Chan grew up under the ardent expectations of his father Liu Bei since he was a child, and his life was destined to be extraordinary.
Before his death, Liu Bei entrusted him to Prime Minister Zhuge Liang and General Li Yan, hoping that they could assist Liu Chan to inherit the foundation of Shu Han. It can be seen how much Liu Bei attaches great importance to his son's expectations.
However, when he was a child, Liu Chan had already shown extraordinary wisdom.
After Zhuge Liang succeeded to the throne as prime minister, Liu Chan did not interfere with the government, but fully supported all of Zhuge Liang's decisions, reflecting his absolute trust in this wise man.
Some people think that this is a sign of Liu Chan's cowardice and incompetence, but it is not. Liu Chan's approach at that time was precisely because he saw the situation clearly and knew the importance of Zhuge Liang's leadership to Shu Han.
His foresight in adapting to the big picture and avoiding a power struggle is truly amazing.
In addition to his loyalty to Zhuge Liang, Liu Chan also showed a high degree of political wisdom on the issue of Eastern Wu.
Although his father and father-in-law Zhang Fei both died at the hands of Eastern Wu, he did not retaliate, but chose a policy of reconciliation with him.
This is not only conducive to maintaining the peace of Shu Han, but also reflects Liu Chan's far-sighted and comprehensive ruling wisdom.
It can be said that Liu Chan used his extremely limited power to make his own contribution to the development of Shu Han.
However, Shu Han could not escape the fate of being destroyed after all. After Zhuge Liang's death, there was a vacuum of power between the government and the opposition, and Yang Yi, Wei Yan and others were ready to move, almost causing a catastrophe.
At the critical moment, Liu Chan executed these careerists with a decisive hand and stabilized the situation.
Liu Chan's skill in dealing with the political turmoil once again showed his wisdom and determination as the lord of a country. He was not easily restrained by the struggle for power, but decisively dealt with personnel who might endanger national security and safeguarded the fundamental interests of Shu Han.
It can be said that without Liu Chan's series of precise decisions, Shu Han might have fallen apart in internal and external troubles.
Although Liu Chan's approach was iron-fisted, it had to be done under the circumstances at that time.
Subsequently, as Cao Wei's army continued to approach, Shu Han fell into a desperate situation. At this time, Liu Chan made the final choice - surrender.
There has been historical criticism of this decision. Thinking that Liu Chan was an incompetent puppet emperor, he finally chose to flee from the battle.
But I personally think that Liu Chan's surrender was actually based on helpless practical considerations.
At that time, the military strength of Shu Han was already weak, and continuing the war of resistance would only increase the casualties of the people. Liu Chan prudently chose the road of surrender, preserving the lives of the vast number of civilians.
From this point of view, Liu Chan is not cowardly and incompetent, but shows the benevolence and foresight that a monarch should have.
He did not rest on his laurels, and finally gave up his personal obsession for the sake of the long-term peace and stability of the nation and the country.
Liu Chan did have moments of incompetence in his life, but he was more of a wise monarch with high wisdom and the courage to make decisions.
In the face of many difficulties, he was always able to weigh the pros and cons, make wise choices, and safeguard the fundamental interests of Shu Han.
Perhaps, it is precisely because of Liu Chan's attitude of governing the country that Shu Han was able to stand for nearly a hundred years before the third national reunification. He is a generation of bright monarchs, and he is also a generation of tragic heroes who are not fully recognized.
Therefore, we should not be oversimplistic when evaluating historical figures. Liu Chan's life does have mistakes and regrets, but more importantly, it is his selfless dedication to the country and the people. We should look at him comprehensively and objectively, and examine his spiritual value from the perspective of development.
As the so-called right and wrong are finally decided, history will eventually give Liu Chan, the long-misunderstood queen of the Shu Han Dynasty, a fair evaluation from a fair perspective.
Looking back on Liu Chan's life, it is not difficult for us to find that he has both wisdom and courage. The balance of the two has contributed to his remarkable leadership as a monarch.
Wisdom is reflected in his control of the overall situation. Liu Chan understood the importance of Zhuge Liang's leadership to Shu Han when he was young, so he never interfered with the government and gave Zhuge Liang absolute trust.
This approach to adapting to the times avoided the internal friction of the power struggle and won valuable development time for Shu Han.
Courage is reflected in his resolute response to internal and external crises. After Zhuge Liang's death, the government and the opposition were clouded, and the power vacuum caused a series of turmoil. Liu Chan did not hesitate to cut down the grass and eradicate the roots, executed Yang Yi, Li Miao and other ambitious elements, and maintained the foundation of Shu Han's rule.
This kind of iron-fisted method is often only dared to be carried out by those in power. As the head of a country, Liu Chan will never allow anyone to wantonly undermine the unity and unity of the country.
Even when Shu Han fell in the end, Liu Chan still made the choice to surrender with courage and wisdom. Although this was criticized at the time, it was actually his prudent consideration based on people's livelihood and national interests.
Liu Chan saw that continuing the war of resistance would only sacrifice more innocent lives in vain, so he resolutely chose to surrender, and in this way saved the lives of the people of Shu Han to the greatest extent.
From this point of view, Liu Chan's decision to surrender reflects his high sense of responsibility for the country and the nation, and shows the benevolence of a generation of monarchs.
He would rather bear the stigma of "surrender" than waste more lives in vain to continue the already shattered Shuhan River.
Therefore, to evaluate Liu Chan comprehensively and objectively, we should not only look at his personal gains and losses, but also look at his selfless dedication to the country and the people.
We should re-examine his spiritual values and historical status from the perspective of development.
Although Liu Chan had mistakes and regrets, his life reflected more the wisdom, courage and sense of responsibility that a wise monarch should have.
It was with a leader like him that Shu Han was able to stand for nearly a hundred years before the third national unification.
I firmly believe that with the passage of time, history will give Liu Chan, the long-misunderstood queen of the Shu Han Dynasty, an objective and fair evaluation from a fair eye.
He should be remembered as a great monarch, not simply "incompetent" or "puppet".