Among the many characters portrayed in The Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Zhuge Liang is undoubtedly the most successful and far-reaching one. It can be said that he is the real protagonist of this book and the soul that sustains this book. Among his many excellent qualities, two stand out: wisdom and loyalty.
Over the years, when some people talk about Zhuge Liang's "loyalty", they often dismiss it as "foolish loyalty". I think this is a one-sided view.
What is "foolish loyalty"? It is blind, unprincipled, opinionated and resigned to the monarch, so it is stupid "loyalty". Whether the monarch is good or evil, whether his behavior is right or wrong, he obeys Nuo Nuo and does it without any doubt, let alone why he doesn't obey him; Even if the monarch is dissolute and cruel, killing innocent people, he dare not remonstrate; Even if you kill yourself for no reason, you only know how to bow your head and be slaughtered, and you have to say something stupid, "The son of heaven has wisdom, and the guilty minister should be punished"; Even if the monarch is decadent, he will still blindly follow and die. In the long feudal autocratic society, the supreme ruler always concentrated power for his own self-interest and did not want to be restricted by any restrictions; At the same time, they always ask their subjects to be unconditionally loyal to themselves and encourage foolish loyalty. Especially in the Ming and Qing dynasties, when absolutism expanded viciously, the rulers instilled the consciousness of being foolish and loyal through various means, so that being foolish and loyal became a common moral creed of ordinary subjects, which seriously castrated the national spirit and hindered social progress. Therefore, it is entirely appropriate for modern people to oppose and criticize foolish loyalty.
However, any problem should be analyzed in detail. Although the monarch was usually the symbol and representative of the country in feudal times, and the feudal rulers strongly advocated foolish loyalty, for thousands of years, there have always been many people with lofty ideals who believed in Mencius' people-oriented thought that "the people are the most important, the country is the second, and the monarch is the least", which distinguished the loyalty to the country and the nation from the blind obedience to the monarch and got rid of the shackles of foolish loyalty to varying degrees: or loyalty to the monarch. Still brave enough to plead for the people, regardless of their own safety. Even in the Ming and Qing dynasties, when the monarchy was the most overbearing, some ideological liberators dared to belittle and despise the monarchy. Even like Huang Zongxi, he fundamentally criticized and denied the monarchy.
So, how did Zhuge Liang in The Romance of the Three Kingdoms handle the relationship with his monarchs Liu Bei and Liu Chan? If you read the works carefully, you can see that Zhuge Liang is truly loyal to Liu Shu Group; But this is not indiscriminate "foolish loyalty", but a career that is loyal to one's own ideals and the teacher of the emperor, which has its positive significance.
In the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Zhuge Liang agreed to go out of the mountain through Liu Bei's sincerity of "visiting the thatched cottage" and his tearful plea of "not leaving like a poor man". From the very beginning, Luo Guanzhong wrote Zhuge Liang as the commander-in-chief under one person and above ten thousand people, commanding everything, and tried his best to highlight Zhuge Liang's key position and role in Liu Shu Group. He is not only Liu Bei's main assistant, but also Liu Bei's spiritual mentor: "Liu Bei regards Kong Ming as a teacher, eats at the same table, sleeps on the same bed, and talks about world affairs all day long." (The 38th time) "Liu Bei is proud of himself and treats him with teacher's courtesy." (Back to the 39th) Soon after he came out of the mountain, Xia Houdun, a general of Cao Cao, led a hundred thousand troops to kill Xinye. In this fledgling first battle, Liu Bei completely handed over the command to Zhuge Liang; Zhuge Liang had a well-thought-out plan and sent all the generals one by one. Even Liu Bei had to accept his arrangement. After the fire in Wang Bo, Zhuge Liang's command in Liu Shu Group was unbreakable and beyond doubt. Liu Bei always listens to him in major events, and all civil and military officials always carry out his orders wholeheartedly. During the Chibi War, he went to Wu Dong for several months, and Liu Bei actively prepared for the war. After everything is ready, we have to wait for him to go back to command and dispatch:
Besides, Liu Xuande waited for Kongming to come back at Xiakou ... Soon, the boat arrived, and Kongming and Zilong landed, and Liu Bei was overjoyed. After greeting, Kong Ming said, "I don't have time to tell you anything else. Are all the warships and horses agreed by the former ready? " Liu Bei said, "It's been a long time, just waiting for the strategist to call." Kong Ming settled accounts with Liu Bei and Liu Qisheng ... (Back to 49)
No one can disobey Zhuge Liang's orders. Even Guan Yu, the top general with a special position, let Cao Cao go privately and ordered his beheading because he violated military orders. Just because Liu Bei interceded and hoped to make Guan Yu atone, "Kong Ming was spared" (50th vs. 5 1). These descriptions greatly surpassed the historical records, making Zhuge Liang always in the core position 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.
In front of Liu Bei, Zhuge Liang is always outspoken; If Liu Bei's words and deeds are improper, or seriously criticized, or bluntly advised, Liu Bei always listens with an open mind and even apologizes (except for refusing to criticize Wu, he later "suffered a loss", and Liu Bei himself admits: "I have listened to the Prime Minister's words long ago, and I will not be defeated today!" )。 On such an important event as crossing the river to get married, he simply took the lead for Liu Bei, and Liu Bei did it one by one despite his doubts. This behavior reflects his mentality of "being a teacher". How can it be a little timid and obscene? How can there be a little "fool" humbleness?
Before he died, Liu Bei left Zhuge Liang alone and sent an imperial edict to Liu Yuxin Zen: "Qing and the Prime Minister are like fathers." After Liu Chan acceded to the throne, he obeyed his father's orders and showed great respect and trust to Zhuge Liang. "Court selection, money and grain, word litigation and all other matters. It is up to Prime Minister Zhuge to decide. " After (the 85th time), in 12 years, although he was an adult and could make his own decisions, he always gave Zhuge Liang all the military and political power, which was very reassuring. Zhuge Liang managed the middle of Shu, developed the economy, and allied with Wu Fumeng. He is always optimistic about his success and never interferes. Zhuge Liang personally went south and made several northern expeditions, but he always supported and never backed down (The Romance of the Three Kingdoms (No.100) wrote that Zhuge Liang was angry at Cao Zhen and defeated Sima Yi, but the latter listened to the rumors spread by eunuchs and ordered Zhuge Liang to move troops back to the DPRK, which was purely fiction). It is rare in feudal times to let the minister of auxiliary government exercise his powers without suspicion, harassment and interference. When Zhuge Liang was seriously ill in Wuzhangyuan, he sent ministers to visit Li Fu to discuss the country's major plans. Zhuge Liang recommended Jiang Wan and Fei Yi as successors, and he accepted them humbly, and appointed Jiang Wan and Fei Yi as ruling ministers successively. But the news of Zhuge Liang's death came: "When my late master heard about it, he shouted,' Heaven lost me!'" "Crying down on the dragon bed." (Back to 105) Zhuge Liang's coffin returned to Chengdu. "The dead lead civil and military bureaucrats, all hang filial piety out of the city to meet them. The late Lord burst into tears. " (ditto) Not only that, Liu Chan still remembers Zhuge Liang. Nine years after Zhuge Liang's death, he recruited his son Zhuge Zhan as Xu, and later ordered Zhuge Liang to set up a temple in Mianyang (now in front of Dingjun Mountain in Mianxian County, Shaanxi Province). This proves that he really worships Zhuge Liang. Compared with many ungrateful rulers, it is very rare for a hero to turn his back on a person before he dies (even before he dies). Where is Zhuge Liang? He always abides by the promise of "doing his best and dying", which is not only the pillar of the political situation in Shu and Han, but also the spiritual backer of Liu Chan, who is honored as the "father of the country". Before the first Northern Expedition, he went to the "model" and earnestly told Liu Chan: "It is advisable to open a temple, respect the virtue of the first emperor, and aim high; It is not advisable to sell yourself short, quote nonsense, and block the road of loyal advice. ..... Your Majesty should also ask for help for himself, seek advice and advice, and pursue the posthumous edict of the first emperor. " (Back to 9 1) In the fictional story of Liu Chan in Romance, Zhuge Liang was summoned and announced that his army would return to North Korea. After meeting with Liu Chan, Zhuge Liang first debunked the excuse of "I haven't seen the face of the Prime Minister for a long time, so I am longing for it, so I wrote back", pointing out that "there will be traitors who swear that I have different ambitions. Then he asked indignantly, "If there are evil spirits in it today, can I ask a thief?" In this regard, Liu Chan was "silent" at first, and later quickly admitted his mistake: "I recalled the Prime Minister for some time because I listened to the eunuch. Today, it's too late to regret it! "Finally," Kong Ming slaughtered the eunuchs who made mistakes, and the others were driven out of the palace ... bid farewell to the master and return to Hanzhong ... and then discuss starting a career. " Liu Chan respectfully and completely obeyed its disposal (reply 10 1). Here, Liu Chan doesn't have the prestige and hegemony of the monarch, but Zhuge Liang has the self-esteem of an assistant minister and the regret of "hating iron and not turning into steel". This is like a "foolish loyalty" begging for mercy in front of the monarch. What is it?
It is true that Zhuge Liang finally dedicated all his wisdom and hard work to Shu Han, and did his best until he died. Of course, meeting him is a desire to repay Liu Bei's kindness, but it is by no means a one-sided loyalty to Liu Bei and his son without asking right and wrong. Among them, there are even great ambitions to revive the Han Dynasty, save Li Shu and unify the whole country. Because of this, Zhuge Liang's loyalty has been universally affirmed and revered for thousands of years. Looking at the relationship between Liu Bei and him, there is not only the historical basis of "Kong Ming in solitude, but also water in fish" (Biography of the Three Kingdoms and Zhuge Liang), but also the romantic transformation of Luo Guanzhong, which has entrusted the scholars with lofty ideals in the past dynasties with their yearning and pursuit for the ideal relationship of "meeting the monarch and ministers, making friends as teachers" and the personality orientation of "emperors and generals". In fact, this already contains the denial and criticism of the master-slave relationship, which is of historical significance. It can be seen that the word "foolish loyalty" cannot be buckled on Zhuge Liang's head.