刘表是什么态度呢？刘表是既不想降曹，也不想联吴，他想守中立，他想保住他这一亩三分地。但是他管得了自己，他管不了儿子；管得了生前，他管不了身后。而对他的后事他居然做出这样一个安排来，岂非是草包。所以陈寿对刘表这个人的评价不高，他也是把刘表和袁绍放在一起评论的，他说刘表和袁绍这两个人的共同特点是有仪表，人长得漂亮；有风度，儒雅；第三，有名气，名声很大；第四，也有成就，我讲过袁绍他的成就已经超过了他的祖辈和父辈，刘表到荆州以后由单骑入宜城到一统荆州，也是有成就的。但是他们共同的特点是“外宽内忌，好谋无决，有才而不能用，闻善而不能纳，废嫡立庶，舍礼崇爱。”陈寿说这是这两人的共同特点，所以说是漂亮的草包。
What is Liu Biao’s attitude? Liu Biao neither wanted to surrender Cao nor unite Wu. He wanted to maintain neutrality, and he wanted to preserve his three-acre plot. But he can control himself, he can’t control his son; He can’t manage behind him. “And it was not a straw bag that he should have made such an arrangement for his future affairs.”. Therefore, Chen Shou’s evaluation of Liu Biao is not high, and he also commented on Liu Biao and Yuan Shao together. He said that the common characteristics of Liu Biao and Yuan Shao are appearance and beauty; Graceful and elegant; Third, they are famous and have a great reputation; Fourth, there have also been achievements. As I mentioned, Yuan Shao’s achievements have surpassed those of his ancestors and fathers. After Liu Biao arrived in Jingzhou, he also made achievements from riding alone into Yicheng to unify Jingzhou. “However, their common characteristics are” leniency from the outside and jealousy from the inside, being resourceful and indecisive, being talented but unable to use, hearing good things but unable to accept them, abolishing the rule of law and establishing a common people, and giving up etiquette and respecting love. “Chen Shou said that these are the common characteristics of the two people, so they are said to be beautiful strawberries.”.
＊刘表虽然凭借权术和谋略在荆州暂时站稳了脚跟，但他有限的权术和谋略并不能帮助他在荆州长久地站住脚跟，因为他胸无大志，心胸狭窄，再加上一些错误的决策，最终为荆州的分裂埋下了伏笔。而袁绍也是心胸狭窄之人，也做出过很多错误的决策，最终也导致了失败的结局。那么，刘表和袁绍除了这些相同点之外，他们究竟有什么不一样的地方呢？
在这里我还是要给刘表说句公道话，刘表和袁绍还不能说是完全一样。第一，袁绍是自取灭亡，刘表是在劫难逃。袁绍是自己去惹曹操的，官渡之战是袁绍发动的，刘表没有发动过战争啊，他是个“自守这贼”，他只是想守住自己这块地盘，他是因为荆州变成了必争之地，他在劫难逃啊，第一点。
“Although Liu Biao temporarily gained a foothold in Jingzhou by virtue of his political skills and strategies, his limited political skills and strategies did not help him to maintain a foothold in Jingzhou for a long time, because he had no ambition and a narrow mind, coupled with some wrong decisions, ultimately laying the groundwork for the division of Jingzhou.”. Yuan Shao was also a narrow-minded person who had made many wrong decisions, which ultimately led to failure. So, apart from these similarities, what are the differences between Liu Biao and Yuan Shao?
Here, I still want to give a fair word to Liu Biao. Liu Biao and Yuan Shao cannot yet be said to be exactly the same. First, Yuan Shao was doomed, while Liu Biao was doomed. Yuan Shao went to provoke Cao Cao on his own. Yuan Shao launched the Battle of Guandu. Liu Biao never launched a war. He is a “self defending thief” who just wants to defend his own territory. He is because Jingzhou has become a must-have place. He is doomed, first of all.
第二点，以刘表的能耐，他除了做一个“自守这贼”以外，他也别无出路，他没有能力进攻。他的错误只在于不明白守有两种守法，其中之一叫做以攻为守，他应该采取以攻为守的策略，他可能荆州就守住了，这是第二点。
第三点，正由于刘表实行了“爱民养士，从容自保”的政策，在他的治理下荆州地区获得了十多年的安定和和平，荆州地区的人民和士人过着安定和较为幸福的生活，这是应该肯定的。而且刘表是有自知之明的，他是想苟全荆州于乱世。
Secondly, with Liu Biao’s ability, he has no way out except to be a “self defending thief”. He has no ability to attack. His mistake was simply that he did not understand that there were two types of law-abiding, one of which was called “taking offense as defense”. He should adopt a strategy of taking offense as defense. He might have held on to Jingzhou, which was the second point.
Thirdly, thanks to Liu Biao’s policy of “loving the people and supporting the scholars, and taking care of themselves in a leisurely manner”, the Jingzhou region has achieved stability and peace for more than ten years under his administration. The people and scholars of Jingzhou region have led a stable and happier life, which should be affirmed. Moreover, Liu Biao is self aware that he wants to save Jingzhou from chaos.
