＊在曹操兵临城下、荆州阴云密布的时候，刘表突然一病身亡，刘备不能接班，接班的是刘表喜欢的小儿子刘琮。面对曹操气势汹汹的大军，没有任何政治经验的刘琮会如何应对？有英雄之志，却一直没有用武之地的刘备又会怎样做呢？
那么就在这个时候，曹操的军队打过来了。曹操刚刚平定了北方啊，兵强马壮、虎视眈眈、来势汹汹、泰山压顶，襄阳城里乱成了一锅粥，刚刚接过刘表这个班的小儿子刘琮恐怕是没有了主张。这个时候刘表的那些旧臣们就来劝刘琮了，其中最有代表性的是一个叫傅巽的人，当时刘琮把大家召集起来开会，说我们该怎么办？曹操打过来了。大家异口同声说：投降啊。刘琮说，哎呀，难道我刘琮就不能和诸位一起同心协力地守住我父亲留下的基业吗？大家异口同声说，不能啊，傅巽说：“逆顺有大体，强弱有定势”，我们看看曹操是什么人，“奉天子以令不臣”，他代表的是朝廷，代表的是皇帝，代表的是中央。我们呢？我们是地方，是臣子，以人臣抗人君这叫做以逆抗顺，以地方抗中央这叫做以弱抗强，以刘备抗曹操这叫做以卵击石，我们打不赢。不过最能打动刘琮的是傅巽的这样一句话，傅巽跟刘琮说：请将军想一想，刘备比得上曹操吗？刘琮说那比不上。比不上，好，我们姑且做两种可能，一种是刘备能挡住曹操，一种是刘备挡不住曹操，如果刘备挡不住曹操，结果是什么？结果是荆州变成曹操的；那如果刘备挡得住曹操呢，傅巽说刘备如果能够战胜曹操，他还肯做将军您的部下吗？刘琮想，是啊，这刘备如果把曹操打败了，他还听我的？那就是说，我让刘备去打曹操，不管打输了打赢了，我都没有好果子吃是不是？那我干脆提前投降曹操算了。投降了。
When Cao Cao’s troops were approaching the city and the clouds were gathering in Jingzhou, Liu Biao suddenly fell ill and died. Liu Bei could not take over. Liu Cong, Liu Biao’s favorite youngest son, took over. In the face of Cao Cao’s menacing army, how would Liu Cong, without any political experience, respond? What would Liu Bei, who has the ambition of being a hero but has never had any use for it, do?
Then at this moment, Cao Cao’s army attacked. Cao Cao has just pacified the north. Xiangyang has become a mess because of its strong army, fierce threat and overwhelming mountains. Liu Cong, the youngest son who just took over Liu Biao’s class, may have no idea. At this time, the old ministers of Liu Biao came to persuade Liu Cong, the most representative of whom was a person named Fu Xun. At that time, Liu Cong called everyone together for a meeting and said, “What should we do?”? Cao Cao is calling. Everyone said in unison, “Surrender.”. Liu Cong said, “Oh, can’t I, Liu Cong, work together with you to hold onto the foundation left by my father?”? Everyone said in unison, “No, no,” Fu Xun said, “disobedience has a general character, while strength and weakness have a fixed tendency.” Let’s see who Cao Cao is. “He obeys the Son of Heaven and does not obey.” He represents the imperial court, represents the emperor, and represents the central government. What about us? “We are local officials and vassals. Using people as ministers to fight against people as rulers is called resistance against obedience, using local governments to fight against the central government is called weakness against strength, and using Liu Bei to fight against Cao Cao is called using eggs to strike stones. We cannot win.”. However, what impressed Liu Cong the most was Fu Xun’s words. Fu Xun said to Liu Cong, “General, please think about it. Is Liu Bei comparable to Cao Cao?”? Liu Cong said that’s not comparable. Not as good as it is. Let’s just make two possibilities. One is that Liu Bei can block Cao Cao, and the other is that Liu Bei cannot block Cao Cao. If Liu Bei cannot block Cao Cao, what will the result be? As a result, Jingzhou became Cao Cao; “What if Liu Bei could resist Cao Cao? Fu Xun said that if Liu Bei could defeat Cao Cao, would he still be your subordinate?”? Liu Cong thought, “Yes, if Liu Bei defeats Cao Cao, will he still listen to me?”? That is to say, I asked Liu Bei to fight Cao Cao. Regardless of whether I lost or won, I didn’t have any good fruit to eat, did I? Then I might as well surrender to Cao Cao ahead of schedule. Surrender.
那么当时刘琮在哪里呢？在襄阳。我们看一下地图，曹操打到哪里呢，打到了新野；刘备在哪里呢，在新野南边的樊城；刘琮在哪里呢，在樊城一水之隔的南边的襄阳。刘琮就派人绕过刘备跑到新野去，投降了曹操。刘备不知道啊，没告诉他，蒙在鼓里，投降都投完了以后，这个刘琦才想起来应该知会一声，派了一个叫宋忠的，真是“送终”的啊，派了一个叫宋忠去跟刘备说。刘备一下大惊失色，说你们这小孩子怎么这样做事情啊！大祸临头了你才来跟我说，刘备当时把刀都拔出来了，指着宋忠说，你来“送终”的是不是，我也不给你送终了，因为我现在杀了你都不解恨，杀了你都不解决问题，滚，脏了我的刀，滚吧。
So where was Liu Cong then? In Xiangyang. Let’s take a look at the map, where did Cao Cao hit? He hit Xinye; Where is Liu Bei, in Fancheng, south of Xinye; Where is Liu Cong? It’s in Xiangyang, just south of Fancheng, separated by a river. Liu Cong sent people to bypass Liu Bei and run to Xinye, surrendering to Cao Cao. “Liu Bei didn’t know, didn’t tell him, was in the dark, and after all the surrender had been completed, Liu Qi remembered that he should have informed him. He sent a person named Song Zhong, who was really a” farewell “. He sent a person named Song Zhong to talk to Liu Bei.”. Liu Bei turned pale with a start and said, “How can you children do things like this?”! “You didn’t come to me until a catastrophe came. Liu Bei pulled out all his knives and pointed to Song Zhong and said, ‘Did you come to” see off “? I won’t give you the end, either, because I won’t release my hatred if I kill you now, or solve the problem if I kill you. Go away, dirty my knife, go away.'”.
这个时候说什么都没有用了，刘备只好怎么办呢？只好带着诸葛亮一起从樊城过江，到襄阳。那么这个时候，据《三国志》说：“诸葛亮说先主攻琮，荆州可有。先主曰：‘吾不忍也。’”诸葛亮给刘备出主意，说我们过襄阳的时候把他灭了，只要把刘琮干掉，襄阳、荆州就是我们的了。刘备说，唉呀，我不忍心啊，不忍心。这个事情是见于正史的，但是史学大师吕思勉先生认为靠不住，吕先生说这个时候拿下襄阳确实没有问题，但是你守不守得住呢？恐怕是守不住的。而且吕先生说，诸葛亮一生惟谨慎，怕不会出这种主意吧。那么诸葛亮到底有没有这个建议，我们现在弄不清楚了，我只能告诉大家《三国志》上有这个记载，吕思勉先生认为靠不住。但是可以肯定一条就是，《三国演义》所说诸葛亮临走之前在新野放了一把火，那个事儿是没有的，而且火烧博望也和诸葛亮没关系，火烧博望是刘备烧的，这些都是罗贯中编出来增加诸葛亮战功的故事。那么比较可靠的情况是什么呢？是刘备路过襄阳城的时候对刘琮喊了一番话，然后带着人就走了。
It’s no use saying anything at this time, so what can Liu Bei do? I had to take Zhuge Liang and cross the river from Fancheng to Xiangyang. At this time, according to the Annals of the Three Kingdoms, “Zhuge Liang said that if we attack Cong first, there can be Jingzhou. The first master said, ‘I can’t bear it.'” Zhuge Liang advised Liu Bei, saying that we should destroy him when we cross Xiangyang. As long as we kill Liu Cong, Xiangyang and Jingzhou will be ours. “. Liu Bei said, “Oh, I can’t bear it. I can’t bear it.”. This matter has been seen in official history, but Mr. Lv Simian, a historian, believes it unreliable. Mr. Lv said that there is indeed no problem taking Xiangyang at this time, but can you keep it? I’m afraid it can’t be kept. Moreover, Mr. Lv said that Zhuge Liang had been cautious all his life, and probably wouldn’t have come up with such an idea. “So whether Zhuge Liang has this suggestion or not, we are not sure now. I can only tell you that there is this record in the Three Kingdoms Annals, but Mr. Lv Simian believes it is unreliable.”. But one thing is certain: “The Romance of the Three Kingdoms” says that before Zhuge Liang left, he set off a fire in Xinye. That was not the case, and it has nothing to do with Zhuge Liang. Huo Shao Bo Wang was burned by Liu Bei. These are all stories compiled by Luo Guanzhong to increase Zhuge Liang’s fighting skills. So what are the more reliable scenarios? It was Liu Bei who shouted to Liu Cong as he passed by Xiangyang City, and then left with his people.
＊刘琮投降曹操，是权衡利弊之后的自保措施，刘备虽然对刘琮投降曹操的事情非常气愤，却也无可奈何，靠他自己的力量又不能抵挡曹操的大军，于是刘备只好从樊城往南逃。曹操得知这一消息后立刻派骑兵追击，刘备逃跑后，曹操能够追上刘备吗？
那么这个时候襄阳地区有很多的人跟着刘备走，大概随员有十几万，辎重有数千辆，日行十几里，走得非常地慢。这个时候有人就跟刘备说了，说曹操马上追过来了，你带着这么多人，拖家带口，拖儿带女，一天走十几里路，如何得了呢？现在我们应该赶紧扑到江陵，因为江陵是刘表的一个战略要地，里面有大量的军需物资，我们赶快扑到江陵去守江陵吧！刘备说不行，刘备只命令关羽率水军顺汉水往下走，先去江陵接应，自己坚持和这十几万人，拖儿带女的人，一起走。刘备当时说了这样一句有名的话，他说：“夫济大事，必以人为本”。据历史学家朱维铮先生告诉我，这可能是“以人为本”这个词的最早出处，但是我们要说清楚，就是刘备的“以人为本”和我们今天讲的“以人为本”那不是一个概念，我们今天讲“以人为本”是要以人为根本，而刘备讲的“以人为本”是要以人为资本，因为他知道得人心者得天下，他要得天下必须得人心，这是他以人为本的真实的想法。至于这些人为什么要跟着刘备走，这个我们现在也不大弄得清楚，有人说是害怕曹操屠城，这个恐怕不太准确，屠城这个事情曹操确实干过，当然是不是曹操下令干的这个还有疑问，反正是发生在曹操的身上，他屠过徐州，那么这个事情后来荀彧批评了曹操，曹操也意识到这样做对于他实现他的政治理想没有好处，何况现在刘琮举州投降，曹操没有必要去屠城。那么总之就是这样一个情况了，刘备带着这么十几万人一天走十几里。
“Liu Cong’s surrender to Cao Cao was a self-insurance measure after weighing the pros and cons. Although Liu Bei was very angry at Liu Cong’s surrender to Cao Cao, he could do nothing but rely on his own strength to withstand Cao Cao’s army, so Liu Bei had to flee south from Fancheng.”. After learning this news, Cao Cao immediately sent cavalry to pursue Liu Bei. After Liu Bei escaped, could Cao Cao catch up with Liu Bei?
At this time, many people in the Xiangyang area followed Liu Bei, with perhaps over 100000 followers and thousands of baggage vehicles. They traveled more than ten miles a day, walking very slowly. At this moment, someone told Liu Bei that Cao Cao was chasing him right away. With so many people, you are leading your family and children, walking more than ten miles a day. How can you get there? Now we should rush to Jiangling, because Jiangling is a strategic location for Liu Biao, and there are a large amount of military supplies inside. Let’s rush to Jiangling and guard Jiangling quickly! Liu Bei said no, but Liu Bei only ordered Guan Yu to lead the water army down the Han River and go to Jiangling to meet them first. He insisted on walking with these hundreds of thousands of people, who were dragging children and daughters. At that time, Liu Bei said such a famous sentence, he said, “If you want to assist in important matters, you must put people first.”. According to the historian Mr. Zhu Weizheng, this may be the earliest origin of the word “people-oriented”, but we need to make it clear that Liu Bei’s “people-oriented” and the “people-oriented” we talk about today are not a concept. Today, when we talk about “people-oriented”, it is to take people as the foundation, while Liu Bei’s “people-oriented” is to take people as the capital, because he knows that those who win the hearts of the people win the world, “To win the world, he must win the hearts of the people, which is his true idea of putting people first.”. As for why these people want to follow Liu Bei, we are not quite sure now. Some people say that they are afraid of Cao Cao’s slaughtering the city, which may not be accurate. Cao Cao did indeed do it, but of course, there is still a question whether he ordered it. Anyway, it happened to Cao Cao, who slaughtered Xuzhou, so this matter was later criticized by Xun Yu, Cao Cao also realized that doing so would not be beneficial for him to achieve his political ideals, and now that Liu Cong had surrendered to the state, Cao Cao had no need to slaughter the city. In short, then, it is a situation where Liu Bei walks more than ten miles a day with hundreds of thousands of people.
而曹操呢？曹操采纳了荀彧的建议，就是曹操出兵荆州的时候荀彧就跟曹操说，现在是夺取荆州的最好时机，因为“北方已定，南土知困矣，可显出宛叶，而间行轻进”，荆州已经人心不定了，我们可以一举拿下，但是必须速战速决，所以荀彧给曹操出的主意是“轻兵间行”，就是你大张旗鼓地从宛城和叶县出兵，必要的时候你率轻骑兵前进。所以曹操到了襄阳以后，知道刘备已经跑了，而且是往江陵方向逃跑，曹操很明白绝不能让刘备到了江陵，于是曹操率五千轻骑兵一日一夜急行三百里。那我们可以想像，刘备一天走十几里，曹操走一天走三百里，结果怎么样呢？结果曹操很快就在当阳的长坂坡追上了刘备。这一仗的结果史书上的记载只有寥寥十几个字，是这么说的：“先主弃妻子，与诸葛亮、张飞、赵云等数十骑走，曹公大获其人众、辎重。”也就是说这一仗打得结果是什么呢？刘备连老婆孩子都顾不上了，调头就跑，这个时候恐怕也讲不得什么以人为本了，这一仗的结果刘备是很狼狈的。
And what about Cao Cao? “Cao Cao adopted Xun Yu’s suggestion that when Cao Cao sent troops to Jingzhou, Xun Yu told Cao Cao that this was the best time to seize Jingzhou, because” the north has been determined, the south is known to be trapped, and it can show Wanye, while moving lightly between them. “Jingzhou is already in a state of uncertainty, and we can take it at one stroke, but we must make a quick decision. Therefore, Xun Yu’s idea for Cao Cao is to” move lightly between soldiers. “That is, you should boldly send troops from Wancheng and Ye County.”, When necessary, you lead the light cavalry forward. So when Cao Cao arrived in Xiangyang, he knew that Liu Bei had already run and was fleeing in the direction of Jiangling. Cao Cao knew very well that Liu Bei must not be allowed to reach Jiangling, so Cao Cao led 5000 light cavalry troops to make a rapid journey of 300 miles a day and a night. “We can imagine that Liu Bei walked more than ten miles a day, and Cao Cao walked three hundred miles a day. What was the result?”? As a result, Cao Cao quickly overtook Liu Bei at Changban Slope in Dangyang. The outcome of this battle is recorded in only a few dozen words in the historical records. It goes like this: “The former Lord abandoned his wife and rode away with dozens of others, such as Zhuge Liang, Zhang Fei, and Zhao Yun. Duke Cao gained a great deal of his people and baggage.” That is to say, what was the outcome of this battle? Liu Bei couldn’t even care about his wife and children, so he turned around and ran away. At this time, I’m afraid there’s no sense of putting people first. The result of this battle was very embarrassing for Liu Bei.
