Chapter 89: Poverty is not a problem, and wandering for half a lifetime does not change the ambition to rise to the top
[After his first business venture failed, Liu Bei ran into obstacles everywhere and looked for a way out. He accumulated some military merits by suppressing the Yellow Turban Army and defeating Dong Zhuo. He was promoted from a county lieutenant to a county magistrate, and then to a county governor. He wandered around for more than ten years, but he still worked hard at the grassroots level with only a thousand men under his command. Finally, he waited for an opportunity and his life took a turn for the better.]

[Xuzhou Governor Tao Qian admired Liu Bei's character and ability, so he decided to entrust Xuzhou to Liu Bei before he died of illness. Then it was a familiar plot. As soon as he took office, he was robbed of his hometown by Lu Bu, who had just taken him in, and his wife and children were separated. ]

[Liu Bei had no choice but to endure the hatred of losing the city and the humiliation of having his wife captured, and surrendered to Lu Bu. He returned to his master and became a guest. He used Xiaopei as a subordinate. After a lot of effort, he gathered more than 10,000 troops again, but was defeated by Lu Bu again and fled in embarrassment.]

……

Han Xin, who was looking at the sky curtain with great interest, couldn't help but think of the humiliation he suffered under his crotch.

"He is a remarkable man who can endure such humiliation, keep silent, be willing to be inferior to others, and wait for opportunities." Han Xin secretly admired that Gaozu's descendants were indeed good. No wonder they could accomplish great things.

Liu Bang, Xiao He and others all nodded secretly.

You can imagine how humiliating it is to be the guest instead of the host. If it were someone else, they would probably be furious, right?

However, Liu Bei was able to endure and not act violently, secretly accumulating strength, which shows his tenacious character. No wonder he refused to give up despite repeated defeats and finally achieved great success.

……

[Later, Liu Bei had no choice but to join Cao Cao in fighting against Lu Bu, but was used by Cao Cao and was defeated again and again. His wife and children were once again abducted. Finally, he could only take advantage of the confrontation between Cao Cao and Yuan Shao at Guandu to retake Xuzhou. As a result, Cao Cao personally came to fight again and was defeated again.]

[His second brother Guan Yu was captured, and his third brother was missing. Liu Bei had no choice but to join Yuan Shao to fight against Cao Cao. As a result, he was defeated again in Lunan, and wandered around for half his life. ]

[For more than 20 years, he has fought and lost repeatedly, and fought and lost repeatedly. In the more than 20 years since his debut, he has won small battles but lost big ones. He has fled north and south, and has always lived under the roof of others. 】

[When a person reaches the age of forty, he still has not achieved anything, has not owned an inch of land, has been separated from his wife and children countless times, and has been defeated countless times, just like all living beings today. ]

[Perhaps life is supposed to be like this. When you are young, you don’t know how high the sky is and how deep the earth is. You set up lofty ambitions and think that sticking to your dreams is simple. Just hold on to your hands and fight for it.]

[After a few years of struggling and being beaten by society, I realized that life is so long and failure is so painful. Persistence is just an empty slogan that everyone says but few people actually do.]

[After hitting the wall a few times, most people accept reality and become greasy middle-aged uncles with fat bellies and balding foreheads. When they sit at the table, they slap their thighs and brag about how brave they were in the past. When they get drunk, they complain about their bad luck and bad luck. When they wake up, they comfort themselves that peace and happiness are happiness and simplicity is the truth.]

[Is the sign of maturity to learn to give up those unrealistic and bullshit ideals and pursuits? ]

……

Hear what Tianmu said.

Throughout the dynasties, from high-ranking officials to ordinary people, countless people felt the burning pain on their faces.

Yes, when I was young, I was also full of ambition and eager to achieve something.

But only after experiencing failure and the beatings of life do you realize how difficult it is to realize your dreams.

Most people will use childishness as an excuse to admit that they are just ordinary people, accept reality, give up those "fantasies" that they think are impossible to achieve, and complain and deceive themselves.

In the Southern Song Dynasty, Xin Qiji burst into tears, feeling that he was wasting his time.

Looking at his haggard face in the mirror, Xin Qiji angrily overturned the wine in front of him and said with gritted teeth: "I have been hurt by wine and sex, and I am so decadent!"

"From today on, stop drinking!"

……

[Back to Liu Bei, with nowhere else to go, Liu Bei took refuge under Liu Biao and stayed there for seven years.]

[Although I still feel nervous sometimes, at least I have enough food and clothing. ]

[As the saying goes, time is short after the 15th day of the lunar month, and people stop doing things when they reach middle age. Many people, at Liu Bei's age, no longer have much energy and mind to struggle. Stability has almost become the instinctive pursuit of most people.]

[However, recalling the time when I was 15 years old, I secretly made a great resolution under the tall mulberry tree in the yard, and shouted with high morale that a real man should have the ambition to go east to the sea. Now, looking at the fat on my thighs that has grown due to not riding a horse for a long time, I can't help but burst into tears. ]

[Liu Bei kept asking himself, is this really the way his life is going to be?]

……

"The old man is standing still, and his ambition is thousands of miles away."

"The martyrs are still ambitious in their old age."

Cao Cao chanted the poem "Turtle's Longevity" he had written not long ago and sighed, "Xuan De is a respectable enemy."

... [If it were someone else, they would probably sneer at that younger self of theirs, shake their heads and lie down. ]

【But Liu Bei was different. After crying, he gritted his teeth and chose to move forward. If ten years were not enough, he would try twenty years. If twenty years were not enough, he would try thirty years. As long as Liu Bei was still alive, he would fight against fate to the end.】

……

"How great is Liu Bei!"

At this moment.

Many heroes from time and space have great respect for the last uncle of the Han Dynasty.

"Liu Bei gave the 400-year-old Han Dynasty a dignified exit..." Xiao He was filled with emotion.

……

[So Liu Bei did not hesitate to lower himself, borrow Zhao Yun, kneel down to ask Xu Shu, and personally step into Wolonggang to invite a 27-year-old intern college student to come out of retirement. Moreover, he invited Zhuge Liang three times, and he was courteous to Pang Tong, and finally the gears of fate began to turn. ]

[With the assistance of two top military advisors, Liu Bei entered Yizhou. At the age of 59, he finally defeated his old enemy Cao Cao on the battlefield for the first and only time, captured Hanzhong, and was promoted to King of Hanzhong. The following year, he was crowned emperor, finally fulfilling the promise he made at the age of 15 and ushering in the glorious moment of his life.]

……

Seeing Liu Bei ascend the throne and become emperor, countless people in all dynasties, from officials to common people, celebrated and felt happy for Uncle Liu's success.

But there are also many people who are familiar with the Romance of the Three Kingdoms who secretly wipe away their tears, because they know that after this short period of glory, there will be endless darkness.

……

[However, this brief glory was like a flash in the pan. At this time, it was less than three years before the end of Liu Bei's life. Later, Guan Yu was defeated in Maicheng and Zhang Fei was killed. That year, Liu Bei was 61 years old.]

[He did not choose to continue living in Shu, but chose to lead an army to attack Wu, to avenge his brother, and launched the Battle of Yiling. He did not hesitate to use all the country's strength to avenge his brother, and finally burned down the camps for 700 miles, shedding tears in Baidi City.]

【Throughout Chinese history, entrusting one's son to someone before death is always unreliable, but Liu Bei's entrusting his son to someone else has become a legend through the ages.】

[What we see is not only the struggles of the Three Kingdoms during the chaotic times, but also the rare excellent and beautiful character in the chaotic times. We see Zhuge Liang's determination and decisiveness in his "The Memorial to the Emperor on the Way Out of the War" and the regrets at Wuzhangyuan.]

【We saw Jiang Wei's indignation before his death. 】

[We saw the tragic scene of Liu Chen killing his wife and himself after he failed in his attempt to dissuade the enemy from surrendering.]

[We have seen the inheritance of the most outstanding mission. It is the persistence of these people in sticking to their dreams that has made this period of history. Therefore, the romance of Shu Han shines throughout the Three Kingdoms.]

[Looking back on Emperor Zhaolie's life, failure was commonplace, and success was only in that brief moment. Whether it was worth it or not is left for future generations to judge.]

[But think about it from another perspective. If you were in Liu Bei's position, would you be able to get up every time you fall? Would you be able to keep moving forward?]

[Obviously, most people can’t do this.]

【Throughout the 5,000-year history of China, there has only been one Emperor Zhaolie of the Han Dynasty.】

……

"The dreams of youth are cheap. All you need is the mouth. Every ten years, people with dreams will die out in the millions."

Zhu Di looked at Liu Bei's life and was filled with emotion: "The older I get, the more I understand that it is a rare thing for a person to remain true to his original aspirations and ambitions even when he is in his forties or even sixties.

The black-robed monk put his hands together and said, "His heart is clear, his will is strong, and he is unyielding. Throughout the past thousands of years, there has only been one person like Liu Huangshu."

……

【It is because of Liu Bei that Shu Han has the romance it deserves. 】

【It was because of Liu Bei that the 400-year-long Han Dynasty ended so gracefully.】

【Liu Bei's existence gave the Han Dynasty a grand funeral.】

【Failure always runs through life. Born in poverty, he never extinguished his wish to save the world. He remained benevolent despite poverty. He wandered for half his life but never changed his ambition to rise to the top. He lived up to his wealth and honor. Liu Bei's life of struggle was worthy of the posthumous title of Emperor Zhaolie.】

(End of this chapter)