Reread the chaotic heroes

Author: Zhao Aibing
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-01-01
Features: What kind of text is Rereading Heroes in Turbulent Times? This has been a question many friends have asked me. Described as a novel, it contains too much culture; as a critique, it has too much narration; as history, it has quite a bit of speculation and satire. Perhaps because when I first wrote it, it was on an internet BBS, back then it was called Talking About Three Kingdoms Figures, and there were no strict rules about the genre, so I naturally wrote about historical figures as I saw them.
There are characters, and there are lives, and there are different processes of personal growth and personality formation. Cao Cao has his own life trajectory, Liu Bei has his own, whether they are heroes or villains, they are first and foremost human beings, with human joys and sorrows, and their own processes of personality formation. Looking at historical figures from the perspective of a "person" often leads to new discoveries. Many decisions of political figures are not made for political reasons but for personal psychology. However, the motivations of such psychology, in the context of political activities, may lead to certain political outcomes. These outcomes are not necessarily political laws, nor are they necessarily the original intentions of the protagonists.
Regarding the issue of becoming emperor, Cao Cao was more qualified than Cao Pi, and Sima Zhao was also more qualified than Sima Yan. Whether in terms of reputation or control over various political forces, they far surpassed their sons in terms of eligibility to become emperors. What ultimately influenced their decisions was largely their own psychological barriers.
Characters cannot be separated from their historical environment. The Three Kingdoms period was a time of chaos, and chaos lies in this: the old social order was broken, and a new order was being formed. In this era of fewer constraints, people's personalities were more likely to be expressed, which is why there is the saying, "Chaos breeds heroes." Writing about historical figures is inseparable from history.
The materials used in Rereading Heroes in Turbulent Times are mostly from official histories, and reasonable deductions about major historical events, such as the Battle of Guandu and the Battle of Red Cliffs, are made based on official records, leading to some conclusions that differ from current mainstream views. For example, after winning the Battle of Guandu, the army retreated to lure Yuan Shao into the pre-set battlefield; Yuan Shao once sent a detachment to raid the rear of the army, and so on.
Interpreting historical figures also cannot be separated from reality. On one hand, using the experiences of historical figures to interpret modern life, comparing history with the present, allows us to learn from the past and understand the present; on the other hand, interpreting historical figures with a modern perspective may lead to new discoveries.
No matter who interprets history, they cannot be separated from their own time—both the thoughts and psychology of that era. Even pure historical records cannot simply be a pile of materials; there must be selection and emphasis, and inevitably some subjective factors of the author will be included, constrained by the author's own insights. Therefore, when writing these texts, I did not deliberately hide my opinions but rather expressed them almost openly. Some of them differ from popular views. What I write is merely my interpretation of historical figures—，.