During the Three Kingdoms period, Zhuge Liang took the initiative to find Liu Bei? Or did Liu Bei invite Zhuge Liang?

The earliest editions of The History of the Three Kingdoms and The Romance of the Three Kingdoms, "Self-recommendation", were written about "visiting the thatched cottage", which was a key passage for Zhuge Liang to decide to go out to war. It is said that Liu Bei and Liu Xuande attached too much importance to Zhuge Liang's talent. Time and time again, whether they were turned away or laughed at by a little boy, they insisted on seeing Zhuge Liang, regardless of the cold and snow, and never stopped coming uninvited. But in the works of historians earlier than these two books, there is a completely different point of view called "self-recommendation". According to Wei Lue, after Cao Cao unified the northern part of China, Jingzhou became the target of public criticism, directly facing the military threat from Cao Cao and Sun Quan, but Jingzhou shepherd Liu Biao lacked countermeasures. Liu Bei, who was driven out of the Central Plains by Cao Cao, was stationed in Fancheng at this time, which attracted Zhuge Liang's attention. At this time, Zhuge Liang has been bored in Longzhong for almost 10 years, and he has learned a skill. The "eight-array map" has also been completed. Look, he's 30 years old. It's time to show his talents. At the suggestion of teachers and friends, Zhuge Liang decided to go to Fancheng to meet Liu Bei. When Zhuge Liang saw Liu Bei, Liu Bei was receiving a visitor. Liu Bei saw that Zhuge Liang was young, a complete stranger, and didn't take Zhuge Liang seriously, so he left him alone. The guest left, leaving Zhuge Liang alone, but Liu Bei still ignored him. It happened that someone sent a yak tail, and Liu Bei only cared about weaving ornaments with it himself. When Zhuge Liang saw this, he couldn't help saying seriously, "I thought the general must be ambitious, but I didn't expect that he only knew how to knit sweaters." This only focused Liu Bei's attention on himself. After some conversation, Liu Bei found that the young man in front of him was really different and a rare talent, so he kept Zhuge Liang for his own use. This is the earliest "self-recommendation" version. The Western Jin Dynasty's Dialogue between Si Mahui and Zhuge Liang, Wei Lue and later Sima Biao all mentioned stories with similar contents in Jiuzhou Chunqiu. Here, let's completely resume self-recommendation-at that time, Zhuge Liang's teacher Si Mahui analyzed the general trend of the world: Now that Cao Cao has pacified the Central Plains with the emperor as his arm, Jingzhou is bound to be his next attack target. Sun Quan of Jiangdong, however, has accumulated strength in recent years, made the army strong in Mazhuang, and also set his sights on the eight counties of Jingxiang. It can be said that Jingzhou was directly threatened by Cao Cao and Sun Quan. Jingzhou grazing Liu Biao lacks countermeasures, Jingzhou war is on the verge, and the stability of Jingzhou is coming to an end. Si Mahui said that when Liu Xuande came to Jingzhou at this moment, he must be up to something. Liu Xuande and Liu Jingsheng are both noble men. Liu Xuande has no status at present. He is counting on Liu Jingsheng to give him a place to live. At the same time, he is also waiting for change. Zhuge Liang asked, "Compared with Liu Biao, is Liu Bei superior to Liu Biao in talent or equal?" Si Mahui said with a smile, "Liu Biao was once a gifted scholar in Luoyang, and he learned better than Liu Bei. Now he is the head of the eight counties, and his power is not the same as that of Liu Bei. Liu Biao, however, was not used to military affairs and relied entirely on the Chua family to support the situation in Jingzhou. His son Liu Cong, whose family is poor, is bound to accomplish nothing, afraid of separation and suffering. " "What about Liu Bei?" Zhuge Liang advised the teacher to go on. "Liu Bei, a seemingly mediocre person, has no talent. It is said that before he became famous, he was just a man who knitted chairs and sold shoes, but all the heroes in the world looked at him with new eyes. Liu Bei was born with a kind of leader temperament. He is an incompetent person, that is, he can persuade capable people to obey his command willingly, be driven by him and work hard for him. Let's just say that several of his war generals, such as Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, have improper courage. They can be described as heroes in the world, loyal to Liu Bei and obedient. " "With such a hero around Liu Bei, he should be able to achieve great things. But for so many years, Liu Bei has been fighting in the world. Why didn't he make any achievements and become the hegemon? " "This is the crux of the problem, that is, no one around him can give him a surprisingly good idea and arrange the use of generals for him. If Liu Bei's own knowledge and ability allow him to directly command the three armed forces and dispatch thousands of troops, at least he is not good at it, if not useless. But he is good at knowing people and employing people, and he has the temperament of employing people without doubt and suspecting people without using them. If you are willing to help Liu Bei, you may get a chance to display what you have learned all your life, a chance to lead thousands of troops and create great achievements for generations to come. Why don't you have a try? " Zhuge Liang has heard about Liu Bei, but he has never paid attention to it. After all, there is no chance to contact, and I don't know how much potential this person has. Zhuge Liang wants to meet this man on the spot. He still believes in the old saying "seeing is believing, hearing is empty". Just like Liu Biao, the public has a good reputation, but it makes them feel that they are not suitable for themselves and cannot rely on them. He wanted to see Liu Bei's attitude towards him when he was young, and whether Liu Bei was really a leader as people said, or a charlatan in name only, playing the role of his uncle. Si Mahui said, "If you want to meet Liu Xuande, you should do it as soon as possible. As far as I know, Liu Bei is now stationed in Fancheng. The whereabouts of the army are confusing. Today in Fancheng, you are not allowed to pull out the village tomorrow. " Zhuge Liang said to the teacher, "I'm going to Fancheng tonight." Zhuge Liang and Liu Bei, who have been left out in the cold, have a habit. Wherever they are stationed, they always visit local celebrities, appease local businessmen and people, and receive people from all walks of life. Now in Fancheng, I just finished my daughter's work, and the pommel horse is tired. I want to have a rest in my dormitory and don't want another visitor, so I try my best to receive her. The guest's ancestral home is Zhuozhou, Hebei Province, and he lives by selling livestock. He often travels between Liangzhou and the Central Plains, even beyond the Great Wall, claiming to be a fellow countryman of Liu Bei. Liu Bei has been away from his hometown for a long time. He wants to know something about his hometown. When they were in Tan Xing, they suddenly reported that there was a visitor. Liu Bei casually said, "There are many guests, but not many. Please come to the guest room! " Said, stood up and walked into the door to meet the guests. The visitor is a young man, tall and polite, and the door is a long sigh. Liu Bei hurriedly took his hand in return. He eyed the visitor up and down. He is more than eight feet tall, with bright eyebrows, straight nose and handsome appearance. Although he looks mature, he is not over 30 years old, but he just can't remember his surname ... He can't help but ask, "I feel sorry for Liu Bei's blindness. Where have you been in contact with Liu Bei? " "I have never seen a general before. Today is my first visit. I'm an unexpected guest. I hope you will forgive my rudeness. " "Oh, please sit down for a while. I have guests in my room ..." Zhuge Liang said quickly, "Don't worry, I can wait here." Liu Bei nodded to Zhuge Liang, thinking, what can this young man do for me? It's not like watching Liu Bei's ears hanging over his shoulders and his hands on his knees, is it? Many boring people have come to see Liu Bei's face these days. Thought of here, he didn't say anything more, turned back to the back room and continued to talk to Zhuozhou villagers. The absent-minded Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang have a good first impression of Liu Bei, and they are modest, but they do not lose their uncle demeanor. Since there are guests in the class, it is reasonable to wait. Zhuge Liang sat in the corner of the living room without complaint, contemplating how to talk to Liu Bei. Although Liu Bei didn't mind a young man's sudden visit, he didn't care too much about the visitors. He guessed that judging from the young man's cautious attitude, he didn't want anything from me. Or you want to find a job under my account. When the villagers in Zhuozhou saw that it was getting late, they got up to leave. Liu Bei did not stay and sent them outside the city gate. Turned back to the room, picked it up and sent it to play with his Liangzhou yak tail. The arrival of fellow villagers reminded him of his days in his hometown. He couldn't help knitting oxtails like a reed mat and completely forgot the young people waiting in the guest room. Zhuge Liang, who was left out in the cold, couldn't help saying, "I thought the general was an ambitious man, but I didn't expect that he could only knit sweaters." Say and get up and leave. Realizing that he had wronged the young guest, Liu Bei quickly put down the yak tail, got up and stayed, and asked Zhuge Liang if he was looking for something. "I'm here for the safety of Jingzhou." Hearing this, Liu Bei took a big breath and said, "Oh, then why don't you go to Jingzhou to shepherd Liu Jingsheng?" I'm just a soldier under Jingzhou Pastor. Zhuge Liang has given up his prepared remarks when he came, and casually replied: "I wanted to talk to the general about the strategy of running the army and governing the country, but now I don't want to talk about anything." "Liu Bei, who volunteered to fail, thought that today's young people are supercilious and ambitious. It is a bit little to talk to me about the strategy of running the army at an early age, but on second thought, I met by chance. Since I'm here, I respect you, so I can't help talking to you, ok? In order to show generosity, Liu Bei advised Zhuge Liang to sit down and thought, "I might as well test him and let him know what the general plan is for running the country and the army." Therefore, he said to Zhuge Liang with the attitude of treating friends: "Liu Bei thinks that there is nothing to govern the country and the army, but there are two things. First, educate the people with morality; First, govern according to law, and learn from past mistakes. Do you think I'm right? "Zhuge Liang came prepared and replied casually without thinking:" The general is right, but the two cannot be used in isolation. Generally, the rule of virtue is pure and can't make the society orderly. If it is purely punished without teaching, it is called abuse; Only when Confucianism and law are integrated, courtesy follows soldiers, morality follows education, and punishment is strict can there be top-down restraint and left-right order. When Zhuge Liang saw that Liu Bei was listening, he continued to preach: "A wise monarch should manage his own discipline and law, and politicians have priorities. First, discipline, order, punishment, physique and people. "It is based on the principles of discipline and punishment, and the principle of punishment." Liu Bei became interested. He said to himself, this young man still has something in his stomach. It seems that he came prepared. I continued to ask, "What do you think is the main way to be a politician?" Zhuge Liang replied: "I think that the way to govern the country is to listen and observe, to adopt the words of the public and to seek the warlock, to take things as the purpose and to listen to the voices of the public; Great mortals regard seeing more as wisdom and listening to more as God ... If you can't hear complaints, you can't stretch them. If you don't accept good ones, you can't trust loyal ones, and evil ones can let them rape you ... "Although Zhuge Liang answered Liu Bei's question, he saw from Liu Bei's eyes that Liu Bei was a little absent-minded and stopped. He didn't mean to stay here long, so he got up and left. At this moment, Liu Bei felt that the young man was really a bit shrewd, so he had a plan to keep him. While hesitating, he saw that Zhuge Liang had made up his mind and gave up. At this point in the story, the story of the volunteer army seems to be true, but Zhuge Liang's volunteer army was a failure this time. Zhuge Liang personally went to Liu Bei's garrison to explore the camp, but his recommendation was unsuccessful. But in history, this is only the beginning of the relationship between Zhuge Liang and Liu Bei. The further development of their relationship benefited from the joint efforts of Teacher Zhuge Liang and his father-in-law. When Zhuge Liang met his father-in-law Huang in Fancheng and told his story, he couldn't help but sigh: "If you want to get ahead, you can't control yourself! I don't know how many people in the world are full of knowledge but have no chance to use it. Huang looked at Zhuge Liang and said, "Are you discouraged after such a little setback? "? In my opinion, this is just a small prelude before the big play. "Huang nudged:" Everything is predetermined, and it will be abolished without a plan. People's intellectual skills is prepared for the opportunity to display, but when the opportunity does not come, it is good to be able to withstand loneliness. " Zhuge Liang nodded and said, "Confucius said: If there is a way in the world, it will be obvious, but if there is no way, it will be hidden. If you are born at the wrong time and can't wait for Mingjun, it is also a good choice to continue to be a mountain man in Longzhong. " Huang nodded, took a sip of tea, and then said, "However, the opportunity is not entirely waiting. Sometimes you have to fight for it, and you can find a way to let the opportunity come to you. " Mr. and Mrs. Weng Xu were talking when their family reported that they had a visitor. Zhuge Liang said, "It must be Mr. Water Mirror. Let me meet him at the gate. " After saying his word, Si Mahui walked into the lobby and said, "It's not an outsider, so there's no need for so many formalities." Turning to Zhuge Liang, he said, "I don't expect Fan Cheng and his party to be happy, do I?" Zhuge Liang nodded. Si Mahui said, "This kind of complaint is the teacher's thoughtlessness. Now that you have a goal, you must plan carefully if you want to achieve it. If we act rashly without thinking, it is natural that haste makes waste. " "Students admit that they don't study well, their feet don't fall off the ground, and they only complain that the melons are not ripe; Although the canal has been built, the water has not arrived, and there is still a lack of water diversion. " "Yes, I thought the melon was ripe. Why didn't she fall? There is still a gust of wind, and the wind is about to fall. " Huang Twist must say. "So the canal has been built. Is there any way to divert water?" Si Mahui asked. "There is no water here today? Water mirror water mirror, how can it become a mirror without water? " At this time, Huang Ugly Ya walked into the lobby happily and said to her father, "The wine is hot and the banquet is ready. Please ask Teacher Sima to drink, and after drinking, please ask Mr. Shuijing to tell the truth! " At the banquet for sightseeing, Si Mahui said, "Xu Yuan asked me an idea the other day, and I told him that he would show up even if he remained anonymous. He had planned to join the army in Luoyang and then take refuge in Cao Mengde. I told him, if you join the army now, but you are a foot soldier, when will you join? It is better to vote for Liu Xuande, attack Cao Jun, make Cao Mengde suffer for you several times, and look at you with new eyes. Your reputation will spread far and wide, and you will naturally have a good future. " Zhuge Liang immediately realized, "Are you asking Xu Shu to help me find out if Liu Xuande can help the Lord?" Si Mahui was noncommittal and said, "In short, let's look at Liu Xuande's character first." Huang nodded and said, "Well, self-recommendation is better than celebrity." Zhuge Liang said, "I don't think Liu Xuande has realized that there is no one around. He probably thought that he was surrounded by civilian military commanders, and he could rely on people around him to gallop around the world and create great achievements. Therefore, I still want to stay in Longzhong, study tactics and improve the eight-array map. " Si Mahui shook his head again and again and said, "The day before yesterday, I talked to Pang Degong about your studies. I think what you need most now is a tour. Especially in the fifty-four states of surprisingly, you haven't traveled yet, and you only know a little about the local customs there in your previous writings. In my opinion, you should experience it for yourself. It's easy to talk on paper and screw things up. After all, there is a difference between terrain and artificial graphics, and there are many errors. So the real general must personally survey the terrain. " Zhuge Liang began to travel around the world purposefully according to the instructions of his teacher Si Mahui. Where you can ambush, which side is easy to defend but difficult to attack. He recorded them one by one and surprisingly found a map of fifty-four states. He followed the map and marked his experience in observing the terrain on the map. More importantly, while traveling, he made friends with wise men, expanded his information network and obtained a lot of information resources. Recommend Zhuge Liang at this time, Huang and others have begun a comprehensive study, analyzing his appearance, whereabouts, hobbies, personality characteristics and the situation of his entourage one by one and arranging countermeasures. I know Liu Xuande's own advantages and disadvantages and living habits like the back of my hand, so that those extremely knowledgeable people in Shuijing Mountain Villa can be familiar with Liu Xuande and recognize Liu Bei as soon as they see him. Si Mahui recommended Zhuge Liang in the water mirror villa without any trace. He said to Liu Bei, "Long Fu and Xiao Feng, they can be a safe world." But he didn't say that "Long Fu" was Zhuge Liang for the simple reason that Si Mahui knew that the relationship between Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang was one-sided, and he was worried that Liu Bei's initial impression of Zhuge Liang would affect his next arrangement. Si Mahui is a wily man. For the sake of his disciples' future, he recommended Long Fu to Liu Bei. That's not all. That evening, he recruited Xu Xu Shu and Yuan Zhi, and arranged for Xu Yuanzhi to apply for anonymity as Fancheng, where Liu Bei was stationed. Liu Xuande thought Xu Shu was "Long Fu", so he worshipped Xu Shu as his strategist. This Xu Shu defeated Cao Cao's army at first. So Cao Cao designed Xu Yuan to take Xu Capital directly. Xu Shu knew it was a set, but he had to drill into it. On his way to Xudu, he recommended Zhuge Liang to Liu Xuande, and Zhuge Liang was lucky enough to meet Zhuge Liang who was many times better than himself. At this time, Liu Xuande also thought, Mr. Shui Jing said that Long Fu and Feng Xiao are world leaders, and both of them are safe in the world. Why hasn't he heard of Zhuge Liang's such a big role? When Xu Shu said Zhuge Liang was "Long Fu", Liu Bei suddenly realized. Xu Shu told Liu Bei that Long Fu can't bend, which makes you amiable. In order to get Liu Bei's help, he also threw caution to the wind. Once the door fails, he will do it twice, twice fails, and he will do it three times. Who can stand repeated demands? Liu Bei, the most classic play in history, has certainly succeeded, but it is still being planned by Huang. When Liu Bei didn't leave for Longzhong, Si Mahui worried that Liu Bei was still hesitating and went to Liu Bei himself, emphasizing that Zhuge Liang was "Jiang Ziya in 800 years of Zhou Xing and Zhang Zifang in 400 years of Wang Han". Use this sentence to urge Liu Bei to prepare his horse quickly and ask Zhuge Liang to come out of the mountain! "Liu Bei decided to hire Zhuge Liang." The message was quickly conveyed to Huang. Huang Chengyan came to Wollongong again and said to Zhuge Liang, "When the opportunity comes, it depends on whether you can seize it." Zhuge Liang asked, "Isn't Liu Xuande coming to visit?" Huang asked, "How did you guess?" "Xu Yuanzhi left me a few days ago." "What are you going to do?" "I was thinking, I didn't expect it to be so soon." "As a teacher, I have designed a drama of" three visits to the thatched cottage "for you." "This scene is about Wollongong in Longzhong, right?" Zhuge Liang couldn't guess how his father-in-law planned it. "Then what do you want me to do?" "Didn't you see the children playing games and singing? One net doesn't catch fish, the second net doesn't catch fish, and the third net catches a small tail fish ... haha! You might as well hide first and find a place where no one will disturb you with your homework. The title is' How to Fight in Longzhong' and the subtitle is' Show Liu Bei the way'. Don't worry about the first three plays, naturally someone sings. " Huang spoke out his plan unhurriedly. The first play invited Longzhong's neighbors and helpers in the rice fields to perform. Don't you usually teach them to recite poems? Let them improvise in the rice fields when the distinguished guests come to Longzhong, so that tourists can have a look. The farmers in Longzhong are so knowledgeable, you can imagine how good Wolong would be. In the second play, yesterday, Cui and Meng went home to visit relatives and came to my house to meet them. I asked them to help me, make a guest appearance, meet Liu Xuande, chat, see the talents of my classmates and friends in Wolong, and make a foil for the appearance of Wolong. Zhuge Jun should be responsible for threading the needle, and extremely helpful people should also have several threads to cope with visitors. I made a guest appearance in the third play and served as a foil for you. Now that Liu Xuande has come to Longzhong, he can't go home empty-handed. Before seeing Wolong, he felt very glad that you came. He felt that he had gained a lot, which made him more eager to see Wolong. Zhuge Liang felt embarrassed and said, "I don't think it's necessary to make a fuss, right?" Mr. Shuijing has introduced me to Liu Yuzhou and Xu Shu. He compares himself to Western jackdaw and Ma Xu in the west, and I am a unicorn and a phoenix. It's like putting me on fire and making my face burn. ""you listen to the arrangement of the old man! Don't worry about anything else, just do your homework carefully. "It should be said that Mr. Huang Lao planned a scene of Liu Xuande's" Three Visits to the Cottage "in order to set off the scene for Zhuge Liang." Three foils, three heads and three highlights ",this is Huang's patent! As for the performance effect of "three visits to the thatched cottage" and Zhuge Liang's performance after "three visits to the thatched cottage", Mr. Luo Guanzhong has expressed it incisively and vividly in The Romance of the Three Kingdoms, so I don't need to go into details.