Xiangyang photographer Wang Ping

A late bloomer means that people who can take on heavy responsibilities have to go through long-term exercise, so they achieve late. It is also used to comfort those who have been frustrated for a long time. During the Three Kingdoms period at the end of the Han Dynasty, many military commanders were late bloomers, that is, they experienced enough exercise and made impressive achievements in the later period of their lives. Among them, as far as the following five famous players in the Three Kingdoms are concerned, they are all late bloomers, including Huang Zhong, who is most familiar to everyone.

I. Huang Zhong

Huang zhong (? -220), the word Hansheng (Han Shu), was born in Nanyang County (now Nanyang, Henan Province). Shu and Han generals in the late Eastern Han Dynasty. At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Huang Zhong became a corps commander under Liu Biao. However, because Liu Biao has no ambition to plot the Central Plains, Huang Zhong has no chance to perform. Later, Huang Zhong surrendered to Liu Bei and helped Liu Bei break through Zhang. Of course, before AD 2 19, Huang Zhong could only be said to be an ordinary military commander, and there was still a certain distance from the famous generals. In the twenty-fourth year of Jian 'an (2 19), in the battle of Dingjun Mountain, Huang beheaded Xia, a general under Cao Cao, and became a general.

Liu Bei called Hanzhong king, and Huang Zhong was the post-general, giving him the post-Shanhaiguan. The following year, Huang Zhong died of illness. It took Jing Yao three years (260 years) to wait for him. As a brave veteran, Huang Zhong appeared in various literary and artistic works of later generations. For example, in Luo Guanzhong's Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Liu Bei called the Queen of Hanzhong and made it one of the "Five Tiger Generals", and Huang Zhong's name gradually became synonymous with vigorous old age in ancient history.

Second, Wang Ping.

Wang Ping (? —248), Zi Zijun, was born in Dangqu, Brazil (now the northeast of Quxian County, Sichuan Province), and his native place was Yizhou. General in the last years of Shu Han in the Three Kingdoms period. At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Wang Ping first followed the vassal Cao Cao. But as we all know, there are many famous soldiers under Cao Cao, which leads to Wang Ping's obscurity. From 2 17 to 2 19, Cao Cao and Liu Bei competed for Hanzhong, and Wang Ping surrendered to Liu Bei. During Zhuge Liang's first Northern Expedition, Wang Ping and Ma Su guarded the street kiosks together. Later, he was valued by Zhuge Liang, led the flying army of Shu Han, and followed Zhuge Liang's northern expedition many times. However, Wang Ping in this period was still not a first-class star. In 234 AD, after Zhuge Liang, the prime minister of Shu Han, died of illness, Wang Ping worshipped the former supervisor and general of Zhenbei University to guard Hanzhong.

In 244 AD, in the Battle of Prosperity, Cao Shuang led a hundred thousand troops to attack Hanzhong, but Wang Ping's thirty thousand troops hit hard. This battle of winning more with less undoubtedly established Wang Ping's position among the military commanders of the Three Kingdoms. In the 11th year of Yan Xi (AD 248), Wang Ping died, and his son Wang Xun succeeded to the title. In the late Shu and Han dynasties, a man of the hour appeared: Wang (Ping) and Zhu (Fu) before him, and Zhang (Yi) and Liao (Hua) after him.

Third, Liao Hua.

Rainbow Ping and Liao Hua didn't become famous until the middle and late Shu Han Dynasty, and they were also late bloomers. Liao Hua (? -264), whose real name is Chun, was born in Zhonglu, Xiangyang County, Jingzhou (now Xiangyang City, Hubei Province). General Shu Han in the Three Kingdoms. When Guan Yu was guarding Jingzhou, Liao Hua had a master book for former general Guan Yu. After Guan was defeated and killed, Liao Hua belonged to Sun Wu and feigned death. Liu Bei named him the satrap. After Liu Bei's death, Liao Hua turned to worship the Prime Minister and joined the army. Later, he became the commander-in-chief of Guangwu, moved to Yin Pingfu, and participated in the Northern Expedition of Shu and Han for many times. That is, the military commander Liao Hua not only followed Zhuge Liang's northern expedition to the Central Plains, but also participated in Jiang Wei's northern expedition to Cao Wei. Although during Zhuge Liang's Northern Expedition, Liao Hua was almost unknown.

However, in the later period of Shu Han Dynasty, Liao Hua was paid more and more attention because of the withering of many famous soldiers. He rode a general from official to right in Shu Han, took a holiday, led the secretariat of Bing, and sealed the hometown. After the death of Shu Han, he was transferred to Luoyang and died halfway. In the eyes of many historians, Liao Hua is famous for his generous honest and frank, and he is an important general in the late Shu and Han dynasties. In particular, the idiom "there is no general in Shu, and Liaohua is the pioneer" highlights the position of Liaohua in the late dynasty.

Fourth, Wargo.

Wargo (about 197-264) was born in Jiyang, Yiyang (now Xinye, Henan). An outstanding general of Wei in the Three Kingdoms period. When he led the army to destroy Shu Han in 263 AD, Wargo was over 60 years old, and obviously he was a late bloomer. Although he was an official in Cao Wei very early, Wargo was also depressed in the first half of the year. However, meeting Sima Yi can be said to be a major turning point in Wargo's life. At the beginning of Zhengshi (240-249), Wei was preparing to open up wasteland in the southeast and store grain and grass against Wu, so he sent Wargo to inspect it. Wargo from Chen County (now Huaiyang, Henan Province) and Xiang County (now Shenqiu, Henan Province) to Shouchun. Because of many far-sighted suggestions, Wargo gained the appreciation of Sima Yi, and therefore gradually became an independent military commander in the late Cao Wei period.