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韩信、林彪与扎卢日内 的宿命

——读《史记·淮阴侯（韩信）列传》

韩信的故事

在《史记》中，韩信从寒微之身崛起，凭借惊世兵才助刘邦成就帝业。他背水一战、暗渡陈仓、定三秦、灭楚军，可谓“大汉军功功第一人”。但大汉一统后，韩信功高震主，最终被吕后与萧何诱杀于长乐宫，并诛三族，临刑前悲叹“悔不听蒯通之言”。这样的结局，未止步于古代.

林彪的故事

跨越两千年，中国现代史上也有一位与韩信命运惊人相似的风云人物——林彪。林彪，在解放战争中率领东北野战军连克锦州、沈阳、天津，北京，解放战争的三大战役，他打了两个还多，为共产党最终夺取全国政权，立下了赫赫战功。1959年，他被确立为毛泽东的接班人。但1971年，出现“九一三事件”事件，林彪被指密谋政变，在出逃途中坠机身亡，身后被全盘否定。

·扎卢日内（Valerii Zaluzhnyi） 的故事

乌克兰前总司令瓦列里·扎卢日内（Valerii Zaluzhnyi），在俄乌战争爆发初期领导乌军成功抵抗入侵，被誉为民族英雄，其民望一度高于总统泽连斯基。2024年初，他被解除军职，被授予很高了荣誉后， 被委任为驻英大使。他没有被“政治清洗“

三人命运背后的故事

韩信与林彪，有很多相似之处：

• 皆为军事奇才，打下半壁江山。

• 皆是开国功臣，不可或缺。

• ”功高盖主“，皆被主上忌惮。

• 他们效忠的集团夺取国家权力后，都被他们所效忠的”主“ ”清洗致死“。

扎卢日内也在保卫国家中立了赫赫战功，甚至”功高盖主“。虽然由于各种原因（不排除政治斗争），他被解除了兵权，但没有被”清洗“，而是给予了很高的荣誉，然后安排其它工作继续为国家服务。

这三人命运结局背后的原因是什么呢？社会制度！

韩信和林彪，虽然时间相距两千年，但他们所效忠的政治体制，没有本质的区别，而扎卢日内则生活在一个民主制度的国度里（虽然乌克兰的民主制度不太完善）。在专制体制下，功臣往往是帝国稳固后的第一批牺牲者；而在民主制度中，即使功高，也有制度和社会舆论保护其生命与声誉。

韩信与林彪的悲剧不是个人选择的偶然，而是制度使然。而扎卢日内的平安过渡，则说明在现代制度下，即便有权力博弈，也不必以生命为代价。

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The Fates of Han Xin, Lin Biao, and Valerii Zaluzhnyi

— Reflections on Reading “The Biography of the Marquis of Huaiyin (Han Xin)” 

Han Xin’s Story

In Records of the Grand Historian, Han Xin rose from humble beginnings to become a brilliant military commander who helped Liu Bang establish the Han Empire. His famed strategies—like “backing the army against the river,” “a covert march via Chencang,” and the conquest of the Three Qins and Chu forces—earned him the reputation as the greatest general of the early Han.

Yet once the empire was unified, Han Xin’s overwhelming achievements stirred the ruler’s suspicion. Ultimately, he was lured into the Changle Palace by Empress Lü and Chancellor Xiao He, executed, and his family exterminated. Before his death, he lamented: “I regret not taking Kuai Tong’s advice.” This tragic ending is not unique to ancient times.

Lin Biao’s Story

Across two millennia, China’s modern history produced another figure with an eerily similar fate: Lin Biao. During the Chinese Civil War, Lin commanded the Northeast Field Army, capturing Jinzhou, Shenyang, Tianjin, and finally Beijing. Of the three major campaigns of the war, Lin fought more than two of them, playing a decisive role in the Communist Party’s nationwide victory.

In 1959, Lin was officially named Mao Zedong’s successor. But in 1971, the infamous “September 13 Incident” occurred. Lin was accused of plotting a coup, fled China by air, and died in a plane crash. His legacy was completely erased in official history.

Valerii Zaluzhnyi’s Story

Valerii Zaluzhnyi, the former Commander-in-Chief of Ukraine, led the Ukrainian armed forces in successfully resisting the Russian invasion in the early stages of the war. He was hailed as a national hero and, for a time, was even more popular than President Zelenskyy.

In early 2024, he was relieved of his military command. However, he was granted high honors and appointed as Ukraine’s ambassador to the United Kingdom. He was not politically purged.

The Stories Behind the Fates

Han Xin and Lin Biao share much in common:

• Both were brilliant military commanders who secured vast territories.
  
  

• Both were indispensable founding figures in regime-building.
  
  

• Both “overshadowed their sovereigns”—and were feared for it.
  
  

• Both were eliminated by the very powers they served, once victory was achieved.

Zaluzhnyi, too, earned great national merit and arguably “outshone” his president in public support. Yet while he was dismissed from his position, he was not “cleansed.” Instead, he was honored and reassigned—continuing to serve the country.

What Explains the Difference? The political system!

Han Xin and Lin Biao lived in autocratic regimes—despite the vast span of time between them. Zaluzhnyi, however, served under a democratic (albeit imperfect) system. In autocracy, founding heroes often become the first victims of regime consolidation. In democracy, even if there is power struggle, there are institutions and public opinion to protect reputation and life.

The tragedies of Han Xin and Lin Biao were not merely the result of personal choices, but of the systems they served. Zaluzhnyi’s peaceful transition proves that in modern systems, political competition need not be paid for with one’s life.

Translated by ChatGPT