公元1644年，李自成的起义军攻入北京，当时在宁远的辽东总兵吴三桂接到命令，准备发兵保卫京城。部队行至山海关之时，就接到了崇祯皇帝自缢的消息。此时的吴三桂是真正的应了一句俗语“前有猛虎，后有追兵。”前面是李自成的义军拦路，后面是多尔衮的清军追击，无论面对谁，吴三桂都是无力一战。
于是降或死，这是一个问题，不过还在李自成抬了吴三桂一手，杀了吴三桂全家，夺了爱妾陈圆圆。Wu Three must seek revenge, but he cannot die. Therefore, he can only surrender to the Qing. Thus, Wu Three is saddled with the reputation of a traitor for eternity.
However, there were many others who surrendered to the Qing during that time. For example, Hong Chengchou, Zhu Changfu, Geng Jingzhong, Shang Zhixin and Fan Wenzheng all surrendered to the Qing. But why is it that only Wu Three is so reviled?
It's because as feudal rule crumbles and cultural thinking becomes more open-minded people realize they need to approach history with an objective attitude rather than spreading rumors. How can we achieve objectivity? We cannot travel back in time to see what really happened.
That's when artifacts and documents come into play as tools for analysis. Many events and figures from history are hotly debated by scholars today who aim to redefine them.
For instance Cao Cao was once considered a villain but was later reevaluated as a successful warlord in chaotic times thanks to his appearance in Romance of the Three Kingdoms which popularized him further due to his association with beautiful women like Diao Chan or Lu Bu's wife Duanmu Rong.
Similarly An Lushan and Yang Guifei are famous for their tragic love story even though historical records don't provide much detail on their relationship except that An Lushan had Yang Guifei imprisoned before her death at his hands after which she became known as "the second beauty" - this added layer of intrigue makes their story compelling.
The case against Wu San Kui lies not just in his betrayal but also how he let personal feelings cloud his judgment leading him down a path of destruction while forgetting about those close to him like family members killed by Li Zicheng or forced exile like Emperor Yongli whom he eventually captured then executed under orders from Kangxi Emperor thus ending any chance at redemption for himself or peace between Ming loyalists & Manchu conquerors
In conclusion among all these defectors from Ming Dynasty only Wu San Kui bears such heavy criticism due not only to actions taken during wartime decisions made under duress but also how subsequent folklore embellished upon these stories making them more dramatic & sensationalized over time
