What do the new officials mean by "three fires"?

The "three fires" among the "three fires for new officials" mentioned by the ancients actually refer to Zhuge Liang's three fires: Bowangpo, Xinye and Chibi.

Then it gradually became a bully when officials came up. As the saying goes, "a new official takes office with three fires"! This song "Three Fires for a New Official" is about a new official. When he starts a new job, he must first do two or three things that are beneficial to the people. The implication is that it is hard to say whether he will continue to do good deeds later.

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The story of the new official's three fires is related to Zhuge Liang. I thought Liu Bei invited him out when he visited the cottage. Although Liu Bei expected him to show his talents, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei and others actually disagreed. Because Zhuge Liang, after all, is a villager, he can't convince the battle-hardened soldiers by bluffing alone.

However, Zhuge Liang grasped the opportunity well. After becoming a military adviser, I played a few fires in a short time. First, Bowangpo was set on fire, Xia Houdun's beard was lifted, and then Coss and Cao Hong's troops in Xinye were cleaned with fire. The next fire was even worse, burning Chibi and crushing Cao's million-strong army.

It was these beautiful battles that established Zhuge Liang's position in Liu Bei's army and convinced those who wanted to wait to see Zhuge Liang make a fool of himself.

As a result, Zhuge Liang's three fires gradually extended to the officialdom, gradually evolved into a new official's three fires, and became a model and prescribed action for officials. It seems that if you don't do this, you won't be an official.

Baidu Encyclopedia-Three Fires for a New Official