Appreciation of couplets in Nanyang Wuhou Temple

If you can attack the enemy, you will be self-defeating. You have known from ancient times that soldiers are not good at fighting.

It is wrong to combine leniency with severity without judging the situation. You should think hard about governing Shu in the future.

This couplet is about Zhuge Liang's guiding ideology of governing the country and using troops, which has far-reaching significance. The "anti-frontier" mentioned in the previous sentence means capriciousness, which refers to the story of conquering Meng Huo at that time. This strategic policy was put forward by Ma Su to Zhuge Liang, and Zhuge Liang humbly adopted it, and it was a decisive victory. The original words are not in the biography of the reflection of Ma Su (attached with the biography of Ma Liang), but are found in Xiangyang Ji quoted in Pei Songzhi's note. According to records, Zhuge Liang went south in the third year of Jianxing (225 years), and Ma Su saw him off. Zhuge Liang asked him for advice. Ma Su said, "South China relies on its danger, and it will not last long. Although it is broken today, it will smell bad tomorrow. ..... The husband uses the way of fighting, attacking the heart as the top, attacking the city as the bottom, taking the heart as the top, using the soldiers as the bottom, and willing to be convinced. " This strategic policy was realized by Zhuge Liang, but it was originally put forward by Ma Su. Although Ma Su later made a serious mistake and was defeated in the street pavilion, we can't take it lightly. It should be said that his opinion that Meng Huo should put "heart first" is correct, and Zhuge Liang's method of non-aggression in neighboring relations and regional autonomy is also very valuable under the historical conditions at that time. Therefore, Luo Guanzhong also adopted this dialogue in the popular Romance of the Three Kingdoms (see Chapter 87 of Romance of the Three Kingdoms published by Mao Pi), which made us have a deeper understanding of the story of Zhuge Liang's capture of Meng Huo.

It is wrong to say in the next couplet that "it is wrong to combine leniency with severity without judging the situation", which is Zhuge Liang's answer to Fa Zheng. This dialogue can be found in the annals of the Three Kingdoms? Pei Songzhi quoted Guo Chong's record in Zhuge Liang's Biography: The Ming criminal law was harsh and urgent, cutting off the people, being a gentleman and a villain, and complaining about others. Fa Zheng remonstrated, saying, "In the past, when Gao Zu entered Shanhaiguan, he made three rules about the law, and Qin Min knew the virtue. Now you have crossed a state and a country under the guise of power, but you have not paid attention to it. " Moreover, the meaning of subject and object should be reduced, and I am willing to suspend sentence to comfort his hope. "Liang replied," you know one thing, but you don't know another. There is nothing the Qin state can do. The government is harsh on the people's grievances, and the people are yelling. If the world collapses, Gaozu can also benefit from it. Liu Zhang is weak and has been blessed for many years. He is bound by grammar, and he entrusts each other with important tasks. He does not advocate virtue, politics, or coercion to punish. ..... so disadvantages, because of this. Today, I use it, and when I do it, I know grace, and when I limit it, I know honor. Honor and grace are one, and there are knots from top to bottom. To cure, write in Si. "

After Liu Bei obtained Yizhou, Zhuge Liang made political laws and regulations for him, and strictly ruled Shu. Fa Zheng, however, put forward different opinions and advised Zhuge Liang to "suspend the execution and relax the ban", enforce the law leniently and take Emperor Gaozu as the law. Zhuge Liang made a concrete analysis of historical conditions and reality, and thought that combining leniency with severity should depend on objective conditions. When Emperor Gaozu entered the customs, he had to get rid of the harsh penalties and laws of the Qin Dynasty, so he was exempted from penalties and laws and relieved the people's suffering. At present, Yizhou has accumulated many disadvantages during the reign of Liu Zhang. Without authority, it is necessary to govern the country strictly according to law and "share weal and woe". Different historical conditions should lead to different policies, with leniency and strictness. If we don't judge the situation, we should be lenient, but not strict, which is one-sided. Zhuge Liang's policy of governing Shu was formulated according to the actual situation at that time, and it did achieve obvious results later. Chen Shou in Reflection? Zhuge Liang Biography later called him "strict with science and education, believing in rewards and punishments, not punishing evil, not showing good." As for officials, there is no room for rape, and the people enjoy themselves, do not pick things up, do not invade the weak, and fear corruption, which fully affirmed his political achievements. Luo Guanzhong also compiled this dialogue into the well-known Romance of the Three Kingdoms (sixty-fifth edition of Mao Pi), which basically copied the original text with only a few abridgements, so it has always been familiar to readers.