Evaluate Zhuge Liang

Zhuge Liang's political and military talents

From the perspective of comprehensive national strength. Zhuge Liang took over the Shu state, which just suffered a crushing defeat in Yiling. It is also a Shu country with internal troubles and foreign invasion. In the Battle of Yiling, Shu lost tens of thousands of elite troops from the East, countless military equipment, and generals such as Fu Tong, Feng, Du Lu, Liu Ning, Huang Quan, etc., and the new Shu Han regime was greatly weakened. Besides the battle of Yiling, other talents in Shu have also been lost. In the second year of Zhangwu (222), Xu Jing, the master of Shu, Liu Ba, the minister in charge of books, and Ma Chao, the general of a title of generals in ancient times, died one after another, which made the talent crisis in Shu more serious. In addition to the talent crisis, the problem of South China needs to be dealt with more and more. In the early days of the establishment of Shu, Gao Ding, the leader of Cui Yi in South Vietnam, led his troops and the army arrived in Xindao County, which was defeated by Li Yan. Huang Yuan, the satrap of Han Jiajun, heard that Liu Bei was seriously ill in Yong 'an and rebelled in December of the second year of Zhangwu. In March of the following year, Huang Yuan took Zhuge Liang's opportunity to visit Liu Bei in Yong 'an and led his army to burn down the county seat of Lin Qiong. Finally, it was razed to the ground by Shu army. Although these two rebellions were put down, the measure of "Fu Yi Yue in the South" has not been implemented because Shu was not established for a long time. Liu Bei, the master of Shu, died in Zhangwu for three years. The new defeat of Yiling, the loss of vitality, the talent crisis, the Huangyuan rebellion, the South China issue and the new loss of the country's owner are all internal worries of Shu. The foreign invasion of Shu refers to the rupture of the Sun-Liu alliance. It has been mentioned in the analysis of Longzhong Dui. Sun Quan of Donghe occupies an extremely important position in the "Longzhong Dui". Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang were only willing to make a complete break with Sun Wu on the basis that Jingzhou was completely seized and the strategic intention of attacking the Central Plains in two ways was completely impossible to implement. After the Yiling War, the national strength of the newly-born Shu State was exhausted, but the hostile relationship with Wu Dong remained unchanged. At this time, Shu had to face not only Cao Wei, its old enemy, but also Sun Wu, a powerful opponent on the road ahead. If we continue to be hostile to Sun Wu for a long time, Shu will never get rid of diplomatic passivity and crisis, and the goal of "reviving the Han Dynasty and returning to the old capital" will be even more difficult to achieve. It is no exaggeration to say that "defeat is ordered by danger."

From a political point of view. Shu, ruled by Zhuge Liang, can be said to be the most organized country among the three countries. In the first two or three years of his administration, he adopted the method of closing the door to the outside world, seeking to restore the vitality of Shu, and then pacified the central and southern regions, further strengthening the national strength. In addition, he also cracked down on "autocratic and arbitrary" corrupt officials and local strongmen with "severe punishment and severe law", and Shu showed a clear and stable situation. It's also good politically. However, Shu was founded shortly after all. If it is counted from Liu Bei's acquisition of Yizhou until Zhuge Liang's death, it will only be 20 years. Compared with the 40-year history of Cao Wei, it is obviously not as long as that of Cao Wei. Furthermore, Cao Cao, Cao Pi and Cao Rui had a relatively high ruling level. As an excellent politician, Cao Cao's ruling ability and level are obvious to all, and the overall political framework of Wei is basically constructed by Cao Cao. During his six or seven years in power, Cao Pi also successively implemented a series of positive political measures, such as issuing some imperial edicts that were beneficial to or concerned about the people; Women, eunuchs and consorts are prohibited from interfering in political affairs; Choose people with wisdom and virtue; Implement the nine-product official law. Before Zhuge Liang's death, Cao Rui also showed outstanding political talent. For example, he has done well in planning, breaking prisons, allowing people to give advice directly, and not killing the admonishers. Therefore, in the early period of Cao Cao, Cao Pi and Cao Rui (before Zhuge Liang's death), the political situation of Wei was also good, but Cao Wei was founded 20 years earlier, which can be said to be crucial for a developing regime. Therefore, as far as the overall political situation is concerned, Cao Wei is still superior to Shu Han, and its ruling foundation is more stable than Shu Han.

From a military point of view. In the ancient cold war, the most important criterion to measure whether a country's military strength is strong is the number of troops in that country. The relationship between soldiers and people is inseparable. Specifically, soldiers come from the people, and the number of people restricts the number of soldiers, which is an absolute quantitative index; The other is the relative quantity index, which refers to the ratio of the absolute total number of troops to the total number of troops. Because soldiers are supported by the people, there must be an appropriate proportion between soldiers and the people. Shu is vast and sparsely populated. There is only one state with a total population of only 900,000. However, Cao Wei owns Kyushu. According to the general code, the death population of Wei is 4.4 million! Of course, during the reign of Zhuge Liang, it is doubtful whether there were so many people in Wei. However, it should be no problem to say that Wei has a population of more than 3 million. At that time, the total number of Shu troops was about 6.5438+0.4 million, with an average of less than two families, which almost reached the limit of Shu troops' bearing capacity. Even so, compared with Wei's army of more than 400,000, it is still much smaller. Therefore, the situation that "Shu soldiers are light and sharp" is objective and realistic.

From an economic point of view. Cao Wei has always attached great importance to economic issues. As early as the third year of Chuping (AD 192), when Cao Cao got Yanzhou, one of his subordinates, Mao Jie, clearly pointed out to Cao Cao the suggestion of "cultivating livestock and horses" (see Biography of Mao Jie). Cao Cao appreciated Mao Jie's suggestion very much. Moreover, in the first year of Jian 'an (AD 196), Cao Cao adopted the suggestions of Zhao Xiao and Han Hao, tried to open up wasteland in Xuchang, and appointed Zhao Xiao as a captain of Diannong. That year, he won the welcome of millions of people in Silicon Valley and achieved great success. After Zhao Xiao's death, Ren Jun succeeded the commander-in-chief of Diannong, set up field officials in various counties, recruited refugees, organized production and promoted reclamation. Due to the implementation of the "farming system", the agricultural production of Cao Wei was promoted, the national strength of Wei State was enhanced, the supply of military grain was well solved, and the labor burden of farmers in transporting grain and grass was reduced. History records that Cao Cao decided to land, "conquering all directions, without the labor of transporting grain, will also destroy thieves and level the world." (See Wei Shu quoted from Wu Di Ji) This laid a solid material foundation for Cao Cao's unification of the North and its future development. In the past, many unproductive refugees became producers. According to "Biography of Guoyuan", "Yuan repeatedly made gains and losses, governed the people, counted the people, set up officials, and studied the law. In the past five years, Cang Fu and the people struggled to persuade him to work. " Therefore, the "reclamation system" also eased the class contradictions at that time to a certain extent. As Cao Cao's successor, Cao Pi not only continued to practice the system of reclaiming wasteland, but also set up a special plan to support the army, plan rations and support the army, further strengthening the importance of agricultural production. From the perspective of Shu, Zhuge Liang also took a series of measures to restore economic production. In response to the new defeat of Shu, Zhuge Liang put forward the policy of "land to the tiller, closed doors to rest the people" to let the people live and work in peace and contentment. He also ordered Li Yan to immigrate 20,000 people to enrich Hanzhong, so that Hanzhong, which was deserted by Cao Cao's massive migration, once again presented the scene of "men and women spreading wild fields and farmers living in acres". (See Biography of Jiang Wan) In order to develop agriculture, Zhuge Liang attached great importance to building water conservancy projects. He specially set up a weir officer to keep 1200 soldiers stationed in Dujiangyan, the largest water conservancy project at that time, for protection and management. Zhuge Liang also attached great importance to the development of industry and commerce. He is very concerned about the production of salt and iron industry, and strives to use and develop Shu brocade industry. On the one hand, Zhuge Liang took the lead in raising silkworms to cure mulberry, on the other hand, he set up full-time brocade officials to organize the production and allocation of Sichuan brocade. Shu brocade is the main commodity of foreign trade between Shu and Wei and Wu, and its exquisite quality is far superior to that of Cao and Wei. Zhuge Liang advocated frugality and opposed extravagance and waste while increasing the national income of Shu. Driven by Zhuge Liang, most officials in Shu are frugal. After Zhuge Liang implemented a series of policies of increasing revenue and reducing expenditure, the economy of Shu was restored and developed. As far as subjective efforts are concerned, both countries are similar, and Shu may be better at subjective efforts. But the effectiveness of any economic activity must also be based on certain material conditions. There are thirteen states in the world, and Cao Wei owns Kyushu, with a vast territory, a large population, a large population and abundant resources. Although Yizhou, which Shu is based on, has the reputation of "land of abundance", compared with Cao Wei, it is only the wealth of a state. As rich as Cao Wei are the Yellow River Basin and Huaihe River Basin. Therefore, Cao Wei still has an absolute advantage in economic strength.

Let's look at the essence of war and the people's opposition. Before the tripartite confrontation of the three countries was fully formed, the situation was more complicated. At that time, loyalty to the Han family was still a banner calling on the people. Therefore, Cao Cao took "the son of heaven as a vassal", Liu Bei lived in the Han Dynasty, begging thieves for officials, and Sun Quan went to the Han Dynasty to clean up the filth. All three of them were able to establish and consolidate their own political power under the complicated situation of separatist regime. But with the passage of time, the appeal of the banner of "Xing Han" is getting smaller and smaller. Cao and Liu proclaimed themselves emperors one after another, and it is no longer possible to simply distinguish who is the so-called national thief. By the time of the alliance between Wu and Shu in 229 AD, "Han Fu" had completely lost its appeal and gradually turned to the view that "destiny belongs to destiny, and wisdom cannot be argued". Therefore, the nature of war has no distinction between justice and injustice. The three parties of Wei, Shu and Wu are divided and form a separatist country. Which party has the strongest comprehensive national strength will get the support of the literati and the people. Zhuge Liang said in his "Longzhong Dui" that "the people dare not eat pot pulp to meet the generals", which is an extremely important mass base that Liu Bei Group must have to revive the Han Dynasty. In Zhuge Liang's previous Northern Expeditions, except for the time when Qishan came out of the mountain, which caused the Guanzhong of Cao Wei to shake and Tianshui, Nan 'an and Anding rebelled against Wei Liangying, the rest of the Northern Expeditions never received strong response from the people of Cao Wei. However, the powerful enemy Cao Wei became more and more powerful after the Yiling War between Sun and Liu. Although Shu Han and Soochow frequently attacked the east and west for a period of time after their alliance, both sides hoped that the other side could help themselves in from the mire, which made it difficult for Cao Wei to fight on two fronts at the same time. For Shu, the weakest country at that time, the possibility of success in the Northern Expedition was getting smaller and smaller.

Finally, look at the talents of the two countries. Among the three countries, Shu has the least talent. Yuan Zi said that Shu was a "small country with few people" and a "good general". Sun Sheng pointed out that "there are few scholars in Shu"; When talking about the talents in Sichuan, Chen Shou said, "The celebrities at that time did not have the city father and Han Xin, so their achievements were delayed and their benevolence and righteousness were not as good as theirs"; When Xi Chishao killed Ma Su against Zhuge Liang, he also said the same thing, saying that "the humble side of Shu means less going to China". Look at the opponents sent by Cao Wei to attack Shu. They are both wise and brave, and their strategies are extraordinary. I have seen many people think that "Sima Yi is a good hand in political struggle, and his strategy is acceptable, not necessarily much better than Kong Ming." Obviously, it should be pointed out that Sima Yi is a strong opponent who is rich in military strategy and good at using troops. There are two points that can explain Sima Yi's military strategy and resourcefulness. One is that Sima Yi attacked and killed Mengda, the prefect of Xincheng. When Mengda estimated that Wei Jun would arrive within 30 days according to conventional logic, Sima Yi took the initiative to attack after receiving the news that Mengda had rebelled against Wei. It took only 8 days to reach the gate of Mengda, and captured the new city in 16 days, killing Mengda unexpectedly. The other is Sima Yi's conquest of Liaodong satrap Gongsun Yuan. Sima Yi correctly analyzed the possible defensive measures taken by Gongsun Yuan, successfully breached Xiangping and killed Gongsun Yuan to pacify Liaodong, thus completing the mission entrusted by Wei Mingdi as scheduled. It can be seen from these two incidents that Sima Yi anticipated the enemy's wisdom and used the method of fighting. Zhang He, "Knowing variables, being good at planning and predicting the terrain of war are all better." (See Zhang Hechuan). Guo Huai's Fang Ce Jing Xiang (see Biography of Guo Huai). Cao Zhen is also a battle-hardened and experienced commander-in-chief. Huan praised her as "the beauty of Cao Zidan" (see Cao Shuang Biography quoted Wei Chunqiu), which shows that she is also resourceful. Chen Shou said: "It is very reasonable to increase the number of people with the enemy or worthy of excellent people." It is precisely because Cao Wei has such strong opponents as Sima Yi, Zhang He, Guo Huai and Cao Zhen that Zhuge Liang's strategy of fighting has always been difficult to play effectively.

Let's take a look at Zhuge Liang's previous Northern Expeditions under such unfavorable circumstances.

During the first Northern Expedition, in the spring of 228, the sixth year of Jianxing, Zhuge Liang raised his voice and captured Meixian County by Gu Jielu. Zhao Yun and Deng Zhi led an army as a suspected army. Zhuge Liang led an army to attack Qishan. Out of the blue, Tianshui, Anding and Nan 'an all rose up against Wei, and Cao Rui and General Cao Zhen were stationed in Meixian. Zhang He, the right general, rode fifty thousand steps to reinforce Gansu. Ma Su, the pioneer of the Shu army, was broken by Zhang He in the street pavilion. The Shu soldiers disappeared and withdrew more than 1,000 families from West County to Hanzhong. After this war, Zhuge Liang demoted himself to the third class, took Liang as the right general, became the prime minister and became the president as before.

In the second Northern Expedition, in the winter of 228, the sixth year of Jianxing, Zhuge Liang used Lu Xun to attack Wei in the case of crushing defeat of Wei Xiu. In December, Zhuge Liang led his troops through the customs and surrounded Chencang. Because Cao Wei was already prepared, he "made generals Zhao Hao and Wang Sheng hold their ground and rule the city" (see Biography of Ye Zhen). Zhao Haojian defended the city, Zhuge Liang besieged the city for more than 20 days, and all the food was returned. Wei was killed by Liang's ambush when he pursued.

The third northern expedition. In the spring of the seventh year of lite (229), Zhuge Liang sent Chen Shi to attack Wudu and Yin Ping, and Guo Huai, the secretariat of Wei Yongzhou, led the attack. Zhuge Liang went out to build prestige, and Guo Huai returned it, so he decided to set up two counties. In winter, the Ming migration government camp is located in the lower plain of Nanshan, building two cities of Han and Le.

The fourth northern expedition. In July, 230, the eighth year of lite, Wei sent Sima Yi from Xicheng, Zhang He from Meridian and Cao Zhen to attack Hanzhong. It will rain heavily for more than 30 days, which will hinder Wei Jun's attack. On the one hand, Zhuge Liang actively organized defense forces, dispatched Li Yan to lead 20,000 troops to reinforce Hanzhong, and personally led the army to consolidate the enemy in Akasaka. On the other hand, actively plan counter-offensive forces. He brought Wei Yan and Wu Yi into the southern border of Qiang, defeated Wei Hou general Fei Yao and Yongzhou stabbed official Guo Huai in Yangxi.

The fifth northern expedition, in February of the ninth year of Jianxing (23 1),

Zhuge Liang once again led the army to encircle Qishan, used newly-made wooden cattle to transport grain, and made the governor Li Yan provide food and grass. At this point, Cao Zhen and Wei Fu were ill, and Wei Mingdi sent Sima Yi to Chang 'an to supervise the military affairs of the two states, unified Zhang He, Dai Ling, Feiyao and Guo Huai, and sent troops to Qishan. Zhuge Liang led the army to fight Sima Yi in Shang Gui. In the first world war, Zhuge Liang defeated Wei generals Guo Huai and Fei Yao, pursued them with victory, and harvested Guiyu wheat as rations. In Upper Guidong, Sima Yi wanted to meet him, and Sima Yi assembled his troops and relied on danger. He can't fight at dawn and lead the army back. Sima yi led the army to the west side with the light and never fought Zhuge Liang. Jia Xu and Wei Ping, the generals of Wei, had a good plan, but they refused. The generals said that "people are afraid of Shu like tigers, but the world laughs" (see Zhuge Liang Biography and the Spring and Autumn Period of Han, Jin and Qing Dynasties). In May, Sima Yi ordered Zhang He to attack Shu, and Wang Ping went to Nantun, Qishan, and led the main force to attack Zhuge Liang. Zhuge Liang ordered Wei Yan. Wu Ban and Gaoxiang fought and defeated Wei Jun, winning the first 3,000 armor, 5,000 collar armor and 3,100 crossbows. Go back to camp and stick to it. In the south of Qishan, the Shu general Wang Ping defended well, but Zhang He failed to attack and returned to the army. In June, the Shu army did not retreat because of grain transportation. Sima Yiqiang made Zhang He pursue the Shu army, but Zhang He had no choice but to move forward. Chasing the wooden door, the Shu army ambushed and Zhang He was shot dead by an arrow.

In the sixth Northern Expedition, Zhuge Liang retired because of lack of food every time he went to the Northern Expedition. Therefore, after nine years of lite (23 1), the soldiers were advised to talk about martial arts, be a wooden ox and a flowing horse, transport rice to gather at the oblique valley mouth and cure the oblique valley; Rest for three years and use in wartime. In February of the 12th year of lite (234), Zhuge Liang mobilized all the troops he could, and went out to Gu Jie. At the same time, he sent Sun Quan of Soochow to send troops to attack Cao Wei. After the Shu army arrived in Meixian, it was stationed in the south of Weishui. Sima Yi also led an army across the Wei River, blocking the light with the back water as the base. Sima Yi still used the method of persistence until the Shu army ran out of food, and Zhuge Liang also "divided his troops and settled the field for a long time." The two armies refused for more than a hundred days, and Zhuge Liang challenged them several times, but Iraq never came out. Liangliang gave the woman's clothes to Sima Yi, who deliberately went to the table to please him in order to prevaricate. The Shu army and Wei Jun were at loggerheads for more than half a year. In August of that year, Zhuge Liang died of overwork in the army at the age of 54. Sima yi learned the news and led the army to catch up. Jiang Wei, the general of Shu, ordered Yang Yi to strike back, but Yi did not dare to force him. The Shu army can be bound and go into the oblique valley to send out obituaries. People say, "When Zhuge dies, Zhong Da will be born again." Therefore, Yi laughed at himself: "I can be a student, but I can't expect to die." (See Biography of Zhuge Liang, quoted from Hanshu Jin Chunqiu). When the Shu army retreated, Yi visited the camp of the Shu army and sighed, "What a genius in the world!" " (See Biography of Zhuge Liang)

During Zhuge Liang's first Northern Expedition, Zhuge Liang raised his voice for the first time, and Gu Jielu captured Meixian County, which led Zhao Yun and Deng Zhi to lead an army as a suspected army. According to Ji Gu, it attracted Ye Zhen, the main force of Wei Jun, and his own army attacked Qishan. Due to the sudden incident and the Shu army's "strict formation, clear rewards and punishments, strict orders", Wei's rebellion occurred in Tianshui, Anding, Nan 'an and other places. At that time, the situation was: five counties in Longyou and three counties rebelled against the Shu army, and only Longxi County and Guangwei County refused to accept it. As long as we can cut off the Guanlong passage and maintain this advantage for about a month, we can occupy all the areas in Longyou. (Refer to the Biography of the Three Kingdoms, Shu Wei and Zhang Jichuan, and quote Wei Lue: "Qing can break the dragon, so that the eastern soldiers can't get up. In January, Longxi officials broke down; If you can't, you will be exhausted. " )。 It can be seen that the key to obtaining Longyou lies in cutting off the Guanlong passage, and the key to cutting off Longdao lies in keeping the street pavilion and the throat of Guanzhong to Gansu! Zhuge Liang ordered Ma Su, who was "talented and good at joining the army", to lead the vanguard of the Shu army to guard the street kiosks, in order to keep Wei Jun's Kanto reinforcements out of Gansu and cooperate with the main force of the Shu army to capture Longyou. In other words, in terms of specific tactical arrangements, Zhuge Liang is omnipotent and impeccable. The defeat of street kiosks was all due to Ma Su's "violation of Ming Dynasty, abandonment of mountains and rivers, and improper behavior" and his headstrong attitude. When Wang Ping joined the army, "I can't use the rules of Lian Jian". Zhuge Liang's responsibility is only the responsibility of employing unknown people, which has nothing to do with his specific tactics and tactics. In this way, Kong Ming's fighting spirit is not high. How can he be wrong? !

Let's take a look at Zhuge Liang's situation at that time. "ZhuGeLiangChuan" quoted Yuan Zi as saying: "Shu soldiers are light, but there are few good generals. The power of China is unknown, so we taste it with suspicion; The General Assembly does not seek immediate success. So it is not land. " Yuan Zi is very reasonable. It is undeniable that the Shu army is outnumbered. Zhuge Liang's departure from Qishan was the first time in his life that he used troops against Cao Wei on a large scale. After the defeat of Yiling, Zhuge Liang fought hard for five or six years, and today's 100,000 Northern Expedition Army came into being. On the other hand, when Cao Cao attacked Dong Zhuo in World War I, he was defeated because he didn't know the details of the enemy. It is completely understandable that Zhuge Liang takes a cautious attitude without knowing the actual situation in the Central Plains. This is one of them. Second, the so-called "a spent force cannot be broken." As a result of the forced March, the combat effectiveness of the troops will be seriously weakened. "Sun Tzu's Art of War" said, "Therefore, soldiers attack, first cut the enemy, then cut the soldiers, and then attack the city. The method of attacking the city is a last resort. " Longxi County and Guangwei County have long been occupied by Wei Jun, and Weijun City has been firmly established, and it is getting earlier and earlier. It is unwise to attack the city directly with troops with weakened combat effectiveness. Third, Wei Jun was not the same as the army led by Liu Bei at that time. The army and the people were mixed and the fighting capacity was weak.

Zhuge Liang's second Northern Expedition was faced with Chen Cang, a fortified city rebuilt by Wei, and Zhao Haohe, an old general with "outstanding talents and outstanding military exploits" (see Ming Di Ji quoted Wei Lue), who had already prepared for it, so he retired in vain. However, Zhao Hao is the enemy of the whole city. As Hu Sansheng pointed out in "Lessons Learned from Mutual Adversity", "It is both an attacker and a guest." However, the general of Wei, Xinmeile Joint-stock Company, thought that the army of Shu was weak and wanted to pick up a "wallet", so he led the army to catch up. Where was Zhuge Liang's opponent when Xinmeile Co., Ltd. gave up its strong city and fought the Shu army on the battlefield? Zhuge Liang ambushed and easily got rid of xinmeile joint-stock company.

In several northern expeditions after Zhuge Liang, he successively won many local victories. All these can directly reflect Zhuge Liang's general plan of using troops. Let's look at the losses suffered by Wei and Shu during the Northern Expedition. Judging from the loss of officers and men in the future, except for the first time that Ma Su, the pioneer of the Shu army, suffered heavy casualties (but the main force of the Shu army did not suffer losses) and the second attack on Chencang, all the other battles that could be won were basically won, and the whole division that could not win retreated with little loss of troops. While Wei Jun defeated Ma Su, the pioneer of the Shu army, in the battle of Jieting, at other times, there was no big gain. On the contrary, in the remaining battles, he suffered heavy losses. First, Shu generals Wei Yan and Wu entered the south-central border of Qiang, and then general Fei Yao stabbed Guo Huai to death in Yuyang River. Later defeated by the Shu army, the Shu army "won the first three thousand products." During the whole Northern Expedition, Ma Su was the only one who suffered losses due to defeat, and even this Ma Su was beheaded by Zhuge Liang with Ming military law. Wei Jun general Xinmeile joint-stock company and brilliant Zhang He were directly killed by Shu army. Look at the loss of cities and populations. In the middle of Shu, there was no city and no one in Wei Jun. Wei lost the Wudu and the second county, and Zhuge Liang "pulled more than a thousand households back to Hanzhong in the west county". Wudu and Yin Ping played an extremely important strategic role in the process of Shu's army occupying Guanlong and protecting Shu from Wei Jun (after Shu's demise, it was successfully captured by Wei's general Deng Ai at level tone). Judging from the loss of strategic materials, the Shu army once took advantage of the victory to harvest wheat as rations outside Shanggui County of Wei State, and "got 5,000 Xuanjia and 3,100 crossbows", and also used the grain produced from Wei State land for military purposes. "Is based on an adventurous and long-term presence.

Tillers are mixed among Weibin residents "(see ZhuGeLiangChuan). That is to say, if we only look at the losses suffered in combat, the losses suffered by Wei Jun are far greater than those suffered by the Shu army. Zhuge Liang took the initiative to attack many times in the face of powerful Wei Jun, such as Sima Yi, Zhang He, Guo Huai and Cao Zhen, under the unfavorable conditions of food shortage in Serenade, which greatly consumed Wei Jun's strength. It also made Sima Yi, who was "ten times the world, attacking the city and defending the elite" and rich in military strategy, let himself go, and even suffered the humiliation of "a woman's clothes". He was also ridiculed by people at that time as "fearing Shu like a tiger" and "Zhuge Liang can live in Zhong Da after his death". Sima Yi once said, "Five major military tasks: if you can fight, you can fight, but you can't fight by rules, and you can't do it by rules" (see Zi Jian, volume 74, the second year of the scene). It's not that Sima Yi didn't want to destroy the Shu army. He twice asked Wei Jun to pursue the Shu army that had retreated from the south, but failed. Instead, he lost a general Zhang He's surname. From this point of view, it is difficult to convince Zhuge Liang that his fighting is mediocre.

Zhuge Liang's Northern Expedition did not succeed in the end, but it was not a failure. Because there is a difference between failure and failure. In the Northern Expedition, Zhuge Liang achieved that "a good fighter can be invincible, but not an enemy." . And the war itself is "knowing victory but not doing it" (Sun Tzu's Art of War. Military articles "). From Zhuge Liang's southward expedition to the final fall of Wuzhangyuan, Zhuge Liang fought for nearly ten years. During these ten years, Zhuge Liang did not win the war, but he was not defeated either. On the other hand, Cao Cao won many battles in his first ten years of fighting, but he also lost many battles. And some of them are quite miserable and almost lost their lives several times. But Zhuge Liang did not lose his cool after the first and second Northern Expeditions were frustrated. On the contrary, he learned experience and lessons from failed actions. In the next battle, he never gave Wei Jun another chance. Look at Cao Cao again. When he recruited Zhang Xiu, he swore to his subordinates, "I know what I know, so I lost. You will never be defeated from now on. " (see "Wu Di Ji"). But what happened? Didn't Cao Cao's second expedition to Zhang Xiu still lose to the same person? Isn't it just a slap in the face? There is a good saying that it's okay for a person to make a mistake in one place, but if the same person makes the same mistake in the same place, then he has a problem. Even if Zhuge Liang can fight again, how can he complete the Northern Expedition in just ten years? You know, after the battle of Guandu, Cao Cao wiped out 100,000 yuan of Shao Jun, and Yuan Tan and Yuan Shang were at loggerheads, but under such circumstances, it took Cao Cao eight years to unify Hebei. Besides, Zhuge Liang's opponent, no matter from what angle, is much more difficult to defeat than Cao Cao's pacifying Hebei. Zhuge Liang saved himself to the maximum in all aspects, waiting for the opportunity to give his opponent a heavy blow. The result is tied. In a sense, victory still prevails. Only from this point of view, Zhuge Liang has done his best. As a great strategist, Cao Cao had dominated the Central Plains before Zhuge Liang assisted Liu Bei, who had no land at that time. Later, Zhuge Liang came out of the mountain, and Cao Cao not only did not destroy his old enemy Liu Bei, but let him take advantage step by step, establish the inheritance of Shu and Han, and compete with himself. From this point of view, Cao Cao's military ability is not necessarily higher than that of Kong Ming, and his military success or failure is closely related to factors such as politics, economy, diplomacy and personal comprehensive quality. The failure of Zhuge Liang's Northern Expedition cannot be unilaterally attributed to Kong Ming's poor use of troops!

Finally, make some supplements to Zhuge Liang's military talents.

First, Zhuge Liang commanded and trained troops with strict military discipline, well-trained and strong combat effectiveness.

There is a record in Zhuge Liang Biography: "At dawn, lead all the soldiers to attack Qishan, with neat ranks and clear rewards and punishments." He added, "This is based on the division of troops and long-term stationing. The tillers are mixed among the residents of Weibin, the people cover them up, and the army is selfless. " In Yuanzi, Zhuge Liang Biography is quoted as saying that "its soldiers go in and out like guests, but they don't fight or hunt, like a country." Its use of troops is also like a mountain, advancing and retreating like the wind. On the day when the soldiers came out, the world shook, but people were not worried. ..... marching in the light, quiet and firm; Static and easy to move, strong and heavy can advance and retreat. Ming laws and regulations, reward and punishment letters, foot soldiers use their lives, regardless of risks. "These are all about Zhuge Liang's good military discipline, and he doesn't kill people at will to scratch people's daily lives, unlike Cao Cao and his generals who often kill people indiscriminately. Because Zhuge Liang paid attention to "education" in the process of running the army. He said: "For the monarch, there are decrees first, and then there are punishments. To fight without teaching is to abandon it. " (See Zhuge Liangji, Volume III, Sixteen Cheap Policies, Fatwa) Zhuge Liang runs the army, and the military discipline is very strict. Zhuge Liang believes that seven manifestations that seriously weaken the combat effectiveness of the army, such as "ignoring the army", "delaying the army", "stealing the army", "deceiving the army", "betraying the army" and "disorderly army", must be put to death. (See "Zhuge Liangji" Volume III "Sixteen Cheap Strategies". Cut off "). While strictly observing military discipline, Zhuge Liang emphasized that rewards and punishments must be clear. He believes that "the policy of rewarding and punishing is to reward the good and punish the evil". Reward with meritorious service and punish with rape. Rewards should not be uneven, and punishments should not be uneven. It is argued that "rewards should not be given in vain, and punishments should not be added indiscriminately" (see Zhuge Jiliang, Volume III, Sixteen Cheap Policies for Rewards and Punishments). It is precisely because Zhuge Liang emphasized education, strict military discipline and clear rewards and punishments that a unified, disciplined and courageous combat force can be established, so that 654.38+ 10,000 Shu troops can always come and go in an orderly manner and advance and retreat freely within the territory of Wei.

Second, Zhuge Liang was an outstanding military thinker in ancient China.

Zhuge Liang was born in Yang Du, Ye Lang. Jiang Taigong, Sima Yi, Sun Wu, Sun Bin and other outstanding military strategists have emerged in Qilu. Zhuge Liang compared himself with Guan Zhong and Le Yi, and made a profound and detailed study on the thoughts of military strategists from an early age. In Zhuge Liang's military theory, he not only inherited the excellent theory of the former Qin military strategists, but also touched and surpassed many valuable points that were not noticed by predecessors. The most typical example is that Zhuge Liang paid full attention to the important position of soldiers in war countries. Zhuge Liang believes that "soldiers with systems cannot be defeated; Soldiers without control and capable soldiers cannot win. " (See Zhuge Liang Collection, Volume II, Essentials of Soldiers) The "temperate soldiers" here refer to soldiers with high political quality and strong fighting capacity. In this way, even if the general's command ability is slightly poor, he will not necessarily lose the battle. On the contrary, if the political quality of the troops is poor and their combat effectiveness is not strong, even if the combat generals are excellent, they may not be able to win the battle. He also advocated that "all hearts must be used to wage war" (see "Zhuge Liangji" Volume III "Sixteen Cheap Strategies"). Love ") and" examine the hearts of all people and promote the ability of foot soldiers "(see Zhuge Liang's Collection, Volume 3, Sixteen Cheap Strategies. Governing the army "). Here I compare it with the Art of War. Sun Tzu's Art of War. Chapter nine talks about "being able to deceive fools and make soldiers" drive sheep, drive, drive ". Sun Tzu's art of war is to deceive soldiers' eyes and ears and let them know nothing about military intelligence. Just like a flock of sheep, only the general is driving, and the subjective initiative of the soldiers is not fully exerted. Compared with the two, Zhuge Liang attached great importance to the role of soldiers in actual wars, which not only conformed to the specific national conditions of Shu at that time, but also made great progress and perfect sublimation in the role of soldiers compared with the former Qin strategists. From this perspective, it is different from what we advocate today to vigorously improve the overall operational political quality of the troops.

Third, Zhuge Liang pays attention to equipment and array.

In the era of cold weapons, small countries with few people are often no match for big countries. The most fundamental reason is that the troops are outnumbered. Guan zhong once said: "attack is strong, attack is strong." Shu is against Wei, and Shu is weak and Wei is strong. Therefore, if we want to strengthen Wei with weak enemies, we must always foster strengths and avoid weaknesses in the confrontation between the two sides. In terms of the absolute number of troops, it is obviously impossible for the Shu army to surpass Wei. The only desirable thing is to strengthen the overall combat effectiveness of the troops. In addition to the above, Zhuge Liang has made great efforts in training the army, and Zhuge Liang has also improved the weapons and equipment of the army in order to make the Shu army stronger from weak. None of the commanders-in-chief in the Three Kingdoms period spent so much effort and energy on this issue and achieved so much. Chen shou called it "better at clever thinking." , and "mechanical skills, investigate its extreme". Zhuge Liang's improved Shu army weapons include crossbows, knives, axes, daggers, steel armor, iron thistles and so on. Among them, the crossbow impressed everyone the most. History calls it "Rong Yuan", with iron as the arrow, eight inches long and ten arrows with crossbows.