Why didn't Zhuge Liang save his strength and go to Qishan seven times …

After the establishment of the Shu-Han regime in the Three Kingdoms, Liu Bei was furious at the fall of Jingzhou and the dismemberment of Zhang Guan's right-hand man. When the fire broke out, the young hero Sun Huan almost killed Liu. Liu Bei died of shame and anger. Before he died, he entrusted his son and career to Zhuge Liang. Even if you say no on purpose, Zhuge Liang will be king. As long as I can destroy Cao and Sun, I will die without regret. Zhuge Liang is a wise man. He knows that Liu Bei's statement is insincere and infeasible, so he devoted himself to protecting his late master. During Zhuge Liang's reign, Shu Han attacked Cao Wei six times in a row, and organized the defense against Wei Jun's major attack. Later generations collectively referred to this period of history as Zhuge Liang's "Seven Emergencies from Qishan". Many people doubt the wisdom of Zhuge Liang's policies and strategies, and even assert that Zhuge Liang wasted the strength of Shu Han and accelerated his later demise. If Zhuge Liang is on the defensive and saves the strength of Shu Han, with the population and financial situation of Shu Han, it is difficult for Wei Jun to conquer Shu over Qinling Mountains. Then let's restore this history: In the spring of 228 AD, Zhuge Liang deliberately threatened to attack from Gu Jie Road, and ordered Zhao Yun and Deng Zhi to lead a division to occupy the valley, which attracted the attention of Wei General Cao Zhen's troops; Kongming himself secretly attacked Qishan (Lixian County, Gansu Province) from the northwest along the mountain road with his main force. The border between Shu and Wei has been calm for many years. Zhuge Liang led the east to the west, led heavy troops to fight the Qinling Mountains, occupied the throat, and cut off the connection between Longyou and the East. The garrison troops and officials in Nan 'an, Tianshui and Anding rebelled against Wei and surrendered to Shu in panic, and the people of Qinchuan drifted away. Wei Mingdi led the reinforcements to the Western Expedition, personally sat in Chang 'an, and commanded Wei Jun to fight back to the west with the famous Zhang He as commander in chief. Ma Su was appointed by Kong Ming to lead the former army to defend the street kiosks (at that time, many people recommended Wei Yan or Wu Yi, Zhuge Liang believed in Ma Su's ability), but he was defeated by Zhang He because of improper command. Zhuge Liang was forced to withdraw from Hanzhong stronghold after the defeat of the main force; Zhao Yun and his men were also defeated by Cao Zhen. The ever-victorious general Zhao Yun personally patrolled and burned the plank road, and then withdrew to Hanzhong safely and orderly. In this battle, the morale of the Shu army was greatly reduced, and there was no place to defend. The only gain is that the well-known Jiang Wei and more than a thousand immigrants from the west county obviously do more harm than good. In the winter of the same year, Zhuge Liang broke through the customs and besieged Chencang (now Baoji). Cao Zhen, commander-in-chief of Wei Guanzhong, led a great army to confront the Shu army. The Shu army can't attack this fortified city, and the only way out is to retreat. On the way back, the Shu army killed Xinmeile Co., Ltd., the general who pursued Wei. In 229, Zhuge Liang sent Chen to attack Wuduhe in the west of Hanzhong. When Wei Jun saved him, Zhuge Liang led an army to intercept him. Wei Yongzhou, the secretariat of Guo Huai, could not retreat, and these two border counties, mainly Qiang and Miao, were occupied by Shu Han. In the autumn of 230, Wei Jun launched a massive counterattack, and Sima Yi, Zhang He and Cao Zhen marched in order to recover Hanzhong. Zhuge Liang commanded the Shu army to defend actively. There was no war between the two countries, and Wei Jun took the initiative to retreat because of the heavy rain for several months and the difficult road. In the same year, Zhuge Liang sent generals Wei Yan and Wu to Qiang, and after Yang Xi defeated Wei, generals Fei Yao and Yongzhou secretariat of Guo Huai's army. In 23 1 year, Zhuge Liang led the army out of Qishan, and also invented the wooden ox to solve the problem of grain and grass transportation. When he met with loyal opposition, Wei was in Longyou County, and Zhuge Liang ordered soldiers to grab young crops in other places and planned to trap the county. Sima Yi and Zhang He joined hands to rescue each other, and the two armies confronted each other. The Shu army failed again because of protracted war and lack of food (Li Yan lied about logistics). This time, the Shu army went out of Qishan and shot Wei Junxing Zhang He. In the spring of 234 AD, Zhuge Liang made his last northern expedition. The army successfully broke through the north exit of Baoxiegu Road (southwest Qinling Mountain Pass in Meixian County, Shaanxi Province) and occupied Wugong Wuzhangyuan (south of Qishan Mountain). Wei Jun, under the leadership of Sima Yi, strengthened the defense on the south bank of Weihe River. This time Zhuge Liang adjusted his strategy, divided his troops and settled on the north bank of Weishui River, preparing for a protracted war, trying to win counties in Liangzhou, and then looking for opportunities to March into Chang 'an in Guanzhong. But in August, Zhuge Liang died in the army at the age of 54. The generals of the Shu army withdrew their troops according to the arrangement of the Prime Minister before his death. Only general Wei Yan objected and insisted on continuing the Northern Expedition. The Shu army retreated as planned. On the way, the infighting Shu army killed Wei Yan under the command of Yang Yi. It is a long history (in fact, Wei Yan was wronged. Why did he chase down an army and surrender to Sima Yi on the spot? ). Zhuge Liang took the initiative to attack six times, and only the first and last time could he win a staged victory. After careful preparation for the first time, the strategy was unexpected and the morale of the army was high; Moreover, it successfully cut off the connection between Guanzhong and Longyou, isolated the counties in Longyou, and the panicked three counties surrendered, and Guanzhong also fell into panic. In this case, if the main force of Ma Su's former army can resist Wei Jun's counterattack or restrain it for a long time, the remaining Hexi counties in Liangzhou will be occupied by Shu Han in all likelihood. Liangzhou produces good horses, elite soldiers, grain and grass and other important war resources, which can not only carry out trade with the western regions, but also contact the northern Xianbei flank to contain Wei, and the southern part can also recruit Qiang and Miao people to supplement their troops. If Zhuge Liang manages for a few more years, he will find an opportunity to occupy Guanzhong, connect the four States of Yong, Liang and Yi, and then control the natural barrier of Tongguan and confront each other along the Yellow River. We can't assert that Wei will perish, but its strength will be completely different. This is the thought carefully planned by Zhuge Liang in those days, and it is also a more logical and brilliant strategy. Zhuge Liang made many northern expeditions, and his core goal was to turn this idea into reality. Wei Yan, Shu Jiang, the most prestigious and courageous old general after the death of the Five Tigers. He repeatedly wanted to command the army alone, fight separately with Zhuge Liang, and finally join forces with Tongguan. In the middle of the Northern Expedition, I boldly proposed that I would send 5,000 soldiers out of the Meridian Valley and take Chang 'an directly (Xiahou Mao was the commander in chief of Guanzhong at that time). But now it seems that Wei Yan despised Wei's strength and his plan could not succeed. Qinchuan is a strategic place of Cao Wei. Losing Guanzhong is not only a change in the balance of power between the two sides, but also the capital Luoyang will be directly exposed to danger. If Hangu Pass falls, Wei may fall apart. Cao Wei is full of talents, and he must understand the great strategic significance of Guanzhong; Cao Wei not only deployed a powerful mobile army in Chang 'an, but also set up many Wei Jun outposts in the Qinling Mountains with Hanzhong as the key point of confrontation. In particular, several dangerous ancient plank road passes were guarded by garrisons. Unless Shu Han was fully armed, it would not be enough to break through. Even if Wei Yan can take Chang 'an by surprise, but he can't control Tongguan and Ling Du in the east, Wei Jun's counterattack is untenable. Therefore, Zhuge Liang's strategy of blocking Qishan and seeking Longyou is correct and only feasible. When Shu Han sent troops for the last time, Zhuge Liang summed up his experience and lessons and prepared to fight a protracted war. If we can successfully intercept the Wei Jun Westward Corps based on Wuzhangyuan (in fact, the Shu army has already done it, and the two armies have been deadlocked for three months, and the Shu army has spare capacity to divide the troops and set the field), Liangzhou counties will be more difficult to fight than before, but they will certainly win slowly. Unfortunately, Zhuge Liang fell ill because of fatigue. Before he died, he judged that other soldiers were no match for Sima Yi. After his death, Shu Han should adjust his defense strategy and arrange his evacuation plan. Yang Yi, who had a long-term contradiction with Wei Yan when retreating, sent someone to kill Wei Yan who had lost power and influence, and also slandered him for defecting to the enemy. According to Zhuge Liang's strategy of changing the offensive into the defensive, Shu Han still has the conditions to persist for a long time. Although there are unfavorable factors such as the fatuity of the late ruler, the withering of talents and the inability of Shu soldiers to fight; However, it is no problem to burn the plank road and rely on the danger of Qinling Pass to defend it for decades. Chen Shou's evaluation of Zhuge Liang is: "Running the army for a long time is better, planning is shorter, and managing people is better." He correctly evaluated the political ability of the Prime Minister, but underestimated Zhuge Liang's military ability. Zhuge Liang's strategic planning ability is absolutely first-class. There is no way to raise soldiers in the east of Shu and Han, and the Qinling Mountains are due north, and Wei Jun is heavily guarded. However, under the surveillance and blockade of Wei Jun, Zhuge Liang was still able to successfully repel Xiongguan in Qinling twice (once through the customs, once out of Gujie North Pass, and it was relatively easy to secretly leave Qishan in the northwest), but it was difficult for his successor to do so. Even Jiang Wei, a proté gé, only succeeded in capturing Qinchuan with tens of thousands of troops when Sima Shi struggled with Zhuge Dan, a Huainan army, in Yan Xi for twenty years. With the strength of the Shu army in those days (the size of the Guan Zhongjun of Wei alone was even larger than that of Zhuge Liang's Northern Expeditionary Army), the combat capability of Shu generals and soldiers, and the long and difficult logistics supply, Zhuge Liang actually gained the upper hand several times. In the third year of Jianxing's South Expedition, although the opponent was Na Man with backward technology and poor organization, in less than a year, the Shu army swept the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, which also convinced Meng Huo. To achieve these achievements, it is impossible to do so well without a strong military. Zhuge Liang can't be blamed for some tactical mistakes in the Northern Expedition. The comprehensive strength of Shu Han is not as good as that of his opponents, especially few generals who can stand alone. Finally, the actual situation at that time showed that Shu Han seemed to have fertile land, a large population, developed industry and commerce, and dangerous terrain. It seems that he can develop the economy behind closed doors, increase the population, train the army, enrich Qiang Bing first, and then bide his time. But in fact, despite the defects of narrow territory and narrow development space, the southwest area controlled by Shu Han is a military death hole; Despair in the west and south, Three Gorges in the east and Qinling Mountains in the north. It's hard for opponents to get in and out. A strong enemy can easily trap you and destroy you. In history, all the separatist regimes in Southwest China, such as Zhang and Shi Dakai, could hardly escape this rule. Understand this, insist on the red army going north, but the Zhang department in the south does not understand; The reason why the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression National Government can persist in Chongqing is that the northwest is not under the control of the Japanese army, but supported by the Yunnan-Burma line and hump air transport. Moreover, Japan's strength was weak in the later period, and the international anti-fascist forces became more and more brave. Masters like Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang know that Liu Bei must find a way to get back Jingzhou. Zhuge Liang put all his eggs in one basket and fought for Liangzhou and Yongzhou. Only by opening the gap in the east or north can we turn the corner. Secondly, although the population density of Shu is considerable, the quality is not good, and the local indigenous people are timid and afraid to fight; Military and political management talents are inferior to Wei and Wu. If the talents collected by Liu Bei in his early years are not used, they will naturally dry up and decrease, and there are contradictions between foreign groups and Yizhou gentry. Liu Chan is not an ideal monarch. These factors piled up together, forcing Zhuge Liang to seize the time in his lifetime and strive for more living space and war resources as much as possible, so as not to be sorry for Liu Bei's kindness in those years. It's a pity that Zhuge Liang can't make these words clear to anyone, for fear of affecting morale and confidence, he can only express them artistically. According to Hanshu Jin Chunqiu, Zhuge Liang once said that Liu Chan said: "With the wisdom of the first emperor, we can measure the talents of the ministers, so we know that the ministers are weak and the enemies are strong; However, if we don't kill the thief, Wang Ye will die, and he can only wait for death. Which one? ..... I have to cherish myself, and I can't be partial to the capital of Shu, so I take risks to serve the legacy of my late emperor, which critics call a plan. ..... Today, your majesty is not as good as Gaudi, and your adviser is not as good as Pinggong, but if you want to win in the long run and secure the world, this minister has not yet solved it. Liu You and Wang Lang, according to their respective counties, talked about their safety and attracted saints. Many people were full of doubts. They can't fill their chests. Don't recruit them next year, let Sun Ce sit on the throne and merge into Jiangdong. The minister has not solved the second problem. " This passage clearly shows Kong Ming's view on the current situation, and also reflects that there were many people in Shu Han who advocated local security and opposed the Northern Expedition, not just those who were shortsighted by later generations.