Excerpt from Chen Shou's translation of Zhuge Liang in the Three Kingdoms.

As the prime minister of a country, Zhuge Liang appeases the people, abides by the etiquette system, binds officials, uses his rights carefully and treats people honestly. Those who are loyal to the country, even their enemies, will be rewarded, and those who neglect their duties and violate the law and discipline will be punished even their cronies. As long as you sincerely plead guilty and obey the law, you will be lenient, even the lightest mistake will be strictly managed, even the smallest kindness and contribution will be praised, and the smallest mistake will be punished. He is concise and practical, can solve problems fundamentally, pays attention to reality, ignores fame and despises vanity; Finally, people all over the country are afraid but admire him, and no one complains about using harsh laws. This is because he is honest and sincere to his heart, and his advice to people is very clear and reasonable. In other words, he is an excellent talent for governing the country, and his talents can be compared with those of Guan Zhong and Xiao He. But after years of hard work, he failed to succeed in foreign wars, probably because he led the army to improvise, not because of his strength!