However, a talented man is better at governing the army, a clever plan is a shortcoming, and he is better at managing the people than generals. This is what Chen Shou said, which shows that he is politically excellent but militarily weak

1. His strategic thinking is confusing and wrong. This is reflected in the following:

First, the strategic direction is confused.

To attack Wei from Hanzhong, there are two strategic directions, one is to leave Longyou; the other is to leave Guanzhong directly. There is a lack of clear direction and confusing thinking as to which direction to take. Zhuge Liang launched four strategic attacks on Wei. The first time he left Qishan in the spring of the 6th year of Jianxing; the second time he left Guanzhong in the winter of the same year; the third time he left Qishan again; and the fourth time he left Guanzhong. Suddenly this and then that, capricious, without any definite idea. This cannot be explained as a surprise. Except for the first surprise, the other three times were all planned by Cao Wei.

Second, the combat policy is wrong.

When attacking Wei from Shu Han, the troops are insufficient, the road is dangerous and difficult, and the logistics are difficult. However, Wei's rescue is relatively convenient, so it is advantageous to fight quickly. Zhuge Liang, however, is always cautious, moves steadily, and works step by step. He does not seek merit but seeks no fault first, and strives for balance with a long-term plan. This is a tactic used in advantageous situations. This tactic cannot be used in disadvantaged situations. However, the Shu Han had limited troops, difficult logistics, complex terrain in the Guanlong area, and was in a disadvantageous position. It was unable to support this kind of tactics. It would only lose the opportunity and inevitably fail.

Third, abandon the fundamentals and pursue the weak, deviating from the strategic focus.

The key to the Northern Expedition was to capture Chang'an, but Zhuge Liang never targeted Chang'an for his actions. He always struggled in places far away from Chang'an for small profits.

This question can best be explained by Sima Yi’s comments when the fourth strategic attack on Wei came out of Xiegu. See "Book of Jin." "Xuan Di Ji":

"(Sima Yi) said to the generals: 'Liang Ruo is a brave man, and he should use his martial arts to follow the mountains to the east. If he goes west to the Wuzhang Plain, all the troops will have nothing to do.' Liang Guo Shang Yuan . ”

——The meaning of Sima Yi’s words is that if Zhuge Liang goes eastward to attack Chang’an after leaving Xiegu, then Wei soldiers must fight decisively with him and cannot hold out. Now Zhuge Liang abandons his own troops and goes west to Wuzhangyuan, which will turn into an armed parade. Because there is no threat to Wei, Wei's troops can just strengthen the wall and ignore the challenge at all.

Leaving Guanzhong from Hanzhong, there are four roads including Chencang Road, Baoxie Road, Luo Valley and Ziwu Valley from west to east. Ziwu Valley is the closest to Chang'an and poses the greatest threat, while Chencang is the farthest from Chang'an and poses the least threat. Wei Yan's Ziwu Valley sneak attack captured the key to Chang'an and showed his outstanding vision.

So Zhuge Liang’s political strategy is very clever, but his military strategy is insufficient. This has been fully reflected in "Longzhong Dui". (For details, please refer to the author's other article "Reviewing the Fundamental Causes of the Loss of Jingzhou and the True Value of Longzhong" for detailed explanation)

In addition, Zhuge Liang's performance during Liu Bei's capture of Hanzhong can also be explained:< /p>

"The Biography of Yang Hong": "The First Lord fought for Hanzhong and urgently sent out troops. The military advisor and general Zhuge Liang asked Hong. Hong said: 'Hanzhong is the throat of Yizhou. If there is no chance of survival, there will be no Shu. If there is no Hanzhong, there will be no Shu.' It is also a disaster for the family. In today's affairs, men are responsible for fighting and women are responsible for luck. Why send troops?"

Hanzhong is the gateway to Xichuan. To ensure Xichuan, it must be captured. The situation of attacking Hanzhong from Xichuan is very favorable, because it is impossible to fight against Xichuan with the strength of Hanzhong alone, and it will be difficult for Cao Wei to cross the Qinling Mountains to support Hanzhong. If the soldiers come, as long as the strong wall does not fight In a war, the opponent's logistics will be difficult and it will be difficult to last. In fact, this was exactly how Liu Bei captured Hanzhong.

Therefore, capturing Hanzhong is not only strategically necessary, but also feasible.

The plan to capture Hanzhong came entirely from Fazheng, and killing Xiahou Yuan in a decisive battle was also Fazheng. See "Fa Zheng Zhuan" for details.

Huang Quan also provided important advice on the importance of Hanzhong. "Huang Quan's Biography": "When Cao Gong defeated Zhang Lu, Lu entered Bazhong, Quan Jin said: 'If Hanzhong is lost, three things will happen. If Ba fails, this is to cut off Shu's arms. 'Then the First Lord took Quan as his guard and led his generals to meet Lu. , According to Hanzhong, all rights are based on the plan. "

But Zhuge Liang obviously lacked this strategic understanding. Not only did he fail to plan in advance, he also expressed doubts.

2. Not understanding the importance of logistics to military operations.

On this point, Cao Weifang has always known very clearly, so he always considered Zhuge Liang dead on this point.

The first attack on Wei came out of Qishan, and they returned in about February. Because they were quickly defeated by Jieting, they thought the failure was accidental and did not realize the fundamental logistical problems. In fact, even if the street pavilion is defended, due to the poor food transportation, whether it can last is also a question.

The second attack on Wei Chuchencang also lasted for one month and failed. According to historical records, the army retreated after running out of food, but I don’t know whether it is true or not. But this is how Zhang He expected the enemy, and it was exactly what Zhang He expected.

The third strategic attack on Wei was out of Qishan, using wooden oxen to transport the troops. They persisted for four months and then retreated. The reason for the retreat was that heavy rains had washed away the roads and prevented food transportation. This time, they obviously absorbed the lessons from the previous two times, made special preparations for the problem of grain transportation, and manufactured special transportation tools. However, they obviously still underestimated the difficulties of grain transportation, but there was progress compared with the previous ones.

Previously, there was another attack on Wudu and Yinping, and a counterattack against Wei's attack. Although they succeeded, they were probably troubled by difficulties in transporting grain, so Zhuge Liang was prompted to find a way to solve it.

The fourth time he attacked the Wei Dynasty, he came out of Xiegu and managed the Xiegu Dige. He managed to survive for 6 months, but Liang died of illness. This time there has been a major improvement compared to the last time. Not only have the means of transportation been further improved, but major measures have also been taken from the institutional perspective, which is to control the Xiegu Dige (granary) and build a granary as close as possible to the starting point of the battlefield. Measures such as fielding on the battlefield finally ensured the food supply relatively well. It can be seen that Zhuge Liang launched strategic offensives four times, and it was not until the fourth time that the logistics problems were solved better, but it was still difficult.

This is purely a technical issue. As the so-called expert sees logistics, Zhuge Liang's deficiencies in this issue are due to lack of practical experience. Although Zhuge Liang had been guarding the rear for a long time and had sufficient food and troops, he had no experience in the difficulties that might be encountered on the front line. Later, he gradually made up for it through practice and experience. But it is a pity that Zhuge Liang wasted his years because of this, and his life came to an end.

3. For such a major strategic action as the Northern Expedition, Zhuge Liang acted in a hurry and lacked overall planning and long-term planning.

Reflected as follows:

First, improper strategic steps before and after.

The two counties of Yinping and Wudu are adjacent to Hanzhong and far away from Wei. They should be captured first as a strategic preparation for attacking Wei. However, it was not until two failed attacks on Wei that he thought of attacking Wei.

Second, the goals to be achieved by sending troops to Longxi and Guanzhong are unclear.

Should we capture all of Longxi and then move towards Guanzhong, or should we only capture the eastern part of Longxi and gain a foothold, then ignore Hehuang and Hexi and go straight to Guanzhong?

Should we take Longxi first or go straight to Guanzhong?

Is it to gain land, or to attract the Wei army to fight and eliminate its effective strength?

These issues seem to lack clear guidelines in advance. Zhuge Liang's strength is limited and he can only concentrate on completing one goal at a time. Now that the goal is unclear, he has to take one step at a time.

For example, when the first strategic attack on Wei came out of Qishan, if it was to gain territory, a large army should be quickly sent to occupy the key points and seal the Long Road. Even if Wei had large soldiers, they would not be able to pass; if it was to eliminate Wei's vital forces, Then there is no need to rush to the street pavilion to block reinforcements. Instead, Zhang He should be sent in to fight, wait for work, and annihilate him in a decisive battle. Zhuge Liang had the right time, place and people at the time, and had good conditions for a decisive battle.

For another example, later on, the Wei soldiers always stood firm and refused to fight, and Zhuge Liang seemed to be struggling to win a battle. In fact, that was because he did not attack what he needed to save. If, according to what Sima Yi said, he used martial arts to attack Chang'an, then Wei Bing had to fight decisively without any evasion.

Third, it is easier to advance and retreat than to attack rashly, lacking a way to win.

Every time we advance and retreat, although we have achieved some tactical victories, there is no strategic way to defeat the enemy and win, and the result is in vain. If we had made a comprehensive plan in advance and had a long-term plan, we would not be so careless about advancing and retreating and launching conquests rashly. Rather, it should be done without hitting, and one hit must hit.

For example, after the first expedition to Qishan failed, the expedition to Chencang failed again that year. The third attack on Wei took place from February in the spring of the 9th year of Jianxing to June in the summer. It lasted only four months before retreating. From the perspective of purpose, these operations are strategic actions, but from the perspective of the process and organizational preparations, they can hardly be regarded as strategic actions. They can only be regarded as tactical actions. This is a very immature performance.

4. Lack of ability to see opportunities and unable to predict success or failure.

Zhuge Liang was slow to see opportunities and lacked the ability to create and capture fighter opportunities. Sima Yi also commented on this, "Book of Jin." "Book of Emperor Xuan":

(The third strategic attack on Wei from Qishan) "The emperor said, 'Think more and decide less'."

(The Fourth Strategic Attack on Wei Chuxiegu) The emperor's younger brother Fu Shu asked about military affairs, and the emperor replied: "A bright ambition but no opportunity, many plans but few decisions, a good soldier but no authority. Although he mentioned a hundred thousand soldiers, he has fallen into my painting and must be destroyed.”

Although Sima Yi’s evaluation is exaggerated, it is basically consistent with the facts.

The following are specific examples:

First, as soon as we leave Qishan, the three counties of Tianshui, Nan'an and Ding are surrendered. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. At this time, we cannot advance quickly to seize the key points of the three counties. We miss a good opportunity and this is a loss.

If you want to gain territory at this time, the safe approach should be to quickly send a large army to occupy Longdi (i.e., the important point of Longdao near Jieting, near today's Zhangjiachuan) and secure the exit to the west of Guanxi. In this way, Longxi can be closed off and Longxi can be cut off, but Wei will not be able to pass through even if there are many soldiers. This is the safest strategy and is bound to succeed. Zhuge Liang waited until Wei soldiers came to help before rushing to stop the help. It was already too late.

If you want to be more aggressive, you can also consider bringing in Wei reinforcements to fight in order to annihilate them in a decisive battle. Zhang He traveled thousands of miles to come for reinforcements (starting from Luoyang) and advanced alone, which was a taboo among military strategists. The Art of War says: "Those who have benefited from traveling thousands of miles must defeat the general." This is a good opportunity to annihilate the enemy in one fell swoop. At this time, the choice of battlefield, the choice of combat timing, the balance of forces, the right time, place and people in the war zone are all in Zhuge Liang's hands. When Zhuge Liang came out of Qishan, he "commanded 200,000 people on foot and cavalry" (see "Zhuge Liang Collection. Volume 1. "Fighting Wei Zhao for the Later Emperor"). There should be more than 100,000 people on the Longxi front line.

Of course, there are certain risks in doing this. If you can't eat it in one bite, there will be Cao Zhen behind Zhang He, and there will be Emperor Wei Ming behind Cao Zhen. I'm afraid it will be self-defeating, but if it succeeds, it will be terrible, and you may even take advantage of the momentum to go to Guanzhong. Faced with this situation, how to choose depends on the coach's balance and determination.

[Reposted from Iron Blood Community/]

According to "Zhang Ji Zhuan" quoted from "Wei Lue", You Chu was the governor of Longxi and refused to surrender. "More than ten days later, all the armies At Shanglong, Zhuge Liang was defeated."

It can be seen that there was at least half a month between the three counties and Zhang He's reinforcements, which was enough time to arrange.

Secondly, the Battle of Jieting is of great importance. The main general should lead the main force to come in person. At least generals such as Wei Yan who have been tested in battle formations should be selected. This is a failure. (This is also Mao Zedong's evaluation)

Thirdly, the second attack on Wei came out of Chencang, and fell into Cao's true plan. He was blocked by Chencang and could not move down, and the division and brigade were wasted. These three losses were.

Fourth, the fourth strategic attack on Wei was out of the Xiegu Valley and to deny Weinan. It was unable to quickly cross the Wei River and occupy the Northern Plains, thus losing the opportunity to fight. These four are lost.

As for Zhuge Liang setting up ambushes to kill Wang Shuang and Zhang He, they only showed tactical cleverness, not strategic wisdom, and are not worthy of praise as a commander.

5. Lack of adventurous spirit.

When Zhuge Liang used his troops, he was always careful, steady and step-by-step. He could not take risks and make difficulties. He was more steady but lacked sharpness and was too conservative. However, the Shu Han had limited military strength and logistical difficulties, so it was unable to support this method of warfare and was bound to fail. It can neither take things by surprise nor be flexible, so it will inevitably fall into passivity. Therefore, it is said that "a clever plan is the shortest solution".

Governing a country and administering it is like cooking a small dish. You should be sure to be perfect and not tamper with it. But to defeat the enemy in battle, you must seize the opportunity to achieve success. During the Battle of Guandu, Yuan Shao besieged Cao Cao for half a year. Seeing that Cao Cao was running out of food, he asked Jia Xu for advice. Jia Xu said: "Gong Ming defeated Shao, courage defeated Shao, employment of men defeated Shao, and decisive opportunity defeated Shao. With these four victories, it took half a year." It's uncertain, but we must take Wanquan's approach into consideration, and we can determine it in a moment." Cao Cao then sent out his troops, surrounded Shao's camp for more than thirty miles, and defeated it.

The decisive opportunity is to seize the opportunity decisively or create opportunities by taking advantage of the enemy's weaknesses. The battlefield situation is changing rapidly, so keen judgment, decisive decision-making, bold actions and the courage to take risks are required. Lin Biao famously said: "You can fight a war if you are three-thirds sure." This is not inconsistent with not fighting a war without certainty. It will definitely not work if you are not willing to take risks at all and only seek perfection. Only by choosing the means according to the purpose and practical conditions can the three be well unified.

For example, Wei Yan's Ziwu Valley sneak attack plan was a brilliant plan and totally worth trying, but Zhuge Liang just didn't dare. He just didn't want to think about how rare such an opportunity was. Even if Wei Yan's plan fails, it will be a big deal. The loss is far less than the defeat of Jieting, and it will not be fatal to Shu Han. But the chances of success are high.

6. Lack of ability to employ people.

Zhuge Liang actually has many outstanding generals around him, such as Zhao Yun, Wei Yan, Wu Yi, Li Yan, Wang Ping, Deng Zhi and others. If Ma Su can exercise more, he will become a great talent. There is also Ma Chao's younger brother Ma Dai. Their family has great influence among the Xiqiang. These people are all talented generals, but Zhuge Liang failed to give full play to their role. He only used them as side generals and rarely had the opportunity to lead the army independently. During the war, they were all crowded together and controlled by Zhuge Liang. He could not Receive amazing positive effects. Wei Yan, in particular, was both wise and brave. Guo Huai, a famous general of his generation, encountered Wei Yan and defeated him in one battle, but unfortunately he could not be used to great effect.

Zhuge Liang liked Ma Su, "he took him as a soldier, and every time he introduced him, he talked about it from day to day." As a result, Zhang He defeated him in the Battle of Jieting.

Zhuge Liang liked Jiang Wei, but he changed Wei Yan's Hanzhong defense system without authorization, and was attacked by Zhong Hui, who defeated him in one battle.

However, Zhuge Liang was very good at recognizing and employing people in politics and administration. However, due to his own limitations in the military, his ability to recognize and employ people was much poorer.

7. Lack of ability to take charge of tasks.

"The Biography of Zhuge Liang" quotes "Wei's Spring and Autumn Annals" and says: "Zhuge Gong worked hard and slept late at night, and punished more than 20 people, all of whom were personally seen." There is no need to say much else

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Another "Biography of Yang Opera." "The Biography of Fu Chen of Ji Han" annotated "Xiangyang Ji": Yang Yong was the chief bookkeeper of Prime Minister Zhuge Liang. There is a lot of advice for reference. The last few words were: "Today, when the Duke of Ming Dynasty is in charge of governance, he has to bow down and write books, sweating all day long, it is not a waste of time!" Thank you. Analysis of the reasons for Zhuge Liang's insufficiency in strategy and strategy

We know that Zhuge Liang is a very smart genius, and he later also knew how to fight. His level of military management is first-class, and his fighting skills are also very high compared to ordinary generals, but he is much worse than first-class figures such as Zhou Yu and Lu Xun. There are three reasons why his level of strategic planning cannot reach the level of Zhou Yu and Lu Xun:

One is that his innate talent may be insufficient.

This cannot be discussed and can only be judged based on actual performance.

The second is determined by personal characteristics.

Famous prime ministers and famous generals often cannot be worn by one person at the same time. The reason is as mentioned before. The work characteristics of the two are often contradictory, so the required working methods and personal characteristics are also often contradictory, making it difficult to reconcile. Therefore, there has never been a person in history who can be both a famous general and a famous general. It is impossible to achieve first-class status in both aspects at the same time. Zhuge Liang's performance is already outstanding.

The third is the lack of acquired training.

The ability to lead troops in war cannot be mastered without practical training. It requires experience.

Famous generals in history, such as Sun Wu, Wu Qi, Sun Bin, Pang Juan, Le Yi, Han Xin, etc., although they were good at fighting as soon as they came out of the mountains, it was because they were taught by teachers and had undergone systematic training. , I am already familiar with military matters and have a full perceptual understanding.

Zhou Yu, Lu Su, Lu Xun and other so-called wise generals have also practiced riding and archery skills, taught martial arts and soldiers since they were young, laying a foundation for them.

Before Zhuge Liang came out of the mountain, he was a pure scholar with an elegant demeanor. He had never touched a weapon, nor had he specially practiced military formations. Therefore, although you should have read a lot of military books, understood a lot of war history, and have a certain theoretical level, you still lack practical experience, so you will make many low-level mistakes when you are in battle. But he is good at teaching, has a high level of management, and pays attention to the study of techniques and tactics, so the army can achieve strict military discipline, well-organized troops, excellent equipment and armor, well-trained training, and strong combat effectiveness.

This is also why Zhuge Liang can get along well with Ma Su, who is an armchair strategist, and cannot see his problems, while Liu Bei, who is experienced and experienced, can immediately see that Ma Di is exaggerating. The reason why Ma Su exaggerated was actually due to lack of practical training and therefore lack of experience. If you can give it time and give it a chance to practice, it may not be useless after you accumulate experience.

When we look at famous generals in history, especially those who can perform complex and dangerous tasks, they all require experience and a process of growth and maturity, which cannot be achieved overnight. Zhuge Liang's own experience fully proves this point. The so-called "Lu Qishan" shows that Zhuge Liang has grown from immaturity to maturity. From the first time he was defeated by Zhang He in a battle when the situation was good, to the last time he faced the heavy troops of Wei, he could look like two different people for a long time.

Final summary:

First, when Zhuge Liang came out of the mountain, he was just a young scribe, only 27 years old. He had never received military training, so he didn't know how to fight. He is just Xiao He, not Han Xin, nor Zhang Liang.

Second, during his lifetime, Liu Bei always used Zhuge Liang as Xiao He, and never as Han Xin or Zhang Liang. He was never allowed to lead an independent army to fight a war, and he was never taken with him every time he went on an expedition.

Third, Zhuge Liang has always lacked practical training in military affairs. In this way, when Zhuge Liang independently unified the army after Liu Bei's death, he showed a serious lack of military experience.

Fourth, in the so-called "Six Out of Qishan" in history, there were only four strategic attacks on Wei. Except for the first time, every action was calculated by Wei Fang, so Wei was easy every time. win.

Fifth, by examining the process of using troops against Wei six times, we can find that Zhuge Liang was very immature from the beginning, and then gradually became mature. It shows that he is very smart and has strong learning ability. It also proves that Liu Bei's views on him and our judgment on him are correct.

Sixth, the limitation of Zhuge Liang's shortcomings can never be overcome, because this talent comes from talent and cannot be learned; it also depends on personal characteristics and is difficult to change. His personal characteristics made him a famous figure, but they also determined that he could not become a famous general.

Seventh, Zhuge Liang lacks the quality of prompt decision-making and lacks the ability to create and seize opportunities on the battlefield. The so-called "ambition but no opportunity, many plans but few decisions, good soldiers but no power." In the process of attacking Wei, they made many low-level strategic and tactical mistakes, resulting in successive years of attacking without achieving anything and wasting the country's power.

Eighth, Zhuge Liang cannot make plans, make clever plans, take risks, employ people, or appoint subordinates. These five shortcomings determine that he is not an excellent commander.

Ninth, Zhuge Liang also had extremely high achievements in some aspects of military affairs:

——Zhuge Liang deduced the art of war and invented the Eight Formation Diagram. Sima Yi walked to the location of his camp and said, "He is a genius in the world!" This shows that he is an excellent tactician. After the fall of Shu, Sima Zhao specially sent Chen Xie to learn his tactics of arranging troops and restraining troops.

——Zhuge Liang made a series of profit and loss, and discovered that a wooden cow and a horse are lost. "Organizing the army, craftsmanship skills, and studying things to their extremes" shows that he is an outstanding technical expert. When the Shu Han fell, there were 102,000 armored soldiers, all of whom had armor. This shows that the Shu Han has been following a path of building an elite army with high quality and strong technology.

——Zhuge Liang governed the army, "the military formations were orderly, rewards and punishments were solemn, and orders were clear." ." It shows that he is an excellent military manager.

——Zhuge Liang left a lot of military expositions, which shows that he is an excellent military theorist.

The above outstanding performances and outstanding achievements have been recognized and praised by later generations, and are enough to deserve the praise of genius and the title of military strategist.

However, he has obvious limitations as a military strategist. He is not an excellent military strategist, nor is he an excellent military strategist. He is plotted by others at every turn and has difficulty making achievements. This is a pity. Zhuge Liang is good at leading troops and training troops, but he is not good at using troops. The words "Using troops like a god" have never been associated with Zhuge Liang.

Postscript:

The purpose of writing this article is not to deny Zhuge Liang or deliberately belittle Zhuge Liang. I just hope that we can more correctly understand the real Zhuge Liang in history and let us realize that No one is perfect, and such an outstanding figure actually has some boards that are very short. I also hope to share with you some of my thoughts on the character Zhuge Liang. The image of Zhuge Liang I got when I was a child watching "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms" is very different from the view I get after thinking about it after learning about history.

Traditional characters usually have three images: historical images, literary images and folk images. As a traditional Chinese folk symbol, Zhuge Liang has been deified as the embodiment of wisdom among the people. It was successfully beautified in the literary work "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms". The successful beautification of "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms" also strengthened the deification among the people. Although Zhuge Liang had become a symbol and a commemorated figure among the people long before "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms", the successful interpretation and shaping of "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms" pushed the folk deification to a higher level and update. field. When a historical figure becomes a figure in literature or folklore, he becomes an abstract symbol, and his true historical appearance is another concept. Each of the three can do their own thing.

What we are discussing here is real history. In real history, there are no gods, only humans. Therefore, as long as the opinions about characters are well-founded and reasonable, there is no need to have any scruples. It’s also beyond reproach.

I hope it will be helpful to you, and I hope you will adopt it. Thank you! ! !