In ancient Chinese history, the Battle of Jieting was a highly controversial topic. This battle was a key battle in the Northern Expedition of Shu Han, and due to Ma Tan's mistakes, it led to the crushing defeat of Shu Han in this battle. Many historians and lovers of the Three Kingdoms are asking a question: If Ma Tan is in charge of the village, can he hold the street pavilion?And for this question, Sima Yi's evaluation seems to have given the answer.
The Battle of Jieting took place during Zhuge Liang's First Northern Expedition. At that time, after Liu Bei's death, the state of Shu Han was declining, and Cao Wei's vigilance against Shu Han was relaxed, and a large number of troops were transferred to Eastern Wu. This provided Zhuge Liang with a good opportunity to attack. Zhuge Liang's Northern Expedition achieved some success in the early stage, but Cao Wei's defense was weak and was defeated by Zhuge Liang, and almost all of the Longyou region surrendered. However, at this critical moment, the Battle of the Street Pavilion broke out.
In this battle, Shu Han was led by Ma Tan and Wang Ping, deputy general, who was responsible for the defense. Ma Tan is a general who is good at military discussions, and Zhuge Liang attaches great importance to him, and even intends to train him to be a ** person. However, in the Battle of Jieting, Ma Tan did not follow Zhuge Liang's orders or the advice of his colleagues, but chose to camp in the mountains in an attempt to defeat the Wei army with a high ground advantage. As a result, the Wei army took advantage of Ma Tan's tactical mistakes to defeat the Shu army and capture Jieting.
The loss of the street pavilion was a huge blow to Shu Han. The Wei army could directly threaten the rear route of the Shu army through Jieting, forcing Zhuge Liang to abandon the gains he had made and begin to retreat. The failure of this battle directly led to the failure of Zhuge Liang's first Northern Expedition.
Historically, there have been different views on Ma Tan's decision-making. Some people believe that if Ma Tan goes down to the village, he will also be unable to defend the street pavilion. However, Sima Yi's assessment seems to give a different answer. As a top military strategist, Sima Yi is well aware of the importance of street pavilions. When he learned that Zhuge Liang had sent troops to guard the street pavilion, he sighed that Zhuge Liang was really a god and that he was not his opponent. This shows that if Ma Jian is in charge, Sima Yi thinks that he will not be able to win.
Later, when Sima Yi learned that Ma Jian did not go down to the village in front of the road, but chose to camp on the mountain, he thought that this was the opportunity given to him by God. Sima Yi thought that Ma Tan's approach was wrong, and if Ma Tan really went down to the village, Sima Yi would not be able to successfully break through the street pavilion.
Judging from Sima Yi's evaluation, if Ma Tan goes down to the village, it is possible to guard the street pavilion. Ma Tan's decision-making mistakes led to the loss of Jieting and the failure of the Northern Expedition of Shu Han. This historical event is not only a test of Ma Yan's personal ability, but also a major challenge to Zhuge Liang's vision.
Overall, the Battle of Jieting was an important turning point in the history of the Three Kingdoms. Ma Tan's decision-making mistakes led to the defeat of Shu Han in this battle, and also affected the course of the entire Shu Han Northern Expedition. Sima Yi's evaluation provides us with a different perspective and gives us a deeper understanding of this historical battle. The Battle of Jieting was not only a military battle, but also a contest of strategy and resourcefulness.