Introduction: Zhuge Liang, the word Kongming, the number Wolong, the prime minister of the Shu Han Dynasty, is known as "the good general of the eight formations and the wise man of the Three Kingdoms". His life is full of legends and has made great contributions to the establishment and development of the Shu Han state. However, even if he is as resourceful as him, he has left two major failures in the long course of history. This article will review Zhuge Liang's two major failures from a historical perspective.
1. Guan Yu lost Jingzhou.
In 219 AD, Guan Yu led an army on a northern expedition to attack Cao Cao's stronghold, Jingzhou. At first, Guan Yu won consecutive battles, and Cao Cao even considered moving the capital to avoid his edge. However, just when Guan Yu's victory was in sight, Sun Quan of Eastern Wu took the opportunity to attack Jingzhou, Guan Yu was attacked by the enemy on his back, and finally defeated Maicheng and was killed by Eastern Wu.
This incident can be called Zhuge Liang's first major failure. During Guan Yu's Northern Expedition, Zhuge Liang failed to gain insight into Sun Quan's ambitions in time, resulting in the loss of Jingzhou and Guan Yu's death. Jingzhou's strategic position was very important, and the loss of Jingzhou made Shu Han lose the opportunity to develop eastward, and also made Zhuge Liang's later Northern Expedition more difficult.
Second, Ma Tan lost the street pavilion.
In 229 AD, Zhuge Liang began his first Northern Expedition. In this Northern Expedition, Zhuge Liang's soldiers were divided into two routes, one was led by himself, and attacked Qishan;The other route was led by Ma Tan and attacked the street pavilion. However, Ma Tan's defeat in the Battle of Jieting caused the entire Northern Expedition to fall into passivity, and Zhuge Liang had to withdraw his troops.
Ma Tan's loss of the street pavilion can be called Zhuge Liang's second major failure. In this battle, Zhuge Liang trusted Ma Jian too much and ignored his lack of actual combat experience, resulting in the defeat of the battle. The failure of the Northern Expedition not only damaged the national strength of Shu Han, but also made Zhuge Liang lose the support of the people, laying hidden dangers for the later Northern Expedition.
Summary: Although Zhuge Liang's life is full of legends, his mistakes in the two major battles of Guan Yu's loss of Jingzhou and Ma Tan's loss of Jieting have become indelible failures in his life. These two failures not only seriously affected the development of the Shu Han state, but also made Zhuge Liang's later Northern Expedition more difficult. However, in the long course of history, no one has been perfect. Although Zhuge Liang left a defeat, his wisdom and courage are still admired by future generations.