Zhuge Liang died at the age of 234, and unfortunately died of illness in Wuzhangyuan during the Northern Expedition to Qishan before his death. He assisted Liu Bei in rectifying Shu Han all his life, and although he was ill in his last days, he still stuck to Qishan, and his life experience can be described as tragic and moving. However, Zhuge Liang failed to realize his inner ambitions, and his death made Shu fall short. Fortunately, his ** person Jiang Wei stepped forward and inherited his legacy. Jiang Wei is the successor of Zhuge Liang's subjugation at Tianshui Pass, and is highly praised by Zhuge Liang, who is quite perceptive in military affairs, courageous, and proficient in the art of war. Therefore, he has high hopes for Jiang Wei. After Zhuge Liang's death, Jiang Wei bravely took over the baton and continued to launch the Northern Expedition to the Central Plains.
However, when Jiang Wei was ambitious and worked hard to make a northern expedition to the Central Plains, he encountered interference from Zhuge Zhan. This figure not only harshly opposed Jiang Wei's actions, but also showed great dissatisfaction with Jiang Wei's policies. Why did Zhuge Liang hand over the military power to Jiang Wei instead of his son Zhuge Zhan on his deathbed?It turned out that Zhuge Zhan was Zhuge Liang's son. However, what is intriguing is that Zhuge Liang did not hand over the military power to his son when his life was dying, but to Jiang Wei. This kind of move is indeed unexpected, but if you think about it carefully, you will find Zhuge Liang's foresight. As a loving father, he has a deep love for his son. But as the saying goes, "knowing the son is better than the father", Zhuge Liang knows that his son is not a suitable person to take on heavy responsibilities.
Zhuge Zhan is Zhuge Liang's later life, he was just seven years old when Zhuge Liang died, he lived in a privileged environment since he was a child, he has never experienced hardships at all, he has been protected by Zhuge Liang, and he knows nothing about military affairs. Such a person who lacks systematic military training is simply not able to shoulder the heavy responsibility, and Zhuge Liang knows this very well. In contrast, Jiang Wei was already a young and promising military talent at that time, and he showed the quality of perseverance and had unique insights into world affairs. In the battle of Tianshui Pass, Zhuge Liang deeply realized Jiang Wei's resourcefulness and believed that Jiang Wei was a military talent with great training potential. In addition, in Zhuge Liang's later years, there was a shortage of talents in Shu Han, and it was the time to employ people. Jiang Wei's arrival brought hope to the young Shu Han.
After careful consideration, Zhuge Liang decided to pass on the military power to Jiang Wei and make him his designated ** person. So, after Zhuge Liang died, his own son opposed Jiang Wei's Northern Expedition, was it because of jealousy or out of official considerations?The answer is actually a matter of business. Zhuge Zhan's opposition to Jiang Wei was not due to the breakdown of the father-son relationship because his father trusted Jiang Wei excessively, in fact, his opposition had its reasons. As a courtier of Shu Han, Zhuge Zhan adhered to his principles and beliefs, and did not hold grudges because of his father's decision, let alone transfer his resentment to Jiang Wei. His opposition stems from his personal thoughts and opinions. Zhuge Zhan first focused on the issue of people's livelihood.
At that time, Shu was worried about foreign troubles, and after the governance of several generations of prime ministers, the wind and rain in the territory were smooth, and the people's livelihood was stable. However, since Zhuge Liang's death, Shu's economy has gradually declined, the state is unable to provide sufficient support for the army, and people's livelihood has begun to fall into trouble. Every time taxes are paid, various industries are in financial difficulties. Zhuge Zhan saw it in his eyes, as a courtier, he didn't want Jiang Wei to send troops frequently. Because this not only led to the destruction of the fields, but also made the common people tighten their belts to feed the army, which would be a waste of money for the Shu State. In Zhuge Zhan's view, it is more important to save money for the restoration of people's livelihood. Secondly, Zhuge Zhan was also worried about Jiang Wei's rise. Jiang Wei was a pillar figure in the late Shu Han period, brave and intelligent, good at using soldiers, and both civil and military.
However, he rarely participated in the affairs of the court, and was stationed on the battlefield for a long time, far away from the court. This makes him vulnerable to criticism and blame. The eunuch Huang Hao often separated the relationship between the queen and Jiang Wei, and this kind of gossip also seeped into the hearts of the ministers. Zhuge Zhan did not have an in-depth understanding of the military situation on the front line, so he questioned Jiang Wei, fearing that he might rebel against the imperial court, so he was always dissatisfied with Jiang Wei. Finally, was Jiang Wei's decision on the Northern Expedition correct?Although Zhuge Zhan's worries are understandable, they also expose his ignorance of military affairs. From a historical point of view, Shu has long been weak and poor, and is in a disadvantaged position.
Jiang Wei's single-handedly Northern Expedition was actually a strategic move, and he used the name of the Northern Expedition to confront the surrounding countries to show that Shu still had strong military strength and would not allow other countries to set foot in it. Jiang Wei's strategy of "attacking as defending" not only demonstrated his courage, but also highlighted his foresight, and the nine long-term campaigns against the Central Plains not only consolidated the territory of Shu, but also continued its foundation for 20 years. Although some people think that Jiang Weijiu's expedition to the Central Plains was a waste of money and labor, his record between 238 and 262 AD was quite good. In the second, seventh and eighth battles, Jiang Wei all achieved phased victories, especially in the Battle of Taoxi, where he directly broke the 40,000 Wei army with fewer victories and more victories, which dealt a blow to the entire Wei state.
Jiang Wei almost did not suffer defeats, only the sixth Northern Expedition was withdrawn due to the supply of grain and grass, and the ninth Northern Expedition was forced to withdraw because of the failure of his pig teammate Hu Ji, these retreats were not Jiang Wei's incompetence but caused by external factors. It is worth mentioning that during the Northern Expedition, due to Huang Hao's dictatorship, Jiang Wei could not dispatch many generals. However, the strong never complain about the environment, even under such harsh conditions, Jiang Wei still strives to break through, he is worthy of Zhuge Liang's ** person. In contrast, although Zhuge Zhan is Zhuge Liang's own son, his intelligence is far inferior to his father. The most typical example is the Battle of Mianzhu in 263 AD, Zhuge Zhan missed the opportunity because he insisted on going his own way, and finally committed suicide.
Perhaps Zhuge Liang never thought that while he was strategizing and demarcating the world, his son was so mediocre, which is really suffocating. Zhuge Zhan said: "I can't get rid of Huang Hao internally, I can't control Jiang Wei externally, and I can't defend the country, I have three crimes!."However, no matter what, Zhuge Zhan is worthy of Shu, at least he inherited Zhuge Liang's loyalty. Overall, Zhuge Zhan and Jiang Wei, who is right and who is wrong?