During the Three Kingdoms period, there were many talents and schemes, and one of them was a talent, because Zhuge Liang believed that his character had a rebellious element, so Zhuge Liang had always had reservations about him, and did not adopt his strategic plan to go directly to Chang'an from Hanzhong through the Meridian Valley.
It was Wei Yan who came up with this clever plan, and Zhuge Liang refused without the slightest hesitation. Wei Yan was unwilling, thinking that Zhuge Liang did not take his suggestion because he was jealous of his talent.
Is that really the case? Is Zhuge Liang really jealous? Is Wei Yan's Meridian Valley plot feasible? Let's trace the historical scene, after all. After Liu Bei's death, Liu Chan was incompetent, and the military and political power of the Shu Han Dynasty was monopolized by Zhuge Liang.
He took the stabilization of the rear as his first task, captured Meng Shu seven times, and pacified the barbarians in the south. After that, he led the army to Cao Wei. Zhuge Liang was not an adventurer, he always made detailed deductions and considered various possibilities before making decisions.
The Meridian Valley was a shortcut to Chang'an, and his ingenuity made it impossible for him to ignore it. However, after careful consideration, he decided to go out of Qishan. The reason was that the road to Qishan was flat, thousands of miles away from Cao Wei, and there was a risk of ambush on both sides of the mountain road.
The importance of food and grass to the army is self-evident, and if the food and grass are cut off, the army will not be able to fight effectively. Qishan is strategically located, and Zhuge Liang is here to settle in the field, which can not only avoid long-distance travel, but also ensure the rest and recuperation of soldiers, which is a well-thought-out and wise move.
In contrast, Wei Yan's Meridian Valley plot was not successful, and the reason for this was that the terrain of Meridian Valley was complex, and Wei Yan needed to send 5,000 soldiers and horses as a vanguard, but this required quick action and surprise.
It is a pity that he ignored the problem of food **, the load march of the rear 5000 men will make their march slower than the front 5000 men, and if the vanguard does not have enough food, they will have to wait for the arrival of the follow-up troops.
In this way, the so-called "speed of soldiers" will be greatly reduced. According to the plan, Wei Yan only had eighteen days, and he had to arrive at Chang'an City within these eighteen days.
But at such a pace of marching, this is undoubtedly a difficult task.
This calculation does not take into account the effects of the weather, and in the event of a storm, 10,000 soldiers and horses will be stuck in the quagmire and unable to move forward, and their food will only last for a month.
If this period is exceeded, they may be trapped in the Meridian Valley for a long time, and before they have engaged the enemy army, they may face defeat. Isn't such a war a joke of history?
Of course, the war also needs to take into account the factor of time, if Wei Yan is very lucky, according to the agreement, he will arrive at the city of Chang'an on time and start the siege battle.
New Copywriting: He needs to be cautious in the face of new challenges. The Art of War emphasizes that siege is a last resort and will only be used when it is absolutely necessary.
The keeper of Chang'an City was Xiahou Nan, although he got the position of Taishou by virtue of his kinship, but according to historical records, he was not good at military affairs, but liked commercial activities.
In this regard, Wei Yan commented that he was a typical gentleman. However, this did not mean that he would easily abandon the city in the face of a long journey of 5,000 troops. After all, Cao Wei was one of the most powerful states in the Three Kingdoms, and although Xiahou Nan was not good at military warfare, he would also do his best to protect his city in the face of threats.
Chang'an City, as the capital of the Han Dynasty, its impregnable city defenses and huge garrison were enough to withstand Wei Yan's vanguard troops. Even if Wei Yan is lucky, Xiahou Nan is weak, and Cao Wei is full of talents, are the guards of Chang'an City all incompetent?
There will definitely be warriors who will stand up and live and die with Chang'an City. Therefore, Wei Yan's Meridian Valley conspiracy was destined to be unrealized. However, history is always strikingly similar, after 1,500 years of precipitation, in the last years of the Ming Dynasty, there was a general, who may have been influenced by the Three Kingdoms, maybe his own inspiration, but he did carry out a great plan.
In practice, what is the result? Gao Yingxiang, the former subordinate of King Li Zicheng, was once one of the most powerful rebels. In order to attack the Guanzhong region as soon as possible, he personally led a strange army deep into the Meridian Valley.
The Meridian Valley is high and densely forested, perhaps because of the favor of the heavens, they did not encounter extreme weather along the way, and the marching speed was acceptable. However, Gao Yingxiang overlooked one point: such a complex terrain is the most vulnerable to enemy ambushes.
Once the enemy sets up an ambush from the top of the hill on both sides and attacks from top to bottom, Gao Yingxiang's army will be completely annihilated.
However, he was overconfident that the enemy army was too tired to deal with the rebels and would not notice their infiltration from the Meridian Valley. As everyone knows, stationed in Chang'an was a famous general in the late Ming Dynasty, known as the pillar stone at the end of the Ming Dynasty, and he had already sent sentinels to closely monitor the Meridian Valley.
Therefore, they set up an ambush and waited for Gao Yingxiang and his army. In the end, Gao Yingxiang and his army were trapped in the valley and the whole army was annihilated. In this way, Wei Yan's Meridian Valley conspiracy was verified.
Although some people have opposing opinions, they believe that during the Three Kingdoms period, Deng Ai of Cao Wei approached the capital of Shu Han through the Meridian Valley, causing Shu Han to surrender without a fight, doesn't this prove that Wei Yan's plan is correct?
However, in analyzing a war, we need to consider three factors: time, place, and people, and these three factors are indispensable. Deng Ai was successful because his plan had an advantage in three factors: time, place, and people.
First of all, after Zhuge Liang's death, Shu Han lacked suitable generals, and Liu Chan was mediocre, which was the time of day.
Deng Ai found traces of barracks that had been stationed along the road, but unfortunately they had all retreated. Deng Ai deeply felt that if Zhuge Liang was still alive, he would have nowhere to escape.
He took advantage of the stealthy terrain and unmanned reconnaissance to march smoothly. In the end, Shu Han was already at the end of his power, and he was powerless to fight against it, and it was only a matter of time before he perished.
When the news came, the enemy army was approaching the city, Liu Chan was terrified, and there was no right-hand man around him, so there was no other way but to surrender. Therefore, the feasibility of the Meridian Valley strategy cannot be verified by the topography alone, and the background factors cannot be ignored.
To sum up, Zhuge Liang's rejection of Wei Yan's suggestion was undoubtedly a wise decision.