There are different opinions on the evaluation of the Northern Expedition in history, especially Zhuge Liang's Six Exits of Qishan, which is even more thought-provoking. Zhuge Liang is resourceful and dedicated, and his reputation is far-reaching.
However, whether his Northern Expedition was for the revival of the Han dynasty or for the control of power and selfishness remains an unsolved mystery.
All kinds of signs have aroused our doubts about Zhuge Liang's motives for the Northern Expedition, and his performance in the Northern Expedition is worthy of our in-depth reflection.
In 223 AD, Liu Bei, the founding monarch of the Shu Han Dynasty, died in the White Emperor City, and on his deathbed entrusted his young heir, Liu Chan, to Zhuge Liang, the prime minister of the Shu Han Dynasty, hoping that Zhuge Liang would help him stabilize the country.
At that time, Liu Bei was already terminally ill, lying on the bed, his face full of vicissitudes.
He held Zhuge Liang's hand tightly, tears welled up in his eyes, and said slowly in a slightly hoarse voice: "Liang'er, I have not been able to achieve my wish in this life, so I can only entrust the unfinished business to you ......."Speaking of this, he suddenly coughed, Zhuge Liang also had red eyes, and silently held Liu Bei's hand.
After Liu Bei's death, Zhuge Liang immediately stabilized the situation, first restoring the alliance with Eastern Wu, and the two sides re-established friendly relations.
At that time, many important ministers of the Shu Han Dynasty still had resentments against Eastern Wu, but Zhuge Liang intervened, saying that they must unite against foreign enemies, and everyone was no longer entangled in old grievances.
Then, he worked hard to reform the political affairs and straighten out the bureaucracy, and in a short time, everything seemed to be calm again.
After years of war, Zhuge Liang is well aware of the heavy responsibility he shoulders, and he will never give up easily. In 226 AD, Cao Wei had a coup d'état, Cao Pi died, and Cao Rui succeeded him.
At this time, in the court of Cao Wei, some people advocated taking the opportunity to eliminate the great trouble in the southwest, but some people advocated resting the army and raising the people. Zhuge Liang made in-depth observations and proposed that it was necessary to strike first to avoid the scourge of Shu Han.
So, in 227 AD, Zhuge Liang submitted a seal to Liu Chan, who was only 12 years old at the time, expressing his lofty ambition to go north to the Central Plains, sweep Cao Wei, and rebuild the Han dynasty.
On the surface, this may be Zhuge Liang's return to the former emperor Liu Bei; However, when we look at the overall situation and the situation, Zhuge Liang's Northern Expedition plan seems to have other meanings.
In the first lunar month of 228 AD, Zhuge Liang led the Shu Han army to the north to attack Cao Wei, opening the first act of his Northern Expedition. Comparing the national strength of the two countries, it can be said that there is a world of difference.
Cao Wei occupied nine and a half states in the Central Plains and had hundreds of thousands of well-trained, high-morale, and well-equipped troops, which could be called invincible in the world; The Shu Han only occupies one place in Bashu, with a military strength of about 90,000 people, which is far inferior to Cao Wei in terms of population and military strength.
In contrast, the Shu army was poorly equipped, and although the soldiers were high-spirited, they still seemed weak in the face of the strong lineup of Cao Wei's army.
In the face of such a huge gap, even Zhuge Liang understood the arduousness of the Northern Expedition. But he still firmly inspected the Shu army, promising the soldiers that he would sweep away the enemies in the north and restore the foundation of the Han dynasty.
Although the soldiers felt the severity of the situation, they were also infected by his conviction and shouted their determination to go to battle. Despite the decision to go north, and go all out, what is the purpose of this?
Reviving the Han Dynasty may be too idealistic; Self-preservation, and there is no immediate threat. Behind this move, Zhuge Liang's more practical thinking may be hidden.
During the seven years between 228 and 234 AD, Zhuge Liang led Shu Han to launch five military attacks against Cao Wei, known in history"Six out of Qishan"。During this period, although Zhuge Liang achieved some victories, most of them ended in defeat.
Among them, his general Ma Tan suffered a setback in Jieting in the first Northern Expedition and was defeated by Zhang He, a famous general of Cao Wei, and finally survived. In the following Northern Expeditions, the Shu army basically ended in a loss of troops.
The battlefield was devastated, the morale of the Shu army was low, and the horn of the Northern Expedition gradually lost its meaning. This seven-year war not only failed to recover the lost territory, but seriously depleted the national strength of Shu Han.
It stands to reason that if you hurt the enemy a thousand and lose 800 yourself, how could Zhuge Liang, as a steady and wise strategist, make such a fateful decision? Is it just for the sake of fame, that he has to sacrifice so many lives?
This can't help but make people wonder what is going on.
We must deeply analyze the true purpose of Zhuge Liang's Northern Expedition. The official explanation is that Zhuge Liang served the country with loyalty and fought for the first emperor Liu Bei, however, we also have a trace of suspicion.
At that time, Liu Bei only handed over the important task of auxiliary government to Zhuge Liang before his death, and did not mention the Northern Expedition. After Zhuge Liang took office, he first repaired the relationship with Dongwu and released goodwill; As for Cao Wei, the domestic contradictions far outweigh the external threats.
According to Zhuge Liang's usual cautious attitude, he should not have acted lightly.
This passage shows that the timing of Zhuge Liang's Northern Expedition does not seem to be ideal, and it seems to be a bit rushed. Could it be that after he grasps the power, he will also find it difficult to control himself, and want to eliminate dissidents and control the entire court situation?
If it wasn't for the war, why would he let Liu Chan obey him and be at his mercy? Then, the real reason why Zhuge Liang started the war may be to consolidate his power and make Liu Chan rely on him to manage political affairs.
This possibility is not out of the question. Does this kind of conspiracy also show that Zhuge Liang's thinking is difficult? Or should we not take it lightly and give the most basic assumptions of good faith to the counselor?
These questions deserve our in-depth consideration.
Zhuge Liang's Northern Expedition brought irreparable damage to the national strength of Shu Han, and also laid a hidden danger for the subsequent national break. Many people believe that it was precisely because the Northern Expedition consumed national strength for many years that led to the final fall of Shu Han.
However, even so, in the hearts of the people of Shu Han, the image of their prime minister Zhuge Liang was not damaged because of this, but was highly respected. The people are keen to sing the story of Zhuge Liang and praise his loyal and patriotic virtues; The soldiers also regarded him as a spiritual leader and had great respect for him in their hearts.
This reflects from the side that when evaluating historical figures, we should abandon emotion, remain rational, and not easily divide people into heroes or traitors, good people or bad people.
Any history should have its own rational explanation, and we need to analyze it as objectively as possible and avoid arbitrary conclusions.
There are some doubts about the motive and effect of Zhuge Liang's Northern Expedition. But this does not mean that we should completely deny Zhuge Liang's contributions, and his achievements in other fields are still worthy of our learning and admiration.
History is an evolving process, and there is no fixed answer. We should not make conclusions lightly, but should understand history with a calm and rational attitude, and look at the past from a more comprehensive and objective perspective.
The controversy over the Northern Expedition has not yet been conclusive, and we should not be affected by emotion, but should uphold the spirit of scientific knowledge and continuous exploration to history. Zhuge Liang's personality and behavior are complex and require us to understand and accept them with an open mind.
Whether or not the mystery of the Northern Expedition can be revealed, the process of exploration itself will give us a deeper understanding of historical figures.
We must not be bound by personal prejudices or judge others at will, and only by maintaining a peaceful mind can we truly understand the endless book of history.