In the long river of history, Shu Han's Northern Expedition can be described as a sighing journey. Among them, the Battle of Jieting became an insurmountable obstacle, shattering Shu Han's ambitions. However, the reason for the loss of the Jieting has caused widespread controversy among historians and military experts throughout the ages, especially Ma Tan's decision to station his army on the mountain instead of going down to the village, which has become the focus of controversy.
Street Pavilion is located in the Longyou area, the terrain is dangerous, is an important pass connecting Shuhan and Longyou area. If Shu Han can hold this place firmly, it will play a vital role in the subsequent Northern Expedition. However, as the coach at the time, Ma Jian made a puzzling choice. He stationed his army in the mountains, and although he had an advantage in the high places, he also exposed many drawbacks, such as lack of water and easy encirclement. This decision was later considered to be one of the key factors leading to the loss of the kiosk.
Why did Zhuge Liang and Wang Ping suggest that Ma Jian go down to the village? There are profound reasons for this. First of all, when Daoxiazhai was able to take advantage of the terrain to form natural hazards, increase the defense capability of the Shu army, and make it more advantageous in resisting the attack of the Cao army. Secondly, the high terrain on the mountain and the lack of water made Ma Tan's army fall into the dilemma of lack of water, which seriously affected the combat effectiveness of the army. In addition, Ma Tan's decision-making also made the Shu army vulnerable to encirclement, further exacerbating the tragedy of the loss of Jieting.
Regarding Ma Yan's decision-making, Sima Yi in history also reacted. After he probed the garrison of Jieting, he lamented the god of Zhuge Liang, and at the same time was disappointed in Ma Yan's decision. Sima Yi's attitude reflects that Ma Yan's decision was not only questioned in the minds of later historians, but also failed to be recognized in the military circles of the time.
Therefore, the tragedy of the loss of Jieting was not only a defeat in a campaign, but also a mistake in Ma Tan's military decision-making. If he could follow the advice of Zhuge Liang and Wang Ping and go down to the village, perhaps the loss of Jieting could be avoided, and Shu Han's Northern Expedition might have been more successful. This incident also became an important case of the failure of the Northern Expedition of Shu Han in history, which made people doubt Ma Yan's military ability.
However, as historians say, history is a mirror that reflects the various faces and realities of human society. The defeat of Jieting not only made us realize the important impact of military decisions in the war on the direction of the war situation, but also taught us a valuable historical lesson. Perhaps, it is in the failures and setbacks that we can more deeply understand the true meaning of success and go further.