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Text: Yanyan
Edited by Yeon-yeon
——【· Preface ·】——》
The Battle of Wuzhangyuan, the most ambitious of Zhuge Liang's Northern Expedition, but why did it fail in the end?
This war brought together the strongest combat power and the most elite generals of Shu Han, and Zhuge Liang, with his outstanding military talent and meticulous strategic deployment, intended to realize the grand wish of recovering the Han dynasty.
Is it the fate of heaven that is difficult to disobey, or is the heart of the human being fickle? Why did the battle staged in Wuzhangyuan fall into trouble at a critical moment? How many of the real reasons behind the victory or defeat are unknown to us?
Shu Han who is ready to go
In 231 AD, Zhuge Liang led the army to defeat the Wei army in the Battle of Lucheng, which gave great encouragement to the Shu Han court and army.
However, as a far-sighted strategist, Zhuge Liang was not carried away by victory. He knew that in order to truly defeat the powerful Wei State, Shu Han needed more preparations.
In the next three years, Zhuge Liang devoted all his energy to the war of strong armaments. He first grasped the key link of military training. The newly recruited soldiers in the Shu army generally lacked actual combat experience and had limited combat effectiveness.
To this end, Zhuge Liang personally supervised the training, focusing on building an elite unit called the "Tiger Infantry". This unit was not only well-equipped, but also mastered the exquisite battle formation of the "Eight Formations" under the personal guidance of Zhuge Liang.
At the same time, Zhuge Liang did not ignore the importance of logistics support. He vigorously promoted the tuntian system in Hanzhong, Longxi, Yong'an, Fuling and other places, and organized the army and civilians to reclaim wasteland.
Hanzhong alone has cultivated more than 100,000 acres of fertile land, and millions of stones of grain can be harvested every year. This not only solved the problem of food supply for the army, but also greatly reduced the burden on the people.
In order to further improve the efficiency of grain transportation, Zhuge Liang developed a "flowing horse" that is more suitable for waterway transportation on the basis of the wooden ox flowing horse. These innovations greatly improved the mobility and long-lasting combat capability of the Shu army.
In this way, after three years of careful preparation, Zhuge Liang created an unprecedentedly powerful army. This army is not only well-trained, but also self-sufficient, highly resupplyal, and has a staggering 100,000 people.
Zhuge Liang's astonishing strategy
In 234 AD, Zhuge Liang decided to launch the Fifth Northern Expedition. This time, his target was no longer the marginal Longxi region, but directly at the hinterland of Wei - Guanzhong.
Zhuge Liang chose to send troops from the Baochuan Road. Although this road was the main road for the Wei army's key defense, it was also the most convenient passage to enter the pass. Zhuge Liang's move can be described as bold and abnormal, completely subverting people's impression of his cautious conservatism.
His strategic intentions were clear: to quickly break into Guanzhong, put great pressure on Chang'an, and force the main force of the Wei army to fight. Once the main force of the Wei army was defeated, Zhuge Liang could choose to recover the entire territory of Longxi to the west, or besiege Chang'an to the east, completely changing the pattern of the Three Kingdoms.
In order to increase the chances of winning, Zhuge Liang also carried out strategic coordination with Soochow. At this time, Sun Quan was leading an army of 100,000 to Hefei, which caused huge strategic pressure on Wei.
Zhuge Liang's series of actions brought a huge shock to the government and opposition of the Wei State. Emperor Cao Rong of Wei Ming had to order Sima Yi to lead the main force to meet the battle. Soon, the two armies of Wei and Shu met on the bank of the Weishui River.
Sima Yi's response
In the face of the menacing Shu army, Sima Yi took a series of unexpected countermeasures.
First, he made an unexpected decision: to cross the Weishui and station the army on the south bank of the Weishui. The decision unnerved many generals, who feared that their backs would put their troops in a dangerous position. However, Sima Yi's considerations are far-reaching.
He explained to the generals: "The people are gathered in Weinan, and this is a place where they must fight. "Ostensibly, this is to protect the safety of people's property.
But in fact, Sima Yi wanted to prevent Zhuge Liang from marching east to Chang'an. At the same time, he also wanted to take this opportunity to cut off the back road of the Shu army and force the other party to have to fight a decisive battle with him.
However, after crossing the river, Sima Yi did not take the initiative to attack, but chose to stick to the strategy of not fighting. This seemingly contradictory approach actually reflects Sima Yi's superb strategic vision.
He knew that as long as he could block Zhuge Liang's way, the 100,000 Shu army would be in a dilemma. After a long time, the grain and grass ran out, and the Shu army had to retreat on its own.
At the same time, Sima Yi also took another clever move. He followed Guo Huai's advice and sent troops to garrison Beiyuan. This decision laid the groundwork for the future development of the war situation.
Zhuge Liang's difficult breakthrough
Zhuge Liang quickly realized Sima Yi's intentions. He decided first to break the Wei army's defensive line on the southern bank of Weishui. After a fierce battle, the Shu army successfully repelled the Wei army, forcing Sima Yi to retreat to the Weishui tributary to the east.
However, this victory did not bring the situation to full light. Although the road to the west was opened, the passage to Chang'an in the east was still firmly guarded by Sima Yi.
To make matters worse, Guo Huai's troops also built a strong defensive line in the northern plains, blocking the possibility of the Shu army advancing towards Longxi.
Faced with this situation, Zhuge Liang decided to adopt the strategy of attacking the east and the west. He sent the mysterious "Tiger Infantry" to feint Sima Yi's position, and at the same time concentrated the main force to attack the northern plains. This is a dangerous move, if the feint troops are defeated, the entire Shu army will fall into passivity.
However, whether it was the strong attack on Beiyuan or the surprise attack on Yangsui, they were all recognized by Sima Yi and Guo Huai. The offensive of the Shu army was frustrated again and again, and the battle situation fell into a stalemate.
The race between wisdom and life
Realizing that a head-on breakthrough would not work, Zhuge Liang began to try other methods to force Sima Yi into battle. He first sent Meng Yan to lead the Tiger infantry deep behind enemy lines in an attempt to lure the Wei army into a decisive battle.
It's a pity that the heavens are not beautiful, and the sudden flood blocked the connection between Zhuge Liang and Meng Yan, and this operation to lure the enemy ended in failure.
Then, Zhuge Liang resorted to the world-famous plan of "sending women's clothes". He sent someone to send Sima Yi a set of women's clothes, intending to provoke the other party to fight.
However, Sima Yi defused this insult with astonishing calmness. Not only did he put on women's clothes and laugh in the army, but he also deliberately asked for war and asked the court to send someone to restrain him, which skillfully calmed the anger of the soldiers.
Seeing that the general plan could not work, Zhuge Liang decided to settle in Tuntian near Wuzhangyuan and prepare for a protracted battle with the Wei army. His intention was obvious: either wait until Sima Yi couldn't hold back and take the initiative, or wait until Cao Yi lost patience and forced Sima Yi to fight a decisive battle.
However, providence makes people. Just when Zhuge Liang was gearing up and preparing to launch the final blow, fate played a cruel joke on him.
On October 8, 234 AD, a heartbreaking news came to the Shu army: Prime Minister Zhuge Liang died in Wuzhangyuan. This military genius who devoted all his efforts to Shu Han still couldn't wait for the day of victory after all.
——[· Conclusion ·] ——"
The Battle of Wuzhangyuan was the last and most heroic battle in Zhuge Liang's life.
In this protracted contest, we have seen the battle of wisdom between the two military geniuses, and we have also witnessed the merciless tricks of fate.
Although Zhuge Liang was unable to witness the victory with his own eyes, his military talent and strategic vision were fully demonstrated in this battle. And Sima Yi's composure and strategic determination also won Wei a chance to breathe.
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