The dispute between Zhuge Liang and Wei Yan over the route of the Northern Expedition aroused great interest of later historians, and they argued endlessly. Some scholars believe that Wei Yan led 5,000 elite soldiers and made praise, and his suggestion was "ingenious". From the meridian valley to attack Chang 'an, Zhuge Liang led his army out of the oblique valley to meet the enemy in Chang 'an. "In this way, the west of Xianyang can be settled in one fell swoop." If Zhuge Liang adopted it, it is likely that the Northern Expedition has been successful. Unfortunately, Zhuge Liang is almost as timid as a mouse. Other historians support Zhuge Liang's strategy of "taking the main road safely and taking Longyou peacefully", thinking that the meridian valley is a shortcut, but the feasibility is extremely small. There are four main reasons for its opposition: First, the Ziwu Valley road is narrow and dangerous, with a very high risk factor. Once Wei Jun fell into the valley, it was in vain and the whole army was wiped out; Second, Xiahou Mao may not abandon the city and flee; Third, even if Chang' an is captured, it may not be able to hold it; Fourth, in case of failure, the Shu army, which is already short of troops, will suffer too much.
So are these four questions reasonable? In my opinion, these reasons are untenable from the long-term strategic point of view of the Shu-Wei War and the battle itself. [Transferred from Iron Blood Community/]
First of all, although the meridian is extremely dangerous and difficult to travel, few people have visited it on the spot. Even if there is, there is no guarantee that its road conditions are the same as those in the Three Kingdoms period. After all, Wei Yan was a famous soldier at that time. He has been in Hanzhong for a long time and must be very familiar with the geographical situation in Hanzhong area, so his judgment should be correct. As for whether Wei Jun will ambush in the Meridian Valley, we might as well consult the relevant historical materials in the History of the Three Kingdoms. Biography of the Three Kingdoms and Zhuge Liang quoted Wei Lue as saying: "At first, Liu Bei was the only country in Shu (referring to Cao Wei). When he died, he was silent when he was a few years old. It is because you are not prepared, and the death is revealed, and both the ruling and the opposition are afraid. " This clearly tells us that Zhuge Liang's first Northern Expedition was extremely hidden and sudden. Wei was not prepared militarily, materially or even mentally. How could he leave an ambush in a sparsely populated narrow valley and high mountain?
The second reason is, "Xiahou Mao may not abandon the city and flee." This is another unreasonable inference. Who is Xiahou Mao? It is clearly recorded in the Biography of the Three Kingdoms of Xia Houdun Wei that this person is the son of Xia Houdun, a famous Cao Wei, and Cao Cao married his daughter qinghe princess. "Wen emperor less pro-Mao, acceded to the throne, thinking that general Anxi is in charge of the festival and the Guanzhong. Mao has no military strategy, but he is good at treating life. When I was in the west, I raised more concubines, and the princess was at odds with Mao. " It can be seen that Xiahou Mao only knows how to store concubines and collect money, and he is in charge of Guanzhong by virtue of his nepotism. He is a typical official's son. Wei Yan knows him very well, so it is completely reasonable to judge that "Mao Wen and Yan will fled by boat as soon as they heard the election"
The third objection is that the Shu army "may not be able to hold on even if it takes Chang 'an", which is the most worth discussing. The author thinks that Xiahou Mao is afraid of death and knows nothing about soldiers. Wei Yan is older than the soldiers and expects the enemy to judge for himself. It can be said that he has a good chance of winning. Besides, Zhuge Liang had 100,000 troops in his first Northern Expedition, "more than thieves (referring to Wei Jun)". History of the Three Kingdoms (Volume 35) Biography of Zhuge Liang quoted Han, Jin, Chunqiu and Yuanzi. . At this time, Zhao Yun, Wu Yi, Ma Dai and other old generals were still there. Hu Qiang of Kansai lured them and made them think they would help. Zhuge Liang and Wei Yan led the main force and some divisions to meet in Tongguan, and then Wei Yan cooperated with Zhuge Liang to seize Longyou, so that the 800-mile Qinchuan "west of Xianyang" could really be "decided at one stroke". In fact, there is a precedent for the feasibility of Wei Yan's scheme. During the Chu-Han War, Han Xin was the general, and then the main force left Tongguan in the east, divided the army over Longshan, and cooperated with the troops from Hanzhong to Qishan to form a pincer offensive to take Longyou. High-impedance also set the Sanqin, conquering Guanzhong in one fell swoop. Han Xin's fighting seems risky, but it is full of miraculous effects. Wei Yan's stratagem comes from Han Xin's strategy of going out of Hanzhong, and he is braver than Huaiyin Hou. It's a pity that Zhuge Liang can't use such a good general, such a good plan and such a mediocre person as Ma Su to violate the wishes of his late master.
As for the fourth point, "if it fails, the already weak Shu army will suffer too much." I think this is really a ridiculous reason. Ancient and modern, Chinese and foreign, where there is a little risky war? When Yuan and Cao Guandu fought a decisive battle, Cao Cao set fire to the granary where Yuan Shao was heavily stationed, regardless of his own camp, and was completely desperate. Since Wargo sneaked into level tone, it has been a hundred times more risky than Wei Yan's plan. As a result, it not only won the victory, but also wiped out the Shu-Han regime in one fell swoop. More importantly, Shu Han was weak at that time, and its military strength, financial resources and manpower were far less than Cao Wei's. Fighting a protracted war of attrition and positional warfare with weak Shu and strong Wei is not the best policy. Zhuge Liang's first Northern Expedition should be a surprise, capturing Chang 'an in one fell swoop and dealing a heavy blow to the enemy. No matter whether we are weak or strong, there is no example of winning slowly and surely.
In fact, military strategy pays attention to the combination of strangeness and rightness, and Zhuge Liang only sees strangeness when fighting. Zhuge Liang believes that "taking the road safely" can "take Longyou Ping". The so-called "flat service" is actually "stable service". However, it is precisely this "shoo-in" that makes Zhuge Liang lose his surprise fighter, forming a positional war between weak Shu and strong Wei in Longyou, and being caught by Cao Wei's "causing people" technique. "Taking Longyou Pingping" is actually giving up the enemy's throat, taking its irrelevant place, and alerting him if he is not defeated. By the time of Zhuge Liang's second northern expedition, Cao Wei had been heavily guarded in Chencang and Guanzhong, and Guanzhong could no longer plan, and Wei Yan's plan was no longer feasible. It is no wonder that Wei Yan "often says that he is afraid and regrets himself endlessly". The History of the Three Kingdoms (Volume 40) and Biography of Wei Yan. . Every time I watch the reflection, I can't help hiding my feelings. I think that the so-called "Wei strategy" is an adventure. Once defeated, the Shu army lost too much, fearing that 100 thousand Shu troops would give up their lives and only turn back. " See Chen Yuping: On Zhuge Liang's Strategy, Journal of Guizhou Normal University, 1992(3). This completely violates the basic military common sense. Because even if Wei Yan ambushed in the meridian valley, he only lost thousands of people, while Kong Ming attacked Qishan, lost the street pavilion, and was defeated by Zhang He, losing more than 10,000 divisions!
Third, Zhuge Liang secretly ordered: "If it is delayed or not, the army will be spontaneous." This seems to have presupposed that Wei's disobedience in the future will be "rebellion." Why Zhuge Liang arranged this is not recorded in history. There are three reasons for redundancy. First, Zhuge Liang was too cautious in fighting all his life because he lacked actual combat experience. Therefore, Chen Shou commented that he was "better at grooming, shorter than ingenuity, and better at managing people". . Wei Yan has always advocated using military force to win by surprise. Zhuge Liang was most worried that if he was given military command, Wei would violate his established military line and act according to his own operational strategy, which Zhuge Liang could not tolerate. Secondly, in selecting officials and employing people, Zhuge Liang takes "being reasonable for officials" as the standard. Please look at the famous list of former famous teachers and analyze the officials he praised, recommended and reused, such as Guo Youzhi, Fei Yi, Dong Yun, Jiang Wan, Jiang Wei and Xiang Chong. They are all well-behaved and meet the standard of "being an official". Wei Yan, on the other hand, is a general with his own opinions, and he is "arrogant" and "not arrogant". He is proud of Han Xin, thinks Zhuge Liang is timid and often laments that he has no talent. After Liu Bei's death, Zhuge Liang monopolized the power of state affairs. "No matter how detailed the political affairs are, the salt is determined by the light." Even Liu Chan, who died, claimed that he was "politically led by Koch and only sacrificed me". A Brief Introduction to the History of the Three Kingdoms (Volume 33) and Biography of the Dead. . Wei Yan often didn't buy Zhuge Liang's account, which of course led to Zhuge Liang's jealousy. Third, Zhuge Liang pushed out Wei Yan and cleared the way for his successors, Jiang Wan, Fei Yi and Jiang Wei. The Biography of the Three Kingdoms and Jiang Wan contains: "Every word is sonorous,' Gong Yan (Jiang Wan's words) is honest and elegant, and should praise Wang Ye with me'. God looked at it and said, if I am unlucky, I will pay Wan for the future. On Zhuge Liang's deathbed, the late master sent ministers to shoot Li Fu and asked Zhuge Liang, "Who can achieve great things in a hundred years?" Zhuge Liang replied, "After Jiang Wan, Wen Wei (Fei Yi) can take his place." The History of the Three Kingdoms (Volume 45) and the Biography of Yang Opera quoted old miscellaneous notes from Yizhou. Jiang Wei joined Shu Han in AD 228, and Zhuge Liang hit it off at first sight, praising him as "loyal to current affairs and thoughtful". Very sensitive to the military, with both courage and deep understanding of soldiers. This man's heart was in the Han Dynasty, but he was also a man. "He was soon promoted to the general of China's military expedition to the west. [Transferred from Iron Blood Community/]
Zhuge Liang knew that Wei Yan was a big obstacle if Jiang Wan, Fei Yi and Jiang Wei were to be in charge of state affairs, military and political affairs smoothly, because Wei Yan enjoyed high prestige in the DPRK and the army. "The theory of learning from teachers must be replaced by Zhuge Liang." . In order to exclude dissidents, Zhuge Liang did not hesitate to destroy the pillars of Shu Han's country and wanted to kill Wei Yan.
Although the cause of Wei Yan's murder is closely related to Zhuge Liang, it is not Zhuge Liang's dying life after all. Yang Yi was the chief culprit in the killing of Wei Yan. Of course, Fei Yi, Jiang Wan, Dong Yun and others also bear certain responsibilities. The contradiction between Wei Yan and Yang Yi has a long history. Wei Yan is arrogant, Yang Yi is conceited, and they are in the same boat. "Wei Yan and Yang Yi, military advisers, have a long history and hate each other. Every time they sit side by side, they argue, delay or raise their knives, and the instruments cry. " The reflection, Volume 44, Biography of Fei Yi. It has reached the point where ice and charcoal can't be used together. How did Zhuge Liang express his position on the conflict between Wei and Yang? The history book says: "I am deeply pregnant with my talent and rely on Wei Yan's courage. I often hate their unfairness and can't bear to be partial." The reflection of Yang Yi biography, volume 40. On the surface, Zhuge Liang pretended to be disinterested and "unwilling to be partial", but when Wu Zhangyuan was seriously ill, he had tilted the balance of power and emotion to Yang Yi's side. Wei Yan failed to participate in Zhuge Liang's final decision and was appointed as a general, which was equivalent to granting Yang Yi the highest command of the whole army.
After Zhuge Liang's death, Yang Yi kept it a secret and asked Fei Yi to test Wei Yan's intentions and plans. Wei Yan said to Fei Yi, "Although the Prime Minister is dead, I think I am here, and the imperial family can be buried. I should lead all the troops to fight thieves. Why should I use one person to kill evil things in the world? " And who is Wei Yan? When Yang Yi slaps his hand, he will break it! "With (2). Wei Yan's words, if in terms of rank, are not chaotic, if in terms of public and private, are not improper. "Han thief for shu, and unbiased. The History of the Three Kingdoms (Volume 35) Zhuge Liangchuan quoted the Han books Jin Chunqiu and Yuan Zi. Cutting Wei is a major event in the world. When Zhuge Liang died, he withdrew 100,000 troops approaching Weishui and Chang 'an, and abandoned the great cause of the Northern Expedition. Isn't this a waste of public affairs? Moreover, after Zhuge Liang's death, Jiang Wei also made nine northern expeditions, and Wei Yan's military talents far exceeded Jiang Wei's. Why can't he follow the ambition of the marquis of Wu and shoulder the heavy responsibility of conquering Wei?
In addition, Wei Yan's official position is above Yang Yi, and he doesn't need to obey Yang Yi's command. Because of this, Wei Cai "made an appointment with Fei Yi * * *, and signed it in calligraphy, telling the generals". That is to say, he and Fei Yi re-discussed the steps of funeral treatment: who will escort Zhuge Liang's coffin back to Shu and who will lead the troops to continue the Northern Expedition. Both of them signed their names and prepared to deliver it to the troops. However, Fei Yi is duplicitous and seeks a way out. He lied to Wei Yan and said, "If you are a gentleman, you should know Yang Changshi. If you are a scholar with a long history, you will be more military. " With this as an excuse, "Fei Yi got out and galloped away", and then perfidiously helped Yang Yi retreat to Shu. It was not until Wei Yan "sent someone to wait for the instrument" that he realized that he had been cheated. The army had "understood the case and the battalions led the troops to retreat again and again." Wei Yan was furious, of course. Yang Yi marched slowly and took the lead. "Lead the path south first and burn to death." Wei Yan's intention is clear. Because Yang Yi has mastered the commander-in-chief power of the whole army, she can't compete with it, so she can only go back to Chengdu and tell her master what happened. Yang Yi didn't want to lag behind, so they both went to the table with Liu Chan, calling each other "rebels" and "in one day, the chicken feather was handed over". Liu Chan, who has no opinion, can't tell right from wrong. He asked about this matter: "Serve Dong Yun and stay with Governor Jiang Wan." . Both Jiang Wan and Dong Yun are Zhuge Liang's confidants. In addition, Wei Yan has always had a bad relationship with his colleagues. "The generals are different at ordinary times" and "they all avoided it at that time". Therefore, Jiang Wan and Dong Yun are "suspicious". So Liu Chan ordered "Jiang Wan led Su Weiying northward" and prepared to crusade against Wei Yan. But before Jiang Wan's soldiers arrived, Wei Yan was killed by Yang Yi, because he "refused to go to Nanguchi and sent his troops to attack the instrument, etc.". And the instrument made He Ping defend himself. " (Press: He Ping is Wang Ping, whose surname is He, then Wang). )
Why didn't Wei Yan rush to Chengdu, but confronted Yang Yi, who was weak in strength, at Nangukou? Guess the reason, probably the news that Liu Chan sent Jiang Wan to crusade against Wei Yan. It is reported that he had no chance to enter Chengdu to discern the truth from the late Lord. Of course, in this case, the situation is extremely unfavorable to Wei Yan. When Wang Ping was cold, he shouted, "You are dead, but your body is not cold yet. How dare you be worthy? " Wei Yan and his men were immediately demoralized. "Everyone knows what happened to Song Yan. Don't fight for your life. All the troops are scattered." In fact, the so-called "Qu Zaiyan" is also a representation. How can a soldier know the inside story of the upper struggle? They only know to obey the orders of Liu Chan and Zhuge Liang. Since both the emperor and the prime minister are on Yang Yi's side, it is normal for them to think that Wei Yan is rebellious and unwilling to follow him. In other words, what Wei Yan's men did has nothing to do with the merits of the whole incident.
When the army was dispersed, Wei Yan had to "take several sons and flee to Hanzhong, and I sent Ma Dai to chase them down. This was the first thing." So Yang Yi stepped on Wei Yan's head with her foot and sneered, "Slave, can you do evil again?" After that, Yang Yi "extended the three families". The biography of the reflection of Wei Yan, Volume 40. It's a tragedy that Wei Yan, a great star, died like this. [Transferred from Iron Blood Community/]
The infighting between Wei and Yang ended in Wei Yan's complete failure. Wei Yan's failure has both subjective and objective reasons. Objectively speaking, Wei Yan was hit and rejected by Zhuge Liang for many years. Coupled with the jealousy of Yang Yi and Fei Yi, he was in a difficult situation and weak. Subjectively speaking, Wei Yan himself lost his mind and mishandled this unexpected incident. He shouldn't trust Fei Yi, nor should he burn the "Pavilion Road" returned by the main force on his way back, giving people a handle of "rebellion", and he should not fight Yang Yi's 100,000-strong army "according to Nangukou". It's completely throwing eggs at the stone, and it's overreaching. In my opinion, Wei Yan's character is really similar to Han Xin's, that is, he is good at fighting and a military wizard. But politically, it seems naive and lacks wisdom and planning. Seven years after Wei Yan's death, Yang, a Shu native, praised Wei Yan and commented as follows: "Just thick, having fun in hardships, taking pains to protect the country and defend the country. He is not in harmony, forgetting to talk nonsense, and cherishing the beginning at the end of his illness. " Yang affirmed Wei Yan's contribution to "defending the country and defending the country", lamented that he couldn't finish it from beginning to end, and pointed out that the fundamental reason was his "uncoordinated" and unruly personality, which was a fair evaluation.
Finally, it should be pointed out that Wei Yan's so-called "rebellion" theory was completely fabricated by Luo Guanzhong. Chen Shou came to a conclusion: "The original intention is not to fall to Wei in the north and return to the south, but to kill the instrument. The generals are different on weekdays, and the theory of good luck must be replaced by light. This means that it is inconvenient to betray. " The biography of the reflection of Wei Yan, Volume 40. Ironically, Yang Yi, Wei Yan's sworn enemy, seems to have "a bone in the back of his head". Yang Yi's killing of Wei has been pending for a long time, and she thinks that she has "made great contributions" and she is the only one to rule the country on behalf of Liang. Zhuge Liang, I'm afraid it was arranged before his death, "narrow-minded in appearance, which means Jiang Wan, who became the secretary-general and secretariat of Yizhou." The late Lord only gave Yang Yi a false title, saying, "I am China's strategist and have nothing to lead, so I am just calm." So Yang Yi complained: "When the Prime Minister died, I would rather be so evil in my life if dispatch troops followed the Wei family!" It's regrettable. "If it is so" outrageous ",it will be reported by Fei Yi, and the consequences can be imagined. So Yang Yi was deprived of her status as an ordinary citizen. She wrote a libel letter, was imprisoned and punished, and committed suicide.
Yang Yi's death is self-inflicted, but it is also a pity after all, because he is also a rare talent. When Zhuge Liang was in the Northern Expedition, he "started out according to the routine and raised grain valley. Don't even think about it, you must do it. " Military Rong Festival, take its instrument ","Three Kingdoms "Volume 40" Yang Yi Biography ". . The country is small, and talents can't compare with Wei and Wu. Zhuge Liang's improper employment during his lifetime and his inability to coordinate the relationship between subordinates led to the infighting of the Shu-Han regime after Zhuge Liang's death, which was even worse for Shu-Han, who lacked human resources, and was bound to accelerate the decline trend of Shu-Han. Zhuge Liang has an unshirkable responsibility for this.