Zhuge Zhan's defeat to Deng Ai is a fact, but it is too exaggerated to say that 70,000 male soldiers lost to 2,000 remnants.
In 263, Sima Zhao, the general manager of Cao Wei, planned to annex the Shu Han clique, so he launched the Battle of Shu and sent Zhong Hui, Deng Ai, and Zhuge Xu to lead more than 100,000 troops to attack the Shu state. Because Liu Chan did not follow Jiang Wei's advice and did a good job of preparation, the Wei state's three-way army was like a bamboo on the way, and the Shu army was defeated miserably. At this time, Liu Chan hurriedly ordered Liao Hua to reinforce Jiang Wei, and sent Zhang Yi and Dong Jie to Yang'an Pass to defend Zhong Hui's army. Under the defense of Jiang Wei, the Shu army finally stabilized its position and blocked the Wei army outside the Sword Pavilion Pass, and the two sides were deadlocked.
The Wei army was unable to overcome the key problems, the lone army went deep, the grain and grass were not good, and Zhong Hui deliberately withdrew. At this critical moment, Deng Ai proposed a plan to sneak attack Yinping and surprise Chengdu. Liu Chan heard that Deng Ai had smuggled Yin Ping to attack Chengdu, so he hurriedly pulled out Zhuge Zhan and Zhuge Shang's father and son to fight. According to the Book of Jin, "There were 90,000 Shu warriors, and no less than 40,000 were stationed in Chengdu and Beihe County, but the remaining crowd was only 50,000." ”
According to the Shu Ji and the Book of Jin, the total military strength of the Shu state at that time was about 100,000, and most of them were in the Sword Pavilion to block the Zhong Hui army, and less than 50,000 troops around Chengdu. Most of the 50,000 were sent by Liu Chan to support Jiang Wei, and some to defend other cities around Chengdu. The number of troops that could really be transferred to Zhuge Zhan was very limited. In the end, Liu Chan had to pardon the prisoners and recruit some of them to fight, along with the Yulin Army, which was also sent to Zhuge Zhan, a temporary patchwork army estimated to be at most about 30,000.
According to the "Biography of the Three Kingdoms Chronicle of the Bell Society", Deng Ai originally had more than 30,000 troops, plus the 5,000 sent to him by the Zhong Hui, for a total of 35,000. In addition to the battle losses and attrition on the road, it is estimated that Deng Ai had about 20,000 people when he reached Mianzhu. Therefore, the real comparison of troop strength should be: Zhuge Zhan's 30,000 vs Deng Ai's 20,000 people.
Judging from the combat effectiveness of the two armies, Zhuge Zhan's army was made up of the Yulin Army and the prisoners. However, the name of the Royal Forest Army is good, but it is a paper tiger, who once suffered defeat in quelling the barbarian rebellion. And Deng Ai's Wei bing was a soldier of a hundred battles, with strong combat effectiveness.
Judging from the military capabilities of Zhuge Zhan and Deng Ai, although Zhuge Zhan was the son of Zhuge Liang, during Zhuge Liang's many Northern Expeditions, Zhuge Zhan was still young and did not go out with his father, so Zhuge Zhan had no actual combat experience, and he did not listen to his subordinates occupy favorable terrain to block Deng Ai; according to the city, he insisted on fighting with Deng Ai outside Mianzhu City. Zhuge Zhan's combat experience was far inferior to that of Jiang Wei, who had obtained Zhuge Liang's true biography. However, Jiang Wei lost many battles with Deng Ai, such as the Battle of Taoshui and the Battle of Duangu. It can be seen that Deng Ai's military strength should be above Jiang Wei, at least not worse than Jiang Wei. Therefore, Zhuge Zhan was even worse than Deng Ailai.
Conclusion: Zhuge Zhan is loyal to the country, there is absolutely no problem, but he himself lacks ability and actual combat experience, and Zhuge Zhan should take the city to fight a war of attrition and kill Deng Ai. Unfortunately, he took the field, so he was bound to lose.
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