In "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", Zhuge Liang is one of the characters that everyone likes very much, he knows astronomy and geography, not only is he brilliant in wisdom, but also loyal and patriotic, among the ancient strategists, few people can surpass Zhuge Liang; Among them, only Sima Yi can probably match him.
Zhuge Liang and Sima Yi have been at war for many years, and it is difficult to distinguish between superiors, and Sima Yi has not only become Zhuge Liang's biggest opponent, but also the person who is most familiar with Zhuge Liang; He once accurately said Zhuge Liang's shortcomings, which can be summarized in 17 words, and it can be seen that Sima Yi really knows Zhuge Liang.
▲ Among the ancient strategists, few people can surpass Zhuge Liang. (Film and television diagram/Taken from the encyclopedia entry)
Throughout Zhuge Liang's life, he lived a reclusive life for the first half of his life, and the second half of his life was dedicated to assisting Liu Bei and helping Liu Bei establish the state of Shu; After Liu Bei's death, he did his best to assist Liu Chan, and he personally handled political affairs.
Zhuge Liang improved the economy, recuperated, suppressed the Yizhou Hao clan, quelled the Nanzhong rebellion, and controlled Nanzhong. Later, in order to revive the Han Dynasty, the five Northern Expeditions to the Central Plains finally died of illness in Wuzhangyuan due to accumulated labor, which can be said to be "bowing to the fullest, and dying later", and these 8 characters have also become the best portrayal of life.
▲ The eight words "bow down and die" interpret Zhuge Liang's life. (Film and television diagram/Taken from the encyclopedia entry)
However, "no one is a sage, who can do nothing", no matter how perfect Zhuge Liang is, there are also shortcomings; Anyone who has watched "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" knows that Sima Yi can be said to be Zhuge Liang's strongest opponent, and the two seem to be natural enemies, and they are like confidants who are most familiar with each other; Therefore, when it comes to Zhuge Liang's shortcomings, Sima Yi said so.
Sima Yi said: "Liang Zhi is big but does not see opportunities, resourcefulness but few decisions, good soldiers but no power", what do these 17 words mean? That is to say, Zhuge Liang has great ambition but no opportunity, plans more and makes few decisions (meaning indecision), likes to use troops to fight but does not have enough power, which is Zhuge Liang's biggest shortcoming.
▲Sima Yi is not only Zhuge Liang's biggest opponent, but also the person who knows Zhuge Liang best. (Film and television diagram/Taken from the encyclopedia entry)
Many later historians also believe that although Zhuge Liang's contribution to the Shu state is great, Sima Yi's evaluation of him is still very objective, but in any case, Zhuge Liang's evaluation in history is still very high, and his loyalty to the Shu state is even more admirable, and he is a representative figure of loyal ministers and wise men in traditional Chinese culture.
Although Sima Yi said that Zhuge Liang had these shortcomings, he still admired his talent very much, according to the "Spring and Autumn of Han and Jin", after Zhuge Liang's death, Yang Yi and other troops returned, and the people rushed to Sima Yi, and Sima Yi learned that Shu Han had retreated and led troops to pursue; Jiang Wei ordered Yang Yi to sound the drum, and if he would go to Sima Yi, Sima Yi would retreat.
So Yang Yi left in formation, entered the inclined valley and then lost his life. Sima Yizhi's retreat, the people for the proverb: "Death Zhuge goes to life Zhongda." [5]:927 Or to tell Sima Yi, Sima Yi said, "I can expect life, but it is not convenient to expect death." (I can predict what he wants to do while he is alive, not when he dies.) ）”
After Zhuge Liang's death, Sima Yi observed the Shu Han camp and praised him as a wizard of the world, and Zhang Jian, a contemporary of Eastern Wu, commented: "If this person does not die, his will will end, and he will think about luck for years, and plan every day, then Liang and Yong will not be disarmed, China will not let go, and the momentum of victory and defeat will also be decided." "It is believed that if Zhuge Liang does not die of illness, he will eventually achieve his goal of the Northern Expedition. As far as military theory is concerned, Zhuge Liang improved the eight formations and deduced the art of war, which made certain contributions to military theory.
After Sima Zhao destroyed Shu, he immediately ordered his close attendant Chen Xun to learn his "method of encircling the formation and relying on the army, and the system of the first and second school standards", which was still highly respected by the Tang dynasty general Li Jing. There are many records of the Eight Formations in the Book of Jin and the history of the Southern and Northern Dynasties, which fully explain the influence of the Eight Formations on future generals.
References: "Han Jin Spring and Autumn", "Three Kingdoms"