Jiang Wei (202 – March 3, 264), courtesy name Boyo, was a native of Ji County, Tianshui County (present-day Gangu County, Tianshui City, Gansu Province). As we all know, Jiang Wei was a famous general of the Shu Han Dynasty during the Three Kingdoms period. However, Jiang Wei, as the son of Cao Jiang of Tianshui Gong, was originally a general of the State of Wei. Jiang Wei lost his father at a young age, served his mother, and worshipped the Confucian master Zheng Xuan. In 228 AD, when Zhuge Liang, the chancellor of the Shu Han Dynasty, was in the Northern Expedition to the Central Plains, Jiang Wei was jealous and had to surrender to shu Han and get the former to be reused.
In 234 AD, after Zhuge Liang's death, Jiang Wei began to emerge. In the nineteenth year of Yanxi (256), Jiang Wei was made a general by the later lord Liu Chan and continued the cause of the Northern Expedition, fighting against the famous generals of Cao Wei, such as Deng Ai, Chen Tai, and Guo Huai. In order to escape Huang Hao's persecution, he went to Tuntian to avoid disaster.
In the seventh year of the Shu Han Dynasty (263), the State of Wei cut off Shu, and Jiang Wei got rid of Deng Ai and others, retreated to the Sword Pavilion, and blocked Zhong Hui's march. Deng Aiyinping secretly attacked Chengdu, and the later lord Liu Chan surrendered. Jiang Wei tried to restore Shu Han, pretending to surrender, and rebelled with Zhong Hui, but was defeated and killed. Therefore, for Jiang Wei, after being forced to surrender to Shu Han, he never thought of returning to Cao Wei, but instead paid his life for Shu Han.
First, Jiang Wei has great ambitions
Jiang Wei lost his father at an early age, lived with his widowed mother, and liked Zheng Xuan's scriptures. For Jiang Wei, he was determined to make meritorious achievements from an early age, and this did not change the law either after Cao Wei or after he surrendered to Shu Han.
The Chronicle of the Three Kingdoms, Shu Zhi, and Jiang Wei's biography quotes from the Miscellaneous Records: "A hundred acres of fertile land are not in one acre; but there is a long-term ambition, not in Angelica." ”
In 228, after Jiang Wei surrendered to Zhuge Liang, his mother remained in the State of Wei. In this regard, Jiang Wei's mother wrote to him, hoping that Jiang Wei could return to Wei. However, Jiang Wei rejected her on the grounds that "he has a long-term ambition and is not in Angelica". You must know that Jiang Wei is a very filial piety person, and in order to make a meritorious career, he can bear to be separated from his mother. Correspondingly, Xu Shu gave up the opportunity to continue to follow Liu Bei after his mother was captured by Cao Cao. From this point of view, Jiang Wei, who has great ambitions, believes that he has gained a big stage to display his talents in ShuHan. On the other hand, if you return to Cao Wei, you will not have such an opportunity.
Second, Jiang Wei was abandoned by Cao Wei and returned to Shu Han without a psychological burden
In the sixth year of Jianxing (228), the Shu Han chancellor Zhuge Liangjun left qishan, when Jiang Wei and Gong Cao Liangxu, the main bookkeeper Yin Reward, the main record Liang Qian, and others from Tianshui Taishou Ma Zun patrolled everywhere, Ma Zun learned of the arrival of the Shu Han army, and all the counties responded to the Shu army, suspecting that Jiang Wei and others had different intentions, so they abandoned Jiang Wei and others, and fled with Guo Huai to Shangyi overnight.
In this regard, in the author's opinion, if Ma Zun took Jiang Wei with him, the latter probably would not have the opportunity to surrender to Shu Han. After Ma Zun and the others retreated overnight, Jiang Wei and the others could not catch up, and when they returned to the city, the city gate was closed, so they led their troops to Ji County, and Ji County did not let Jiang Wei enter the city. For Cao Wei, the unanimous abandonment of Jiang Wei prompted the latter to probably hold a grudge against Cao Wei. Therefore, Jiang Wei's return to Shu Han obviously did not have any psychological burden, and he lost the idea of returning to Cao Wei.
Correspondingly, in 219 AD, in the Battle of Xiangfan, Yu Ban chose to surrender after being captured by Guan Yu. As we all know, Yu Ban had been favored by Cao Cao before the ban, so his move to surrender Guan Yu was naturally criticized by people. And just for forbiding oneself, in fact, there is also a great psychological burden. Later, after Yu Ban returned to Cao Wei, he was humiliated by Cao Pi and died in shame.
Third, Jiang Wei was not so loyal to Cao Wei
For Jiang Wei, he was born in 202 AD, when Cao Cao won the Battle of Guandu, but Cao Wei had not yet replaced the Eastern Han Dynasty. Therefore, Jiang Wei was nominally a courtier of the Eastern Han Dynasty. As for Jiang Wei's father, Jiang Yuan, he was a Gongcao of Tianshui County in the Eastern Han Dynasty, and paid for his life in order to help the Eastern Han Dynasty quell the rebellion in the Liangzhou region. In this regard, in the author's opinion, it is likely to be influenced by his father, which prompted Jiang Wei's feelings for the Eastern Han Dynasty to be deeper.
In the same way, Zhuge Liang's father, Zhuge Jue, was also an official of the Eastern Han Dynasty, and as for Zhuge Liang's ancestor Zhuge Feng, he was also a lieutenant of the Western Han Dynasty. All this prompted Zhuge Liang to choose to follow Liu Bei, a descendant of the Han Dynasty, and devote himself to supporting the Han Chamber. As far as Jiang Wei was concerned, he was not so loyal to Cao Wei, which should be an important reason why Zhuge Liang carefully cultivated him. On this basis, because of the like-mindedness, Jiang Wei was reluctant to return to Cao Wei, especially in 263 AD, after the fall of Shu Han, Jiang Wei did not intend to return to Cao Wei to enjoy the glory and wealth, but did not treat Shu Han and the later lord Liu Chan to death.
Fourth, Shu Han attached enough importance to Jiang Wei
In 228 AD, Zhuge Liang made Jiang Wei a Cangcao Tuan, a general of Jia Fengyi, and was made the Marquis of Yangting, and in this year, Zhuge Liang also wrote to Jiang Wei that Jiang Wei was loyal to current affairs and thoughtful, and was a famous scholar in Liangzhou, and examined Jiang Wei's talents, even Li Shao and Ma Liang were not as good as Jiang Wei. Therefore, Let Jiang Wei command five or six thousand tiger infantry. Later, Jiang Wei was promoted to the position of General of the Central Supervision Army.
In the twelfth year of Jianxing (234), Zhuge Liang died of illness in Wuzhangyuan, and left Jiang Wei second to Wei Yan, but Wei Yan was unwilling to listen to Yang Yi's dispatches and led his army to retreat from other provinces, and Jiang Wei led his army to repel Sima Yi, who tried to pursue. After returning to Chengdu, Jiang Wei was appointed as the Auxiliary Han General of the Right Supervision Army, and was given the title of Marquis of Xiang. For Jiang Wei, not only did he gain enough attention from Zhuge Liang, but after 234 AD, he continued to be reused by the later lord Liu Chan, which made Jiang Wei feel dead set on Shu Han.
In the sixth year of Yanxi (243), Jiang Wei was promoted to the rank of Grand General of Zhenxi and led the Liangzhou Assassin History. In the spring of the nineteenth year of Yanxi (256), Jiang Wei was promoted to the rank of general. During the Three Kingdoms period, the great generals could be said to be the head of the military generals, such as the history of Cao Wei, Xiahou Huan, Cao Ren, Cao Zhen and other clans, who had obtained this official position. Now, as a general, Jiang Wei was able to be promoted to the rank of great general by the later lord Liu Chan, which was a relatively rare situation at any time in ancient history.
Further, although Cao Cao always emphasized the idea that suspicious people were not used and people were not doubtful, the most senior military general positions of Cao Wei were often not awarded to demotion generals. On the contrary, Jiang Wei, Wang Ping, Huang Zhong and other generals gained full trust and reuse in Shu Han, which prompted Jiang Wei to be willing to give everything he had, even at the cost of his life.