Who is better than Sima Yi or Zhuge Liang's empty city plan?
Sima Yi and Zhuge Liang are undoubtedly the two most strategically wise characters in "Romance of the Three Kingdoms". They are all highly strategic military strategists and are known as sharp and calculating "monsters".
However, opinions differ on the question of which of the two is superior. Many people think that Zhuge Liang's scheme is higher than Sima Yi. After all, in the empty city plan, Zhuge Liang relied only on his own wisdom to scare off Sima Yi's 150,000 elite army. But is that really the case?
In fact, Sima Yi did not see through Zhuge Liang's schemes, on the contrary, it was precisely because he saw too clearly that he chose to withdraw his troops. So, what's going on here? Since Sima Yi knew the other party's scheme, why did he withdraw his troops?
In fact, Sima Yi had sensed signs of rebellion by Meng Da and the others, and took advantage of Meng Da's inner uneasiness to draw him back under Cao Wei, and at the same time sent troops to conquer Meng Da. At this time, Zhuge Liang saw that the time was ripe and also began his Northern Expedition.
Zhuge Liang led troops to the Northern Expedition, and Sima Yi sent troops to pursue Meng Da, and the two "monsters" began a contest of brain power and military power. Zhuge Liang asked Zhao Yun to pretend to attack Guanzhong to attract the main forces of the Wei army; He himself walked west to Qishan Mountain. Zhuge Liang used Zhao Yun's voice to attack the east and west, attacking him unprepared.
Due to poor planning, the Wei state was attacked by Shu Han and three of the five counties of Longxi. However, Cao Wei was not helpless. Cao Rui led his troops to Chang'an to command the battle, and the Wei army took defensive measures, cut off the opponent's waterways, cut off the grain routes, attacked the Shu Han army, and recaptured the Jieting.
With the loss of the street pavilion, Zhuge Liang began to deploy the withdrawal of troops. However, retiring from the military is not an easy task. Zhuge Liang arranged a retreat for the generals and troops, but did not leave a way for himself and some civilian officials to retreat. Zhuge Liang confronted 150,000 elite Wei troops at Xicheng, in the rear of the Shu army.
At this time, Zhuge Liang adopted the strategy of empty city planning. He put away the banner, opened the gates of the city, and asked the soldiers to clean the streets as civilian traders to show that there was no resistance. Zhuge Liang also personally put on a crane, took a book boy and burned incense to stroke the qin, showing weakness to the outside.
Sima Yi, on the other hand, stood in place and pondered, and finally chose not to attack, because he was well aware of Zhuge Liang's scheme. He believed that Zhuge Liang's statement of giving up resistance must hide an ambush or a backhand, so he chose to withdraw his troops so as not to fall into Zhuge Liang's scheme.
The withdrawal allowed Zhuge Liang to successfully escape a catastrophe, and Sima Yi at this time had already realized Zhuge Liang's true plan. He knew that Zhuge Liang had exhausted his strength in Xicheng, and his own 150,000 Wei army would definitely have the advantage over the Shangshu army. However, he was well aware of Zhuge Liang's cleverness and caution, so he did not dare to act rashly.
To evaluate Sima Yi and Zhuge Liang's empty city plan, it is necessary not only to analyze it from the perspective of skill and wisdom, but also to take into account the situation and strategic thinking. Zhuge Liang's clever scheme cleverly attracted Sima Yi's attention by striking east and west, but he was ultimately defeated by the loss of the street pavilion. Sima Yi, on the other hand, successfully avoided a decisive battle by retreating his troops to maintain a dynamic balance when facing Zhuge Liang's schemes.
It can be said that Zhuge Liang's scheme was ingenious, but it was seen through by Sima Yi and could not defeat the enemy army. Sima Yi, on the other hand, maintained his position in the Cao Wei court by cautiously retiring from the army, and cultivated power for himself, handing over the best answer for the later Cao Wei dynasty.
In general, the empty city plans of the two strategists have their own advantages and disadvantages. Zhuge Liang's ingenious strategy can create great power with limited resources, but there are certain risks in actual operation. Sima Yi, on the other hand, put stability first, and with his own prudence and resourcefulness, he avoided the loss of the decisive battle, and eventually became one of the wisest characters in "Romance of the Three Kingdoms".
In the history of the Three Kingdoms, both are representatives of military wisdom. Their struggles and contests have made the entire history of the Three Kingdoms full of variables and stories. Whether it was Zhuge Liang's Northern Expedition or Sima Yi's delicate strategy, they left a deep impression on us. Their strategy and wisdom have undoubtedly become a valuable asset in Chinese history.
