Zhuge Liang is known as one of the most outstanding statesmen and military strategists in Chinese history, and his activities during the Three Kingdoms period had a profound impact on Chinese history. However, even with such outstanding contributions and strategic vision, Zhuge Liang suffered some failures during his lifetime, and these failures became the two major failures of his career. This article will analyze the failures in Zhuge Liang's two major battles during his lifetime, and delve into the reasons for these failures.
Background: Zhuge Liang's historical status and contributions
Zhuge Liang, whose name is Kongming, was born in Mianzhu, Sichuan, and is known as the king of military divisions. During the Three Kingdoms period, he gave advice to Liu Bei, the commander of Shu State, and made great achievements for Shu State with his wisdom and courage. The tactical and military ideas he created became a model for later generations and had a profound impact on Chinese history. With his high degree of wisdom and well-thought-out strategy, Zhuge Liang brought the Shu Kingdom to its peak, making it brilliant achievements in the military, political, and social fields. However, Zhuge Liang also had two defeats in his life, which became a defeat that he could not ignore.
The first failure: the "Battle of Yangping Pass" in the Northern Expedition
The "Battle of Yangping Pass" was one of the defeats suffered by Zhuge Liang during the Northern Expedition. The battle took place around 227 AD, when Shu was trying to unify China, and the goal of the Northern Expedition was to conquer North China and achieve the great cause of unification. However, although Zhuge Liang made full preparations before the war, including the preparation of soldiers and materials, in the end, the Shu army suffered a defeat in the battle of Yangping Pass.
Analyze the causes and failures of the "Battle of Yangpingguan".
There are multiple reasons for the failure of the "Battle of Yangping Pass". First of all, the Shu army did not collect enough intelligence on the enemy before the war, and did not have a clear understanding of the enemy's strength and the distribution of troops. Second, Zhuge Liang made some mistakes in commanding operations and strategic deployment, did not make full use of the terrain advantages, and failed to formulate effective tactical plans. In addition, there were problems with the morale and discipline of the soldiers, which led to a decrease in the combat effectiveness of the troops. In general, the defeat of this campaign was mainly due to the lack of understanding of the enemy's situation and tactical mistakes.
The second failure: the "Battle of the Street Pavilion" in the Southern Expedition
The "Battle of Jieting" was another important defeat encountered by Zhuge Liang in the course of his southern expedition. The Southern Expedition was a war launched by Shu in order to resolve the resistance forces in the south, and Zhuge Liang personally led his troops to the expedition. However, in the "Battle of Jieting", the Shu army suffered an unexpected defeat.
Analyze the causes and failures of the "Battle of the Street Pavilion".
The defeat in this campaign was mainly due to tactical mistakes and problems with military deployment. First of all, Zhuge Liang made some mistakes in decision-making, especially the inaccurate prediction of the enemy's counterattack. Secondly, the Shu army's troops were insufficient to deal with the enemy's counterattack, which led to a hole in the military deployment. Finally, the army's supply and logistical support were not in place in a timely manner, which affected the display of combat effectiveness. To sum up, the failure of the "Battle of Jieting" was mainly caused by strategic mistakes and improper military deployment.
Although Zhuge Liang was known as the king of military advisors in Chinese history, he also suffered a number of failures during his lifetime, which became two failures in his career. Whether it was the "Battle of Yangping Pass" in the Northern Expedition or the "Battle of Jieting" in the Southern Expedition, Zhuge Liang had some mistakes in strategy and military deployment, which led to the defeat of the war. However, these failures could not obscure the tremendous contributions that Zhuge Liang made as an outstanding military strategist and statesman. His wisdom and strategic thinking are still worthy of our study and reference, and he has set a noble example for future generations.