10, Chen Gong
Chen Gong, the leader of the Yanzhou scholars, was both wise and brave, and once gave advice to Lu Bu, and made Cao Cao retreat many times, and won Lu Bu's trust. However, his initial choice was not Lu Bu, but Cao Cao. The Yellow Turban Rebellion swept the world, and Liu Dai, the pastor of Yanzhou, died heroically in the confrontation with the Yellow Turban Army, which made Yanzhou fall into a masterless situation.
As a representative of the Yanzhou scholars, Chen Gong decided to elect Cao Cao as the new Yanzhou pastor. After Cao Cao took Yanzhou, Chen Gong naturally became his confidant. After following Cao Cao for a while, Chen Gong turned to a firm support for Lü Bu.
As a famous scholar in Yanzhou, Chen Gong has always regarded himself as a Hanchen. At that time, almost all celebrities needed to be recognized by the Han family to maintain their reputation and status. Chen Gong saw through Cao Cao's ambitions and believed that he was not a person who really assisted the Han family. Therefore, Chen Gong would rather choose to betray Cao Cao than continue to take refuge in a lord who was not loyal to the Han family. It's a pity that Lu Bu has no brains, and in the later period, under Chen Deng's prodding, he gradually distrusted Chen Gong, and then was exterminated by Cao Cao.
9. Legal Correction
Fa Zheng, an outstanding strategist in the late Shu Han Dynasty, second only to Zhuge Liang's think tank, was praised by Chen Shou as a "good strategy" in the "Three Kingdoms". Fa Zheng won Liu Bei's respect and trust, and was regarded by Liu Bei as his right-hand man, although his status was not as good as Zhuge Liang, but he was by no means lower than Pang Tong. One of Fa Zheng's proudest strategies was to assist Liu Bei in capturing Hanzhong and personally send Cao Wei's general Xiahou Yuan to a dead end. (Author: Shi Shu Ling Xuan Ge)
When Liu Bei waved his army to attack Hanzhong, Fa Zheng used a wonderful play of "striking the east and attacking the west". He skillfully divided the Shu army into ten teams and launched fierce attacks on the Wei army around Hanzhong in turn, making the Wei army fall into a fog for five miles, and it was completely impossible to find out the movement of the main force of the Shu army.
In order to rescue the besieged Zhang He, Xiahou Yuan had to transfer more than half of his soldiers and horses out of the camp. However, this played into the hands of Fa Zheng, who aimed at the opportunity and decisively ordered Huang Zhong to lead his elite troops to attack. In this well-planned ambush, Xiahou Yuan was killed in Huangquan, and Cao Wei's army instantly fell into chaos and was defeated by the Shu army. Xiahou Yuan was also killed by Huang Zhong.
8, Pang Tong
Pang Tong, a talented strategist, is eager to make a career in troubled times. Due to the convenience of the region, Pang Tong first invested in Soochow. At that time, the Jiupin Zhongzheng system was still in its infancy, the system of filial piety and honesty had collapsed, and Pang Tong, who had no one to recommend, could only succumb to the post of Gongcao of Eastern Wu, with empty ambitions, and temporarily sent idle posts.
In the Battle of Chibi, Pang Tong disguised himself and went deep behind enemy lines to become Cao Cao's advisor. His conspiracy has not yet been revealed, but the conspiracy has taught the strategists of the Three Kingdoms a vivid lesson. He keenly captured Cao Cao's psychological weakness, taking advantage of the plight of the northern soldiers who were not good at water warfare and were susceptible to seasickness, and offered a series of strategies to connect the warships together. In this way, not only is it like walking on the ground, which is conducive to the training of soldiers, but also creates conditions for Zhou Yu to burn Chibi.
Pang Tong's plan was so ingenious that even the strategists under Cao Cao couldn't see through it. After taking refuge in Liu Bei, Pang Tong's greatest contribution was to capture Western Shu. It's a pity that Pang Tong died young. If Pang Tong was not so unlucky, Zhuge Liang would not be exhausted to death.
7, Xun Yu
Xun You, the "mastermind" under Cao Cao, is also Xun Yu's nephew, and is praised as a wise man who "has reached the power of change and has no last resort". The thoroughness of his mind and the thoughtfulness of his thinking are breathtaking. During his lifetime, Xun Yu wrote the Twelve Strategies of Wonder, but unfortunately, these strategies were not passed down in later generations. (Author: Shi Shu Ling Xuan Ge)
When Yuan Shao waved his troops to attack Cao Cao, he sent the general Yan Liang to besiege Baima. When Cao Cao wanted to rescue the white horse, Xun You proposed a deliberate plan, believing that it was not the best strategy to directly confront Yan Liang. He suggested that Cao Cao should feign attacking Yuan Shao's rear, so that Yuan Shao would definitely send troops back to help, thus distracting his attention from the white horse.
Cao Cao was convinced of Xun You's wisdom, so he acted according to the plan, and successfully diverted Yuan Shao's main force. Subsequently, he ordered Guan Yu to lead the light cavalry to quickly raid the white horse. Finally, Guan Yu killed Yan Liang in a thrilling battle and lifted the siege of the White Horse.
6, Lu Su
Lu Su, the think tank of Soochow, has countless strategies in his life, but the most praised is the strategy of "borrowing Jingzhou". This plan not only allowed Liu Bei to step into the ingenious trap he set, but even made "Mr. Wolong" Zhuge Liang fall into it for a while.
Jingzhou has been a battleground for soldiers since ancient times. After the Battle of Chibi, Zhou Yu occupied the central and northern regions of Jingzhou, where Liu Bei's troops were stationed. The four counties of Changsha, Wuling, Lingling, and Guiyang in the south are very interesting, neither submitting to Liu Bei nor submitting to Sun Quan. The Taishou of these four counties is still Liu Biao's old department, and they all intend to move closer to Cao Cao. (Author: Shi Shu Ling Xuan Ge)
In this context, Lu Su put forward the strategy of "borrowing Jingzhou". In fact, Sun Quan only lent Liu Bei the northern regions of Jingzhou, Nanjun and Xiangyang. For Sun Quan, this was just a small loan of land, but in the future Liu Bei would have to return the whole of Jingzhou. Under such conditions, even Zhuge Liang seemed to be blinded.
Lu Su's cleverness doesn't stop there. He knew very well that Liu Bei was the person who had the ability to compete with Cao Cao at that time. By lending these two pieces of land directly bordering Cao Cao to Liu Bei, it not only reduced the pressure on Eastern Wu, but also made Liu Bei a powerful barrier against Cao Cao.
5, Guo Jia
Guo Jia has now been canonized as a god-like existence in some people. Guo Jia showed resourcefulness at an early age, but he soon saw Yuan Shao's incompetence and realized that it would be difficult for him to achieve great things. Fortunately, through Xun Yu's recommendation, Guo Jia was able to defect to Cao Cao. (Author: Shi Shu Ling Xuan Ge)
On the eve of the Battle of Guandu, Yuan Shao sent a letter to humiliate Cao Cao, but Guo Jia put forward the inspiring theory of "ten victories and ten defeats" at this time, which injected Cao Cao with a strong fighting spirit. When Cao Cao and Yuan Shao fought a decisive battle in Guandu, Sun Ce intended to attack Xuchang, but Guo Jia, with his keen insight, predicted that Sun Ce would be retaliated by his enemies because of his fierce personality and ruthless actions. Sure enough, Sun Ce was killed by the Assassins soon after.
Guo Jia's ability is like this, ranking him in fifth place is a high opinion of him, he doesn't have a big strategic layout, don't mention anything "Guo Jia doesn't die, Wolong doesn't come out". Between Guo Jia and Zhuge Liang, there are seven Sima Yi.
4, Sima Yi
In the troubled times of the Three Kingdoms, Sima Yi was the final winner. Sima Yi used more than 40 years of dormancy and forbearance to tell us: Patience, health preservation, as long as we can endure and maintain good health, can we achieve what others cannot achieve. If the strategic layout is made, Sima Yi is far from Zhuge Liang, because Sima Yi's troops, grain and grass, and resources are about ten times that of Zhuge Liang. With such a good resource in hand, Sima Yi was pressed and beaten by Zhuge Liang, and almost never dared to take the initiative to attack, isn't this enough to pull his hips?
It's like if you have 10 tanks in your hand, and your opponent only has one tank in your hand, and you don't have much fuel, you can't fight for a while and you have to run away. In this case, you are so frightened by the other side that you can only shrink away, and you can only hope that the opponent's fuel will be quickly exhausted and you will retreat. Tell me, do you think you are better than your opponent? Don't you feel that you are stumbling? This is the gap between Sima Yi and Zhuge Liang. As for character, that's not to mention. Zhuge Liang has been worshiped by the world so far. What about Sima Yi? Only brainless people praise him!
3, Jia Xu
Jia Xu, known as the "poisoner", is deep in the city, thoughtful, good at perceiving people's hearts, and playing with power and scheming. His life has gone through four generations of lords Dong Zhuo, Zhang Xiu, Cao Cao, and Cao Pi, and witnessed the vicissitudes of the troubled times. At the critical moment when Cao Cao chose an heir, Jia Xu skillfully gave advice to Cao Pi, thus winning Cao Pi's deep trust. Jia Xu was promoted to the rank of Grand Sima of Cao Wei, enjoying full honor, and died peacefully at the age of seventy-seven, which can be called a model of a generation of strategists.
Among Jia Xu's many clever schemes, the most praised is his strategy to successfully separate Ma Chao and Han Sui. When Cao Cao fought Ma Chao at Tongguan, he suffered an initial setback. At this time, Jia Xu offered a poisonous plan and skillfully sent a letter to Han Sui that had been obviously altered. When Ma Chao learned of this, he immediately suspected that Han Sui and Cao Cao were secretly colluding. The brilliance of Jia Xu's plan is that he does not need to use lobbyists, nor does he need to spend gold and silver, and with just a letter, he can easily dismantle the deep trust between Ma Chao and Han Sui for decades. This strategy fully demonstrates Jia Xu's accurate grasp of people's hearts and extraordinary use of power.
2, Xun Yu
In Cao Cao's think tank, although Guo Jia is known for his ability to perceive people's hearts and has the potential to cultivate at a young age, judging from his record and official position, compared with Xun Yu, Xun You, Cheng Yu, and Jia Xu, his ability is obviously insufficient. This can be seen from the official position of military advisor and wine sacrifice he has always held, as well as the only 200 food estates. In contrast, Xun Yu's achievements in this area are particularly prominent. (Author: Shi Shu Ling Xuan Ge)
Xun Yu not only far surpasses Guo Jia in terms of official positions and food, but his record is also remarkable. The strategic planning of Cao Cao Group in the early stage was planned by Xun Yu, and the strategy of "serving the Son of Heaven to order the princes" was also recommended by Xun Yu to Cao Cao. In the Battle of Guandu, Cao Cao was under great pressure due to a shortage of food and grass and almost wanted to retreat. It was Xun Yu's resolute dissuasion that made Cao Cao firm his confidence, and finally waited for the fighter to appear and defeated Yuan Shao in one fell swoop, thus establishing his hegemony.
How important Xun Yu is to Cao Cao is how important Zhuge Liang is to Liu Bei.
1, Zhuge Liang
Zhuge Liang, one of the ten philosophers of the martial arts temple of the Tang and Song dynasties, was as famous as Bai Qi and Han Xin, and this honor was unmatched among the strategists and generals in the Three Kingdoms period. His strategic vision and ability in domestic affairs are vividly displayed in the "Longzhong Pair". When Liu Bei had no place to stand, Zhuge Liang predicted the pattern of three points in the world, and in the next 20 years, he helped Liu Bei realize this dream step by step. After Liu Bei's death, the vitality of Shu Han was greatly damaged, but Zhuge Liang supported the great cause of Shu Han with his own strength, did his best, and died. (Author: Shi Shu Ling Xuan Ge)
Zhuge Liang's military prowess was equally remarkable. Every time he went on a northern expedition, Cao Wei was like a great enemy, and Cao Rong gathered heavy troops in the Hanzhong area to fight against Zhuge Liang. Although Cao Wei's troops, grain, grass, and population far surpassed that of Shu Han, Cao Wei could not easily win every encounter. Especially when Sima Yi took charge of the army, except for dragging Zhuge Liang down with grain and grass tactics, Sima Yi never won Zhuge Liang on the frontal battlefield.
Zhuge Liang's "Teacher's Table" has been praised and Xi by later generations, and his intelligence, loyalty, and dedication have won the respect of all generations. In the Wuhou Temple in Chengdu, he was worshiped by the incense of his descendants.