Preface
In Chinese history, the fall of Shu Han is a historical mystery that has attracted much attention. However, at this critical moment, a high-profile figure was absent - Meng Shu.
Where is this leader of the Southern Barbarian Clan, who was subdued by Zhuge Liang, where? Why did he choose to stay out of the situation instead of coming forward to help when Shu was in danger? What are the hidden reasons behind this? Let us find out.
1. The fall of Shu Han
In 263 AD, this year was destined to be an extraordinary year for Shu Han. In August, Cao Wei's army, led by Sima Zhao, began its conquest of Shu Han. And just three months later, the decades-old Shu Han Dynasty came to an abrupt end under Liu Chan's surrender.
Why did a once powerful army retreat in this war? The speed with which Shu Han was destroyed is truly incredible. However, if we go back to the war, we may be able to find some clues.
At the beginning of the war, the main army of Shu Han suffered heavy losses. Although Jiang Wei has experienced a hundred battles, he can't defeat Cao Wei's strength advantage after all. In the Battle of Mianzhu, Zhuge Zhan's troops were defeated by Deng Ai's army, and Zhuge Zhan himself was killed on the battlefield. Having lost the cover of the main army, Chengdu soon fell into a situation of encirclement.
And when Deng Ai's army came to the border, Liu Chan had no choice but to open the city gate and surrender to Cao Wei's army. This move is undoubtedly a heavy blow to the military and people of Shu Han. After all, Liu Chan, as the emperor of Shu Han, actually chose to surrender, which was undoubtedly a betrayal of the Shu Han army and people. Under such circumstances, the fall of Shu Han became a doomed ending.
The reason for this is that the reason why Shu Han was destroyed in just three months was not only the disadvantage of military strength, but also related to its internal turmoil. Liu Chan's surrender was a major mistake, and it also reflected the weakness and incompetence of the ruling class of Shu Han. In addition, at the critical moment, Shu Han failed to obtain support from external forces, which was also an important reason for its eventual demise.
2. Zhuge Liang and the Battle of Nanzhong
To trace the roots of the fall of Shu Han, we have to mention the origin of Zhuge Liang and the Nanzhong region. As the military advisor of Shu Han, Zhuge Liang not only made outstanding achievements in military affairs, but also excelled in managing the frontier areas.
The southern and central regions have always been a hard bone. Most of the indigenous people here belong to ethnic minorities, and there are obvious differences with the Han culture in the Central Plains. Coupled with the barrier of geographical environment, the southern and central regions have been in a semi-civilized state for a long time. Faced with such a tricky situation, Zhuge Liang did not choose the method of conquest by force.
Instead, he used his wisdom and charm to finally make Meng Shu, the leader of the Nanzhong region, submit to Shu Han by "attacking the heart". This move is a major achievement of Zhuge Liang. After all, in order to truly control the southern and central regions, force alone is far from enough.
Zhuge Liang knew this very well, so he chose to overcome the rigid way with softness, first through his dealings with Meng Shu, to establish a certain relationship of trust, and then make him submit to Shu Han. This kind of "attacking the heart" undoubtedly reflects Zhuge Liang's superb wisdom. He understood that in order to truly consolidate Shu Han's rule in the Nanzhong region, force alone was far from enough.
It is necessary to establish a certain consensus and trust through exchanges with local leaders in order for them to truly submit to Shu Han. This practice not only reflected Zhuge Liang's foresight, but also laid the foundation for Shu Han's rule in the Nanzhong region.
3. Meng Huo's life experience and character
Meng Huo, a well-known Haoqiang in the Nanzhong region. His background is not prominent, just an ordinary Han origin. However, with his extraordinary courage and strategy, Meng Huo soon rose to prominence in the Nanzhong region and became the largest force in the local area.
In terms of personality, Meng Huo is a rather difficult character. He is cunning and suspicious, and is often wary of outsiders. But at the same time, he is very ambitious, eager to dominate the rivers and lakes in the southern and central regions. It was this ambition that eventually prompted him to surrender to Zhuge Liang.
However, Zhuge Liang's "seven captures and seven verticals" of Meng Shu were not out of sincerity. He understood that in order to completely conquer the southern and central regions, force alone would not work. Therefore, he had to adopt a step-by-step approach to tolerate Meng Shu's existence for the time being.
Judging from Meng Shu's life experience and personality, he is undoubtedly a rather complex character. On the one hand, he came from an ordinary background, but with his own ability, he rose to prominence in the Nanzhong region and became the biggest force in the local area.
On the other hand, he is a cunning and suspicious person, and is often wary of outsiders. This contradictory personality also made him always maintain a delicate balance in the confrontation with Zhuge Liang. The key to Zhuge Liang's ability to finally make Meng surrender was his wisdom and charm.
He understood that in order to truly conquer the South Central Region, force alone was not enough. Therefore, he chose to overcome rigidity in a soft way, and through his interactions with Meng Shu, he established a certain relationship of trust, and then made him submit to Shu Han. This practice not only reflected Zhuge Liang's foresight, but also laid the foundation for Shu Han's rule in the Nanzhong region.
Fourth, the centrifugal departure from Germany in the south-central region
Despite Zhuge Liang's careful management, the Nanzhong region never really surrendered to Shu Han. There are complex reasons for this.
First of all, the ethnic composition of the Nanzhong region is extremely mixed, and in addition to the Han Chinese, there are many ethnic minority tribes. These tribes are intrigued with each other, and it is difficult to truly unite with each other. This kind of ethnic contradiction is undoubtedly a major obstacle to the reunification of the southern and central regions.
Secondly, the geographical environment of the southern and central regions is very harsh, which greatly restricts the control of Shu Han. Even during Zhuge Liang's lifetime, rebellions occurred from time to time in the Nanzhong region, which shows that the foundation of Shu Han's rule was not stable. The limitations of this geographical environment also made it difficult for Shu Han to truly incorporate the Nanzhong region into its own territory.
Moreover, although Meng was subservient to Shu Han, his influence was limited to his own people. For other tribes, Meng Huo is not a real "barbarian king", they have their own leaders, and naturally they will not obey Meng Huo's orders. This decentralized power structure also made it difficult for Shu Han to truly control the entire Nanzhong region.
Finally, as time passed, Zhuge Liang died, Jiang Wei came to power, and Shu Han's strategic focus began to shift to the north. The control of the southern and central regions has gradually relaxed. As a result, the centrifugal detachment here is even more unscrupulous. In this case, the various tribes in the southern and central regions naturally made it more difficult to truly submit to Shu Han.
In general, the complexity of the Nanzhong region has always been a major obstacle to Shu Han rule. Even Zhuge Liang's wisdom is difficult to completely solve this problem. In this case, the foundation of Shu Han's rule is naturally difficult to truly stabilize. This also laid the groundwork for its eventual demise.
Fifth, the fall of Shu Han and the cold eyes of Nanzhong
In 263, Cao Wei's army began its conquest of Shu Han. In the Battle of Mianzhu, Zhuge Zhan was defeated, and Chengdu fell into a besieged situation. At this critical juncture, people can't help but ask: Why is there no one to help the forces in the South and Central regions?
In fact, this is not due to Meng Huo himself. At the time of the fall of Shu Han, Meng Shu was already in his prime, even if he himself was willing to send troops to rescue, but it was powerless to command the forces of the entire Nanzhong region. What's more, the Nanzhong region never really submitted to Shu Han. For them, the survival of Shu Han has nothing to do with them.
On the contrary, many tribes even gloated, looking forward to a piece of the pie after the fall of Shu Han. This mentality is undoubtedly a kind of ridicule and snub of Shu Han. After all, at the most critical moment of Shu Han, many forces in the Nanzhong region chose to stand by and let Liu Chan have nothing to do, and finally had to surrender to Cao Wei's army.
This indifferent attitude also reflects the delicate relationship between the Nanzhong region and Shu Han. Although Zhuge Liang once made Meng Shu surrender to Shu Han by "attacking the heart", this surrender was not out of sincerity.
For the other tribes in the Nanzhong region, the survival of Shu Han has nothing to do with them. In this case, when Shu Han fell into a crisis, many forces in the Nanzhong region naturally chose to stand by coldly.
epilogue
The fall of Shu Han is certainly a tragedy, but there are also some unavoidable reasons. Although Zhuge Liang carefully managed the Nanzhong region, he failed to really incorporate it into the territory after all. Coupled with the growing weakness of Shu Han's own strength, it was unable to obtain support from external forces at critical moments.
The enlightenment of this past is that any country that only attaches importance to the center and ignores the development of the border areas will eventually pay a heavy price.
Only true solidarity can bring lasting peace and stability to the country. Let us learn from history, cherish the current era of peace, and work together for the prosperity of the motherland.