Preface
The battle between Zhuge Liang and Zhang He is a very dramatic story in the history of the Three Kingdoms. However, the most impressive moment was when Zhang He was killed by random arrows.
At this moment, Zhuge Liang instantly understood that he had been tricked. This moment is not only a turning point in a battle, but also a profound reflection on resourcefulness and fate.
So, how can a seemingly insignificant little thing trigger such a thrilling change? How can a person's life and death have such a far-reaching impact on the fate of an entire dynasty? What kind of story is hidden behind this?
1. The ambition of the traitor Sima Yi
Sima Yi, this name was a great figure during the Three Kingdoms period. He was born into a prestigious family and was trained by a strict family education since he was a child. Since he was a child, he was very intelligent, and he soon knew the art of war and strategy. When he was young, he was photographed by Cao Cao and was recruited into Cao's camp, which started his long and tortuous career.
At first, Sima Yi was just a scholar, serving under Cao Cao and engaged in military planning. But with his superior resourcefulness and cunning, he soon made a name for himself in Cao Cao's army. Cao Cao appreciated him very much, regarded him as a confidant, and entrusted him with many military affairs.
However, Sima Yi had ill intentions and was ambitious. He secretly coveted Cao Wei's power and wanted to gradually infiltrate the power into his hands step by step. In order to achieve this goal, he unscrupulous means and intrigues are endless.
Second, the loyal and brave fierce general Zhang He
In contrast, Zhang He is a very different character. He was born in a scholarly family and was nurtured by a good family education since he was a child. However, as fate would have it, his father died early, and his mother brought him up with hard work.
When the young and heroic Zhang He first entered the barracks, he stood out with his extraordinary bravery and brave fighting skills, and was soon favored by Yuan Shao and incorporated into his command. At that time, Zhang He was loyal to Yuan Shao, which can be described as extremely loyal.
However, the good times did not last long, and Yuan Shao actually blamed Zhang He for all the blame, and even framed him for harboring dissent, which made Zhang He indignant, so he abandoned Yuan Shao and took refuge in Cao Cao. Since then, Zhang He has become Cao Cao's most effective general, and has repeatedly performed miraculous feats and made great achievements for Cao Wei.
Zhang He's loyalty and courage made him invincible in the army. His brilliant strategy, coupled with his heroic style, made him a standout in Cao Wei's army. Even masterminds like Zhuge Liang are afraid of Zhang He.
However, Zhang He's loyalty and courage also became his Achilles' heel. Sima Yi, a traitor, knew that Zhang He would never obey his orders, and would definitely become a stumbling block to his seizure of power. So he secretly designed to find a way to get rid of this henchman.
3. Sima Yi's conspiracy
Sima Yi's ambition can be described as unfathomable. He knew that Cao Cao had seen through his ambitions before he died, and specially instructed his son Cao Pi to guard against this traitor. However, Cao Pi did not fully follow his father's teachings, but instead handed over important military power to Sima Yi.
Since then, Sima Yi has expanded his power in the army, cultivated cronies, and secretly accumulated strength. In those years, all the generals who had a dislike for him in the army or posed a threat to him were framed by his conspiracy without exception. The ruthlessness of his methods and the mastery of his skills are chilling.
Even Zhang He, the world's first fierce general, is a thorn in Sima Yi's eyes and must be removed. Although Zhang He is loyal and brave, he has a straightforward personality, and Sima Yi knows that he will never obey his orders, and will definitely become a stumbling block to his own seizure of power in the future.
In order to get rid of Zhang He's confidant, Sima Yi spent several years of hard work. He secretly sent people to make things difficult for Zhang He in every way, set many traps, and asked for Zhang He's life several times. But Zhang He is cautious and has outstanding martial arts, and he can always get away with it.
Sima Yi's conspiracy can be described as progressive, step by step. He knew that as long as Zhang He was still there, his ambitions would be difficult to realize. So he waited patiently, waited for the opportunity, and finally found the perfect opportunity to get rid of Zhang He during Zhuge Liang's four northern expeditions.
Fourth, Zhuge Liang's Northern Expedition and Zhang He's death
It was just when Zhuge Liang made four northern expeditions that Sima Yi finally saw the perfect opportunity to get rid of Zhang He. He knew that Zhuge Liang had been jealous of Zhang He for a long time, and if Zhuge Liang was given a chance, Zhuge Liang would definitely get rid of this confidant without hesitation.
So during Zhuge Liang's Northern Expedition, Sima Yi deliberately allowed Zhang He to go out to meet the battle, but secretly instructed Zhang He to disobey the military order and charge alone. In the arms of Zhuge Liang, Zhang He died in Huangquan under the fire of ten thousand arrows. In this way, Sima Yi borrowed the hand of Zhuge Liang to get rid of this big trouble.
At the moment when Zhang He's ten thousand arrows pierced his heart, Zhuge Liang noticed something strange. He immediately realized that the reason why Zhang He fought alone must have been instructed by someone. And there is no one else who can command such loyal and brave generals as Zhang He, except for Sima Yi, the supreme commander of Cao Wei.
Although Zhuge Liang was the number one mastermind in the world, he had to admit his powerlessness in the face of Sima Yi, an old and cunning traitor. Sima Yi's conspiracy is too clever, and even if Zhuge Liang sees through the treacherous scheme, it will be difficult to turn the tide of the battle.
At that time, Cao Wei's national strength was far superior to Shu Han, and Sima Yi, a traitorous minister, had many conspiracies, even if Zhuge Liang saw through Sima Yi's conspiracy, he could not escape a passive beating. He could only watch Zhang He die under the fire of ten thousand arrows, and his heart was full of helplessness and anger.
Fifth, the treacherous plan succeeded, and Sima Yi seized power
Zhang He's death was the beginning of Sima Yi's conspiracy. Since then, his power has swelled day by day, and Cao Wei's power has inevitably fallen into his hands step by step.
After Zhang He was shot and killed by ten thousand arrows, Cao Wei's camp suddenly lost a tiger general, and the army was in turmoil. Sima Yi took the opportunity to hype up Zhang He's crime of "leaving his post without permission" and "disregarding military orders" and demonizing him in order to cover up his conspiracy. At the same time, he secretly cultivated cronies and tightened his control over military power.
Cao Shuang, the prime minister of Cao Wei, was originally the core of Cao Wei's power, but he had a wooden personality and was difficult to convince the public. Sima Yi took the opportunity to attack Cao Shuang, isolated Cao Shuang, and finally forced him to commit suicide. From then on, the Cao Wei government and the opposition all respected Sima Yi, a "meritorious and meritorious" old minister.
At this moment, a major event occurred in Cao Wei that shocked the whole country. Before Cao Cao died, he personally instructed his son Cao Pi to guard against Sima Yi's ambitions. However, Cao Pi did not fully obey, but handed over all the heavy military power to Sima Yi.
Sima Yi seized the opportunity to support his cronies, tightened his control of military power, and finally deposed Cao Pi in a coup d'état. From then on, the Sima clan was autocratic, and the Cao Wei Dynasty existed in name only.
Sima Yi's ambitions finally succeeded, and he became the de facto ruler of Cao Wei. But his reign was not all smooth sailing, and internal power struggles continued, culminating in the fall of Cao Wei. It wasn't until later in life that Sima Yi regretted what he had done back then, but it was too late.
epilogue
The seemingly insignificant death of Zhang He has become the fuse that pushes the wheel of history forward. It not only heralded the decline of the Cao Wei Dynasty, but also laid the foundation for the establishment of the Three Kingdoms.
Some commentators believe that if Zhuge Liang could see through Sima Yi's conspiracy back then, he would definitely turn the tide of the war. However, the reality is that even if Zhuge Liang sees through the trick, he will not escape a passive beating. After all, at that time, Cao Wei's national strength was far superior to Shu Han, and Sima Yi, a traitorous minister, had many conspiracies, and Zhuge Liang could not escape his hands.
The lesson of this history is that once a traitor steals the country, he will inevitably bring disaster to the people, and this is a heavy lesson. We must always be vigilant against such machinations in order to avoid repeating the mistakes of the past.