After Shu Han built the capital of Chengdu, Zhuge Liang has been planning the Northern Expedition to the Central Plains. When Liu Bei passed away, Zhuge Liang finally led tens of thousands of elite troops to the north. In the early days, the Shu army was like entering a no-man's land, and the counties in Cao Wei responded one after another, and the situation was very good. However, just when the Shu army was just around the corner and cleared the last corner of Qishan, it encountered unprecedented stubborn resistance.
A small mountain city actually dragged the Shu army for several days, bringing the Northern Expedition, which was originally in full swing and victorious, to an abrupt end. Why did Qishan become the hard bone of the Shu army? What are the reasons and secrets behind it? Let's unravel this unsolved historical mystery.
Cao Weizhong's negligence and sluggish response
During the reign of Emperor Cao Rui of Wei Ming, due to his young age, the power of the court was in the hands of the Cao clan and important ministers. The Cao clan continued to compete for power within the clan, and was attacked by the Yellow Turban Army, Wu Guo, Sun Quan and other parties, and the national strength gradually declined. At this time, Zhuge Liang took advantage of the situation and led his troops to the north, trying to take Longxi in one fell swoop.
However, although Zhuge Liang laid out the infiltration in advance of the Northern Expedition and secretly instigated the rebellion of Tianshui, Nan'an and other counties, the central government of Cao Wei knew nothing about this. At that time, Cao Rui, who was newly succeeded to the throne, was still young and did not have the leading power in major affairs in the DPRK and China, and the important ministers did not timely perceive the crisis of the situation in the northwest, resulting in the Shu army taking advantage of the situation and taking it by surprise.
It wasn't until the rebels of Nan'an County led the Shu army to attack Longxi that the Cao Wei government and the opposition woke up like a dream and were shocked. But at that time, Zhuge Liang's vanguard troops had crossed the Bangzi Canal and tended to Hanzhong, which was like a bamboo. The ministers of the DPRK and China were at a loss and could not come up with a reasonable response plan, so they had to watch as important towns such as Longxi, Shangqi, and Qishan fell into siege one after another.
Even Cao Rui's order to garrison Chang'an was in vain, and the reinforcements sent were hastily assembled and could not rush to Longxi in time to relieve the siege. This mistake made Cao Wei suffer a lot in the northwest battlefield, so that although Zhuge Liang did not have many troops, he took advantage of the geographical advantage and conquered everything. If the Cao Wei Central Committee had been vigilant in time and quickly assembled the main force, perhaps it would not have fallen into such a passive situation.
Guo Huai is not afraid to turn the tide
Just when Cao Wei was at a loss and the Shu army was like a tiger, one person's wit and decisiveness saved the situation that was about to collapse completely. He is Guo Huai, the assassin of Yongzhou.
Guo Huai was originally from Taiyuan County, Bingzhou, and was born in a Han family, and his ancestor was a doctor in the Eastern Han Dynasty. He has read poetry and books since he was a child, and knows the art of war and strategy well. In the Battle of Hanzhong that year, when Zhang Fei and others threatened to cross the Han River to attack Cao's army, it was Guo Huai's resourcefulness that bought time for Cao Cao's main force. In this Northern Expedition of the Shu Army, although Guo Huai was in the position of the governor of Yongzhou, he did not rest on his laurels, but was not afraid of danger and stepped forward.
After the news came that Zhuge Liang had captured Wudu County, Guo Huai immediately concluded that the situation was critical, and immediately put down his work and went to the west to supervise the battle with Tianshui Taishou Ma Zun. Unexpectedly, halfway through the way, he heard that the Shu army had arrived in Qishan, Guo Huai made a quick decision, immediately turned back to Shangqi, and personally supervised the formation.
At this time, the situation in Shangqi was extremely critical, and the accompanying Ma Zun had collapsed and disappeared. Guo Huai guarded Shangqi alone, deployed elite troops to defend the key points of the city, mobilized and encouraged the soldiers defending the city, and personally supervised the repair of the city walls. In the face of the repeated attacks of the Shu army, Guo Huai responded calmly and commanded in an orderly manner.
Just when the Shu army was approaching Shangqicheng, the offensive and defensive battles were cool, and a lucky turning point appeared. Cao Wei Chaozhong finally came to his senses and began to organize a rescue army. After Guo Huai learned the news that the rescue troops were coming, he immediately arranged for people to set up an ambush outside the city, waiting for an opportunity to launch a surprise attack, and contained the actions of the Shu army to the greatest extent.
Finally, after months of fighting, Cao Wei's main force arrived and joined Guo Huai's defenders. The two sides surrounded Zhuge Liang's army in one fell swoop, forcing the Shu army to withdraw from Shangtai and abandon the attack on Qishan.
Although the Battle of Shangqi failed to achieve a comprehensive decisive battle, Guo Huai's decisive and unchaotic action reversed the passive situation for Cao Wei and saved the catastrophe of the trapped city, which was about to be recovered, which can be said to have made great contributions. It is precisely because of such heroic and outstanding figures that Cao Wei did not collapse, but was able to finally defend the overall situation in the northwest.
The Shu army's own combat power has declined and logistics bottlenecks have increased
Although Zhuge Liang was carefully arranged, the Shu army occupied a favorable situation at the beginning of the Northern Expedition, but as the war dragged on, the Shu army fell into the dilemma of withering talents.
In this expedition, Zhuge Liang carefully selected and brought many main generals, such as Guan Yu's sons Guan Ping, Ma Liang, Feng Xi, Fei Yi, etc. But as soon as the war broke out, the casualties were ruthless, and the Shu army paid a heavy price. Guan Ping and Ma Liang were both killed, which became a major loss for the Shu army. In addition, Liu Bei's cronies Ma Yan, Ma Dai, Zhang Yi and other veterans also died on the battlefield one after another.
The death of these brave and warlike main generals not only brought heavy losses to the Shu army, but also greatly damaged Zhuge Liang's vitality. Without these masters, Zhuge Liang could only rely on a few members such as Fei Yi and Feng Xi, and it was difficult to launch a strong attack on Cao Wei.
During the Northern Expedition of the Shu Army, although the infiltration effect along the way was good, the actual control area was only a corner of Longxi. The deeper they went into the hinterland of Cao Wei, the longer the logistics line became, putting a heavy burden on the Shu army.
Zhuge Liang realized this crisis and ordered his cronies Fa Zheng to stick to Hanzhong and specialize in transporting grain and grass. However, Fa Zheng is dull by nature, and the efficiency of handling logistics is low, which often leads to shortages of materials. On many occasions, soldiers were forced to forage for food on the spot due to hunger and thirst, and suffered heavy losses.
Even more frighteningly, as the war dragged on, supply lines became more and more fragile. Once Cao Wei discovers a flaw and cuts off the back road of the Shu army, he will definitely fall into a desperate situation. Zhuge Liang had to send troops to escort the convoy again and again, and divide the troops to cut the force.
Just when the front line was struggling and the rear was stretched, Zhuge Liang came up with the strategy of "Breaking Long" to block the attack, but it was met with stubborn resistance from Qishan.
The purpose of the "Breaking Long" strategy was to cut off the connection between Qishan and Guanzhong and force the morale of the city of Qishan to collapse. As long as Qishan did not retreat, Zhuge Liang would have no time to go east, and was forced to appease the northwest, falling into a passive situation of dilemma at both ends.
Zhuge Liang was determined to personally conquer Qishan, intending to destroy Cao Wei, the last fortress, with a thunderous blow. But the Qishan city was strong, and You Chu categorically refused to surrender, and the Shu army was blocked from attacking again and again. Zhuge Liang applied the method of "breaking Long", but he was firmly nailed by Qishan, and there was nothing to be done.
Zhuge Liang tried all to appease him but it was useless, how could he expect that a small Qi Mountain would become a stumbling block for the Shu army? The Shu army, which was originally invincible by strategy, suffered such a setback, which was simply a sin.
The coincidence of fate and You Chu's posture of self-preservation
When Zhuge Liang raised his troops to the Northern Expedition, a seemingly insignificant figure became the culprit of the Shu army's delay in Qishan. He is Qi Shan Taishou You Chu.
You Chu was originally a squire of Xiliang, Shi Wei for many years, and has been moving east to defend Qishan. When Zhuge Liang encountered the Northern Expedition, he chose to stick to himself and protect himself when he was in danger. However, it was this accidental coincidence that made the small Qishan City a hard bone for the Shu army.
When the news came that the Shu army had captured Wudu, and after threatening Shangqi, You Chu was shocked. He knew that the Shu army was unstoppable, and if he didn't defend himself, he would be doomed. So You Chu made a decision immediately, decisively gave up Shangqi, and stuck to the city of Qishan with one mind.
Qishan City is surrounded by mountains, and the guerrilla fortification is excellent. You Chu supervised the formation to repair the city walls, replenish ammunition, and make sufficient defensive preparations. When Guo Huai's troops rushed to Shangqi, the Shu army had already attacked the city of Qishan, and You Chu resolutely refused to surrender.
Zhuge Liang originally wanted to take Qishan first and cut off Guanzhong Avenue, but he didn't expect You Chu to be so stubborn and tenacious. The Shu army attacked repeatedly, but they were all repelled by the city guards under You Chu, and the two sides fell into a stalemate. With the elongation of the battle line and the logistics of the Shu army, Zhuge Liang had to transfer the main force to Qishan and step up the siege.
However, You Chu's indomitable spirit of resistance caught Zhuge Liang by surprise. You Chutong led the city guards to fight back bravely, and at the same time dug tunnels to strictly defend them. There was once a time when Zhuge Liang personally led an army to raid, but You Chu made a quick decision, detonated the tunnel, and almost died in the fire.
In this way, the power of one person actually forced Shu Han's sharp direction to stop. If it weren't for You Chu being so brave and good at fighting and sticking to the city of Qishan, Zhuge Liang would definitely be able to break through and go straight to the hinterland of Guanzhong. The coincidence of fate made You Chu, a person who no one paid attention to, an important factor in determining the direction of the battle.
Lessons and implications of the Battle of Qishan
Although the Battle of Qishan was only an episode of Zhuge Liang's Northern Expedition to Xiliang, it left a heavy lesson for both sides and had a profound impact on the entire battle situation.
For Shu Han, the Battle of Qishan was undoubtedly a painful defeat. Zhuge Liang originally took the initiative, but because he overestimated the strength of the Shu army and underestimated the defense of Qishan, he was finally held back by this small city, which greatly delayed the progress of the Northern Expedition.
Although Zhuge Liang was strategic, he did have omissions in intelligence about the enemy. The Battle of Qishan exposed the inadequacy of the Shu army's reconnaissance capabilities, which made You Chu's stubborn resistance completely unexpected. To make matters worse, the delay in the war caused the Shu army to suffer heavy losses, and many fierce generals were killed, and their morale was greatly damaged.
Although the Shu army finally gave up the attack on Qishan, this episode had already greatly damaged Zhuge Liang's vitality. From then on, Zhuge Liang's Northern Expedition strategy could no longer be as in full swing and victorious as before, but often fell into a strategic stalemate and could not achieve a decisive victory.
As for Cao Wei, although the Battle of Qishan was lucky to keep the last line of defense, it also sounded the alarm for Cao Wei's upper echelons. Only then did they realize how strong and ruthless Shu Han was. Seeing that Zhuge Liang did not retreat despite the setback, but was full of ambition to plan the next move, Cao Wei had to urgently dispatch troops to strengthen the northwest defense line.
The Cao clan, who originally thought that they could sit back and relax by only stabilizing Guanzhong, recognized the threat of Zhuge Liang's Northern Expedition. From then on, their eyes were no longer only on Eastern Wu, but more troops were transferred to the northwest. This undoubtedly increased the burden of Cao Wei's military spending, and also affected Cao Wei's battle plan against Eastern Wu to a certain extent.
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In general, although the Battle of Qishan ended at a stalemate, it became an obstacle to Shu Han's expedition to Xiliang, and at the same time caused Cao Wei to be highly vigilant against Zhuge Liang's Northern Expedition. Regardless of victory or defeat, this battle has promoted the two sides to start a new round of contest in an all-round way, injecting new impetus into the confrontation between the three kingdoms.