Introduction:
Zhuge Liang went on the Northern Expedition and returned with two defeats. The setbacks in the early days of the war were mainly due to the lack of clever strategists in the army who could directly assist Zhuge Liang. When Zhuge Liang waved his army south and entered Yizhou, he left a group of assistants to assist Guan Yu to guard Jingzhou. Everyone in the world knows that Guan Yu has fought many battles for a long time and is brave in martial arts, why was he defeated by the siege of the Eastern Wu general Lu Meng in the Battle of Jingzhou? Could it be that these assistants left by Zhuge Liang are not of good quality? Or is Guan Yu arrogant and can't listen to advice?
1. Townspeople
When Zhuge Liang entered Sichuan, although he left eight people to assist Guan Yu in the battle, these eight people were not brilliant strategists and were not worthy of the task. Among them, Ma Liang, Yi Zhi, Lu Zhu, and Xiang Lang, although they all have a skill, they are not real military strategists.
Although Ma Liang has a lot of talents, it is a pity that he is just an idle scholar and has never practiced formation tactics. Zhuge Liang's Northern Expedition was in trouble, that is, because no one could do a clever plan, he had to summon Ma Liang into the shogunate. When it came to Sichuan, Ma Liang was still in the position of staff and could only deal with some civil affairs. Guan Yu launched the Battle of Xiangfan, and Ma Liang also served as a staff officer, but his mind was all about playing chess and playing chess, where to focus on military affairs. Even when Guan Yu was injured, Ma Liang was only by his side, how could he make a decision for Guan Yu?
Yi once assisted Liu Biao, but he was actually an old sage. Liu Bei also received his help in the early days to keep him alive. However, after all, Iraq is not a real military advisor, and can only serve as a civilian. Guan Yu attacked Fancheng, and although Yi accompanied the staff officers, he could only provide some advice, but he was powerless to turn the tide of the battle. When Guan Yu's army was defeated, the Iraqi could only go to Jiangdong at night to ask for help, and just go to Tanglu empty.
As for Xiang Lang, he is a pure literati scholar. Although he was a man of many knowledgeable people, what was discussed in the study was only Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism, and had nothing to do with military affairs. Xiang Langben is not a military advisor, and can only handle some government affairs under the account. And Lu Zhu is just a rich child, although his status is respected, he is a civilian after all, and he does not understand the art of war and military science.
The four people left behind by Zhuge Liang were not real military talents, and they could only serve as rulers under their accounts, and it was difficult to formulate exquisite military strategies. However, Guan Yu was powerful and had no scruples on the battlefield, so the military advice of the four was often ignored by him. Even if Zhuge Liang had a real military advisor by his side, I am afraid it would be difficult to reverse Guan Yu's arrogance. Guan Yu's defeat is really self-inflicted.
2. Hockey Sticks
Everyone knows that Zhuge Liang is a person who has studied all kinds of books and is proficient in mathematics. If you want to defend the country with a stay, you must rely on magical mana. When Zhuge Liang entered the Sichuan, he also specially recruited several strange forces and chaos gods who wandered the rivers and lakes to assist Guan Yu.
Among them, the most well-known is Ye Gucheng, known as the "Fire Cloud Evil God". This person has practiced the secret art of Buddhism since he was a child, and is good at using the power of fox immortals to perform fire attack strategies. Whenever Ye Gucheng casts a spell, he must first sacrifice the Jiuyang Divine Fire, and only after the fire cloud leaves his body can he launch an evil flame attack. Guan Yu set out to fight in Fancheng, and Ye Gucheng once sacrificed a huge fire cloud, almost burning the enemy formation. It was a pity that Guan Yu was anxious about victory and defeat, and he didn't believe in the gods and ghosts, so he only thought that Ye Gucheng was practicing evil arts, so he was expelled from the barracks.
The other person is the thief St. Lu Zhishen, who has infinite manpower and is both wise and brave. When Lu Zhishen stayed in Liangshan, he overturned Zhujiazhuang by himself and fought dozens of heroes in Liangshan. Later, he took refuge in Guan Yu and made many miraculous achievements. In the Battle of Xiangfan, Lu Zhishen personally shook the enemy army, and captured tens of thousands of enemy soldiers alive. It's a pity that Guan Yu is extremely arrogant, regards Lu Zhishen as a crazy hero, never listens to his high opinions, and finally loses.
And the eerie and terrifying "Demon Yuwen Qian" is Zhuge Liang's most relied on strategist. This person's ancestor is one of the nine major clans, and he has practiced the art of Yin and Yang Dunjia for generations. Yuwen Qian can not only measure the power of ghosts and gods, but also use various evil arts to confuse the enemy. Although Guan Yu listened to Yuwen's pre-battle arrangement, he didn't really regard him as a confidant. Yuwenqian's insidious tricks were finally in vain because of Guan Yu's pride.
It is true that although the people of the hockey family have extraordinary abilities, they are just street sticks, and it is difficult to command soldiers. Guan Yu thinks very highly of himself, how could he obey the dispatch of these beggars and monks? Once the Shu army is defeated, these strange forces can only scatter and flee, and there is no place for them.
3. Honoring the old soldiers
Although the literati strategists and warlocks left by Zhuge Liang were not enough to help Guan Yu win, there were also a few generals among them, who were Guan Yu's old troops who had been fighting for several years. Guan Ping, Mi Fang, Zhou Cang, and Liao Hua are all elite divisions under Guan Yu for many years.
Guan Ping is Guan Yu's righteous son, who has followed him since he was a child and has been on the battlefield for a long time. Guan Ping was majestic, and he killed dozens of warriors under Zhang Xiu's command with one hand. As for the Battle of Xiangfan, Guan Ping was also the leading vanguard, charging and falling, and made many meritorious achievements. It's a pity that Guan Ping was violent by nature, brutal on the battlefield, and repeatedly violated military discipline, resulting in the defeat of the army.
On the contrary, Guan Yu's henchman Mi Fang is a gentleman who eats, drinks, prostitutes, and gambles. Mi Fang is young and strong, free and chic, and is usually a drinker and a face. Back then, he was drunk due to alcoholism and misplaced the fire bull camp in Fancheng, which almost caused Guan Yuyuanshi to be defeated. As for the battle of Xiangfan, Mi Fang directly surrendered and betrayed Guan Yu.
In contrast, Zhou Cang was the elite soldier of Guan Yu's loyal and brave guards. Zhou Cang has served under Guan Yu's tent since he was a child, and has experienced several baptisms of life and death and war. Although he is a small soldier, he is quite appreciated by Guan Yu. It's a pity that Zhou Cang is timid by nature, and he is always weak when he encounters a big enemy, where can he make contributions to Guan Yu?
The most regrettable thing is Liaohua. This young general is the top mastermind under Guan Yu's account, brave and shrewd, and fearless. Unfortunately, life is not at the right time, and can only be subject to Guan Yu's mediocre command. Some commentators pointed out that if Liao Hua was allowed to lead the troops alone, he might be able to reverse the decline of the Shu army. However, Liao Hua is only a small general with a low official rank after all, and Guan Yu will not really obey his orders.
Fourth, the black hand behind the scenes
Although Guan Yu is a brave hero, he is not invulnerable. Around him, there are many traitors who are hidden behind him, which is the root of his eventual downfall.
First of all, it is those Cao Wei spies who have mixed into the army. At that time, Cao Cao intended to win over Liu Bei, but was refused. In retaliation, Cao Cao secretly sent a large number of spies to infiltrate the Shu army and serve the young lord Liu Chan. Although these spies could not go out in person, they could always monitor the military situation, spy on the Shu army's plan of action, and make strategic arrangements for the Cao army.
Secondly, it is the Jiangdong spy who blended into Guan Yu's command. Guan Yu set out for the first time that year, planning to go straight to Jiangdong to replace him. Sun Quan naturally took precautions and sent a large number of spies to Guan Yu's army in advance. Although these spies have military ranks, they always spy on Guan Yu's whereabouts and report all military information. It was precisely because of the betrayal of these spies that Guan Yu was trapped in Fancheng and fell into a siege.
What's even more terrifying is the traitor among Guan Yu's cronies. According to historical records, Guan Yu had a confidant under his tent, who was actually a spy purchased by Jiangdong. This person serves Guan Yu day and night, but he also reveals Guan Yu's military intelligence from time to time. In the end, this spy actually opened the city and surrendered alone, which put Guan Yu in a very dangerous situation.
It is true that although Guan Yu is strong in martial arts, he is just a martial artist after all. In the way of strategy, he is indeed at a disadvantage. It is precisely because of these traitors hidden in the shadows that Guan Yu is in a predicament step by step, unable to get rid of the encirclement. Of course, even without these conspiracies, Guan Yu's arrogant character is destined to be defeated by the enemy. It's just that these people who are secretly obstructing have undoubtedly accelerated Guan Yu's downfall.
5. Role of Xiang Xiang
When Zhuge Liang went on an expedition to the north, he left eight strategists to help Guan Yu garrison Jingzhou. However, these strategists are not brave warriors, and under Guan Yu's arrogance, it is difficult to display their talents. In the end, because of Guan Yu's conceit, he was surrounded by Lu Meng and fell into a predicament.
At that time, although Guan Yu took Xiangyang first, he was immediately surrounded by Lü Meng's army. The literati and strategists left behind by Zhuge Liang originally wanted to make Guan Yu stick to it and wait for reinforcements to arrive. Unexpectedly, Guan Yu was reckless and insisted on going his own way. Ma Liang and others spoke to dissuade them, but Guan Yu ignored them. As a result, he fell into Lü Meng's plan and was firmly besieged in the city.
When the reinforcements arrived, they were told by the spies again, and finally the whole army was wiped out. Even those skilled hockey stickers were helpless. Although Lu Zhishen is infinitely powerful, he cannot break out of the encirclement with brute force alone. Ye Gucheng sacrificed the flames of the clouds, and it was difficult to burn the enemy army. Not to mention those literati scholars who can't even subdue demons.
Even Guan Yu's cronies and generals have many mutinous people. There are henchmen and generals who open the city to surrender, and there are even generals who are drunk and arrogant, causing the army's morale to collapse. Although loyal and brave guards like Guan Ping and Zhou Cang also tried their best, they were surrounded by enemies after all. Even Liaohua, a talent that can be created, can't get out and escape.
In the end, Lü Meng schemed to break out of the siege and capture Guan Yusheng in the Battle of Magu. At this time, the army of Shu Han had collapsed, and Zhuge Liang was even more injured. had no choice but to retreat to the interior, and once his ambitions were frustrated. Although Guan Yu was a hero, he finally fell into a place of no return due to arrogance, which hit Zhuge Liang's ambition hard.