First, the extreme Zhuge Liang and Sima Yi
Whether it is the "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" or the history of the Three Kingdoms, the collision of Zhuge Liang and Sima Yi can be called the most exciting moment. Because Zhuge Liang and Sima Yi both belong to the ultimate characters. In a nutshell, there are two similarities and two differences.
The so-called two sameness: the same is the top cattle people in the three countries and even in history. He is also a trusted lonely and heavy subject, and he is in danger of a country.
The so-called two differences: one bows down and dies, and the other usurps power and chaos the government, seizing people and mountains, which is called a different ending. One is awe-inspiring, one is hidden, and this is called the image difference.
Because he is also a top cattleman, there is a ultimate ending. Because he is also a lonely and heavy subject, he has left an extreme image.
If history is a coin, then Zhuge Liang and Sima Yi are obviously two sides of this coin, both opposed and mutually existent, both symbiotic and intolerable. Therefore, the collision between Zhuge Liang and Sima Yi can not be exciting?
Zhuge Liang is obviously a positive figure, and Sima Yi is a negative character. People say that evil has never suppressed righteousness. Then Sima Yi, a negative figure, is afraid of Zhuge Liang, and naturally becomes an unavoidable problem.
The author believes that if we want to thoroughly understand this problem, we must refer to how Zhuge Liang and Sima Yi evaluated each other. Because the opponent's evaluation has always been the sharpest, but also the most reflective of their true attitude.
Second, Sima Yi commented on Zhuge Liang four times
In the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Zhuge Liang began to compete with Sima Yi when he came out of Qishan. Ma Mo was broken by Sima Yi in the street pavilion, which caused Zhuge Liang to tearfully behead Ma Mo, and then staged a scene of empty city planning.
But in fact, in the main history, Sima Yi only became the commander of Cao Wei in 231 AD, that is, during Zhuge Liang's Fourth Northern Expedition, and really began to break his wrist with Zhuge Liang. Therefore, Sima Yi's first evaluation of Zhuge Liang occurred at this time.
Sima Yi said: Bright worries are more than less!
This means that Sima Yi believed that Zhuge Liang thought too much and lacked the ability to make decisions. The subtext is that he is not a first-class manager. Full of confidence.
So what's the result? Saying it makes people laugh. Zhuge Liang not only "slaughtered his wheat", that is, he cut cao Wei's wheat and supplemented the army's food. He also challenged Sima Yi several times and demanded a decisive battle. But Sima Yi was "not able to get out according to the danger." In the end, because Li Yan lied about the lack of food for the army, Zhuge Liang calmly withdrew and set up an ambush at the "Wooden Gate Road".
When Sima Yi learned of this, he suddenly came to his senses and forced Zhang Gao to pursue, and Zhang Gao was shot dead in the wooden doorway. Cao Wei No. 2 Commander died like this! Therefore, where is this "bright worry more decisive less", it is clear that "Sima Yi is overconfident", and was educated by Zhuge Liang.
Sima Yi's second and third evaluations of Zhuge Liang occurred in 234 AD, during Zhuge Liang's last Northern Expedition (six out of Qishan).
When Sima Yi learned that Zhuge Liang had sent troops again, he said: "If you are as brave as a brave person, when you are a martial artist, you should follow the mountain to the east." If you go west to the five hara, the armies will be fine. ”
This means that if Zhuge Liang is really a powerful cattle man, he should march east from Wugong Mountain. If so, our troubles will be great. If Zhuge Liang chooses to go west out of Wuzhangyuan, then we can enjoy eating hot pot and singing and singing, and continue to sing and dance.
As a result, Zhuge Liang really went west out of Wuzhangyuan!
But even so, Sima Yi was still subjected to various humiliations from Zhuge Liang. For example, the most famous gift of women's clothes to Sima Yi occurred at this time. As a result, Sima Yi had to ask for advice from thousands of miles, and brought Cao Rui to suppress his generals.
This is called "the armies are fine"? It is clear that Sima Yi is about to be squeezed and exploded. However, even under such circumstances, Sima Yi still had a hard mouth, and commented on Zhuge Liang for the third time, as follows: Liang Zhi was big and did not see the opportunity, was resourceful and less decisive, was a good soldier but had no power, although he raised 100,000 people, he had fallen into my paintings, and he would be broken.
The most straightforward translation is: Zhuge Liang has great ambition, but he can't find the opportunity to realize it, although he has a good strategy, he is indecisive, and although he likes to fight with soldiers, he lacks power. Don't look at him now leading an army of 100,000 people, the momentum is fierce, but he has already caught my plan, and he is cursed by me to draw a circle, sooner or later I will kill Zhuge Liang!
So Sima Yi said so lively, what was the result? As we all know, the incident of "dead Zhuge frightening the living Zhongda" happened, and at the same time, it also left an idiom of "fearing Shu like a tiger".
Obviously, Sima Yi's two evaluations are purely self-emboldening. Through the first contest with Zhuge Liang, Sima Yi obviously felt that he could not fight at all. But as the commander of Cao Wei, he had to force his scalp.
Therefore, Sima Yi grasped the problem of Shu Han's grain and grass shortage on the one hand, killed and could not fight, and spent and boiled with Zhuge Liang -- anyway, my Cao Wei's national strength crushed you Shu Han. On the one hand, he "drew a circle and cursed Zhuge Liang" behind his back, expressing all kinds of disobedience - who made you Zhuge Liang so faceless?
This is actually Sima Yi, who has evaluated Zhuge Liang twice in a row as the mystery behind it - the tone is terrible, but the body is very sincere, shrinking into a ball!
So sima Yi was afraid of Zhuge Liang? That's scary!
Because he was completely crushed by Zhuge Liang, he could only rely on Cao Wei's overall national strength to oppose Zhuge Liang and Shu Han. Therefore, when Zhuge Liang died, when Sima Yi evaluated Zhuge Liang for the fourth time, he finally said the words in his heart, just four words: The wizards of the world!
Sima Yi finally admitted that Zhuge Liang's ability was far superior to his own. At the same time, he also made a final excuse for himself. The subtext is: In the face of the crushing of such a prodigy as Zhuge Liang, I Sima Yi neither opened nor hung, nor did he cross the skill, but he could not fight and fear him, which was normal and not shameful at all.
3. General analysis
Through Sima Yi's four evaluations of Zhuge Liang, sima Yi's emotional and cognitive changes can be felt very clearly.
When he first met Zhuge Liang, he said that "there are more worries and less worries", and he obviously has a sense of conceit and superiority, as if he looks down on Zhuge Liang.
The second and third times, after being hit by Zhuge Liang continuously, they began to carry out "self-strengthening", and they were really afraid of Zhuge Liang, but they did not dare to say it.
The fourth evaluation is the most pertinent, the so-called coffin conclusive theory, acknowledging that Zhuge Liang is stronger than himself, but also equivalent to overturning the first three evaluations, and has a great taste of self-exoneration.