The image of Zhuge Liang in "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms": Although it highlights the positive aspects of Zhuge Liang's life character, moral character, achievements, etc., it also exaggerates it infinitely and describes him as the embodiment of wisdom and the representative of loyalty. And deified him into a half-human, half-god superman.
Zhuge Liang’s main achievements:
1. Construction of clean government. As the prime minister, Zhuge Liang knew very well: "If the house leaks at the bottom, it must be stopped at the top. If the leakage does not stop at the top, it will be uninhabitable at the bottom." He not only took the lead in clean government and raised a banner, but also regarded clean government as an important political and legal issue. Construction has had a significant impact on all aspects of Shu Han's politics, economy, military, and culture. The construction of clean government during the Zhuge Liang period was first reflected in the strict control of the scale of the Shuhan Palace and the scale of Huiling.
2. Make laws. Zhuge Liang's legislation was open and law enforcement was fair, which was different from the feudal legal thought of the same era. In the first year of Shu Zhangwu (221), Liu Bei proclaimed himself emperor in Chengdu, Yizhou and established the Shu Han regime. Yizhou was formerly ruled by Liu Zhang, so the laws were abolished, and local factions became stronger and stronger. The strong intervention of Liu Bei's ruling group destroyed a considerable number of people's attempts to dominate the southwest. In this case, the Shu Han regime, as a guest regime, faced the threat from Yizhou Obstruction from the old forces.
Faced with this situation, Zhuge Liang believed that this was not the resentment left by harsh laws and punishments, but that the Shu Han Dynasty was founded on the long-term laxity of laws and orders, which led to chaos among the officials and the people, the king and the ministers were unruly, and the "discipline" was disrupted. He said, "If the Three Cardinal Guidelines are not correct and the Six Disciplines are ignored, great chaos will arise." The Three Cardinal Guidelines means that the king is the guideline for the ministers, the father is the guideline for the son, and the husband is the guideline for the wife.
3. Thoughts on military management. Zhuge Liang was good at running the army. Chen Shou once mentioned in "The Chronicles of the Three Kingdoms, the Chronicles of Shu, and the Biography of Zhuge Liang" that Zhuge Liang "ruled the army to achieve success." Zhuge Liang also personally said in his article "On Recommending Liu Ba": "I am not as far away as Zi Chuyuan when planning strategies among the curtains and walls! If you carry the drum and gather the army at the gate to make the people happy and brave, you should be the ear of others for discussion." "It can be seen that Zhuge Liang is good at running the army.
4. Use troops in Nanzhong. Shu ministers Zhu Bao, Yong Kai, Gao Ding and others rebelled, and Meng Huo, a powerful man from South China, participated in it. Under the difficult situation of Cao Wei's army pressing down on the border in the north, Sun Quan's Jingzhou army threatening the east, and three counties rebelling in the south, Zhuge Liang adopted the strategy of "fighting against Cao Wei in the north and Sun Quan in the east". In October of the first year of the founding of Shu (223) Deng Zhi was sent to Soochow for repairs and achieved diplomatic success.
Then, in the second year of Jianxing (224), we actively carried out battle preparations such as troop replenishment and training. In this way, at the beginning of the third year of Jianxing (225), the conditions for going south to counter the rebellion were met, so Zhuge Liang began to organize the southern expedition in Chengdu.
5. Military inventions. Zhuge Liang has also been highly recognized as a military strategist in the past dynasties. After Zhuge Liang's death, Sima Yi saw Zhuge Liang's camp and praised him as a "wonder in the world".
Extended information:
Zhuge Liang (181-October 8, 234), courtesy name Kongming, alias Wolong, was a native of Langya Yangdu, Xuzhou (now Yinan County, Linyi City, Shandong Province) , the Prime Minister of Shu during the Three Kingdoms period, an outstanding politician, strategist, diplomat, writer, calligrapher, and inventor.
In his early years, he followed his uncle Zhuge Xuan to Jingzhou. After Zhuge Xuan died, Zhuge Liang lived in seclusion in Longzhong, Xiangyang. Later, Liu Bei visited the thatched cottage three times to invite Zhuge Liang, and joined forces with Sun Yat-sen to fight against Cao Cao, and defeated Cao's army in the Battle of Chibi. Forming the power of the Three Kingdoms, they also captured Jingzhou. In the 16th year of Jian'an (211), Yizhou was captured. Then he defeated Cao Jun and captured Hanzhong. In the first year of Shu Zhangwu (221), Liu Bei established the Shu Han regime in Chengdu, and Zhuge Liang was appointed prime minister to preside over the government.
After Liu Chan, the lord of Shu, succeeded to the throne, Zhuge Liang was named the Marquis of Wuxiang and led the pastoral care of Yizhou. Be diligent and prudent, handle all political affairs personally, and strictly enforce rewards and punishments; alliance with Soochow to improve relations with all ethnic groups in the southwest; implement the policy of farming and strengthen war preparations. Six Northern Expeditions to the Central Plains were carried out, but most of them used food to achieve no success.
He eventually became ill due to overwork and died of illness in Wuzhangyuan (now Qishan, Baoji, Shaanxi) in the twelfth year of Jianxing Shu (234) at the age of 54. Liu Chan named him Zhongwuhou, and later generations often called Zhuge Liang the honorific name Wuhou. The Eastern Jin Dynasty regime named him King Wuxing because of his military prowess.
Zhuge Liang's representative works of prose include "Chu Shi Biao" and "Book of Commandments". He invented the wooden cow and flowing horse, the Kongming lantern, etc., and modified the repeating crossbow, called the Zhuge repeating crossbow, which can fire ten arrows with one crossbow. Zhuge Liang "dedicated his life to death" and was a representative figure of loyal ministers and wise men in traditional Chinese culture.
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