Chapter 43? Zhuge Liang’s battle with the Confucian scholars and Lu Zi Jingli against all opinions
At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Cao Cao used the emperor to control the princes, and most of the more powerful warlords were eliminated by him However, only Liu Bei and Sun Quan still had the possibility to develop and grow. Cao Cao knew that it would be difficult to annex these two forces at once. So, Cao Cao sent someone to take his letter to Soochow, hoping to join forces with Sun Quan to eliminate Liu Bei.
Most of Sun Quan’s advisers advocated surrendering to Cao Cao to protect themselves, but only Lu Su advocated joining forces with Liu to fight against Cao Cao. But Lu Su knew that it would be difficult to convince Sun Quan and the civil servants of Soochow, so he specially invited Zhuge Liang to be his lobbyist.
Lu Su introduced Zhuge Liang to meet a group of counselors from Soochow. These people were not ordinary people, not all of them. They are all learned people. Zhang Zhao, the greatest strategist of Soochow, was the first to attack, saying: I heard that Liu Bei came to your home three times before inviting you out of the mountain. He thought that having you would be like a fish in water, and wanted to seize the nine counties of Jingxiang as a base. But Jingxiang has been captured by Cao Cao, what else do you have in mind.
Zhuge Liang thought that if he did not stump Zhang Zhao first, he would not be able to convince Sun Quan to join forces with Liu to fight against Cao. Zhuge Liang said: It was easy for Liu Bei to seize the territory of Jingxiang. It was only because he couldn't bear to seize the inheritance of the same clan that Cao Cao took advantage of him.
Now that we are stationing troops in Jiangxia, we have other grand plans. How can ordinary people understand this? National affairs and the safety of the country require good ideas from people with real talents and learning. But those who talk around and talk about things will not be able to come up with a solution when something happens, and they can only make the world laugh at them. These words left Zhang Zhao speechless.
Afterwards, a counselor asked: Cao Cao has a million troops and a thousand generals. If you say you are not afraid, brag. Zhuge Liang replied: Liu Bei retreated to Xiakou to wait for the opportunity. However, Dongwu's soldiers had sufficient supplies and the Yangtze River was dangerous to defend, but he still persuaded Sun Quan to surrender to Cao Cao. Shame on you. The counselors of Soochow attacked Zhuge Liang one after another. As many as seven of them were retorted by Zhuge Liang, making it difficult for them to defend themselves. Extended information
Brief introduction of the main characters in this chapter:
1. Zhuge Liang, the prime minister of Shu during the Three Kingdoms period, an outstanding statesman, military strategist, diplomat, writer, calligrapher, and inventor Home. In his early years, he followed his uncle Zhuge Xuan to Jingzhou. After Zhuge Xuan's death, 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.
The Three Kingdoms formed a tripartite force and 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. Liu Chan, the empress of Shu, succeeded to the throne, and Zhuge Liang was granted the title of Marquis of Wuxiang and led the shepherd 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 posthumously named him the Marquis of Zhongwu, and later generations often addressed him as Marquis of Wu. The Eastern Jin regime named him King Wuxing because of his military prowess.
Zhuge Liang's representative works of prose include "The Master's Guide" and "The 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.
2. Lu Su, an outstanding strategist and diplomat in the late Eastern Han Dynasty of China. Born in a noble family; his father died when he was young and he was raised by his grandmother. He is tall and tall, with a bold personality. He likes reading, riding and shooting. At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, he saw that the court was fatuous, officials were corrupt, and the society was in turmoil, so he often summoned young people from the countryside to practice martial arts. He was also generous and generous, and was deeply admired by the villagers.
At that time, Zhou Yu was the chief of Juchao. He asked Lu Su for help due to lack of food. Lu Su generously donated a warehouse of three thousand dendrobium to Zhou Yu. From then on, the two became friends and planned big things together.
In the fifth year of Jian'an (200), Lu Su led his subordinates to defect to Sun Quan and proposed a strategic plan for him to dominate Jiangdong, which was appreciated by Sun Quan.
In the thirteenth year of Jian'an (208 years), Cao Cao led his army southward. Many of Sun Quan's subordinates surrendered, but Lu Su and Zhou Yu fought against all opinions and decided to fight. As a result, the combined forces of Sun and Liu defeated Cao's army in Chibi, and from then on, the Three Kingdoms were established.