Zhuge Liang’s Empty City Strategy is very famous and has been passed down to this day, appearing in many operas and film and television dramas. It is said that Zhuge Liang frightened Sima Yi to the point of peeing in the empty city. What is the truth?
Zhuge Liang
Everyone knows that "Three Visits to the Thatched Cottage" refers to Liu Bei's three invitations to Zhuge Liang. This shows how talented Zhuge Liang is. Zhuge Liang was a famous statesman, military strategist, writer, calligrapher and inventor during the Three Kingdoms period. His prose "Chu Shi Biao" and his invention of the Kongming Lantern are all well known to everyone. In addition, he is also a representative figure of loyalty and wisdom in tradition.
Sima Yi
Sima Yi once refused the official position granted to him by Cao Cao, but Cao Cao still appreciated him very much and asked him to assist the crown prince Cao Pi. Sima Yi was a resourceful man who was good at using strange strategies and fighting. He also made great contributions to the economic development at that time.
The Empty City Strategy
In order to realize Liu Bei's wish, Zhuge Liang led his army north to attack Cao Wei. However, due to Ma Di's failure, the important strategic location of Jieting was lost. Sima Yi took this opportunity to lead his troops to besiege Zhuge Liang's Xicheng. However, at that time, Zhuge Liang only had some civil servants and soldiers around him, and there were no generals who were good at fighting.
At this time, Zhuge Liang had a plan in mind. He ordered the city gates to be opened and asked some soldiers to dress up as ordinary people and clean the streets. Zhuge Liang himself took a piano and two portable The little book boy was playing the piano and joking on the city tower. When Sima Yi led his troops to the city and saw this situation, he thought that Zhuge Liang's resourcefulness must be a fraud and there must be an ambush in the city, so he ordered to retreat.
Therefore, the Empty City Strategy can be said to be a psychological warfare that Zhuge Liang fought against the enemy when his troops were weak. It is also one of Zhuge Liang's most famous strategies.