10 years of Northern Expeditions: Where did Zhuge Liang go wrong? (Unexpected ending)

Welcome back to Battlecry World History For fans of romance of the three kingdoms and Chinese history The names Zhuge Liang and Sima Yi leave a lasting impression Their battles of wits and top-tier tactical duels left a deep mark Speaking of their rivalry, we must mention the six northern expeditions The six campaigns led by Kongming to strike north from Qishan It was the ultimate chance for Kongming to test his brilliance against Sima Yi In today's video, let's join Battlecry to revisit Zhuge Liang's six campaigns The first goal was to seize Guanzhong, the Fertile Way River Basin, home to Chong'an Holding Guanzhong and Hengge Pass would allow them to march on Woyang and Xuchang Or retreat to guard the passes, like the ancient state of Qin Han Xi'an once advised the Han Emperor to take Guanzhong after leaving Hanzhong But conquering Guanzhong is no easy feat The Qinling Mountains stand like a wall, separating Hanzhong from Guanzhong Spanning 200 to 300 kilometers, crossing this mountain range is extremely difficult Four paths cut through the Qinling, Qinsong, Baoxia, Tangluo, and Zewu Han Xi'an chose Qinsong, Weiyan proposed Zewu Zhuge Wuhou chose a circuitous route via Qishan Circling the Qinling to enter Guanzhong, then advancing along the Wei River to Chong'an Though the route Zhuge Liang chose was relatively flat and less treacherous Yet, the route was three to four times longer than crossing the Qinling in the first northern expedition In the spring of 228, the sixth year of Jianqing, Zhuge Liang led 100,000 troops to Hanzhong to prepare Initially, the chancellor feigned an advance through Xia Valley to strike Mei County He sent Xiao Yun and Deng Xi to Ji Valley as a diversion, appearing to strike north via Xia Valley Chao Wei urgently dispatched Grand General Chao Shen to lead troops and meet them in battle From this point until 234, when Zhuge Liang passed away at Wuzhong Plains Shu and Wei clashed six times, fight offensives by Shu, and one Wei invasion repelled by Shu After using the diversion to deceive Wei, Zhuge Liang led his main army toward Qishan With strict discipline and high morale, the Shu army surged forward, swiftly taking three commanderies, namely Nan'an, Tianchui, and Anding. Beyond territory, Zhuge Liang recruited the Wei general Jiang Wei, shocking the entire Wei state. The sudden Shu offensive and territorial losses sent shockwaves across the Guangzhou region. The Wei court was seized with panic. Emperor Chao Rui hurriedly led forces west to Chang'an to personally oversee the defense While ordering General Zhang He to lead troops against Zhuge Liang, Zhuge Liang ordered Ma Su to lead the vanguard and engage Zhang He at Jieding. This lies south of Tianchui County, in Gansu Province. Ma Su ignored Zhuge Liang's orders, camped on a hill, and was defeated by Zhang He. Losing the strategic Jieding, the entire Shu campaign fell into a desperate predicament The diversionary force under Zhao Yun and Deng Xi was also ultimately defeated at Ji Valley However, the Shu army regrouped and held their ground, avoiding total defeat During the retreat, Zhao Yun led the rear guard, bringing the army safely back to Hanzhong Not a single man or horse was lost After the defeat at Jieding, the Shu troops were scattered in chaos Only Wang Ping, with a thousand men, held the camp firm and beat the drums Suspecting an ambush, Zhang He dared not pursue Wang Ping then organized the remnants and retreated in orderly fashion In this campaign, Zhuge Liang relocated over a thousand households to Hanzhong Rewarded Wang Ping, and won over the talented Jiang Wei The first northern expedition was not entirely in vain Though Ma Su was brilliant and eloquent, a trusted confidant of the chancellor He violated orders at Jieding and was executed for his failure Zhuge Liang took full responsibility and petitioned the emperor to demote him Lu Shan reluctantly demoted Zhuge Liang three ranks Yet he remained chancellor and retained command of the armies The second northern expedition In 228 AD, the sixth year of Jianxing The Wei general Chaoxiao was defeated by Lu Sunabu at Jieding This lies northeast of Qiancheng County, Anhui Province That winter, Zhuge Liang launched another campaign against Wei In the twelfth month, the chancellor led his troops north to attack Qiansong Located southwest of today's Baoji County, Shanxi Province The army besieged Qiansong, east of modern-day Baoji However, Wei general Chaoxian had prepared in advance Ordering general Chaoxian to fortify and defend the city The Shu forces besieged Qiansong for 20 consecutive days But could not capture it, and supplies began to dwindle Just then, Zhang He arrived with reinforcements for Qiansong With no other choice, the chancellor ordered a retreat to Hanzhong During the withdrawal, he deployed Wang Ping To kill the Wei commander, Wang Xuan The third northern expedition In 229 AD, the seventh year of Jianxing The chancellor launched the third northern expedition He sent Qin Shi to attack the commanderies of Wudu Now Qing County in Gansu Province And Yimping, now northwest of Wen County, Gansu Wei general Guohuai attempted to rescue them But the Shu troops had already seized both The chancellor secured the region and appeased the Di and Shan tribes Then left garrisons and led the main force back to Hanzhong After seizing Wudu and Yimping, the emperor reinstated the chancellor In the autumn of 230, Chao Wei launched an offensive on Hanzhong They advanced via three routes Sima Yi from Xicheng, Zhang He from Ziwu, and Chaoshan from Xia Valley Zhuge Liang ordered his troops to hold their positions and fortify the defenses Additionally, he mobilized 20,000 reinforcements to Hanzhong to intercept the Wei forces Heavy rains lasted for days, blocking the Ziwu and Xia Valley roads, forcing a Wei retreat That same year, Wei Yan also crushed the Yongzhou governor at Yongxi Shoes rugged, mountainous terrain made defense easy but supply lines difficult to maintain This was a key reason why Shu could not sustain prolonged campaigns in Wei territory Sima Yi built fortified camps on the heights, refusing to engage the Shu army Despite pressure from his generals to strike, Sima Yi firmly refused to fight In May, facing constant pressure from his subordinates, Sima Yi was forced to engage He sent Zhang He to attack the southern Qishan camp held by Wang Ping Sima Yi himself led the main force to confront Zhuge Liang Zhuge Liang dispatched Wei Yan, Gao Xiang, Wu Ban, and Lin Ben to rout the Wei army They took 3,000 heads, 500 suits of armor, and 3,000 crossbows After the defeat, Sima Yi retreated to his camp and remained strictly on the defensive Meanwhile, Zhang He fought Wang Ping at southern Qishan, neither side gaining an advantage Upon hearing of Sima Yi's defeat, Zhang He ordered his troops to withdraw By June, despite several victories, the Shu army's supplies were exhausted Heavy rains fell for days, turning supply routes into quagmires Li Yan failed to deliver supplies and, fearing punishment, forged an imperial decree from Lushan Ordering the chancellor to return to the capital, forcing the Shu army to withdraw once again Sima Yi ordered a full pursuit, but Zhang He cautioned against it He warned that military law dictates not to pursue a retreating enemy too hastily Sima Yi ignored this, insisting that Zhang He lead the chase Left with no choice, Zhang He mounted his horse to pursue the Shu forces Arriving at Mumen, they were met by Shu ambushes raining arrows down upon them Zhang He was struck in the knee and eventually perished Zhang He fought Wei Yan for fewer than 10 bouts Wei Yan feigned defeat, abandoning his armor and horse, and fled into the Mumen path Emboldened by this, Zhang He pursued Wei Yan relentlessly As night fell, a cannon sounded and fires erupted across the mountains Logs and boulders tumbled down, blocking the path Zhang He cried out in terror, realizing he had fallen into a trap He immediately turned his horse to retreat But the path behind him was blocked by rubble, he was trapped in a narrow valley With his escape cut off, thousands of crossbows fired from the heights Arrows rained down like locusts, killing Zhang He and a hundred of his men at Mumen Amidst the fire, Zhuge Liang pointed down and declared Today I went to capture a horse, yet I haven't snared a deer instead Regarding Wei Yan's negligence, upon returning to Chengdu, Zhuge Liang spared his life But struck Wei Yan of his rank, reducing him to a commoner However, Zhuge Liang later appointed Wei Yan's son, Li Feng, to replace his father Tasking him with overseeing grain transport for the northern expedition army In this campaign, Zhuge Liang truly faced a formidable rival in Sima Yi Sima Yi's defensive strategy of refusing to engage left the Shu army in a deadlock Even with his divine strategies, Zhuge Liang found himself helpless The long supply lines were riddled with constant obstacles Becoming an insurmountable weakness for the Shu army Sima Yi grasped this reality firmly Knowing that by avoiding battle, victory would naturally be his Forcing the Shu army to retreat without a single strike The Fifth Northern Expedition In the second month of 234, the 12th year of Jianqing Zhuge Liang led 100,000 troops through the Xia Valley Using the wooden oxen and flowing horses to transport supplies Occupying Wuzhong Plains in Wugong County Now located southwest of Mei County, Shaanxi Province Thereafter, Zhuge Liang marched his troops to the south bank of the Wei River Across the lines, Sima Yi led his troops to build fortifications Stalemating the Shu army at the north bank of the Wei River In previous northern expeditions Supply shortages forced the Shu army to retreat Leaving the chancellor deeply uneasy This time, upon reaching Qishan He focused on farming, irrigation, and military colonies Aiming for a protracted campaign Shu troops farmed among the people by the river The locals were at peace And the soldiers remained disciplined, taking nothing Before this expedition, the chancellor sent envoys to eastern Wu Requesting Sun Quan to attack from the south as support They agreed to split the lands of Wei once they defeated the enemy forces Sun Quan agreed and ordered Lu Sun to mobilize But the Wu forces sought only their own gain Intending to watch from the sidelines as Wei and Shu exhausted each other in battle Waiting for a chance to profit from the chaos Sun Quan personally led his main army to advance north Yet, the Wu army had long excelled in defense but faltered in offense Sun Quan was easily defeated by Emperor Ming of Wei and forced to retreat Without posing any significant threat to the Wei forces Thus, the primary front shifted back to the banks of the Wei River Sima Yi remained convinced that the Shu army's greatest weakness was their supply lines He ordered his forces to hold the camp firmly and avoid rash combat He would wait for the enemy to run low on supplies and morale Then decide the outcome in one strike Sima Yi kept his troops inside the camp for 100 days, refusing to engage Despite the Shu troops repeatedly coming to the gates to provoke them Even hurling severe insults at the Wei army Zhuge Liang devised a scheme, sending an envoy to deliver women's garments to Sima Yi He implied that his rival's courage was no better than a woman's, hiding away in fear Zhuge Liang also included a letter, filled with biting ridicule and mockery As a commander of the central plains, he refused to don his armor or face them in battle Hiding like a coward from arrows and blades, how is he any different from a woman? I send these garments, if he still refuses to fight, he must bow twice and accept them If he has any shred of pride or manliness, he must sign this and meet me in battle The Wei generals were incensed, their blood boiling, desperate to risk all against Shu But Sima Yi remained composed, thanking Zhuge Liang and even trying on the female attire He placated his generals by feigning an appeal to the Wei emperor to lead his army to war The emperor, knowing the situation, sent Xi and Pi with the imperial standard to the Wei camp He issued a decree strictly forbidding battle, any who disobeyed would be executed Only then did the generals yield, returning to their posts to hold the line in silence Jiang Wei entered to see the chancellor and reported With Xi and Pi here, the Wei forces will surely come out to fight tomorrow Zhuge Liang pondered briefly It is merely a ruse by Sima Yi to calm his troops He has no intention of engaging in battle This request to the emperor is just a show to prove he is not afraid A general on the front lines may choose to ignore the emperor's command If Sima Yi truly wanted to fight, he could have acted on his own Why bother riding thousands of miles away to request permission? As expected, the Wei army stood firm and refused to engage And Sun Quan was defeated in the south, forcing a retreat The situation turned dire for the Shu army As food supplies began to dwindle day by day Zhuge Liang retreated to garrison at Wuzhong plains Where he ordered troops to farm with civilians for long-term plans While still sending forces to provoke the enemy into battle But Sima Yi, now firmly in control of the situation Would not fall for the trap, remaining in his fort and refusing to fight In August 234, Zhuge Liang fell gravely ill from years of overwork Upon hearing this, Emperor Lushan sent officially Fu to visit him And to ask for his final counsel on the state's future Zhuge Liang told Li Fu that Jiang Huan could succeed him When asked who would follow Jiang Huan, he suggested Fei Yi When asked who would follow Fei Yi, he remained silent Soon after, Zhuge Liang's condition worsened, and he passed away at 54 Following his death, Jiang Wei and Yang Yi obeyed his orders to keep it secret Organizing the troops to retreat quietly That night, Sima Yi observed the stars He saw a large star, glowing deep red, fall three times into the Shu camp, then rise again Realizing Kongming had passed, Sima Yi ordered the main army to pursue and attack At that moment, following Zhuge Liang's final instructions They suddenly turned back, beating drums and sounding bells, as if to counterattack Wei Sima Yi, ever suspicious, feared Zhuge Liang was feigning death to lure him in So he retreated in haste, daring not to give chase The Shu army withdrew steadily, only announcing the morning once they crossed Xia Valley Sima Yi's failure to pursue became a laughingstock for generations to come They say that even in death, Zhuge still frightened the living Zhongda But upon hearing this, Sima Yi merely smiled and remarked I can understand the ways of the living, but how could I foresee the dead? Now that Kongming is gone, we can finally sleep soundly without worry In summary, the northern expeditions ended without full success But many scholars agree that Zhuge Liang never sought personal fame or wealth He held only one unwavering resolve, to defeat the Wei rebels and restore the Han He placed the nation's survival above all personal gain or honor With a truly steadfast heart He once declared, if we defeat Wei, behead the usurpers, and return the emperor to Luoyang Then I and all my colleagues shall receive our rewards And I would gladly accept ten such honors, let alone mere titles For Wei, having successfully stalled the Shu forces Sima Yi was promoted to Grand Tutor in 235 Becoming the supreme commander of all Chao Wei military affairs