Zhuge Liang - the legendary Chinese commander who lived in the II-III centuries. n e. The true facts from his life are closely intertwined with folk legends. He left a bright mark on the culture of China, and his image of a just and talented military leader for a long time served as a standard for others.
Biography
Zhuge Liang was born on July 23, 181 in Yandu. His father held the position of senior assistant chief in one of the provinces of Shandong. In addition to Zhuge, the official’s family had two more sons. When the future commander turned 3 years old, his mother died, and after 5 years, his father also died. Together with his younger brother, he was taken to raise an uncle.
Legends say that the boy in great need, and at the age of 9 could not talk. Zhuge noticed one of the Taoist monks who cured the dumb and began to teach him the sciences. When he was 14 years old, his uncle died of illness, and the young man settled with his brother near Mount Lunchzhong, where he lived for a long time as a simple peasant. From the age of 16, Zhuge Liang's popularity begins to grow, and influential people appear among his friends.
In 207, Liu Bei, who later founded the kingdom of Shu in western China, was already preparing for a military campaign in Chengdu. One of the hermit monks told him about Zhuge Liang, who was 26 years old at that time. According to legend, the commander came to his house twice to meet with the “Hidden Dragon” (folk rumor dubbed his name), and only for the third time the landlord joined the conversation. He told Liu Bei about the developed plan for the conquest of imperial power in the Middle Kingdom. From that moment on, the trust between them began to grow more and more. Zhuge Liang became the "right hand" of the future ruler and helped him in everything.
Personal life
At the age of 26, Zhuge Liang was not yet married, and at that time it was already supposed to have a family at that age. His brother and daughter-in-law constantly married beautiful and noble girls, but he was adamant.
One of Zhuge Liang's friends was Huang Chengyuan. He had a daughter, an ugly face, but smart and gifted with talents. According to legend, the first meeting of the young couple occurred under special circumstances - the future commander took a beautiful maid for her.
The ugly girl's speeches made a big impression on him, and Zhuge Liang liked her. However, his relatives were against their marriage. They learned about Zhuge's final decision only at his wedding, when the bride removed the veil from her head. She turned out to be the daughter of Huang Chengyuan. Subsequently, she bore him two sons, one of whom also became a well-known statesman.
The beginning of a political career
Zhuge Liang lived during the turbulent era of the Three Kingdoms (220-280), when China was torn by feuds between the three states - Wu, Shu and Wei. The Han dynasty that preceded it was notable for its successful domestic politics, the rise of culture and economy. During the reign of its emperors, China was a centralized and powerful state, one of the most densely populated and developed in the world.
During the period of the Three Kingdoms, eunuchs seized power, and the imperial dynasty fell into complete decline. The political and socio-economic crisis came. The attempts of the Confucians to carry out a coup d'etat for the "recovery" of the state ended in failure. In the future, Zhuge Liang decided to continue their business. After the uprising of the "Yellow Armbands" in 184, power from emperors actually passed into the hands of generals and the leaders of landowners.
In 207, Zhuge Liang went to the kingdom of Wu, with whom he managed to make peace. The following year, after a landmark battle at the Red Cliffs, he took control of several regions of the country. He was also charged with collecting military taxes. He provided state defense when Liu Bei went on military campaigns.
In 221, on the advice of Zhuge Liang, Liu Bei declared himself emperor of the Shu state, which he called Han. The capital of the revived dynasty was the city of Chengdu. Zhuge Liang at the court of the ruler took the post of first minister. In this city, to this day there is the Wuhou Temple, which was dedicated to this outstanding figure of China.
After an unsuccessful campaign to the south in 223 in order to revenge for his executed comrade-in-arms Guan Yu, Liu Bei died. Zhuge Liang was declared one of the regents under his heir to the throne. In fact, he became the ruler of the country.
Taming the Southern Tribes
Zhuge Liang considered the strengthening of the Han dynasty his main mission during the performance of regency duties. One of its main enemies was the northern state of Wei. He was ruled by a no less skillful commander Cao Cao. However, during the war with him, southern tribes could also revolt. Zhuge Liang understood this, so he first led troops to pacify them.
After this campaign, the leader of the southern tribes decided to join the Shu kingdom, and the Han dynasty received additional reserves and guarantees that during the military operation with the Wei kingdom the south and center of the country would be safe.
Nordic hiking
Military operations against Cao Cao lasted from 228 to 234, in total 5 northern expeditions were completed. With the help of skillful diplomacy, Zhuge Liang managed to persuade one of the young commanders of the Wei kingdom to his side. Later he became a follower of the Shu state commander and the second of the regents of the son of Liu Bei.
During these operations, Zhuge Liang proved to be a "master trap." Thanks to his skillful tactics, even in case of defeat, losses among soldiers were no more than 5%. The Shu state was the smallest in size and resources during the Three Kingdoms, but through the efforts of Zhuge Liang, it maintained its position and pursued a rather aggressive foreign policy. In all these campaigns, the Shu army, with rare exceptions, exceeded half the strength of the Wei kingdom.
The main tactics of the military leaders of this state was to create a stalemate, when the Shuns ran out of food, and they were forced to retreat without a decisive battle. Once, in a mockery of this fact, Zhuge sent a female dress to the enemy.
In 234, after the next northern campaign, Zhuge Liang at first became very ill, and then died in a military camp at the age of 54. According to his dying instructions, Jian Wang was appointed regent of the son of Liu Bei. The body of the great Chinese military leader and diplomat was buried on Mount Dingjun.
Instructions
The concept of an ideal commander is described in the treatise "Jian Yuan" by Zhuge Liang. 16 rules of reasonable behavior will help to avoid defeat in any situation:
Before developing a military plan, you should inquire about the intentions of the enemy.
It should by all means strive to learn as much as possible about the enemy.
Maintain strength of mind, even if the enemy is significantly superior in numbers.
To be incorruptible and fair, to win the respect of subordinates.
Punish soldiers only in fairness.
Keep all your promises.
To distinguish good from evil, do not believe in slander.
If the battle is defeated, it is necessary to endure it steadily.
Be generous and condescending to your subordinates.
Observe all the rules of etiquette in dealing with sages.
Monitor your actions, do not commit immoral acts.
Fulfill their conscience in their duties, honestly serve the state.
Do not exceed your authority.
Review and change plans if necessary.
Do not be too confident in your abilities, as this leads to empty vanity.
It is also not necessary to trust the close circle unlimitedly.
Inventions and literary heritage
Folk traditions attribute to Zhuge Liang many inventions, mainly used for military purposes:
- land mines;
- special type of transport (“self-propelled horse”);
- semi-automatic crossbow, characterized by rate of fire and range;
- stone maze of steles;
- flashlight used to give signals during the battle, and others.
He wrote several works devoted to military art, as well as works of art (“Vertograd commander”, “Military potential”, “Book of commandments”, “Testament to nephew” and others). In the “Book of the Heart or the Art of a Commander” Zhuge Liang examines in detail the subtleties of military tactics, personal qualities that a military commander should have and the principles of self-improvement.
Zhuge Liang in Chinese Culture
The personality of this person is covered in numerous legends. It is especially popular in Sichuan, where there is a tradition of wearing white headbands in memory of him. The popularity of Zhuge Liang among the people is explained by the fact that he was humane to his warriors. In his opinion, the battle should be carried out swiftly and with the least human loss. The commander's favorite tactic was psychological pressure on the enemy, and he succeeded so much that some enemies refused to meet him in open battle.
In one of the campaigns, he was informed that at the crossing of the river there was a strong wind that stopped the army. To pacify him, it is necessary to sacrifice a human head. In those days, this was the norm, but Zhuge Liang ordered a “model” of the head made of dough and meat. So the dish “mantou” appeared, close to manti.
According to another legend, when the army had difficulties with food, the commander explained to locals the principle of growing rutabaga and the problem of providing food for the soldiers was solved. One of the southern peoples of China has a tradition according to which Zhuge Liang taught them how to use bamboo for roof construction.
In the Chinese language to this day, there are proverbs related to his name: “Any Zhuge Liang is hindsight”, similar to the Russian “They don’t wave their fists after a fight”, “Dead Zhuge Liang is able to defend himself” and others.
This cunning and talented Chinese military leader is the hero of many literary works: The Three Kingdoms by Luo Guangzhong, The Tactics of the Empty Fort, Red Cliffs and others. On the basis of the first novel, a film of the same name was shot. The image of the great commander is also used in computer tactical games ("The Fate of the Emperor", "Sage of the Three Kingdoms", "Civilization-5" and others).