Zhuge Liang is a 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 fair and talented military leader has long served as a model for others.
Biography
Zhuge Liang was born on July 23, 181 in Yangdu. His father was a 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 was 3 years old, his mother died, and after another 5 years, his father also died. Together with his younger brother, he was taken in by his uncle.
Legends say that the boy experienced severe destitution as a child, and at the age of 9 he could not talk. Zhuge was noticed by one of the Taoist monks, who cured his dumbness and began to teach him the sciences. When he was 14 years old, his uncle died of an illness, and the young man himself settled with his brother near Longzhong Mountain, 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.people.
In 207, Liu Bei, who later founded the Shu kingdom 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. As the legend says, the commander came to his house twice to meet with the “Hidden Dragon” (that was the name he was dubbed by popular rumor), and only the third time the owner of the dwelling joined the conversation. He told Liu Bei about the developed plan to conquer the imperial power in China. 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.
Private life
At the age of 26, Zhuge Liang was not yet married, and in those days at this age it was already supposed to have a family. His brother and daughter-in-law were constantly wooing beautiful and noble girls, but he was adamant.
One of Zhuge Liang's friends was Huang Chengyuan. He had a daughter, ugly in face, but smart and gifted with talents. According to legend, the first meeting of a young couple took place under special circumstances - the future commander mistook a beautiful maid for her.
The ugly girl's speech 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 took off the veil from her head. She turned out to be Huang Chengyuan's daughter. Subsequently, she bore him two sons, one of whom also became a famous statesman.
The beginning of a political career
Zhuge Liang lived during the turbulent era of the Three Kingdoms (220-280), when China was torn apart by civil strife between the three states - Wu, Shu and Wei. The Han Dynasty that preceded it was distinguished by a successful domestic policy, the rise of culture and the 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 Three Kingdoms period, eunuchs seized power, and the imperial dynasty fell into complete decline. A political and socio-economic crisis ensued. Attempts by the Confucians to carry out a coup d'état to "improve" the state ended in failure. In the future, Zhuge Liang decided to continue their work. After the uprising of the "Yellow Turbans" in 184, power from the emperors actually passed into the hands of the generals and the leaders of the landowners.
In 207, Zhuge Liang went to the kingdom of Wu, with whom he managed to make peace. The following year, after the epoch-making Battle of the Red Cliffs, he received control over several regions of the country. He was also entrusted with the collection of war taxes. He provided the defense of the state when Liu Bei went on military campaigns.
In 221, on the advice of Zhuge Liang, Liu Bei declared himself emperor of the state of Shu, 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 a Wuhou temple, which was dedicated to this outstanding figure in China.
After an unsuccessful campaign to the south in 223 in order to avenge his executed colleague Guan Yu, Liu Bei died. Zhuge Liang was declared one of the regents under his son, heir to the throne. In fact, he became the ruler of the country.
Pacify the southern tribes
Zhuge Liang considered his main mission during his regency duties to be the strengthening of the Han Dynasty. One of her main enemies was the northern state of Wei. It was ruled by the no less skilled commander Cao Cao. However, during the war with him, the southern tribes could also rebel. Zhuge Liang understood this, so he first led troops to subdue 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 the center of the country would be safe.
Nordic hikes
Military operations against Cao Cao continued from 228 to 234, in total 5 northern expeditions were made. Zhuge Liang, with the help of skillful diplomacy, managed to win over one of the young generals of the kingdom of Wei. Later, he became a follower of the military leader of the state of Shu and the second of the regents of the son of Liu Bei.
During these operations, Zhuge Liang proved to be a "trap master". Thanks to his skillful tactics, even in the event of a defeat, the losses among the soldiers amounted to no more than 5%. The state of Shu was the smallest in terms of area and resources during the Three Kingdoms period, but through the efforts of Zhuge Liang, it retained its position andpursued a rather aggressive foreign policy. In all these campaigns, the Shu army, with rare exceptions, exceeded half the strength of the Wei army.
The main tactic 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 mockery of this fact, Zhuge sent a woman's dress to the enemy.
In 234, after another northern campaign, Zhuge Liang first became very ill, and then died in a military camp at the age of 54. According to his death warrants, Jian Wan was appointed regent for Liu Bei's son. The body of the great Chinese commander 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 you avoid defeat in any situation:
- Before developing a military plan, one should inquire about the plans of the enemy.
- One should by all means strive to learn as much as possible about the enemy.
- Keep your spirit strong even if the enemy is vastly outnumbered.
- Be incorruptible and fair in order to win the respect of subordinates.
- Punish soldiers only for justice.
- Keeping all your promises.
- Distinguish good from evil, do not believe slander.
- If you are defeated in battle, you mustendure it.
- Be generous and condescending to your subordinates.
- Observe all the rules of etiquette in dealing with the sages.
- Watch your actions, do not commit immoral actions.
- Fulfill your duties conscientiously, honestly serve the state.
- Do not exceed your authority.
- Revise and change plans as needed.
- Don't be too confident in your abilities, as this leads to empty vanity.
- You shouldn't also limitlessly trust your inner circle.
Inventions and literary heritage
Folk legends attribute many inventions to Zhuge Liang, mostly used for military purposes:
- land mines;
- special mode of transport ("self-propelled horse");
- semi-automatic crossbow, characterized by rate of fire and range;
- stone labyrinth of steles;
- lantern used for signaling during combat, and others.
He wrote several works devoted to the art of war, as well as works of art ("The Commander's Vertograd", "Military Potential", "The Book of Commandments", "Testaments to the Nephew" and others). In The Book of the Heart or the Art of a General, Zhuge Liang elaborates on the intricacies of military tactics, the personal qualities that a military leader should have, and the principles of self-cultivation.
Zhuge Liang'sChinese culture
The personality of this man is covered with numerous legends. He is especially popular in Sichuan province, where there is a tradition of wearing white headbands in memory of him. Zhuge Liang's popularity among the people is explained by the fact that he treated his warriors humanely. In his opinion, the battle should be carried out quickly and with the least human losses. The commander's favorite tactic was psychological pressure on the enemy, and he was so successful at it that some enemies refused to meet him in open battle.
In one of the campaigns, he was informed that a strong wind arose at the crossing of the river, which 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 that a “mock-up” of the head be made from dough and meat. This is how the dish “mantou” appeared, close to manti.
According to another legend, when the army experienced difficulties with provisions, the commander explained to the 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 legend according to which Zhuge Liang taught them how to use bamboo for roof construction.
In the Chinese language, to this day, there are proverbs associated with his name: “Every Zhuge Liang is in hindsight”, similar to the Russian “After a fight, they don’t wave their fists”, “A dead Zhuge Liang is able to defend himself” and others.
This cunning and talented Chinese commander is the hero of many literary works: "Three Kingdoms" by Luo Guangzhong, "TacticsEmpty Fort”, “Red Cliffs” and others. The film of the same name was based on the first novel. The image of the great commander is also used in computer tactical games ("Fate of the Emperor", "Sage of the Three Kingdoms", "Civilization-5" and others).
