This paper mainly discusses the feasibility of Woods Valley's brilliant plan and the main reasons why Zhuge Liang did not adopt it.
What is the Wonder of Woods Valley? There are two kinds of statements:
One,
Every show has to recruit 10,000 soldiers. In Tongguan, you will meet a bright road, such as the story of Han Xin, which makes it bright but not allowed. -biography of the reflection of Wei Yan
Second,
General Anxi Xia Houmao, Zhen Chang 'an, Bi Nanzheng and the group. He said, "I heard that Xia Houmao is rare and my husband is timid, but I don't have a plan. Today, 5,000 elite soldiers will be delayed and 5,000 grain will be lost. Let's go straight from Baochu, follow the Qinling Mountains to the east, and go north at noon. We can reach Chang 'an on the 10th. When he hears that the election is coming, he will flee by boat. In Chang 'an, only Shi Yu, Jingzhao Taishouer, Hengmen Dige and Sanren Valley feed. Compared with the east, there are still 20 days, and people will come from Xiegu. In this way, the west of Xianyang can be settled in one fell swoop. -"Wei lue"
These two statements are slightly different. According to Chen Shou's "Three Kingdoms", Wei Yan led 10,000 soldiers and horses, followed the example of Han Xin's Ming Xiu plank road, and joined forces with Zhuge Liang in Tongguan; In Wei lue, the fish said that they took the meridian valley road and used Xia Houmao's cowardice to raid Chang 'an. Zhuge Liang led the main force out of the oblique valley, passed through the Youfufeng area and joined forces with Chang 'an.
But as far as credibility is concerned, Chen Shou's History of the Three Kingdoms is definitely more credible and reasonable. It doesn't make much sense to raid Chang 'an, and it can't stop the enemy reinforcements. How many northern expeditionary troops lived in vain.
As a private historian of Cao Wei, Yu Qian only conceived of Wei Yan's "Woods Valley" and did not put it into practice. What the fish got was probably some rumors and his own guess.
The history of the Three Kingdoms is different. Chen Shou, the author of The Three Kingdoms, was originally from Shu, and was an apprentice of Confucius Qiao Zhou in Shu. When The History of the Three Kingdoms was written, he collected historical materials from various countries, sorted them out, and made textual research and investigation.
Although there are no historians in Shu, there are also many folk historians. Most of the contents of Shu books come from the folk historical materials of Shu. These historians of Shu even had the opportunity to interview Wei Yan face to face. So the credibility is higher.
Au Suivant! According to the reflection, analyze the feasibility of Wei Yan's plan.
There are five plank roads to choose from from Nanzheng to Guanzhong. They are Meridian Road, Gu Jie Road, Luo Luo Lu Road, Chencang Road and Ang Lee Road. There is no doubt that Wei Yan's choice must be the meridian road and the oblique valley road. Because his goal is to join hands with Tongguan.
Take the meridian road, bypass Chang 'an, go to Jingzhao country, cross Huayin Mountain, and use Huayin Mountain to attack the unguarded Tongguan. Zhuge Liang went out of the valley to attract Cao Jun's attention. It's a long way, but it's feasible.
Taking Tongguan is tantamount to blocking the enemy reinforcements. Cao Wei's reinforcements must pass through Tongguan to quickly support the Guanzhong area, otherwise they will make a further detour.
Tongguan, on the other hand, is in the south of Qinling Mountains, and there is a danger of forbidden ditches and deep valleys. There are Weihe River and Luohe River in the north, and the Yellow River will be closed. There is a barrier of Huashan in the west; The mountains in the east are connected, the valleys are deep and the cliffs are absolutely off, and the narrow path is easy to defend but difficult to attack. And there are plenty of grain and grass reserves. In the case of preparation, Wei Yan's 1 10,000 troops are enough to resist Cao Jun head-on.
Zhuge Liang attacked from the front. Without the support of Cao Jun, it was not difficult to win the Guanzhong area.
Is Woods Valley really not feasible? Then you are wrong. Zhuge Liang did not adopt it for this reason.
Gujia avenue
Maybe some people will say, can Wei Yan pass Ziwu Valley Road smoothly? The plank road in the meridian valley is difficult to walk. In addition, Sima Yi and Cao Zhen of Cao Wei are not idle people, and Wei Yan may be ambushed if he can't walk out of Ziwu Valley Road.
Friends with this idea, I can only say that you worry too much. Among the five major plank roads, except Ang Lee, the difficulty coefficients of other plank roads are similar. The meridian valley has even been used as the main plank road many times. For example, later Wang, his tens of thousands of troops, directly chose the meridian road as the front of the attack.
And the meridian valley is a little shorter than the inclined valley road. The chance of being ambushed is not as good as that of Xiegu Road. Because Xiegu Road is the first choice for the entrance.
Why doesn't Cao Zhen pass through meridians? It's because it rained heavily for 30 days, which is a natural disaster and has nothing to do with the feasibility of the scheme itself. Not only was it difficult for Cao Zhen to March, but Sima Yi's frontal army was also blocked.
Why did Huan Wen's Northern Expedition defeat Sima Xun in the Meridian Road? That's because the Eastern Jin Dynasty and the former Qin Dynasty were in the most sensitive period. All fronts are infighting, and Jones has nothing to do with the ambush.
Huan Wen's main battlefield, already in the meridian valley area. Huan Wen led the main force to attack Lantian area by waterway and through Wuguan. The distance between Lantian and Ziwu Valley is almost tens of kilometers. Sima Xun's small amount of military forces is probably a routine to attract the attention of the former Qin Dynasty.
But after the victory in Lantian, Huan Wen immediately entered Beijing and did not attack Chang 'an in the first place. Instead, he found an opportunity for Fuxiong. Fu Feng directed at Sima Xun and defeated Sima Xun and others.
As for Gao Yingxiang, I won't say much here. It is also a sensitive period, and the main force and the whole army are heading for the meridian valley.
So! What's the difference between Wei Yan's The Wonderland of the Meridian Valley?
This is easy to distinguish-insensitive period.
Earlier, when Liu Bei was in power, Cao Wei and Shu Han were in the same situation. The border wars continued and they defended each other very closely. But! Most of the battles launched in Shu were personally commanded by Liu Bei, assisted by generals such as Zhang Fei and Huang Zhong.
After the death of Liu Bei's Yiling soldiers, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Huang Zhong and other veterans fell one after another. Zhuge Liang also practiced the policy of closing the country to the outside world, and within five years, he never touched the Cao-Wei border again. In this way, Cao Wei's vigilance was relaxed, and the defense of Cao Wei's border was gradually relaxed, which gave Shu an opportunity. Historical records are as follows:
Wei slightly said: At the beginning, Liu Bei was the only country in Shu. When you are ready to die, you are silent for a few years, so you are slightly prepared; Soldiers smell it, and both the ruling and the opposition are afraid, especially Longyou and Qishan, so the three counties should be bright at the same time.
So! This is a move made in an insensitive period. Zhuge Liang's frontal army can still work wonders without worrying about being ambushed.
We can't say that crossing the meridian valley has failed, so we simply deny the feasibility of this scheme. There are also successful cases of crossing the meridian valley. This man is Zhong Hui. Details are as follows:
More than ten people from Zhongshe enjoy Hanzhong in Xiegu, Luogu and Woods Valley.
The executor is Wei Xingtai Qin.
Wei Xingtai defended Liu Qinqu's meridian valley, and the armies were in parallel with Hanzhong.
Needless to say, everyone knows the result. So it can't be said that someone failed, and this strategy will never work. We must analyze it according to the actual situation.
So! In my opinion, Wei Yan's plan is feasible to some extent and has a high probability of success.
But! Why did Zhuge Liang reject "Wonder of Woods Valley"? Is it Zhuge Liang's military mistake?
It can be said responsibly, absolutely not, and Zhuge Liang's approach is correct. As a general, Wei Yan's plan is very remarkable, which can be said to be a strange plan. However, although feasible, it does not conform to the "national policy" of Shu. After a short victory, it may usher in a greater failure of Shu, and even accelerate the demise of Shu.
Of the three countries, Shu is the weakest, with only about 100 thousand troops. Its national strength is weak, and its population and economy are far inferior to those of Cao Wei and Wu Dong. Since Cao Cao unified the north, the Central Plains region has always enjoyed national prosperity and peace, with few wars and a very solid foundation. This is not a country that is dying rapidly.
Wei Yan's "Woods Valley" is precisely to quickly eliminate Cao Wei.
Whether it's in the reflection or Wei lue. Wei Yan's plan, he coveted the Guanzhong and Liangzhou areas of Cao Wei. There is no denying that Wei Yan's appetite is too big. He wants to swallow the whole Liang Yong area into his stomach, and it is in the shortest time. But it's hard for him to digest.
Why didn't Cao Wei take the initiative to attack Shu? Is it because their national strength is not as good as that of Shu? Is it because their army is not as good as Shu? Is it because their talents are not as good as Shu?
None of these! ! !
Cao Wei played a very clever card. Cao Wei's basic national policy is to "cultivate one's morality and cultivate one's nature, keep things quiet and win without fighting." This basic national policy was put forward by Sun Tzu.
At first, Wei Mingdi and Cao Rui planned to cut Shu, and most of Wei's ministers in Korea supported them. Only Sanshui's grandson, a constant servant, disagreed. Details are as follows:
Confucius said, "In the past, Emperor Wu took the battle of Nanzheng, Zhang Lu and Yangping, and then helped him in distress. He also pulled out Xia Houyuan's army himself, saying that Nanzheng was a heavenly prison, and the inclined valley road in the middle was a stone cave 500 miles high. " This is a deep danger, and he is very happy with Yuan Jun's words. In addition, Emperor Wu was good at using troops. He observed that Shu thieves lived in rocks and fled to rivers and lakes. They all avoided it, did not complain about the strength of the soldiers, did not dispute their anger, and sincerely expressed that they would fight when they saw victory and retreat after knowing difficulties. Today, when we marched into Nanzheng, the road was bright and dangerous. We will use elite soldiers to transport and defend the four southern States and curb water thieves. Whoever uses 150,000 to 60,000 will be more prosperous. The world is turbulent and difficult, and your majesty should be deeply concerned. Keep your fighting power, and your fighting power will be doubled. However, according to all the risks, the general will be able to deter strong bandits, pacify the battlefield, and the soldiers will sleep peacefully and the people will be safe. In the past few years, China has become increasingly prosperous, and Wu and Shu will stop themselves. "
Sun Tzu's words convinced Cao Rui that he decided to rest and support the country and people as the first priority. Overwhelming Wu and Shu in national strength, Wu and Shu were defeated without a fight.
Wei is not unable to attack Shu, but wants to win in the best way, so he will take a defensive attitude on all fronts.
If Wei Yan's "Wonder of Woods Valley" is implemented and Liang Yong is successfully won, it will be tantamount to forcing Cao Wei to turn his literary ambition into martial arts and solve the problem by force.
Cao Wei's army will go to their lair to attack Shu Han.
On the other hand! When Soochow saw that Shu Han had won Liang Yong, it occupied Yizhou, Yongzhou and Liangzhou. Together, the territory of these three states is no less than that of other states in Cao Wei. Will Wu Dong be happy?
If Wu Dong doesn't fight Cao Wei, the pressure on Shu will be even greater. Even if Shu Han defeated Cao Wei, it was only Dongwu.
For Wei, a country with a solid foundation and not dying soon, we can't go to him for a decisive battle from the beginning. Didn't Guan Yu's northern expedition to Xiangfan just want Cao Wei to die quickly? As a result, it was not worth the loss, and it was bitten by Soochow.
Zhuge Liang's strategic purpose is very clear. He can't fight Cao Wei rashly, nor can he stab Cao Wei in the heart at once. During the five northern expeditions of Shu and Han dynasties, Zhuge Liang mostly chose to attack the remote land at the junction of Cao and Wei near Qishan.
The fifth northern expedition, he dared to show his martial arts. Because Wu Dong and Han Shu each have 100,000 troops, this is an opportunity for decisive battle. During the first four northern expeditions, he didn't dare to get too close to Guanzhong area.
Take the first Northern Expedition as an example. Zhuge Liang's strategic purpose is obviously not Guanzhong, but the more remote Longyou area. He wants to win Longyou area, build a platform for the Northern Expedition here, and solve the problems of difficult access to the Shu Road and unsustainable transportation of grain and grass. The next step is to use this northern expedition platform to launch a protracted war with Cao Wei and gradually encroach on Cao Wei's territory.
So! Zhuge Liang disagreed with Woods' ingenious plan, not because it was not feasible. But their grand strategic direction is different. Wei Yan's hasty decisive battle against Cao Wei did not conform to the basic national policy of Shu State.