Chapter 22 2. Zhuge Liang's Administration

Zhuge Liang was worried. Worry is inevitable.In fact, he was not widely known who had been working in the second line and the rear before. Almost everyone believed that the Shu Han regime belonged only to Liu Bei.So once Liu Bei died, Nanzhong (now Yunnan, Guizhou and Xichang, Sichuan) rebelled, and Cao Wei sent Zhuge Liang a letter of persuasion. Unfortunately, they all underestimated Mr. Kong Ming. Zhuge Liang, who was surrounded by enemies, was very clear-headed.He is very clear that the most urgent task at this time is to reduce the pressure on the Shu Han regime, and the effective measure to reduce pressure is to draw salary from the bottom of the pot and turn enemies into friends.Therefore, instead of raising troops to avenge Liu Bei's Yiling battle, he extended an olive branch to Sun Quan.

Sun Quan understands people even more.While continuing to flirt with Cao Pi, he immediately shook hands with Zhuge Liang.This mutually beneficial and win-win approach has won space for the two countries to survive and develop.Since then, Wu Shu no longer has wars.Sun Quan can certainly become bigger and stronger, and Zhuge Liang can also rule Shu calmly. Liu Chan faithfully carried out Liu Bei's will. Immediately after succeeding to the throne, Zhuge Liang was granted the title of Marquis of Wuxiang, opened a mansion to manage affairs, and led Yizhou Mu.The title of Marquis is respected, and the opening of a mansion is weighty (with independent ministerial power), and the prime minister concurrently serves as the governor of the state, so he can be both a herdsman and a herdsman. This is the political treatment that only Cao Cao has enjoyed.

From then on, Zhuge Liang decided on all political affairs, big or small. So, what is his decision? Take offense as defense and rule the country by law. The previous one was for Cao Wei.After Sun Wu became an allied state, Cao Wei was the only foreign enemy and could not be reconciled.Therefore, the Shu Han regime can only consider two options: active offense or passive defense. Zhuge Liang chose the former.Four years after Liu Bei's death, the forty-seven-year-old Zhuge Liang appeared in "The List of Teachers" and started his first Northern Expedition.After that, there were four more such wars. Overall, it can be said that there were slight victories.For the last time, he himself died in the line of duty and died of illness in the army.

This is not surprising. First of all, Cao Wei is not a paper tiger, nor is it corrupt or decadent, and its national conditions are no worse than those of Shu Han.Secondly, although Yizhou is a land of abundance, it is difficult to become a base and source of power to seize the world.Third, Zhuge Liang's ability characteristics are the first in governing the country, the second in governing the army, and the worst in employing troops. How can he defeat Cao Wei? Cao Wei is not a country that is dying quickly, Yizhou is not a place for progress, and Zhuge is not a talented general, all of which determine that the Northern Expedition cannot be successful.Therefore, Sima Yi, the commander-in-chief of the Wei army, said confidently: Don't look at Kong Ming's menacing approach, but his elimination is just around the corner.

The enemy can see clearly, Zhuge Liang will not fail to understand.In fact, he made it very clear in Longzhong back then that to set the Central Plains in the north and revive the Han Dynasty, firstly, there must be changes in the world, and secondly, troops must be dispatched from two directions.Now, the world has not changed and Jingzhou has been lost, how can it be time to overthrow Cao Wei with a large-scale army? So why did he insist on the Northern Expedition? In addition to political ideals, there are practical issues.On this point, Zhuge Liang made it very clear in "Teacher List"——

It is very clear that the reason for the Northern Expedition was the fatigue of Yizhou. The so-called weakness is actually weak.However, the weaker you are, the more you must work hard to become stronger.Take the weak as the strong, and you can still protect yourself.If you don't take the initiative to attack, you can only sit and wait to die.Therefore, Liu Bei wanted to attack Hanzhong, Guan Yu wanted to besiege Xiangfan, and Zhuge Liang wanted to leave Qishan.This is their consistent policy. The problem is that although the Shu Han is weak, it is not at stake.Cao Wei has never taken the initiative to attack, and the alliance between Soochow has been repaired. The counties in Nanzhong were basically calmed down two years ago, at least in peace.So, how could the Shu Han regime before the Northern Expedition be in a "critical autumn of survival"?

If it is not an external attack, it must be due to internal worries. Internal worries are beyond doubt.The triple contradiction between the three major forces of Jingzhou, Dongzhou and Yizhou is a long-term conflict of fundamental interests, and it is absolutely impossible to eliminate it in a short period of time, no matter how good Zhuge Liang's character and ability are. In fact, one of the reasons for the demise of the Shu Han was that the Yizhou Group made waves and opened the door to steal.The problem is that this internal worry is only a hidden worry at the moment, and it cannot be said or dared to say it clearly.

The major policy is unquestionable, that is, to continue the northern expedition to Cao Wei, keep the country in a state of war for a long time, and prevent civil wars from foreign wars.Because whether it is to divert attention or strengthen cohesion, war is the best means.It will be much more convenient if you want to rectify or suppress the opposition. This is another attack-for-defense approach that kills two birds with one stone. That's right, a small country must strive to become stronger, and it must fight against the outside world first. However, whether to use offense as defense or to defend from the outside to the inside, it is both a wonderful game and a dangerous game, the key lies in proportion.If the battle is too small, it will not work; if it is too big, the enemy will pour out, and the inner ghost will open the door to respond. Isn't it self-destruction?

This is a test for Zhuge Liang's wisdom. Zhuge Liang was as stable as Mount Tai, and he even rejected Wei Yan's "Ziwu Valley Strange Conspiracy".The most admired general of Liu Bei proposed that he lead 5,000 elite soldiers along the Ziwu Valley to attack Chang'an, while Zhuge Liang personally led the army through the Xie Valley and marched into Chencang.If Chang'an is taken, the two armies will meet, and the west of Xianyang will be settled in one fell swoop. Of course, this can be called a conspiracy, but it's a pity that there are too many variables.Attacking people from afar is unpredictable.Therefore, when using troops for thousands of miles, we must be cautious.More importantly, the Northern Expedition to Cao Wei was just a means, and keeping the Shu Han was the goal.

In other words, the banner of "rejuvenating the Han Dynasty" must be held high, the principle of "the Han and the traitors are not independent" must be adhered to, and the Northern Expedition must continue to advance, but it must never happen again that Guan Yu loses Jingzhou and Liu Bei loses Xiaoting. Therefore, it is impossible for Zhuge Liang to adopt Wei Yan's plan. Because of this, he wanted to kill Ma Di (read Rusu) and abolish Li Yan. As Zhuge Liang's confidant and close friend, Ma Di was sentenced to death for losing the street pavilion, but as many as 100,000 people cried for him.Zhuge Liang explained with tears that the world was falling apart and the war would never end.If we can't strictly enforce the law, how can we rely on to defeat the enemy?

Obviously, Zhuge Liang beheaded Ma Su with tears in order to "govern Shu according to law".Therefore, after withdrawing to Hanzhong, Ma Di, Zhang Xiu, and Li Sheng were killed, Zhao Yun was demoted, Huang Xi was deprived of military power, and Zhuge Liang himself was demoted to the right general, a little lower than Li Yan, who was promoted to the former general the year before. . Undoubtedly, this is for everyone to see, but the main audience is Dongzhou Group and Yizhou Group.Zhuge Liang is very clear that the interests of these two groups cannot be fully satisfied unless the Jingzhou Group gives up its ruling position. This is of course impossible. If you can neither lure them with profit, nor move them with emotion, understand them with reason, and clarify them with righteousness, then you can only bring them to justice.Moreover, only when the law is enforced like a mountain and orders are prohibited, can everyone be convinced.This is true for dealing with the opposition, and it is even more true for dealing with heavyweights like Li Yan. Three years after Ma Su's death, due to the joint impeachment of more than 20 people including Zhuge Liang, Wei Yan, Yang Yi, Deng Zhi, Fei Yi (read Ruyi), Jiang Wei, Li Yan, the number two figure in the Shu Han regime, was deposed as a commoner. He was exiled in Zitong (now Zitong, Sichuan).The circumstances of this matter are complicated and confusing, and Li Yan's charges are unbelievable, but it is a fact that he endangered the stability of the regime. The ruling position cannot be shaken, this is not empty talk. Everyone is equal before the law, and it is not empty talk. This is Zhuge Wuhou's rule of Shu.In eleven years, he fought with Sun Wu in the east, settled Yiyue in the south, conquered Cao Wei in the north, and revised the legal system internally. He not only adhered to Liu Bei's political line and organizational line, but also advanced the established policy of "Longzhong Dui". So, has the Shu Han regime been preserved? No.