Chapter 39 (Thirty-nine) Losing an arm

Zhuge Liang beheaded Ma Su with tears. This is a well-known story.However, this is a history full of doubts.Ma Su is Ma Liang's younger brother, a well-known talent in Shu, and was appreciated by Zhuge Liang, but he ended up ruined in the end.Should Ma Su be killed?Why did Zhuge Liang kill Ma Su? What secrets did he have that no one knows?Please pay attention to it - the pain of losing an arm. In 228 AD, Zhuge Liang made his first Northern Expedition to attack Cao Wei.Ma Di, who joined the army and was highly regarded by Zhuge Liang, was sent to garrison the strategically important Jieting.However, Ma Di violated Zhuge Liang's deployment in Jieting, did not listen to the advice of his lieutenant Wang Ping, and set up camp on a mountain far away from the water source.As a result, Cao Wei's army swarmed to besiege Gushan, and the Shu army was defeated. Ma Su fled back to the camp in disgrace and disgrace, resulting in the loss of Jieting. This is the famous story of Ma Di's "lost Jieting".Afterwards, Zhuge Liang went to Liu Chan, dismissed himself from the position of prime minister, demoted to the third class, and beheaded the main responsible person Ma Su. This is the famous story of "Zhuge Liang beheaded Ma Di with tears".

A seemingly simple story, but it reflects many complicated problems.Should Ma Su be killed?Why did Zhuge Liang kill Ma Di?Just because he lost the street booth?Professor Yi Zhongtian from Xiamen University is a guest on "Hundreds of Lectures", and will give you a wonderful taste of "The Lost Arm" of the Three Kingdoms. Audience friends are quite familiar with Zhuge Liang beheading Ma Su with tears.I am quite familiar with it. Why do I still need to talk about it?Because there are quite a lot of problems here. First of all, the first one, it is not clear whether Ma Di was killed by Zhuge Liang.According to the records of "Three Kingdoms", Ma Di's whereabouts are unknown.why?We know that in "Three Kingdoms", there is no biography of Ma Di, so Ma Di's ending can only be seen in other people's biographies. The saying in "Zhuge Liang's Biography" is: "Thank you for killing Su." That is to say, Ma Di was killed by Zhuge Liang.There is circumstantial evidence for this matter. In Wang Ping's biography, "Wang Ping's biography" said: "Prime Minister Liang punished Ma Su" and also said that Ma Di was killed by Zhuge Liang. The saying in "Ma Liang Biography" is: "Su went to prison for something, and Liang shed tears for it." So Ma Di was imprisoned by Zhuge Liang, and died of illness in the prison; Zhuge Liang cried after hearing the news.The third statement can be found in Xiang Lang's biography. The original text of "Xiang Lang's Biography" is: "Su fled, but Lang knew he would not act." According to this statement, Ma Su ran away.That is to say, there are three theories about Ma Di's ending: he was killed by Zhuge Liang, died of illness in prison, and ran away.All three theories are found in "Three Kingdoms", that is to say, the same person Chen Shou, the same book "Three Kingdoms", three versions.The truth of history is really hard to figure out.

So I have repeatedly emphasized that what I show you is a historical image, and historical images are not equal to historical truth.However, I think these three views can also be reconciled and unified. What is going on?After Ma Di lost the street pavilion, he panicked and ran away.As for Xiang Lang, he didn't report if he knew about it.But later, Ma Su was either arrested and brought to justice, or surrendered himself. There is no basis for this. Anyway, he was arrested by Zhuge Liang, put in a big prison, and issued a death sentence.He was not executed and died in prison.There is this possibility.Therefore, Zhuge Liang's statement that he beheaded Ma Su with tears can still be established.If this statement is true, we will have a problem, what is the problem: first, should Ma Di be killed?Second, does Zhuge Liang want to kill?Third, why did Zhuge Liang kill him?Fourth, why did Zhuge Liang cry when he killed Ma Di?

Let's start with the first question: Should Ma Su be killed?My opinion is that you can kill or not. Why can it be killed?After all, he lost Jieting, and losing Jieting led to the first Northern Expedition falling by the wayside.And this Northern Expedition was likely to be successful, because when Zhuge Liang sent troops, Cao Wei was not prepared.According to Pei Zhu's records, at that time Cao Wei only knew that there was Liu Bei in Shu, who was very powerful, and he didn't know who else could fight.So there was no preparation. When Zhuge Liang sent troops, the government and the people were shocked, and all three counties rebelled, and three counties rebelled against Cao Wei and surrendered to Zhuge Liang.So at this time, taking advantage of such a great situation and marching forward may be the result of some victories.And Ma Di broke things, this is his side that should be killed.

But from another point of view, victory or defeat is a common matter for military strategists, and talents are the basis for victory. If a general is to be killed if he loses a battle, then there is no way to do this, this matter.You lose a battle and kill one, lose another battle and kill another, lose another battle and kill another, how many generals do you have to kill?Therefore, Xi Zouchi, a historian of the Jin Dynasty, said that it is only natural that Zhuge Liang could not defeat Cao Wei. Why?Kill people.There are few talents in your country of Shu, and you are not as good as Cao Wei. You still want to kill. Isn’t that what you call relatives hurt and enemies are quick?There are many such examples in history. Two armies are at war, and one side kills its own general, and the other side is happy.Moreover, there are various ways to punish failed generals, such as demotion, heavy punishment, how many military sticks, and punishing the generals for crimes and meritorious service.So it can be killed or not.

The fall of Ma Di Street Pavilion caused Zhuge Liang's first Northern Expedition to be abandoned halfway, and at the same time the Shu Han also lost a general.No matter from which aspect, it is definitely a major loss for the Shu Han.According to the analysis of historians, victory or defeat is a common matter for military strategists, and various other methods can be adopted to deal with Ma Di, and it is not necessary to choose the method of beheading.But Zhuge Liang beheaded Ma Di decisively. Why?Does Zhuge Liang want to kill Ma Di? My conclusion is, don't want to kill.Is there any evidence?Yes, tears are evidence.If Zhuge Liang felt that this person should be killed, he must be killed, and if he did not kill, the common people would not be outraged, so he pushed out the gate and beheaded with an order.But he shed tears, indicating that he didn't want to kill.So why didn't Zhuge Liang want to kill him?Three reasons.

First, Ma Di is a confidant.Who is Ma Su?Ma Su is Ma Liang's younger brother, and Ma Liang's five brothers are all talents.And Ma Liang followed Liu Bei very early, and had a very good personal relationship with Zhuge Liang, and they were called brothers.Later, Ma Liang was killed in the war, so this younger brother, even if he is a martyr, Zhuge Liang treated Ma Liang, his younger brother Ma Di, very kindly.Ma Di once wrote a letter to Zhuge Liang in prison, which said: "Minggong regards Su as his son, and Su treats Minggong as his father." That is, the prime minister treats me, Ma Di, as if he treats his own son; Ma Di treats you, Prime Minister, as he treats my father.Some people say that this analogy is inappropriate, why?Because Ma Di is Ma Liang's younger brother, and Ma Liang's name is Brother Zhuge Liang, how did he become a father?This also makes sense, because there is a saying in ancient China that the elder brother is like the father and the elder sister-in-law is like the mother, so we can speculate that the relationship between Zhuge Liang and Ma Su is like the elder brother of the father, which is emotional.

The second point is that Ma Di is a talent.According to the records in "Three Kingdoms • Ma Liang Biography", Ma Di was a man of extraordinary talent, good at discussing military strategy, and very talented.Moreover, he is familiar with military books, and also likes to discuss issues such as war.Zhuge Liang is "deeply different" to him and attaches great importance to him.Zhuge Liang often called Ma Di over for a conversation, and the conversation lasted all day, which is called from day to night.We know that Zhuge Liang is a man who manages every day, because he has to take care of everything big and small, and his style of doing things is to do everything by himself. He has to take care of everything by himself. He has no time to chat and is not an idler.How could you talk to Ma Di for a day?It shows that Ma Su did have extraordinary insights in this conversation.And there is also evidence that when Zhuge Liang marched south to Nanzhong, Ma Di went to see him off, and he was sent far away.At the time of parting, Zhuge Liang took Ma Di’s hand and said, brother, we have been planning for several years and talked about a lot of ideas, and now I’m about to go to war, you must have something more important to say, a better idea Come out for me?Ma Di said sixteen words: "Attacking the heart is the top priority, and attacking the city is the bottom. The heart battle is the top priority, and the military battle is the bottom." That is, if you want to make the South surrender, you must rely more on morality and influence than relying on threat of force.Zhuge Liang adopted Ma Di's suggestion, and only then did Meng Huo be captured seven times later.Of course, Ma Di did not have this suggestion, and I guess Zhuge Liang would do the same, but at least it shows that Ma Di can still have the same views as the hero Zhuge Liang, and he is not a completely useless person.

The third point is that Ma Di has prestige.According to historical records, when Ma Di was killed, 100,000 people wept for him, and 100,000 people cried, Zhuge Liang did not cry alone.It shows that Ma Di has prestige among the masses.He is a confidant, a talented person, and has prestige. Zhuge Liang doesn't want to kill him. Well, since Zhuge Liang didn't want to kill Ma Di, and Ma Di can be killed or not, then we have to ask: Why should he be killed? According to Mr. Yi Zhongtian's analysis above, Ma Di is outstanding in terms of talent and prestige, and in terms of personal relationship, Ma Di and Zhuge Liang have a very good personal relationship. He is a brave and resourceful talent who has won Zhuge Liang's trust.But when Zhuge Liang dealt with Ma Su, he was stern and selfless, without showing any mercy.According to Mr. Yi Zhongtian's analysis, Zhuge Liang didn't want to kill Ma Di from the perspective of his inner desire. At this time, he made a painful choice.So why did Zhuge Liang do this?What is hidden in it?

Jiang Wan also asked Zhuge Liang this question.After Ma Di was killed, Jiang Wan arrived in Hanzhong. Jiang Wan said to Zhuge Liang, "Prime Minister, "If the world is not yet settled, you would not hesitate to kill wise men!" He said that the world is not yet stable, and we still have to fight many, many battles. Isn't it a pity that the prime minister killed such a rare talent?So how did Zhuge Liang answer?With tears in his eyes, Zhuge Liang cried again. With tears in his eyes, he said sixteen words: "The four seas are divided, and the war between soldiers will begin. If the law is abolished again, why is there any need to hunt for thieves?" What does it mean?Zhuge Liang said, please think about why Sun Wu was able to win every battle back then?Just because of strict military discipline.Now the world is in chaos, the world is divided, and the war cannot be stopped in a day or two; in such a situation, if we abolish the military law, what shall we use, what shall we rely on, and what shall we rely on to defeat the enemy?Then according to Zhuge Liang's answer, we can draw a conclusion, that is: Zhuge Liang killed Ma Di in order to rule Shu according to law.

Governing the country according to law, or governing Shu according to law, is an important thought of Zhuge Liang in governing Shu.An important idea is that Zhuge Liang practiced the rule of law in Shu.And in this respect Zhuge Liang can be called a role model through the ages, at least the following points are worth learning. The first point is to be strict with yourself.When Zhuge Liang killed Ma Di, he also went to the court and demanded that he be punished. The proposed punishment method was to demote himself to the third class.This report was sent to Liu Chan, and Liu Chan approved it, and Zhuge Liang was demoted to the right general, but he acted as the prime minister, so the president remained the same.Although he is the right general, he is still acting as the prime minister, so the things that he should be in charge of and the power he should have are still the same.According to such a result, some people criticize Zhuge Liang as a show, so I think this statement does not understand politics or history. Ancient Chinese politics believed in Confucianism. What is the rule of Confucianism?It is called having the right to have the scriptures.The scriptures cannot be changed, but the rights can be changed.In today's words, that is to say, policies must be principled and flexible.Then if a military operation fails, as the commander-in-chief, he must bear the responsibility of leadership, but it does not mean killing or abolishing the commander-in-chief. How can the command kill or abolish the battle?So punishment is necessary, but it cannot affect the overall situation because of this punishment. The second point is to dare to admit mistakes.For this reason, Zhuge Liang wrote an essay called "Jieting Self-Depreciation Shu". This essay is a review in our current language.Zhuge Liang's "Jie Ting Self-deprecating Shu" is very real, where is it really?First, he took full responsibility.Including the street pavilion that Ma Di lost, including Zhao Yun's mistakes in Jigu, he should not have been in charge in the first place, Zhuge Liang took it all, this is the first point.On the second point, Zhuge Liang really pointed out the crux of the problem.What is the crux of the matter?Four words: "There is no way to appoint and appoint", it means that I, as the commander, have used the wrong people.Third, he established accountability.It is stipulated that in the future, whenever the team is unfavorable, the coach must assume leadership responsibility.Fourth, he took corrective measures.Since then, Zhuge Liang has visited the front line several times during the Northern Expedition and took command from the town.So it is a real mistake.It is impossible for a person not to make mistakes. There is no one who does not make mistakes in the world, including Zhuge Liang. What is rare is the ability to admit and correct mistakes.As long as you can admit your mistakes and correct them, you are a great person.On this point, Cao Cao and Zhuge Liang have done very well. The third point is that rewards and punishments are clearly defined.Ma Su lost Jieting, and was directly responsible for the loss, and suffered heavy losses: killing.Zhao Yun Jigu lost, but there was a reason for it, because the enemy was strong and we were weak, and Zhao Yun's command should still be appropriate: downgrade.Wang Ping was Ma Di's deputy. When Ma Di was making military deployments, Wang Ping tried to dissuade Ma Di again and again. After Ma Di lost the street pavilion, Wang Ping took many correct measures to preserve the army: reward, Wang Flat promotion.Wang Ping was the only general who was not punished but rewarded in this war.Then, as the commander-in-chief, I am responsible for leadership: demotion.Killing su, descending clouds, rewarding peace, and degrading oneself are called clear rewards and punishments. Therefore, we can say that after the failure of Jieting, Zhuge Liang handled the aftermath very well. He did a good job, and he did it right.But we also have a question: If you are doing the right thing, why cry? The loss of Ma Di's street pavilion made Zhuge Liang lose an important opportunity to unify the Central Plains, and also added many unfavorable factors to the Shu Han.Judging from Mr. Yi Zhongtian's analysis above, after Ma Su lost the street pavilion, Zhuge Liang handled all parties very well, reflecting Zhuge Liang's consistent style and attitude, which inevitably makes people feel awe.Among them, there is a detail that is puzzling. When Ma Su was executed, Zhuge Liang cried bitterly and burst into tears.Is this a pity for the loss of a beloved general, or is there something else hidden?Why is Zhuge Liang crying? Mr. Chen Erdong has an explanation for this. He believes that there are four reasons for Zhuge Liang’s crying: pity for Ma Di, it’s a pity that Ma Di killed him; .Why do you hate yourself and think about the first emperor?Because Liu Bei made a special confession before his death, Liu Bei said to Zhuge Liang: "Ma Di exaggerates the truth and should not be used too much. You should observe it." Liu Bei said, sir, Ma Di is a boaster. Notice.I didn't pay attention, used it wrongly, and hated myself for not listening to the late emperor's words, remembering the late emperor's famous name.Four reasons. Then Mr. Yan Leng also proposed a reason, Mr. Yan Leng's "Historical History of the Three Kingdoms" mentioned, saying why did Zhuge Liang shed tears when he beheaded Ma Su?Find the reason from the five characters in "Three Kingdoms • Zhuge Liang's Biography".Which five words? "Thank you for killing Su."In other words, why did Zhuge Liang kill Ma Su?It's to appease the anger.According to Mr. Yan Leng's point of view, Zhuge Liang's killing of Ma Di was not only to enforce military discipline, but also to calm public anger.Why appease the anger?Because Zhuge Liang's reuse of Ma Su is against the public.When discussing who should be the pioneer, who did everyone advocate?One is Wei Yan and the other is Wu Yi.But Zhuge Liang didn't use it, he wanted to use Ma Di instead.Of course Zhuge Liang is the commander-in-chief and the prime minister. If he wants to use Ma Di, everyone will have nothing to say; Alright, how do you say this?Besides, think about it everyone, who is Wei Yan?The first emperor favored him, and Liu Bei liked Wei Yan very much.Who is Wu Yi?Today's uncle.Who is Ma Su?The first emperor made it clear that "it cannot be used too much".That is to say, Zhuge Liang's reuse of Ma Di was against the decree, against the last decree of the first emperor, and against the public.Then everyone will ask, why are you?Why do you want to violate the order and the public?He's your little brother, isn't he cronyism?Also, now that you have lost the battle, do you want to be held accountable?Do you want to hold your commander responsible for his leadership?There is no other way but to kill Ma Di, thank you all.Because he had to kill Ma Di, he felt grief and indignation, and wept bitterly when he thought of it.This is Mr. Yan Leng's point of view. Well, I partly agree with Mr. Yan Leng's point of view, and partly don't completely agree.What do you agree with?I agree with the line of thought that Mr. Yan Leng provided us, that is, Zhuge Liang’s tearful beheading of Ma Su is not simply a legal issue, but more importantly, a political issue.Including the abolition of Li Yan we mentioned before, it is not a legal issue, but a political issue.What political issues?It was when Zhuge Liang took over the Shuhan regime, the regime was unstable inside. Because we know that the Shu Han regime is very special, it is composed of three forces.The first force is the people brought by Liu Bei from Jingzhou. We call it the Jingzhou Group, also known as the first snobbery, which includes Zhuge Liang, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei.This force is at the top of the Shuhan regime and holds the main power of the country.The second force is the people left behind by Liu Zhang, or Liu Zhang and his son, Liu Yan, and Liu Zhang's people, who were brought to Yizhou when they entered Sichuan, including people like Li Yan.We call this force the Dongzhou Group, which is the second force. They are in the middle of the Shuhan regime.The third force is the bureaucrats and officials who were born and raised in Yizhou, as well as the local wealthy, powerful, and noble families, Yizhou people, or Sichuan people in today's terms.This is the third force, they are called the Yizhou Group, also called the third force, they are at the bottom of the regime.Then such a cocktail structure is not stable, and the lower two layers are unconvinced.Especially what was the situation when Liu Bei died?You were defeated in Xiaoting, you came back from a defeated battle, and then died of illness in Yong'an, and then a prime minister used this power to act as the king's power. The whole thing is unstable.So I once said 16 words, that is: Liu Bei's founding of the country was not solid, and the defeat of Xiaoting shook the ground.Under such circumstances, it is very troublesome and difficult for a prime minister to come out to act on behalf of the monarchy. There are many people who are dissatisfied and stare at him.Don't say anything, just watch you secretly.Especially people like Li Yan, Li Yan, as the deputy of Tuogu, was originally dissatisfied with him who was upright, and just a year before Zhuge Liang's Northern Expedition, Li Yan had already challenged Zhuge Liang, saying that the prime minister, is it also true? Set aside five counties to form a Bazhou, let me be the governor of Bazhou?Aren't you a shepherd of Yizhou? If you are a shepherd of Dezhou, I can't be the governor?The monk can't touch me?It has already been challenged. I guess at this time Zhuge Liang is already thinking about how to deal with Li Yan's problem, because this nail will be pulled out sooner or later. So in such a situation, what is Zhuge Liang's policy?It is four words, governing the country according to the law, I practice that everyone is equal before the law, and whoever breaks the criminal law will be punished.Especially for a giant, big-name, and wrist-level person like Li Yan, then you can't abolish him casually, you can only bring him to justice.Since the country is governed by law, and since problems are solved by legal means, then you must be open, just, and fair, and you must enforce the law like a mountain.The law cannot be abolished because of people, and the law cannot be bent on favoritism.So under such circumstances, it is not difficult for us to imagine how difficult Ma Di's incident caused Zhuge Liang.It is not difficult for us to imagine those oppositions, those who are open and those who are dark, those who are dissatisfied, dissatisfied, and muttering in their hearts, those who are wide-eyed and want to pick bones in their eggs, holding a magnifying glass and a microscope What will happen to those people who are looking for Zhuge Liang's faults.I can even imagine it, watching the excitement, watching the jokes, watching what you do, aren't you law enforcement like a mountain?Don't you rule the country by law?Are you not forbidden?Aren't you open, just, and fair?Well, something happened to your person, let's see what happens to you.If you are extrajudicial and lenient, I'm sorry, we will have to do the same next time. So Zhuge Liang had nothing to do at this time.The treatment of Ma Di can only be four words, serious and fast.That is to say, Zhuge Liang can only cut off the wrists of a strong man, so under such circumstances Zhuge Liang had no choice but to draw out his knife and slash at his arm, killing Ma Su;Because what he did was not his original intention at all. Ma Di is a trusted confidant, Ma Di is a talent, Ma Di has prestige, and Ma Di's crime is not to the extent that he must be killed. It is completely possible not to kill him. Criminal meritorious service, pre-military service, and other disciplinary measures.But for the sake of the overall situation, for the stability and unity of the Shu Han, in order to further balance these three relationships, and strictly implement and enforce the rule of law, he had to kill his beloved.So I said, reading this place, I feel that I can't wait to cry with Marquis Wu. Zhuge Liang killed Ma Su, and later deposed Li Yan. We have already mentioned this before. These two heavy blows showed that he was open, just, and fair in ruling the country according to the law. Since then, Shu Han has calmed down.But the tree wants to be quiet but the wind keeps on, and the internal contradictions of the Shu Han regime have not been fundamentally resolved.Therefore, in August of the twelfth year of Jianxing, after Zhuge Liang died of illness in the Northern Expeditionary Army, two people who belonged to the Jingzhou Group fought, and fought to the death and fought each other. .Wei Yan's rebellion is also very familiar to audience friends, and the question we want to ask is, is Wei Yan really rebelling?What is the truth about Wei Yan's treason case?Please watch the next episode - Misfortune from Xiao Qiang.