Zhuge Liang (181-234), a politician and military strategist of the Shu Han Dynasty during the Three Kingdoms.

His courtesy name was Kongming, a native of Yangdu, Langya (now Yinannan, Shandong).

The end of the Eastern Han Dynasty.

He lived in seclusion in Longzhong, Deng County (today's west of Xiangyang, Hubei Province) and paid attention to world affairs, so he was called "Wolong".

In the 12th year of Jian'an (207), Liu Bei visited the thatched cottage three times. He proposed to Liu Bei to occupy Jing (today's Hunan and Hubei) and Yi (today's Sichuan and Chongqing) states to seek the support of the rulers of all ethnic groups in the southwest. United with Sun Quan to fight against Cao Cao.

The proposal to unify the country is the so-called "Longzhong Pair".

From then on, he became Liu Bei's main adviser.

According to his strategy, Liu Bei joined forces with Sun to attack Cao, won the "Battle of Chibi", occupied Jingyi, and established the Shu Han regime.

When Cao Pi replaced the Han Dynasty, he persuaded Liu Bei to proclaim himself emperor and serve as prime minister.

In the first year of Jianxing (223), Liu Chan succeeded to the throne. He was named Marquis of Wuxiang and led the pastoral care of Yizhou. All political affairs, big or small, were decided by him.

During his time in power, he worked hard to govern, strictly rewarded and punished people, and implemented the policy of farming.

And improve relations with all ethnic groups in the southwest, which is conducive to the development of local economy and culture.

He sent troops five times to attack Wei and compete for the Central Plains.

In the twelfth year of Jianxing (235), he opposed Sima Yi of Wei in Weinan. He died of illness in the Wuzhangyuan Army and was buried in Dingjun Mountain (southwest of Mian County, Shaanxi today).

His posthumous title is "Zhongwuhou".

It is said that a new repeating crossbow was invented, which could fire ten arrows at the same time, and also created a "wooden cow and flowing horse". Conducive to mountain transportation.

Author of "The Collection of Zhuge Liang".

When it comes to Zhuge Liang, it can be said that everyone knows about him.

He is a famous politician and military strategist in the history of our country. "Zhuge is famous throughout the universe" (Du Fu's poem). People have always regarded him as the embodiment of wisdom, and people admire and respect him.

The reason why Zhuge Liang has such a great influence is inseparable from the admiration of him by the ruling classes of the past dynasties and the depiction and rendering of him in novels and dramas.

However, the real Zhuge Liang in history is not exactly the same as the Zhuge Liang portrayed in novels and dramas.

What kind of person was the real Zhuge Liang in history?

Zhuge Liang was born in the fourth year of Emperor Guanghe of the Eastern Han Dynasty (181) into a bureaucratic landlord family of low status.

His father Zhuge Gui once served as the magistrate of Taishan County, and his uncle Zhuge Xuan had contacts with the powerful nobles Yuan Shu and Liu Biao at that time.

Zhuge Liang has three brothers, his elder brother Zhuge Jin, younger brother Zhuge Jun, and two sisters.

Since his father died early, Zhuge Liang, his brothers and sisters all relied on their uncle Zhuge Xuan.

Zhuge Liang's childhood was spent in war.

In the fourth year of his birth, that is, the first year of Emperor Zhongping of Han Ling (AD 184), the Yellow Turban Uprising broke out, followed by the powerful landlords who grew up in suppressing the Yellow Turban Uprising. Fighting and melee between armed forces for territory.

Langya County belongs to Xuzhou and is a piece of fat in the eyes of the powerful. Tao Qian, Lu Bu, and Cao Cao have all occupied and robbed this place.

The war in Xuzhou continues, making it difficult for Zhuge Xuan and his family to settle down.

In order to escape the war, Zhuge Xuan led his family to leave his hometown, first defecting to Yuan Shu, then to Jingzhou Liu Biao, and finally settled in Xiangyang.

When Zhuge Liang was 17 years old, his uncle Zhuge Xuan passed away.

Zhuge Liang lost his support, so he took his younger brother Zhuge Jun to buy some land in Longzhong Village, 20 miles west of Xiangyang City, built a few thatched houses, and began to live the life he would lead in "The Master's Guide" 20 years later. "Plowing in Nanyang, surviving in troubled times, not seeking to learn and reach the princes" is a secluded life of farming and reading at the same time.

Longzhong’s life lasted for 10 years.

In the past 10 years, Zhuge Liang has read a large number of classics and history and works of various schools of thought. He especially likes to read Legalist works such as "Shenzi" and "Hanfeizi".

Zhuge Liang was deeply impressed by the theories of Legalist figures in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. He knew that in this turbulent time, Legalist ideas, including their experience and skills in governing the country, were most relevant. , the most practical.

Reading extensively, studying hard, and studying enabled him to acquire a wealth of knowledge in politics, military, and history.

These 10 years were also a process for Zhuge Liang to become apprentices, make friends, and increase his knowledge and knowledge.

At that time, there were relatively few wars in the Jingzhou area, and scholars and celebrities from the Central Plains region fled here one after another.

Those older than Zhuge Liang include the famous scholar Pang Degong, Sima Hui known as Mr. "Shui Jing", and the famous Miannan scholar Huang Chengyan (later Zhuge Liang's father-in-law), etc. They all became Zhuge Liang's old friends. .

These people were thoughtful, knowledgeable, and insightful. Zhuge Liang humbly asked them for advice and learned a lot from them.

Due to Sima Hui's introduction, Zhuge Liang became a disciple of Feng Jiu, a hermit from Lingshan Mountain in Runan named "Feng Gong".

Fengjiu was familiar with Tao strategy and proficient in the art of war. Moved by Zhuge Liang's spirit and behavior of "serving with due diligence", Fengjiu taught him three military books.

This will undoubtedly be of great help to Zhuge Liang in assisting Liu Bei in leading the army in battles in the future.

Among Zhuge Liang’s friends, there were also some young scholars, including Pang Tong, the nephew of Pang Degong who later became an important adviser to Liu Bei, Xu Shu and Shi Guangyuan of Yingchuan, Meng Gongwei of Runan, etc.

They often discuss knowledge together, comment on world affairs, and express their ambitions.

While reading, studying, and making friends, Zhuge Liang did not forget the political situation at that time.

In the 10 years of Longzhong, the political situation was changing. At this time, Cao Cao defeated Yuan Shao in the battle of Guandu and unified the north; Sun Quan took charge of Jiangdong after his father and brother Jiye, and Cao Cao dominated the Central Plains at that time; Liu Biao, who was in charge of Jingzhou, was A person who only cares about fame and talk, and is not able to plan for big things, will be swallowed up by powerful powers sooner or later... As a result of the disputes between the heroes, there will inevitably be a situation of confrontation.

Because Zhuge Liang paid attention to studying the political and military situation at that time, he gradually formed his own political opinions and response strategies.

When discussing the real social situation with his friends, he was very insightful, knowledgeable, and insightful. Therefore, he was called a "hero" who "knew current affairs" by Sima Hui.

Determining to learn, learning based on ambition, and applying what you learn are Zhuge Liang's academic thoughts that he has always adhered to.

So what is Zhuge Liang’s ambition? The following two examples give a glimpse of his ideals and ambitions.

According to "Wei Lue", one day Zhuge Liang was talking with his three friends Shi Guangyuan, Xu Shu, and Meng Gongwei. Zhuge Liang calmly said to them: "If you become officials, you can become county guards." , the position of governor.

"The three asked Zhuge Liang what happened, but Zhuge Liang just "laughed and said nothing."

This "smiling but not speaking" has already shown that Zhuge Liang has great ambitions.

According to "Three Kingdoms", Zhuge Liang often compared himself with Guan Zhong and Leyi when he was in Gao Wolong.

He believed that there was neither a wise prime minister like Guan Zhong nor a famous general like Le Yi in the world.

Guan Zhong was a great statesman in Qi during the Spring and Autumn Period. He once assisted Duke Huan of Qi, united the nine princes, and unified the world, making Qi a powerful vassal state.

Le Yi was a famous general of Yan State during the Warring States Period. He supported the weak Yan State, commanded strong troops, and captured more than 70 cities of Qi State in one fell swoop, making Yan State one of the seven heroes of the Warring States Period.

It can be seen from these places that Zhuge Liang compared himself to Guan Zhong and Le Yi because he believed that he had the strategy of governing the country as a prime minister and the way of leading troops as a famous general.

He was living in troubled times, and he was determined to make amazing achievements, both politically and militarily, like Guan Zhong and Le Yi. He was determined to wipe out the heroes and end the division.

To govern troubled times, one must use one’s talents, and to make the best use of one’s talents, one must rely on a wise master to succeed. The saying goes, “A good bird chooses a tree to roost in, and a good minister chooses a master to follow.” It means that we must carefully choose those who can assist us. It means "Ming Zhu".

So what kind of person is the "Master of Ming" in Zhuge Liang's mind? Before meeting Liu Bei, we can say that there was no specific target in Zhuge Liang's thoughts at this time, but if we contact the comments of his friends around him about the powerful workshop at that time and the future "Longzhong Dui", "On Guangwu", etc. Judging from the article, Zhuge Liang has his own standards for choosing the "Ming Lord".

Zhuge Liang has been influenced by feudal orthodoxy since he was a child. During his ten years in Longzhong, he systematically studied the classics and history. The idea of ??being loyal to the emperor and repaying the emperor's kindness was deeply ingrained in his mind.

The most powerful warlord at that time was Cao Cao in the north. This man was a man of great talent and great influence, but from an orthodox point of view, his approach of "holding the emperor hostage to order the princes" was despicable.

Pang Tong once talked about Cao Cao with Zhuge Liang, thinking that although he was a capable minister in governing the world, he was also a traitor in troubled times.

For a person like Cao Cao, it is impossible for Zhuge Liang to think that he is the "Ming Lord" and to seek refuge with him and assist him.

In fact, in the "Longzhong Dui" to be discussed below, Zhuge Liang also set the goal of eliminating the Cao Group.

Zhuge Liang had heard and witnessed Liu Biao's behavior and quality, and he couldn't be more familiar with it.

Even his brother-in-law, Mr. Huang Chengyan, was unwilling to come out to help him. Of course, Zhuge Liang would not consider him a "Ming Zhu".

Where is Sun Quan of Soochow? Although he was a man of great achievements, he was ambitious and wanted to "establish himself as an emperor to conquer the world", and he was also a careerist who wanted to usurp the world.

Zhuge Liang's brother Zhuge Jin has gone to Jiangdong to assist him, but Zhuge Liang did not follow him to Jiangdong. It should be said that in Zhuge Liang's mind, Sun Quan is not a "Ming Lord" who can go through fire and water for him. .

As for Yizhou Mu Liu Zhang, who was entrenched in Sichuan and Shu and was known as "(?n) weak", it is not worth mentioning.

From the article "On Guangwu" written by Zhuge Liang, we can even get a glimpse of Zhuge Liang's criteria for choosing his master.

Emperor Guangwu Liu Xiu was the leader of the Eastern Han Dynasty's resurgence.

In his article, Zhuge Liang greatly appreciated Liu Xiu's role in "profound planning and thoughtfulness", and was extremely eager for Guangwu's monarch and ministers to "seek consensus" and revive the cause of the Han Dynasty.

Nanyang County is the birthplace of Liu Xiu’s resurgence. Can history repeat itself? Can there be another "saint king" and "bright master" like Emperor Guangwu in today's world? This issue can only be understood when Liu Bei appears in front of Zhuge Liang.

All in all, the ten years of Longzhong were the ten years for Zhuge Liang to learn and grow his talents. It was also a period for him to "wait for the time" and "wait for the master".

This young man, just like the nickname "Wolong" given to him by Mr. Pang De, will be able to fly into the clouds, show off his skills and ambitions once he meets the wind and clouds.

The opportunity finally arrived. "Uncle Liu Huang" Liu Bei came to Longzhong in person in the 12th year of Jian'an of the Han Dynasty (207 AD) to visit Zhuge Liang for advice.