In the spring of the third year of Shu Jianxing (225 years), Zhuge Liang led the army to the south, and before leaving, Liu Chan gave Zhuge Liang a golden Yue, a curved cover, a front and rear Yubao preached, and 60 tigers. After Zhuge Liang went deep into the barren land to crusade against Yong and Meng, Zhuge Liang took the suggestion of joining the army Ma Yan, focusing on attacking the heart, first defeating the Yong army, and then capturing seven longitudinal Meng Huo, and pacifying all the chaos in the autumn, and Chengdu in December. Shu Han settled down in Nanzhong and obtained a large amount of resources, and formed the Wudang Flying Army, a strong army. After a long period of accumulation, there was the basis for the Northern Expedition.

Northern Expedition to the Central Plains

The situation of Zhuge Liang's first and second Northern Expeditions

In the fourth year of Shu Jianxing (226), Emperor Wen of Wei Cao Pi died and was succeeded by his son Cao, who lacked ruling experience. Zhuge Liang seized the favorable opportunity and decided to go on the Northern Expedition. In March of the following year, he led the army into Hanzhong and marched to Chuyang (now Mianxian County, Shaanxi).

In the spring of the sixth year of Jianxing (228), Zhuge Liang raised his voice in advance to take the slope valley road, and asked Zhao Yun and Deng Zhi to set up suspicious soldiers to attract Cao Zhen's heavy troops, and he led a large army to attack Qishan. The three counties of Nan'an, Tianshui and Anding in Longyou were anti-Wei and attached to Shu, and Guanzhong was resounding. Emperor Wei Ming went to Chang'an in the west of the town, and ordered Zhang to lead 50,000 foot riders to go and break the horse in the street pavilion. At the same time, Zhao Yun was outnumbered and lost to Keigu.

Zhuge Liang is more than 1,000 families in Baxi County and returned to Hanzhong. The First Northern Expedition failed. Shangshu asked to degrade himself to the third class, and the queen of Shu took Zhuge Liang as the right general and did the prime minister's affairs, and the president was as before. In the winter of the same year, Zhuge Liang took advantage of the Wei soldiers to go east, Guanzhong was weak, took the opportunity to go north, sent troops to disperse the pass (now southwest of Baoji City, Shaanxi Province) to surround Chencang (now the east of Baoji City, Shaanxi Province), but was rejected by Wei general Hao Zhao, Zhuge Liang persuaded to surrender, and the grain and grass did not continue, so he had to return to Hanzhong.

Wei chased Wang Shuang and was beheaded.

In the spring of the seventh year of Jianxing (229), Zhuge Liang sent Chen Shi to attack Wudu (around present-day Chengxian County, Gansu Province) and Yinping (around present-day Wenxian County, Gansu Province). Yongzhou assassin Guo Huai led troops to rescue him, Liang went out to Jianwei (now west of Xihe County, Gansu Province), Guo Huai retreated, and then won the two counties.

In the autumn of the eighth year of Jianxing (230), the Wei army attacked Hanzhong on three routes, Sima Yi went to Xicheng (now northwest of Ankang City, Shaanxi Province), Zhang went to the Meridian Valley, and Cao Zhen walked to the Xiegu. Zhuge Liang garrisoned Chenggu (now east of Chenggu County, Shaanxi Province) and Chisaka (now 20 miles east of Yangxian County, Shaanxi Province).

After more than 30 days of heavy rain, the Wei army retreated. In the same year, Zhuge Liang sent Wei Yan and Wu Yixi into Qiangzhong, and broke the Wei general Fei Yao (Yao) and Yongzhou Assassin Guo Huai in Yangxi (Nan'an County, in the southwest of Wushan in present-day Gansu Province).

The situation of Zhuge Liang's fourth and fifth Northern Expeditions

In February of the ninth year of Jianxing (231), Zhuge Liang led a large army to attack Qishan, and began to transport it with wooden oxen. When Cao Zhen was seriously ill, Sima Yi supervised the generals in the Guanzhong to refuse. Zhuge Liang cut wheat in Shangshang (now Tianshui County, Gansu Province). Sima Yi chased Liang to Lucheng (between Tianshui City and Gangu in Gansu Province today), dug the camp and defended himself, and there was a ridicule of "fearing Shu as fearing a tiger".

According to the record of "Spring and Autumn of the Han Dynasty", in May of the same year, Zhuge Liang made Wei Yan, Gao Xiang, and Wu Ban to refuse, and broke Sima Yi, and the Han army won the first 3,000 ranks, 5,000 Xuan armor, and 3,100 crossbows, so Sima Yi returned to the camp. This historical material was later cited in the "Zizhi Tongjian".

The Book of Jin records that the Wei army unloaded its armor and traveled lightly, day and night, and met Zhuge Liang in Hanyang, Sima Yi sent the general Niu Jin to ride lightly as bait, Zhuge Liang retreated to Qishan, and the troops were stationed in Lucheng, according to the two mountains in the north and south, blocking the water and building a wall. The Wei army broke through, broke the Shu army, captured and beheaded tens of thousands. In Chen Shou's "Chronicles of the Three Kingdoms", neither of these statements is recorded. In June, Li Yan called Zhuge Liang to return to his division due to poor grain transportation. Zhang Chailiang retreated to Mumen, and was killed by an arrow.

Six out of Qishan

In the tenth year of Jianxing (232 years), Zhuge Liang took a break in Huangsha to persuade farmers, made wooden oxen and flowing horses, etc., and trained soldiers and martial arts, preparing for the Northern Expedition again. In the winter of the eleventh year of Jianxing (233), Zhuge Liang sent troops to transport rice to the north of Qishan again, gathered the army at the mouth of the valley, and governed the pavilion of the valley.

In February of the twelfth year of Jianxing (234), Zhuge Liang led a large army out of Xiegu Road after three years of preparation to persuade farmers to talk about martial arts, according to Wugong Wuzhangyuan (now Qishannan, Shaanxi Province), Tuntian was in Weibin, and at the same time sent envoys to Eastern Wu, hoping that Sun Quan could attack Wei at the same time. In April, the Shu army arrived in the county and set up camp under the Wuzhang Plain on the south bank of Weishui. Sima Yi led the Wei army to build a camp against the water, wanting to consume the Shu army's food again with a protracted war, so that the Shu army retreated on its own.

Zhuge Liang

Wei general Guo Huai thought that the Shu army would fight for the northern plains, and Sima Yi agreed, so he sent Guo Huai to defend first. Sure enough, the Shu army arrived, but was repelled by Guo Huai. Zhuge Liang considered that the previous Northern Expeditions had failed because of the failure to transport grain, so he began to produce grain in the fields between the residents of Wei and Bin, and the people were safe and sound, and everything was as usual. Sun Quan also responded to Shu Han and personally led an army of 100,000 to attack Wei, but was defeated by Emperor Cao of Wei Ming himself.

Zhuge Liang sent Hubu Supervisor Meng Yan to be stationed in Wugong Shuibei, which coincided with the rising tide and blocked the connection between Zhuge Liang and Meng Yan. Sima Yi took the opportunity to send troops to attack Meng Yan. As a result, Zhuge Liang sent sappers to build bridges on the one hand, and crossbowmen to shoot arrows at Sima Yi's troops on the other. Sima Yi saw that the bridge was about to be built, so he had to retreat.

The Wei and Shu armies confronted each other for more than 100 days, during which Zhuge Liang sent people to challenge many times, but Sima Yi's army never came out. Later, Zhuge Liang deliberately asked people to bring a set of women's clothes and headscarves to Sima Yi, saying that Sima Yi was like a woman. Seeing this situation, the generals of the Wei army were furious, and they asked to go to war, and in order to prevaricate the generals' requests, Sima Yi pretended to ask Emperor Wei Ming to fight. Cao Rui sent the guard captain Xin Bi as a military advisor to the front line to control Sima Yi.

Sima Yi once asked the envoy of Shu Han how much Zhuge Liang slew, ate and did not inquire about the military situation, and the envoy replied: "Zhuge Gong gets up early and goes to bed late, and all punishments of more than 20 rods are personally read; The meals eaten were less than a few liters. Sima Yi told people: "Zhuge Kongming eats little and has troublesome affairs, how long can he live!" ”

Zhuge Liang was divided into troops and planted grain for self-sufficiency with the people of Wei in the territory of Wei, and planned to stay there for a long time, but Zhuge Liang was seriously ill due to overwork.

He died of a serious illness

Liu Chan sent Shang Shu and Li Fu to greet him, and at the same time inquire about national affairs. Li Fu came, Zhuge Liang finished talking, said goodbye, and came back a few days later. Zhuge Liang said: "I know your intention to come back, although I have been talking all day recently, some things have not been explained, and I have come to listen to the decision again." What you want to ask Jiang Wan is suitable. Li Fu apologized and said: "I really didn't ask a few days ago, if you are a hundred years later, who can take on the heavy responsibility, so I will return again." After Jiang Wan, who can take on the heavy responsibility? Zhuge Liang said: "Fei can succeed him." Li Fu asked again who could take over after Fei? Zhuge Liang did not answer.