Zhuge Liang - The Great Strategist of Ancient China

The Three Kingdoms period saw the rise of some of the most famous men in military history – Cao Cao, Liu Bei and Sun Quan – but also the greatest strategist in China, Zhuge Liang, who has gone down in history as an exemplar of the cunning statesman.

Born in 181 CE, Zhuge Liang was born to a rather poor family in modern day Shandong Province as the second of three brothers. Sources differ as to when his parents died, some say his mother died at either aged three or eight and his father at aged eight or 12, but agree that his uncle raised him and his brothers and sisters. When Cao Cao invaded Shandong in 195 CE, the family was forced to escape to the south where his uncle died.

For many years, Zhuge Liang and his brothers worked as farmers whilst their sisters married into neighbouring families. He married Huang Yueying, the daughter of Huang Chengyan, whose wife was the sister of the warlord Liu Biao. His reputation of a man of great intelligence grew and earned him the name of Sleeping Dragon (or Crouching Dragon).

In 207 CE, Zhuge Liang joined Liu Bei’s forces after he had visited him three times as a strategic adviser. He presented him with the Longzhong Pan which would outline the means to conquer the north. He travelled to king Sun Quan and negotiated an alliance between him and Liu Bei. The forces of Sun Quan and Liu Bei met Cao Cao at the Red Cliffs. The resulting battle decided the question of China’s unity or partition.

Zhuge Liang’s strategies and achievements are recorded in the famous historical novel, ‘The Romance of the Three Kingdoms’. Three of Zhuge Liang’s strategies are well known. Before the battle at Red Cliffs, he was given the impossible task of making 100,000 arrows in 10 days. Knowing he could do this, he requested 20 boats, a few soldiers and straw fashioned in the shape of men. He set out the boats and ordered his men to beat their war drums and shout. The enemies, believing they were being attacked, retaliated by shooting arrows at these figures. The result was that the arrows got caught in the straw and Zhuge Liang accumulated over 100,000 arrows.

Zhuge Liang went on to launch a series of campaigns in the north. Unfortunately, all but one failed. He died in 234 CE at the age of 54; in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, the author records that he tried to extend his life by another 12 years through a ritual, but failed when he was disturbed.

His remarkable achievements and his intellect carried on throughout history; he has been modelled on many forms of entertainment including literature, film and computer games, emphasising his importance.

Bibliography:

Huang, Martin Weizong (1990) Dehistoricization and Intertexualization: The Anxiety of Precedents in the Evolution of the Traditional Chinese Novel, Chinese Literature: Essays, Articles, Reviews (CLEAR), Chinese Literature: Essays, Articles, Reviews (CLEAR).