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Zhuge Liang
Zhuge Liang is in my opinion the greatest military strategist and statesmen-general of all time. He was born in Yang Du, Lang Xie in China in 181ce. He and his younger brother (Zhuge Jin, I believe) were orphaned at an early age and taken in by an uncle, a local governor in the south. He was replaced in office, so they headed to an old friend in the Liu Clan. This clan was the greater branch of the Imperial house of the Han and maintained considerable wealth and prestige after the Han dynasty went into turmoil. When Zhuge was in his twenties, his uncle died, and Zhuge stayed and lived off the farm. Having suffered defeat at the hands of Cao Cao, the prime minister who usurped power from the Emperor, Liu Bei sought the "Sleeping Dragon," or Kongming (the name of Zhuge Liang's style). After receiving three visits from Liu Bei, Zhuge Liang joined him, and put into works the Three Kingdoms plan (Liu's Shu Han, Sun's Wu, and Cao's Wei). Shu and Wu joined against Wei at the Battle of Chi Bi, where they incinerated Cao Cao's massive fleet with a fire attack. This brings up another point, Zhuge was said to have magical powers. The fire attack at Chi Bi was so successful because of the wind, and it is unknown whether Zhuge just knew this wind would blow, or conjured it up via magic. Zhuge became Prime Minister after Liu Bei died because the latter's heir, Liu Chan, was still young. Unfortunately, Zhuge Liang died in 232ce at Wu Zhang Plains while on a campaign. Shu collapsed soon thereafter. More information is to be added later.
THIS IS A COPY OF ONE OF MY REPORTS.
Master Zhuge Liang, Prime Minister of Shu HanVersion 4.0
Zhuge Liang [family name then given name], was, is, and will always be the greatest statesman-general and strategist of all time. He was born in 181AD, at Yang Du, Lang Xie, China. You may know him as the Sleeping Dragon, one of his nicknames, another being Kong Ming [his style]. Zhuge Liang was Chinese, so the name Zhuge Liang is the Pinyin Romanization of his name in Chinese characters, or Chu-ko Liang in Wades-Giles Romanization. Master Zhuge died in 234, while on a campaign, but never fell in battle.
The Three Kingdoms was, in fact, something Zhuge Liang planned to create. The Three Kingdoms were Shu, Wu, and Wei. The Kingdom of Shu Han was comprised of Eastern China, and was founded by Liu Bei, who intended to restore the Han Empire to its former glory. The Kingdom of Wei, which spanned the Northern part of China, was headed by Cao Cao, the Hero of Chaos, who usurped the power of the Han Emperor and sought sole dominion. Last but not least, the Southern Kingdom of Wu founded by the efforts of Sun Jian, the Tiger of Jiang Dong, along with his two sons, Sun Ce and Sun Quan, and his daughter, Sun Shang Xiang, not to mention others within the Sun family. The eventual founders of each of the Three Kingdoms, Liu Bei, Cao Cao, and Sun Jian, had earned prominence during the latter days of the Han. Liu Bei had taken an Oath of Brotherhood with Guan Yu and Zhang Fei in a peach garden, making the three brothers. The three brothers earned some prominence as volunteers during the Yellow Turban Rebellion. Sun Jian and some of his earlier officers, including Huang Gai, Han Dang, and Cheng Pu, as well as Cao Cao and some of his earlier officers, including his relatives Xiahou Dun and Xiahou Yuan, as well as Guo Jia, also fought and gained fame in the rebellion. The eventual collapse of the Han dynasty was because of the eunuchs and the decision of the next emperor. In the midst of the latter problem, Dong Zhuo managed to usurp power along with his adopted son, the mighty Lu Bu. A coalition was formed against him led by Yuan Shao, whom Cao Cao would eventually contend with in securing his kingdom. Cao Cao, Sun Jian, and Liu Bei, with their respective officers, were also part of this coalition. The allied forces crushed Dong Zhuo at Hu Lao Gate, shattering his ambitions. At this point, the various provincial warlords returned home and began to plot their own destinies. Cao Cao ended up fighting Lu Bu at Xia Pi and Yuan Shao at Guan Du. Both were defeated, forming the land of Wei. Sun Jian fought with Liu Biao upon returning home, finding trouble in his lands. Sun Jian was killed an his eldest son Sun Ce succeeded him. The remnants of Sun Jian's forces led by Sun Ce managed to defeat Yan Baihu and Wang Lang, securing Wu. Sun Ce then met an untimely death and was succeeded by his brother, Sun Quan. Liu Bei had, at one time, been an ally of Cao Cao. Liu Bei had received a request from Tao Qian of Xu Province shortly before Lu Bu lost to Cao Cao. Lu Bu drove Liu Bei out, who turned to Cao Cao. Eventually Liu Bei realized Cao Cao's real ambitions and left, taking refuge with kinsman Liu Biao. Cao Cao soon turned his eyes south on Jing, Liu Biao's area, and the latter's successor, Liu Zong, surrendered without a fight. Zhuge Liang was born around 181 AD, as previously stated. Zhuge Liang was a hermit who lived in repose until he was honored with three visits from Liu Bei, and then he joined him as his strategist. Liu Bei had recently suffered defeat at the hands of Cao Cao. Liu Bei hadn't really lost, he just really had too few people and no strategist. He needed the aid of a capable warlord to be able to stand, which he found in Zhuge Liang. Liu Bei would also get the aid of another wise man, Pang Tong, the Fledgling Phoenix, an acquaintance of Zhuge Liang. At the point in time when Zhuge joined Liu Bei, the latter's forces were retreating southward through the Jing province. Cao Cao and his forces were still in pursuit, and it was decided that Zhuge would go to Zhou Yu in Wu and propose an alliance against Cao Cao. Wu accepted, and Liu Bei and Sun Quan's forces faced off with Cao Cao at Chi Bi along the Chang Jiang River. Zhuge Liang conjured up a southeastern wind. Whether or not this was through magic or if Zhuge Liang just knew the wind would blow that day isn't known. Zhuge was said to have magical powers, which I personally believe and I do believe in magic. After the winds came, Zhou Yu sent Huang Gai (Wu) to unleash a fire attack on Cao Cao's forces. Pang Tong (Shu) had chained the enemy ships together, making them unable to pull out, and the winds fed the flames, engulfing the fleet. The Wu forces then charged as Cao Cao retreated, only to be cut off by the Shu forces. He escaped, but the battle was a success as Cao Cao was forced to retreat and rebuild his forces for a while. Liu Bei's forces went after the Jing and Yi provinces. Jing province would always be in conflict over Wu and Shu. Liu Bei took Yi from his kinsman, Liu Zhang, fulfilling Zhuge's vision of the Three Kingdoms. Meanwhile, Guan Yu was guarding the Jing Province. Shu-Wu relations took a bad turn when Wu collaborated with Cao Cao and killed Guan Yu, leading to the battle of Yi Ling. Zhuge Liang was not only Liu Bei's strategist, but a major supporter and carrier of Liu Bei's wishes. Zhuge Liang became the regent when Liu Bei died because his heir, Liu Chan, was still young. Zhuge Liang never fell in battle, but did die on a campaign while garrisoned in a field.
As I said, Zhuge was Liu Bei's strategist, meaning that he was Liu Bei's main tactical advisor. Zhuge Liang was a military genius, with underlying Taoist and Confucian principles. Zhuge Liang's genius is another one of those things that I couldn't adequately explain to you like this, but maybe you can tell by his motto: "Opportunistic relationships can hardly be kept constant. The acquaintance of honorable people, even at a distance, does not add flowers in times of warmth and does not change its leaves in times of cold: it continues unfading through the four seasons, becoming increasingly stable as it passes through ease and danger." This is a very interesting motto indeed, one that shows the level of the Sleeping Dragon's intelligence. I mustn't forget to mention that Zhuge Liang was commonly ascribed as one with magical powers, and yes, I personally believe he had them. There are many examples of Zhuge Liang's skill. The Battle of Chi Bi, the greatest naval battle in all history, is a good example. As previously mentioned, it is debated as to whether the winds that day were the work of Zhuge Liang and his magics. He was also supposed to be very good with astrology, predicting events based upon the stars and the heavens. Another example would be at the Battle of Yi Ling, where Zhuge Liang's stone maze and other tricks enabled Liu Bei to achieve victory over Wu despite their fire attack. Zhuge Liang was a very learned man, mostly self-educated, and a true genius in battle strategy. He was credited with the invention of the wheelbarrow, and had many interesting inventions that he created during his hermitage. I also believe he created a bow capable of firing multiple arrows. One of Zhuge's more interesting ideas was his wood ox, which carried supplies to the battle of Wu Zhang Plains. Zhuge Liang was succeeded by Jiang Wei, a former Wei officer, whom Zhuge convinced to defect at Tian Shui. After the most unfortunate death of Zhuge Liang at Wu Zhang Plains, Jiang Wei succeeded him. He was the prime advisor to Liu Chan, Liu Bei's successor. The Wei forces were quick to launch another assault on the Shu forces. As the Wei forces drew near Cheng Du (Shu capital) Liu Chan began to lose heart and wanted to surrender to the Wei forces. Jiang Wei tried his best to prevent this, initially repelling the Wei forces before Liu Chan could surrender. Unfortunately, the second assault wasn't repelled like the previous one, and Liu Chan surrendered. Thus, of the Three Kingdoms, Shu was the first to fall.
There are many endearing traits of Zhuge Liang, far, far too many for me to list here. He is one of many of my own idols, and the more I learn about him the more I am mesmerized by how great and intelligent he was. Zhuge Liang, statesman-general, strategist, overall great man, genius, and a said holder of magical powers. When you factor in the time he lived, Zhuge Liang seems even more intelligent. The fact that a man all the way back then was so intelligent means many things. There are many books and even video games on this period. The video games are headed by Koei� and some of the major books include Three Kingdoms, Romance of the Three Kingdoms, the Art of War, Mastering the Art of War, The Way of the General, along with many, many more. The Way of the General was by Zhuge Liang, and Mastering the Art of War contains part of the Way of the General. The Way of the General was a compilation of things; it included crisis management, proper ways to lead, how to act, strategic thinking, and much more. Mastering the Art of War is essentially a combination of selections from various people and pieces that is developed into a small handbook. Eastern History itself is very interesting, and you may enjoy it and find yourself engrossed whether or not you are a "history person." If that's not your game you could always go for the video games, or even do a combination of both.-All names in this document, my own being the exception, are given in the form surname then name--see the pronunciation guide on the next page-
PRONUNCIATION GUIDEZhuge Liang or Chu-ko Liang- Zhoo-gey Lee-ung or Jeu-gey Lee-ungKong Ming- simple enoughJiang Wei- Jee-ung WayLiu Bei- Lee-oo BayLiu Chan- Lee-oo ChanLiu Zhang- Lee-oo Zhang or Lee-oo JangPang Tong- Pang Tung or Pang TongCao Cao- simple enoughSun Jian- Soon Jee-an or Sun Jee-anSun Ce- Soon Say or Sun SaySun Quan- Soon Kwan or Sun KwanSun Shang Xiang- Soon Shang Zhe-ang or Sun Shang Zhe-angZhou Yu- Zhow YouHuang Gai- Hoo-wang GuyShu, Wu, and Wei- simple enoughHan- simple enoughChi Bi- simple enoughJing- simple enoughYi- simple enoughChang Jiang- Chang Jee-ungTian Shui- Tee-ann Shoo-weYang Du- simple enough use do for DuLang Xie- simple enough, use zi for Xie
Below are some images of Zhuge Liang from video games. The one on the left is what he looks like in Dynasty Warriors 4, while the one on the right shows him from The Romance of the Three Kingdoms VIII.
