Liang Zhuge

Background

Zhuge Liang was styled Master Wolong. He was born into a well-to-do official family in Yangdu County In Langua (today's Yinan County in Shandong Province).

Zhuge Liang’s mother died when he was three old, while his father died when he was 12. After his father’s death, Zhuge Liang, together with his sister and his younger brother Zhuge Jun, lived with his uncle Zhuge Xuan, who was an administrator of Yuzhang.

After his uncle passed away, Zhuge Liang began to live on his own. He and his friends studied under a famous teacher, Master Shui Jing. He later settled in Longzhong, where he became well known for his intelligence. As an ambitious young man, he was hailed as Master Wdteung, well-versed in current affairs and political situations.

Career

Zhuge Liang was born into a northern gentry family and raised by an uncle. In 207, the warlord Liu Bei heard of his talent and made three attempts to call on him at his thatched house. Zhuge Liang finally agreed to join Liu Bei and designed for him a grand strategy. He advised Liu Bei to secure a base in the Middle and Upper Yangtze valley, ally with the warlord Sun Quan in the Lower Yangtze region against Cao Cao in northern China, and then bide his time for a two-pronged conquest of the north. This strategy foresaw the Three Kingdoms that would emerge a dozen years later, but its implementation was no easy matter.

Achievements

• In 208, Cao Cao led an over-whelming expeditionary force southward with the intention of unifying China. Advised by Zhuge Liang, the Sun Quan-Liu Bei polity jointly defeated Cao Cao’s army in the famous Battle of the Red Cliff on the Yangtze.
  
  In 214, Zhuge Liang helped Liu Bei take control of the Upper Yangtze valley and the large, rich region of Sichuan. In 219 Liu Bei s general Guan Yu, who had been guarding Liu’s mid-Yangtze holdings, was killed by Sun Quan’s forces.
  
  After Cao Cao’s son, Cao Pi, deposed the puppet Eastern Han emperor and declared the new dynasty of Wei in 220, Liu Bei enthroned himself with the jus-tification that he was continuing Han legitimacy. His dynasty-state, however, was generally known as Shu, an ancient name for the Sichuan region. Zhuge Liang was appointed Grand Chancellor.
  
  Liu Bei died in 223, shortly after losing a battle against Sun Quan, which Zhuge Liang had warned him against undertaking. Sun Quan declared a new dynasty- state of Wu. Liu Bei’s son was ineffectual, and Zhuge Liang assumed power in the state of Shu. While Zhuge Liang ran the Shu state efficiently, he knew that it was no match for the larger state of Wei. Nevertheless he led expeditions against Wei, all of which were repelled.

• 

  The Great Inventions of Zhuge Liang
  
  1. The Wooden Ox and Horse, which allowed the Shu army to move quickly along dangerous routes, and solved the problem of the transportation of food supplies for the army.
  
  2. The Battle Array of the Eight Diagrams. The soldiers were arranged into the shape of the Eight Diagrams, using covered wagons as cover. The formation was versatile.
  
  3. The Repeating Crossbow, mounted on combat wagons, could shoot arrows repeatedly.
  
  4. The Kong Ming Lantern, utilising the principle of the hot air balloon, was used to send messages during war time.

Works

More photos

• novel

  • ‘Romance of the Three Kingdoms’

Connections

Father:

Zhuge Gui

Wife:

Huang Yueying

Huang Yueying was the daughter of Huang Chenguan, of famous scholar in Gaiyang. One day, Huang Chenguang asked Zhuge Liang to marry his talend and clever daughter. Zhuge Liang agreed. It is believed that Huang Yueying had brown hair and dark skin. She was not pretty but was very knowledgeable. Folktales ascribe to her the creation of Zhuge Liang’s Wooden Oxen and Flowing Horses. She also created some special cuisines in Jingzhou. Today, in the Xiangfan area, one can still hear some touching stories about Zhuge Liang and Huang Yueying.