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94-681: The famous statesman Zhuge Liang from the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history lived in Longzhong seclusively for more than ten years. It is where Liu Bei met Zhuge Liang and the story of the Longzhong Plan occurred. Liu Bei made three trips before he was able to see Zhuge Liang. Zhuge Liang showed Liu Bei the Longzhong Plan, a long-term strategy that outlined how Liu Bei could compete with Cao Cao . This episode gave

188-624: A yushi zhishu (御史治書; an auditor). The Jin Shu mentioned that Chen Shou took a leave of absence when his mother died, and he fulfilled her dying wish to be buried in Luoyang . However, he ended up being castigated and demoted because his act of burying his mother in Luoyang – instead of in his hometown in Anhan County – was a violation of the proprieties of his time. The Huayang Guozhi gave

282-587: A Gentleman Palace Writer (中書郎), the Ministry of Personnel appointed Chen Shou as the Administrator (太守) of Changguang Commandery (長廣郡) instead on the recommendation of Xun Xu . The Jin Shu mentioned that Xun Xu detested Zhang Hua and disliked Chen Shou for his association with Zhang Hua, so he urged the Ministry of Personnel to reassign Chen Shou to another position. Chen Shou declined the appointment on

376-419: A carefree life and took his time to do things. He often sat down with his arms around his knees, sighing to himself from time to time while in deep thought. He once told his three friends that they would become commandery administrators or provincial governors if they served in the government. When they asked him what his ambition was, he only laughed and did not give an answer. At the time, the warlord Liu Bei

470-619: A continuation of the Han dynasty . While " Shu " was a geographical term for where their state was based in, it was also a derisive name used by the Wei and Jin dynasties to discredit their claim of continuing the Han. Chen Shou opted to use the name "Shu" in his works, which in Tang Geng's view, was a deliberate neglect of impartiality to appease his patrons and personal animosity. To contrast, he brought up

564-462: A crucial moment, it will be no time until you meet with disaster! When Sun Quan asked him why Liu Bei did not surrender to Cao Cao, Zhuge Liang replied: Tian Heng was nothing more than a mere warrior from Qi , yet he remained faithful and refused to surrender. Shouldn't we expect more from Liu Bei, scion of the royal house of Han? His heroism and talents are renowned throughout the world. Gentlemen and commoners alike honour and admire him. Like

658-412: A defeat at Changban, but now many of his men who were scattered during the battle are returning to him, along with 10,000 elite marine troops under Guan Yu , combining forces with Liu Qi 's army of at least 10,000 from Jiangxia. Cao Cao and his forces have come a great distance and are exhausted. I have heard that his light cavalry travelled over 300 li in twenty-four hours in pursuit of Liu Bei. This fits

752-489: A few, namely Cui Zhouping ( 崔州平 ), Xu Shu , Shi Tao ( 石韜 ) and Meng Jian ( 孟建 ), got along well with him and agreed that he was comparable to Guan Zhong and Yue Yi. Between the late 190s and early 200s, Zhuge Liang often studied and travelled with Xu Shu, Shi Guangyuan and Meng Gongwei. Whenever he read, he only picked up the key points and moved on. His three friends, in contrast, focused on details and sometimes even memorised them. Throughout his time in Longzhong, he led

846-533: A historian for two reasons. The first one was about Chen Shou attempting to extort 1,000 hu of grain from the sons of Ding Yi (丁儀) and his younger brother Ding Yi (丁廙) – two officials in Wei during the Three Kingdoms period. He promised them that he would write biographies for their fathers in the Sanguozhi if they gave him the grain, but they refused, so he did not write the biographies. However,

940-558: A historian was clearly justified if he decided to not write biographies for the Ding brothers, because, in his opinion, the Dings had committed grievous sins – instigating sibling rivalry and causing instability in the Wei imperial clan – which made them unworthy of having biographies in historical records. Pan further noted that there were also other notable persons in Wei (e.g. Chen Lin , Wu Zhi and Yang Xiu ) who did not have biographies in

1034-513: A journey to Xiakou ( 夏口 ; in present-day Wuhan , Hubei) to join Liu Biao's elder son Liu Qi . Along the way, Cao Cao's forces caught up with them and defeated them at the Battle of Changban . Along with only a handful of close followers, Liu Bei managed to escape, and upon reaching Xiakou sent Zhuge Liang as his representative to meet Sun Quan and discuss an alliance against Cao Cao. Around

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1128-473: A period of stagnation until Zhang Hua recommended him to serve in the government of the Jin dynasty . Zhang Hua appreciated Chen Shou's talent and felt that even though Chen did not have an untarnished reputation, he did not deserve to be demoted and dismissed while he was in Shu. Chen Shou was recommended as a xiaolian (civil service candidate), and appointed as a zuo zhuzuo lang (佐著作郎; an assistant scribe) and

1222-509: A preface by Zhang Zhu, Zhuge Liang's biography from the Sanguozhi , Zhuge Liang's writings, imperial edicts issued to Zhuge Liang, and appraisals of Zhuge Liang. In 1960, Duan Xizhong ( 段熙仲 ) and Wen Xuchu ( 聞旭初 ) annotated and reorganised Zhang Zhu's original collection, and had it published by the Zhonghua Book Company under the title Zhuge Liang Ji ( 諸葛亮集 ; Collected Works of Zhuge Liang ). Zhuge Liang's ancestral home

1316-461: A ruler. He compared himself with Guan Zhong , developing Shu's agriculture and industry to become a regional power. He attached great importance to the works of Shen Buhai and Han Fei , refusing to indulge local elites and adopting strict, but fair and clear laws. In remembrance of his governance, local people maintained shrines to him for ages. Zhuge is an uncommon two-character Chinese compound family name . In 760, when Emperor Suzong of

1410-529: A similar example of how Guan Yu , during his brief service under Cao Cao, maintained unwavering loyalty to Liu Bei even though Cao Cao treated him very generously. After initial advisement against Zhuge Liang's plan for a Sun–Liu alliance, further consultation with his generals Lu Su and Zhou Yu convinced Sun Quan to move forward with it. He ordered Zhou Yu, Cheng Pu , Lu Su and others to lead 30,000 troops to join Liu Bei in resisting Cao Cao's invasion. In

1504-610: A similar situation during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period , where the Southern Tang was called Wu and the Northern Han was called Jin in derogative manners. Yet, historical documents still refer to them by their respective self titles. Tang Geng then laments that recently, someone had used Chen Shou's works as an example to convince a historian to not record the events he considered minor. According to

1598-568: A southern campaign to conquer Jing Province. When Cao Cao's forces reached Jing Province's capital Xiangyang , Liu Biao's younger son Liu Cong , who had succeeded his father as the Governor of Jing Province, surrendered to Cao Cao. Upon receiving news of Liu Cong's surrender, Liu Bei immediately evacuated his base in Fancheng ( 樊城 ; present-day Fancheng District , Xiangyang, Hubei) and led thousands of his followers, both military and civilian, on

1692-405: A spiritual transcendent. The original Chinese text in the novel mentions that Zhuge Liang wore a guanjin (綸巾; a type of hat) and a hechang (鶴氅; a robe commonly worn by Daoists). As Zhuge Liang was orphaned at a young age, he was raised by Zhuge Xuan , one of his father's cousins. He accompanied Zhuge Xuan to Yuzhang Commandery ( 豫章郡 ; around present-day Nanchang , Jiangxi ) when the latter

1786-530: A varying account of the events: It was Chen Shou's stepmother (not his biological mother) who died. She did not want to be buried together with his father (in Anhan County), so Chen Shou buried her in Luoyang. According to the Jin Shu , many years after his demotion, Chen Shou was appointed as a zhongshuzi (中庶子; an aide) to the crown prince Sima Yu , but he did not assume his role. He died of illness at

1880-435: A younger brother, and two elder sisters. His elder brother was Zhuge Jin and his younger brother was Zhuge Jun ( 諸葛均 ). The elder of Zhuge Liang's two sisters married Kuai Qi ( 蒯祺 ), a nephew of Kuai Yue and Kuai Liang . While the younger one married Pang Shanmin ( 龐山民 ), a cousin of Pang Tong . The only known historical description of Zhuge Liang's physical appearance comes from the Sanguozhi , which recorded that he

1974-517: Is a good leader of men. However, from what I observe about his character, he will make good use of my abilities but not to their fullest extent. That is why I don't want to serve under him." Pei Songzhi noted how differently this episode portrayed Zhuge Liang's special and sui generis relationship with Liu Bei, and pointed out that his loyalty to Liu Bei was so firm that nothing would make him switch allegiance to Sun Quan— not even if Sun Quan could make full use of his abilities. Pei Songzhi then cited

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2068-433: Is ambiguous. Chen Shou commented that Liu Bei wholeheartly trusted Zhuge Liang and was permitting him to assume leadership. Yi Zhongtian in his "Analysis of the Three Kingdoms" presented several interpretations of Liu Bei's message. Some argued that Liu Bei said that only to test Zhuge Liang's loyalty as his brother, Zhuge Jin , was working for Eastern Wu . Others commented that the ambiguous phrase did not mean Zhuge Liang

2162-518: Is recognised as the most accomplished strategist of his era. His reputation as an intelligent and cultured scholar grew even while he was living in relative seclusion, earning him the nickname "Wolong" or "Fulong" (both meaning "Sleeping Dragon"). Zhuge Liang's methods of administration drew both from Legalism as well as Confucianism . He was critical of the Legalist thought of Shang Yang , and advocated benevolence and education as tenets of being

2256-501: Is the Crouching Dragon. General, don't you want to meet him?" When Liu Bei asked Xu Shu if he could bring Zhuge Liang to meet him, Xu Shu advised him to personally visit Zhuge Liang instead of asking Zhuge Liang to come to him. The Sanguozhi recorded in just one sentence that Liu Bei visited Zhuge Liang three times and met him. The Zizhi Tongjian recorded that the meeting(s) took place in 207. Chen Shou also mentions

2350-499: The Chronicles of Huayang ( Huayang Guo Zhi ), appraised Chen Shou as follows: "Learn from the past, promote and consolidate those reflections." After Chen Shou's death, the official Fan Jun (范頵) and others wrote a memorial to Emperor Hui : "In the past, Emperor Wu of Han issued an imperial decree: ' Sima Xiangru is critically ill. Retrieve his writings.' The emissary who collected Sima Xiangru's writings told Emperor Wu about

2444-518: The Records of the Grand Historian until his own time, every state in official history is referred to by the name they used no matter their circumstances as it was basic decency to do so. However, Chen Shou was the sole historian who made an exception for Shu Han. Throughout its existence, Liu Bei and Liu Shan always used the name "Han" for their state since they were positioning themselves as

2538-565: The Records of the Three Kingdoms ( Sanguozhi ), which was written by the historian Chen Shou (233–297) in the third century. Chen Shou had worked in the historical offices of the Shu Han government, and had previously collated Zhuge Liang's writings into an anthology. The scope of this collection may have been limited to official government documents. In the fifth century, the Liu Song dynasty historian Pei Songzhi (372–451) annotated

2632-581: The fengshan ceremonies, which were mentioned in Sima's writings. The emperor was very surprised. We, Your Majesty's subjects, propose: The late zhishu shi yushi Chen Shou wrote the Sanguozhi , which contains good advice and evaluates successes and failures. It is beneficial to promoting culture. Even though its writing style is not comparable to the works of (Sima) Xiangru, its message is simpler and clearer. We hope that it can be collected and reproduced." Emperor Hui approved and issued an imperial decree ordering

2726-547: The Bashu Qijiu Zhuan (巴蜀耆舊傳; Biographies of Famous People from Bashu ). Chen Shou felt that the Bashu Qijiu Zhuan was not comprehensive enough, so he expanded it to the 10-volume Yibu Qijiu Zhuan (益部耆舊傳; Biographies of Famous People from Yi Province ). His work was presented by the official Wen Li (文立) to Emperor Wu, who praised it. Other writings by Chen Shou include: the 50-volume Gu Guo Zhi (古國志; Records of Ancient States ), which received high praise;

2820-596: The Dazexiang uprising against the Qin dynasty . Chen Sheng later executed Ge Ying. During the early Western Han dynasty , Emperor Wen considered that Ge Ying was unjustly put to death so he enfeoffed Ge Ying's grandson as the Marquis of Zhu County to honour Ge Ying. Over time, Ge Ying's descendants adopted Zhuge as their family name by combining Zhu (County) and Ge . The earliest known ancestor of Zhuge Liang who bore

2914-556: The Intendant of Henan (河南尹) and Prefect of Luoyang (洛陽令) to send scribes to Chen Shou's house and copy the Sanguozhi . In the fifth century, Emperor Wen of the Liu Song dynasty felt that Chen Shou's Sanguozhi was too short and not comprehensive enough, so he commissioned Pei Songzhi to annotate the Sanguozhi . Pei Songzhi completed his assignment in 429. He included new materials he collected through research, and added his personal commentary. Pei Songzhi's annotations increased

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3008-512: The Jin Shu account. Sometime in the third century after 280, Chen Shou wrote his magnum opus : the 65-volume Sanguozhi ( Records of the Three Kingdoms ), which records the history of the late Eastern Han dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period. The text was divided into three sections – Book of Wei (魏書), Book of Shu (蜀書) and Book of Wu (吳書) – and was composed of mainly biographies of notable persons in those eras. Chen Shou received acclaim from his contemporaries for his work and

3102-486: The Jin Shu claim: Chen Shou gave highly positive comments about Zhuge Liang's ability as a politician in the Zhuge Liang Collection and in his personal commentary at the end of Zhuge's biography in the Sanguozhi . Zhao Yi's concluding remarks on this issue were that Chen Shou had clearly identified Zhuge Liang's strengths and weaknesses in his appraisal of Zhuge Liang in the Sanguozhi . Chen Shou in

3196-446: The Jin Shu prefaced the anecdote with the term huoyun (或云), which meant "rumours". The Qing dynasty writer Pan Mei (潘眉) rebutted the Jin Shu' s account about Chen Shou attempting to extort from the Dings and called it "uninformed". He disproved the claim that the Ding brothers were very famous officials in Wei by pointing out that they had neither held important appointments nor made any significant achievements. Pan also felt that

3290-535: The Jin Shu , Chen Shou collected and compiled the writings of Zhuge Liang during his early career under the Jin dynasty. The compiled text was called Shu Xiang Zhuge Liang Ji (蜀相諸葛亮集; Collection of the Shu Chancellor Zhuge Liang ). The Huayang Guozhi mentioned that later on, Zhang Hua proposed to Emperor Wu to have the text reorganized and composed as a 24-volumes. At the time, Shou Liang

3384-466: The Jin Shu , Chen Shou's mentor, Qiao Zhou , often told Chen, "You'll become famous for your talent. However, it might not be a misfortune if you encounter any setback. You should be more mindful about what you do." Fang Xuanling remarked that Chen Shou's experiences – being demoted and humiliated when he was in Shu, and again while he was serving under the Jin dynasty – fitted what Qiao Zhou said about him. Chang Qu , who wrote Chen Shou's biography in

3478-560: The Sanguozhi by incorporating information from other sources to Chen Shou's original work and adding his personal commentary. Some alternative texts used in the annotations to the Sanguozhi include: During the Qing dynasty , the historian Zhang Zhu (張澍; 1776–1847) compiled and arranged multiple pieces of literature on Zhuge Liang into an 11-volume collection called Zhuge Zhongwu Hou Wen Ji (諸葛忠武侯文集; Literature Collection of Marquis Zhuge Zhongwu ). The collection contained, among other things,

3572-421: The Sanguozhi , so being notable did not mean that a person should have a biography written for him. His concluding remarks on this issue were that the Jin Shu made a malicious claim (about Chen Shou). The second one suggested that Chen Shou held personal grudges against the Shu chancellor Zhuge Liang and his son Zhuge Zhan , hence he wrote negative comments about them in the Sanguozhi . Chen Shou's father

3666-503: The Tang dynasty built a temple to honour Jiang Ziya , he had sculptures of ten famous historical military generals and strategists placed in the temple flanking Jiang Ziya's statue: Zhuge Liang, Bai Qi , Han Xin , Li Jing , Li Shiji , Zhang Liang , Sima Rangju , Sun Tzu , Wu Qi , and Yue Yi . The authoritative historical source on Zhuge Liang's life is his biography in Volume 35 of

3760-512: The Wu and Yue regions to resist the Central States , you should quickly break ties [with Cao Cao]. If you can't resist him, why don't you put down your weapons, remove your armour, position yourself as subordinate, and serve him? General, although by appearances you seem ready to pledge allegiance to Cao Cao, in your heart you still harbour thoughts of freedom. If you can't be decisive at such

3854-512: The filial mourning period after his father's death. Some guests who visited his home expressed disapproval when they saw him being served medicine by his servants, because he was expected to lead an austere life during that period. His fellow townsfolk criticised him when they heard about it. According to the Huayang Guozhi , Chen Shou was a close friend of Li Xiang , courtesy name was Shulong (叔龍), from Zitong Commandery (梓潼郡). Li Xiang

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3948-473: The 7-volume Guansi Lun (官司論; Dissertation on Bureaucracy ), which used historical examples to discuss reforms; Shi Yi (釋諱; Explaining Taboos ); Guang Guo Lun (廣國論); Wei Mingchen Zou (魏名臣奏; Memorials by Notable Officials of Cao Wei ). Chen Fu (陳符), whose courtesy name was Changxin (長信), was the son of Chen Shou's elder brother. He was also known for his literary talent and he succeeded his uncle as an Assistant Gentleman of Writing. He also served as

4042-863: The Empire and accomplish our great mission. If my heir can be assisted, then assist him; if he turns out to be incompetent, then you may make your own decision." With tears in his eyes, Zhuge replied: "I'll do my utmost and serve with unwavering loyalty until death!" Liu Bei then instructed Liu Shan , his son and heir apparent, as follows: "When you work together with the Imperial Chancellor, you must treat him like your father." Liu Bei then named Zhuge Liang as regent for Liu Shan, and Li Yan as deputy regent. He died on 10 June 223 in Yong'an County. The last command of Liu Bei to Zhuge Liang, translated literally above as "you may make your own decision" ( 君可自取 )

4136-612: The Prefect (令) of Shanglian County (上廉縣). Chen Fu's younger brother, Chen Li (陳蒞), whose courtesy name was Shudu (叔度), served as an Attendant Officer (別駕) in Liang Province and later under Sima You , the Prince of Qi (齊王) and General of Agile Cavalry (驃騎將軍). He also died in Luoyang . Chen Li had a younger relative, Chen Jie (陳階), whose courtesy name was Dazhi (達之). Chen Jie assumed the following appointments: Registrar (主簿) of

4230-628: The Three Kingdoms is part of the Twenty-Four Histories canon of Chinese history. There are two biographies of Chen Shou. The first one is in the Chronicles of Huayang , which was written by Chang Qu in the fourth century during the Eastern Jin dynasty . The second one is in the Book of Jin , which was written by Fang Xuanling and others in the seventh century during the Tang dynasty . He started his career as an official in

4324-636: The Three Kingdoms era. It was also the place where Chen Shou studied in his early life. It was destroyed in the 1960s after years of neglect, but was rebuilt in 1990 by the Chinese government at a cost of four million yuan. The present tower, which covers an area of 2,400 square metres, consists of three main attractions – the Reading Tower of Chen Shou, the Chen Shou Memorial Hall, and Collecting Books Tower. The tower has on display

4418-474: The Yellow Gate (黃門侍郎). In the final years of Shu ( c. 250s–260s), many officials fawned on Huang Hao , an influential court eunuch , in their bid to win his favour. Chen Shou's refusal to engage in such flattering and obsequious behaviour took a toll on his career: He was demoted on several occasions and sent out of the Shu capital, Chengdu . After the fall of Shu in 263, Chen Shou's career entered

4512-518: The acting Prefect (令) of Yangping County (陽平縣). In 274, he collected and compiled the writings of Zhuge Liang , the first chancellor of Shu, and submitted them to the Jin imperial court. He was promoted to zhuzuo lang (著作郎; a scribe) and appointed as the zhongzheng (中正) of Baxi Commandery. The Huayang Guozhi mentioned that he also served as the Chancellor (相) to the Marquis of Pingyang (平陽侯). When Zhang Hua recommended Chen Shou to serve as

4606-750: The additional appointment of Lu Shangshu Shi ( 錄尚書事 ), the Supervisor of the Imperial Secretariat, and had full acting imperial authority. After Zhang Fei 's death in mid 221, Zhuge Liang took on an additional appointment as Colonel-Director of Retainers ( 司隷校尉 ), which Zhang Fei previously held. Following his defeat at the Battle of Xiaoting in 222, Liu Bei retreated to Yong'an County ( 永安縣 ; present-day Fengjie County , Chongqing) and became critically ill in early 223. He summoned Zhuge from Chengdu, and told him: "Sir, you're ten times more talented than Cao Pi. You'll definitely bring peace to

4700-538: The age of 65 (by East Asian age reckoning ) in 297 during the reign of Emperor Hui . The Huayang Guozhi gave a different account of the events before Chen Shou's death. It stated that Chen Shou was appointed as a zhongshuzi to Sima Yu, but was reassigned to be a Regular Mounted Attendant (散騎常侍) again after the crown prince was deposed in 299. Emperor Hui told Zhang Hua, "(Chen) Shou possesses genuine talent. He should not remain in his current appointment for long." Zhang Hua wanted to nominate Chen Shou to take up one of

4794-480: The biography of Liu Shan wrote that the state of Shu Han did not have a historical bureau or department, justifying the pitiful condition of the biography of their officials. Tang Geng cast doubt on this claim, remarking that although ancient texts advised to have one scribe write every word of his sovereign while another writes every action, those were merely hyperbolic terms. He provides past examples of people combining their role as historian alongside other function of

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4888-548: The birth to a modern Chinese idiom, “San Gu Mao Lu”, which means to repeatedly request somebody to take up a responsible post ( simplified Chinese : 三顾茅庐 ; traditional Chinese : 三顧茅廬 ; pinyin : sān gù máolú ). The Longzhong scenic area consists of man-made landscapes as well as beautiful natural environments. The Ming Dynasty had already formed the “longzhong Ten Scenes”, which include Caolu Ting, Gonggeng Tian, Sangu Tang, Xiao Hongqiao, Liujiao Jin, Wuhou Ci, Banyue Xi, Laolong Dong, Liangfu Yan and Baoqi Shi. After

4982-548: The capital of Jing Province . In Longzhong, he lived the life of a peasant and spent his free time reading and travelling. He enjoyed reciting Liangfu Yin ( 梁父吟 ), a folk song popular in the area around his ancestral home in Shandong. Zhuge Liang maintained close relations with well-known intellectuals such as Sima Hui , Pang Degong and Huang Chengyan . However, other local literati scorned him when they learnt that he often compared himself to Guan Zhong and Yue Yi . Only

5076-624: The city was well-stocked with supplies and well-defended. In late 220, some months after Cao Cao's death, his son and successor Cao Pi usurped the throne from Emperor Xian , ended the Eastern Han dynasty , and established the state of Wei with himself as the new emperor. This event marks the beginning of the Three Kingdoms period in China. In the following year, Liu Bei's followers urged him to declare himself emperor to challenge Cao Pi's legitimacy, but Liu Bei refused. Zhuge said: In

5170-512: The defeat of Cao Cao's army is certain. Once defeated, Cao Cao will be forced to return north, and Jing Province and Wu will be sturdy as the legs of a bronze cauldron. The trigger for victory or defeat is your decision today. Yuan Zhun's Yuanzi recorded that when Zhuge Liang was in Chaisang, Zhang Zhao recommended he switch allegiance from Liu Bei to Sun Quan, but Zhuge Liang refused. When Zhang Zhao asked him why, Zhuge Liang said, "[Sun Quan]

5264-633: The establishment of the People's Republic of China, more human landscapes have been built inside the Longzhong scenic area, like Zhuge Caolu and Guanxing Tai. In 1994, Longzhong was listed as national key scenic spots in China, and in 1996, it was designated as the national key cultural heritage protection units. This Hubei location article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Zhuge Liang Zhuge Liang ( pronunciation ) (181 – September or October 234), also commonly known by his courtesy name Kongming ,

5358-556: The family name Zhuge was Zhuge Feng ( 諸葛豐 ), a Western Han dynasty official who served as Colonel-Director of Retainers ( 司隷校尉 ) under Emperor Yuan ( r.   48–33 BCE). Zhuge Liang's father, Zhuge Gui ( 諸葛珪 ), whose courtesy name was Jungong ( 君貢 ), served as an assistant official in Taishan Commandery (泰山郡; around present-day Tai'an , Shandong) during the late Eastern Han dynasty under Emperor Ling ( r.   168–189 CE). Zhuge Liang had an elder brother,

5452-621: The final call on all policy decisions. When rebellions broke out in the Nanzhong region of southern Shu, Zhuge Liang did not immediately take military action to suppress the rebellions because he thought it was not appropriate to do so in light of the recent death of Liu Bei. In late 223, he sent Deng Zhi as Shu's ambassador to Eastern Wu to make peace and rebuild the Wu–Shu alliance against Cao Wei. Chen Shou Chen Shou ( Chinese : 陳壽 ; 233–297 ), courtesy name Chengzuo ( 承祚 ),

5546-660: The four commanderies surrendered to him. After Liu Qi died in 209, acting on Lu Su 's advice, Sun Quan agreed to "lend" the territories in Jing Province to Liu Bei and nominate him to succeed Liu Qi as the Governor of Jing Province. After assuming governorship of southern Jing Province in 209, Liu Bei appointed Zhuge Liang as Military Adviser General of the Household ( 軍師中郎將 ) and put him in charge of collecting tax revenue from Lingling, Guiyang and Changsha commanderies for his military forces. During this time, Zhuge Liang

5640-543: The government. Furthermore, when the Rites of Zhou (pre-1st century BC) was written, even local warlords would have a historical bureau, so for Shu Han to suddenly lack one is suspect. Finally, he points out that Chen Shou contradicts the statement in the same biography when he wrote "the Historical Bureau (史官) reported the sighting of a brilliant star," just three paragraphs later. Tang Geng commented that since

5734-402: The governor of Yi Province ; baozhongling (褒中令); West Commandant (西部都尉) of Yongchang Commandery (永昌郡); Administrator (太守) of Jianning (建寧) and Xinggu (興古) commanderies. Chen Jie was also well known for his literary talent. Chen Fu, Chen Li and Chen Jie each wrote more than 10 works out of the over 200 writings attributed to Chen Shou. The Jin Shu mentioned that Chen Shou fell sick during

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5828-493: The grounds that he had to look after his elderly mother. The Huayang Guozhi gave a different account of Chen Shou's relationship with Xun Xu. It stated that Xun Xu and Zhang Hua were very pleased with Chen Shou's Sanguozhi and they remarked that Chen Shou surpassed Ban Gu and Sima Qian . However, later, Xun Xu was displeased by the Wei Shu – one of the three sections in the Sanguozhi – and did not want Chen Shou to work in

5922-558: The length of the Sanguozhi to nearly twice its original. The Wanjuanlou ( 萬卷樓 ; 万卷楼 ; Wànjuànlóu ; 'tower of 10', '000 volumes of writings') – a tourist attraction in the Xishan Scenic Spot, Shunqing District , Nanchong , Sichuan – is named the source of the culture of the Three Kingdoms period by the Sichuan provincial government. The tower was constructed in the early third century (222–237) during

6016-490: The past, when Wu Han , Geng Yan and others first urged Emperor Guangwu to assume the imperial throne, Emperor Guangwu declined a total of four times. Geng Chun then told him: "The world's valiant heroes are gasping for air, hoping there is anything worth hoping for. If you don't heed everyone's advice, your associates will go back to seeking a sovereign, and no one will want to follow you anymore." Emperor Guangwu felt Geng Chun's words were profound and correct, so he accepted

6110-430: The plan, Liu Bei should seize control of Jing Province (covering present-day Hubei and Hunan ) and Yi Province (covering present-day Sichuan and Chongqing ) from their respective governors, Liu Biao and Liu Zhang , and establish a solid foothold in southern and western China. Liu Bei would then form an alliance with Sun Quan, who ruled eastern China, and wage war against Cao Cao, who controlled northern China and

6204-469: The political centre of the Han dynasty in central China. After the meeting, Liu Bei became very close to Zhuge Liang and spent much time with him – much to Guan Yu and Zhang Fei 's chagrin. Liu Bei explained to them, "Now that I have Kongming, I am like a fish that has found water. I hope you'll stop making unpleasant remarks." Guan Yu and Zhang Fei then stopped complaining. In the autumn of 208, shortly before Liu Biao's death, Cao Cao led his forces on

6298-591: The posts of the Nine Ministers , but lost his life in 300 CE during the War of the Eight Princes . Chen Shou died in Luoyang later. His talents and achievements were not reflected in his status at the time of his death and many people felt that it was an injustice to him. The Huayang Guozhi account apparently suggests that Chen Shou died in 300 CE or after, which did not match his year of death mentioned in

6392-446: The rivers returning to the sea; like the upheavals in the affairs of our time, this is Heaven's doing. How could he turn his back on that and serve Cao Cao? An enraged Sun Quan then said that he would not allow anyone but himself to rule the territories and people in Wu . When he asked Zhuge Liang how Liu Bei could expect to resist Cao Cao, given his recent defeat at Changban, Zhuge Liang replied: Liu Bei's forces may have suffered

6486-521: The same office as him, so he had Chen Shou reassigned to be the Administrator of Changguang. In 278, before the general Du Yu assumed his appointment as the commander of the Jin military forces in Jing Province , he recommended Chen Shou to Emperor Wu and stated that Chen Shou was capable of serving as a Gentleman of the Yellow Gate (黃門侍郎) or Gentleman of Scattered Cavalry (散騎侍郎). Emperor Wu accepted Du Yu's suggestion and appointed Chen Shou as

6580-556: The saying: "even a powerful arrow at the end of its flight cannot penetrate a piece of Lu silk cloth." Such a battle should be avoided according to military strategy, which says that it "will definitely result in defeat for the commander". The northerners are also not familiar with naval warfare. Although the people in Jing Province have surrendered to Cao Cao, they were forced to submit, and are not truly loyal to him. Now, General, if you are able to send your fierce officers to lead your vast hosts to align goals and combine might with Liu Bei,

6674-559: The state of Shu during the Three Kingdoms era but was demoted and sent out of the capital for his refusal to fawn on Huang Hao , an influential court eunuch in Shu in its twilight years. After the fall of Shu in 263, Chen Shou's career entered a period of stagnation before Zhang Hua recommended him to serve in the Jin government. He held mainly scribal and secretarial positions under the Jin government before dying from illness in 297. He had over 200 writings – about 30 of which he co-wrote with his relatives – attributed to him. Chen Shou

6768-633: The state of Shu Han . He appointed Zhuge Liang as his Imperial Chancellor ( 丞相 ) as follows: From the misfortune of our insolvent family, we have been lofted to an office of great authority. Cautiously we approach this great enterprise, never daring to assume ease or tranquility, thinking foremost of the needs of the people, yet we fear ourselves unable to bring them peace. Alas! Imperial Chancellor Zhuge Liang will understand our intents, tirelessly redress our deficiencies, and assist in spreading our benevolent light, that it may illuminate all of China. Sir, you are thus enjoined to do so! Zhuge Liang also held

6862-432: The three visits in his biographical sketch of Zhuge Liang appended to the memoirs Chen Shou compiled. During their private meeting, Liu Bei sought Zhuge Liang's advice on how to compete with the powerful warlords and revive the declining Han dynasty. In response, Zhuge Liang presented his Longzhong Plan , which envisaged a tripartite division of China between the domains of Liu Bei, Cao Cao and Sun Quan . According to

6956-523: The throne. Now the Cao family have usurped the Han, and China has no sovereign. Your Highness, from the great royal clan of Liu, you have risen to overcome the times. The appropriate action is for you to take position as emperor. Your associates who have followed your Highness at length through great effort and hardship because they too hoped for some small success, are just like the ones Geng Chun spoke of. In 221, Liu Bei declared himself emperor and established

7050-862: The time, Sun Quan was in Chaisang ( 柴桑 ; southwest of present-day Jiujiang , Jiangxi) and had been closely observing the developments in Jing Province. When Zhuge Liang met Sun Quan, he said: The land is in chaos. General, you raised an army and occupied Jiangdong , while Liu Bei is gathering forces at the south of the Han River . Both of you are preparing to compete with Cao Cao for control over China. As of now, Cao Cao has eliminated internal threats, more or less pacified his lands, and led his forces south to occupy Jing Province. The Empire trembles at his might. A hero without opportunity to display his prowess, Liu Bei has retreated here. I hope that you, General, will carefully assess your strengths and decide your next course of action. If you decide to lead your forces from

7144-585: The way and eventually joined Liu Bei in surrounding Chengdu, the capital of Yi Province. After Liu Zhang surrendered and relinquished control over Yi Province to Liu Bei in 214, Zhuge Liang was appointed as Military Adviser General ( 軍師將軍 ) and made a staff member of the office of the General of the Left ( 左將軍 ), the nominal appointment Liu Bei held at the time. Whenever Liu Bei went on military campaigns, Zhuge Liang remained behind to guard Chengdu and ensured that

7238-672: The winter of 208, the allied forces of Liu Bei and Sun Quan scored a decisive victory over Cao Cao's forces at the Battle of Red Cliffs . Cao Cao retreated to Ye ( 鄴 ; in present-day Handan , Hebei) after his defeat. Following the Battle of Red Cliffs, Liu Bei nominated Liu Qi as the Inspector of Jing Province and sent his forces to conquer the four commanderies in southern Jing Province: Wuling ( 武陵 ; near Changde , Hunan), Changsha , Guiyang ( 桂陽 ; near Chenzhou , Hunan) and Lingling ( 零陵 ; near Yongzhou , Hunan). The administrators of

7332-449: Was a Chinese historian , politician, and writer who lived during the Three Kingdoms period and Jin dynasty of China. Chen Shou is best known for his most celebrated work, the Records of the Three Kingdoms ( Sanguozhi ), which records the history of the late Eastern Han dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period. Chen Shou wrote the Sanguozhi primarily in the form of biographies of notable persons of those eras. Today, Chen's Records of

7426-602: Was a Chinese statesman, strategist, and inventor who lived through the end of the Eastern Han dynasty ( c. 184–220) and the early Three Kingdoms period (220–280) of China. During the Three Kingdoms period, he served as the Imperial Chancellor (or Prime Minister) of the state of Shu Han (221–263) from its founding in 221 and later as regent from 223 until his death in September or October 234. He

7520-438: Was a military adviser to the Shu general Ma Su . When Ma Su was executed by Zhuge Liang after his failure at the Battle of Jieting in 228, Chen Shou's father was implicated and sentenced to kun (髡), a punishment involving the shaving of a person's head. Zhuge Zhan belittled Chen Shou before. When Chen Shou wrote the biographies of Zhuge Liang and Zhuge Zhan in the Sanguozhi , he commented on them as follows: Military leadership

7614-563: Was allowed take the throne for himself, but he was permitted to, when the situation demanded, replace Liu Shan with other of Liu Bei's living sons such as Liu Yong and Liu Li . Following Liu Bei's death, Liu Shan ascended the throne and succeeded his father as the emperor of Shu. After his coronation, Liu Shan enfeoffed Zhuge Liang as the Marquis of Wu District ( 武鄉侯 ) and created a personal staff to assist him. Later, Zhuge Liang assumed an additional appointment as Governor of Yi Province ( 益州牧 ). He personally oversaw all state affairs and made

7708-526: Was already another Ge family in Yangdu County before they came, the locals referred to the newcomers as the Zhuge – combining Zhu (County) and Ge – to distinguish them from the other Ge family. Over time, Zhuge Liang's ancestors adopted Zhuge as their family name. The Fengsu Tongyi recorded that Zhuge Liang's ancestor was Ge Ying ( zh:葛嬰 ), who served under Chen Sheng , a rebel leader who led

7802-556: Was also doing his own research on Zhuge Liang's works, with his outcome quite different from Chen Shou's original version. In the end, the text was rewritten, and became the Zhuge Liang Gushi (諸葛亮故事; Memoirs of Zhuge Liang ). Since the end of the Jianwu era (25–56 CE) in the Eastern Han dynasty , writers such as Zheng Boyi (鄭伯邑), Zhao Yanxin (趙彥信), Chen Shenbo (陳申伯), Zhu Yuanling (祝元靈) and Wang Wenbiao (王文表) had co-written

7896-702: Was appointed as the Commandery Administrator sometime in the mid-190s. Later, after the Han central government designated Zhu Hao as the new Administrator, Zhuge Xuan left Yuzhang Commandery and brought Zhuge Liang and Zhuge Jun to Jing Province (covering present-day Hubei and Hunan ) to live with the provincial governor Liu Biao , whom he was an old friend of. After Zhuge Xuan died, Zhuge Liang moved to Deng County ( 鄧縣 ) in Nanyang Commandery ( 南陽郡 ), and settled down in Longzhong ( 隆中 ), an area about 20 li west of Xiangyang ,

7990-399: Was eight chi tall (approximately 1.84 metres) with "a magnificent appearance". In Moss Roberts' translation of the 14th-century historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms , Zhuge Liang's appearance is described as follows: Kongming appeared singularly tall, with a face like gleaming jade and a plaited silken band around his head. Cloaked in crane down, he had the buoyant air of

8084-650: Was famous for his talent and capacity, his reputation was similar to Chen Shou. He was recommended as a xiucai (秀才) and served as a Gentleman of Writing (尚書郎). He was reassigned to be the Administrator (太守) of Jianping Commandery (建平郡), but he declined the appointment and claimed that he was ill because he wanted to remain in his home province. He was then appointed as the Administrator of Guanghan Commandery (廣漢郡 around present-day Guanghan , Sichuan ). Relations between Chen Shou and Li Xiang deteriorated and they started making false accusations against each other. Other officials scorned them for their petty quarrels. According to

8178-531: Was from Anhan County (安漢縣), Baxi Commandery (巴西郡), which is in present-day Nanchong , Sichuan . He was known for being studious since he was young and was described as intelligent, insightful and knowledgeable. He was mentored by the Shu official Qiao Zhou , who was also from Baxi Commandery. Under Qiao Zhou's tutelage, he read the Classic of History and Three Commentaries on the Spring and Autumn Annals . He

8272-586: Was highly regarded as such after he wrote the Sanguozhi . Despite his achievements, Chen Shou faced accusations and other controversies. The Jin Shu mentioned two controversies surrounding Chen Shou and his writing of the Sanguozhi, which his critics used to disparage him. Tang Geng (唐庚), a scholar from the Song dynasty , in his work called the Three Kingdoms Miscellaneous Cases (三國雜事; Sanguo Zashi ) also criticised Chen Shou as

8366-516: Was in Yangdu County ( 陽都縣 ), Langya Commandery ( 琅邪郡 ), near present-day Yinan County or Yishui County , Shandong . There are two other accounts of his ancestral origins in the Wu Shu ( 吳書 ) and Fengsu Tongyi ( 風俗同意 ). The Wu Shu recorded that his ancestral family name was actually Ge ( 葛 ) and his ancestors were originally from Zhu County ( 諸縣 ; southwest of present-day Zhucheng , Shandong) before they settled in Yangdu County. As there

8460-715: Was living in Xinye County as a guest of Liu Biao , the governor of Jing Province . During this time, he met the hermit Sima Hui and consulted him on the affairs of their time. Sima Hui said, "What do Confucian academics and common scholars know about current affairs? Only outstanding talents have the best understanding of current affairs. In this region, there are two of such talents: Crouching Dragon and Young Phoenix." When Liu Bei asked him who "Crouching Dragon" and "Young Phoenix" were, Sima Hui replied, "Zhuge Kongming and Pang Shiyuan ." Xu Shu , whom Liu Bei regarded highly, also recommended Zhuge Liang by saying, "Zhuge Kongming

8554-600: Was not Zhuge Liang's forte, and he lacked the resourcefulness of a brilliant military leader; Zhuge Zhan excelled only in literary arts, and he had an exaggerated reputation. The Qing dynasty writer Zhao Yi refuted the Jin Shu claim that Chen Shou was prejudiced against Zhuge Liang in the Sanguozhi , and remarked that the claim was "an uninformed statement". He commented that military leadership did not necessarily have to be regarded as Zhuge Liang's forte because Zhuge also made outstanding achievements in other fields. Zhao also pointed out two pieces of evidence which contradict

8648-433: Was praised as an excellent historian. Around the time, another historian, Xiahou Zhan (夏侯湛), was writing his own Book of Wei (魏書; Wei Shu ), which recorded the history of Wei in the Three Kingdoms era. He destroyed his work after reading Chen Shou's Sanguozhi . Zhang Hua was so deeply impressed with the Sanguozhi that he told Chen Shou, "We should entrust the responsibility of writing the Book of Jin to you." Chen Shou

8742-918: Was stationed in Linzheng County ( 臨烝縣 ; present-day Hengyang , Hunan) in Changsha Commandery. In 211, Liu Zhang , the Governor of Yi Province (covering present-day Sichuan and Chongqing), invited Liu Bei to lead troops into Yi Province to assist him in countering his rival, Zhang Lu , in Hanzhong Commandery . While Liu Bei was away in Jing Province, Zhuge Liang remained behind with Guan Yu and others to guard Liu Bei's territories in Jing Province . When Liu Bei decided to take over Liu Zhang's lands in 212, Zhuge Liang, along with Zhang Fei , Zhao Yun and others, led troops from Jing Province into Yi Province to reinforce Liu Bei. They conquered many counties and commanderies along

8836-488: Was very well versed in the Records of the Grand Historian and Book of Han . According to the Jin Shu , Chen Shou served as a guange lingshi (觀閣令史; a clerk) in Shu. However, the Huayang Guozhi mentioned that he held the following appointments consecutively: Registrar (主簿) of the General of the Guards (衛將軍); donguan mishu lang (東觀秘書郎; an official librarian); Gentleman of Scattered Cavalry (散騎侍郎); and Gentleman of

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