[Light-screen]
[ With the Chancellor besieging Qishan and constructing Fort Lu, clearly preparing for a prolonged, decisive campaign, Sima Yi naturally noticed.
He responded swiftly:
Guo Huai, Fei Yao, and Dai Ling were left behind with four thousand men to hold Shanggui.
Then the main force moved out in full strength—straight at Zhuge Liang's four-wheeled carriage!]
Kongming, looking up at the Light-screen:
"?"
Everyone else felt their pupils quake.
This disheveled old general who doesn't even tie his hair… is that Sima Yi?
And what exactly was this "four-wheeled carriage" of Zhuge Liang's supposed to be?
[Light-screen]
[ Apologies—wrong slide. Different timeline.
Correction:
Sima Yi marched straight for Fort Lu, moving to relieve Qishan.
At the time, Sima Yi's deputy, Zhang He, offered a suggestion:
"Boss, I've crossed blades with that Zhuge village scholar more than once.
I think you should divide forces at Yong and Mei—just in case."
Sima Yi responded with peak leadership energy:
"I don't need you to think.
I need me to think."
In Sima Yi's view, Comrade Zhang was still immature.
Dividing forces would only give that Zhuge village scholar a chance to defeat them piecemeal.
And why do we say history loves repeating itself?
Because Sima Yi, charging toward Fort Lu and Qishan, soon uttered the exact same line Cao Zhen once had:
"Zhuge village scholar—
you're not even here!
Where the hell did you go?!"
The Chancellor's response was simple.
He left the reliable Wang Ping behind to hold Fort Lu—
and personally led his forces straight toward Shanggui.
Unfortunately for Guo Huai, he'd already eaten enough losses in the past.
With only four thousand men, how was he supposed to face Zhuge Liang's main army?
So he did the only sensible thing.
He raised the "No Battle" banner.
Closed the gates.
And hunkered down.
The Chancellor, unfazed, returned to his old trade—
farming.
The blades and spears in the Shu-Han army were swapped out for sickles.
They harvested every stalk of wheat around Shanggui—clean.
Then, looking up at Guo Huai—who was crying on the city walls—the Chancellor left him with a parting message:
"Farm well.
When your wheat ripens next year, I'll be back."
And under the watchful gaze of Sima Yi's returning army,
the Shu forces calmly withdrew—
back to Fort Lu.]
Zhang Fei was completely convinced.
He thought this was encircle the point, strike the reinforcements.
Sima Yi thought it was prelude to a decisive battle.
Turns out—
The Strategist launched a surprise attack on wheat fields.
Guan Yu did not hold back his praise.
"Sunzi said:
One dou of the enemy's grain equals twenty of ours;One dou of the enemy's grain equals twenty of ours;
one stone of fodder equals twenty stones.
Kongming feeds on the enemy.
This is the mark of a true strategist."
Jian Yong chuckled to himself.
Seeing everyone look over, he explained:
"I don't understand military theory.
I just find it amusing that the Chancellor cut the enemy's wheat—
the defending general could only watch from the walls,
and the opposing commander could only stare from afar."
"This scene," he concluded,
"is extremely funny."
Everyone burst out laughing.
Even Liu Bei surrendered.
"Kongming's response truly carries the bearing of a great general."
Pang Tong nodded.
"By feeding on the enemy, Wei must now transport grain from Guanzhong.
In this exchange, Kongming has seized the initiative."
"Later generations speak of initiative and passivity—
they are precise words.
Seize initiative, and benefits multiply.
Lose it, and you become fish on the chopping board."
Kongming's expression turned strange, but he still said:
"If so, once Sima Yi's army is broken,
there should be a great victory… significant gains."
"Then why," he hesitated,
"does it still end like this…?"
The civil and military officials snapped back to attention.
Yes—why?
"Perhaps reinforcements arrived from Guanzhong," Guan Yu offered.
"There is no other explanation."
He continued calmly:
"Cao Rui is decisive and steady—
he carries echoes of Cao Cao."
"And with the eastern front secure,
he could concentrate fully on Guanzhong."
At the mention of Jiangdong, the room fell silent again.
That ally…
Does it truly exist?
[Light-screen]
[ After the wheat harvest, Zhang He advised again:
"Boss, if we hold Shanggui, even transporting grain from Guanzhong will exhaust him!"
Sima Yi replied:
"The village scholar's road back is long and slippery.
I don't feel at ease.
I'll escort him."
Sima Yi followed behind the Chancellor—
watching him return to Fort Lu,
close the gates,
and not invite him in for tea.
With Fort Lu firmly held, and Qishan still awaiting relief,
Sima Yi chose to dig in—camping on the heights, refusing battle.
After careful consideration, the Chancellor adjusted his deployment.
The troops besieging Qishan withdrew to Fort Lu.
A new camp was established north of the city to protect the water source.
The relieved Qishan defenders—Jia Si and Wei Ping—
enthusiastically requested battle.
Denied.
They would later gain fame not through combat—but insults:
"You fear Shu like a tiger—
how will you face the laughter of the world?"
Sima Yi still refused to fight.
Not only that—
he fell ill.
This move wasn't hard to decipher.
Wei's forces were stronger.
By not fighting, they let anger build.
The Chancellor's wheat-cutting had boosted morale—
but such momentum couldn't last forever.
After more than two months of stalemate,
Sima Yi judged it sufficient.
He waved his hand.
"Attack Fort Lu."]
The hall grew tense.
Even those ignorant of warfare understood—
victory or defeat was imminent.
Zhang Fei frowned.
"Why wouldn't Zhang He's plan win?"
Guan Yu shook his head.
"It wouldn't lose.
But it would be embarrassing."
Zhang Fei pressed on.
"Then what about directly storming the Strategist?"
Guan Yu shook his head again.
"Not embarrassing.
But you would lose."
Zhang Fei finally understood.
"So if Sima Yi attacks Fort Lu and loses…"
"Then he loses the war and loses face,"
Wei Yan said dryly.
Liu Bei no longer understood the battlefield at all.
Why lift the siege of Qishan?
But he trusted his instincts.
"Kongming will win."
[Light-screen]
[ In May 231 CE, the Chancellor and Sima Yi clashed north of Fort Lu.
Zhang He was ordered to attack Wang Ping's southern camp.
Sima Yi led the main force against the northern camp—
a two-pronged assault.
The Chancellor responded calmly.
Wang Ping was ordered to hold the south and await reinforcements.
Wei Yan, Gao Xiang, and Wu Ban—three great generals—
met Sima Yi head-on.
The details are lost to history, much like the Battle of Yangxi.
Only the result remains:
Sima Yi's forces were crushed.
Three thousand armored heads taken
Five thousand suits of black armor captured
Three thousand horn bows seized
Wang Ping fought Zhang He to a standstill in the south.
Seeing his commander routed, Zhang He withdrew in time.
Sima Yi was forced back to Shanggui to recuperate.
Qishan was once again surrounded.
The Longyou situation turned favorable once more.]
Kongming felt no joy.
Longyou was never truly obtainable.
Each reported victory only deepened the ache.
Based on his experiences in Wei territory, Guan Yu estimated:
"Sima Yi commanded roughly fifty thousand troops.
At least six thousand were killed."
Wei Yan saw something else.
"The Strat—
the Strategist… is also training troops?"
After all, the Light-screen had said earlier that repeated Qishan campaigns were meant to temper the army—and it hadn't gone well at first.
Yet now, outnumbered and victorious, with significant gains—
Only one explanation remained:
troop quality.
Liu Bei was delighted.
As expected—his Strategist was unrivaled.
He waved it off casually.
"Kongming is also training a new infantry unit now.
Quite impressive."
Wei Yan's curiosity flared.
Liu Bei then noticed another name.
"Wang Ping—truly a fine general."
"At Jieting, it was he who beat drums and feigned troops to drive off Zhang He."
Zhang Fei nodded vigorously.
"I remember him well.
Using the same tricks as me."
"And now he faces Zhang He again at Fort Lu—
old rivals indeed."
"If only Wang Ping had commanded Jieting…"
Zhang Fei smacked his lips, full of regret.
Ma Liang kept his head down, copying records—silent.
[Light-screen]
[ The Longyou campaign entered a true test of logistics.
Because the Chancellor had seized Shanggui's grain,
Sima Yi's days were also difficult.
Guo Huai was even ordered to requisition grain from local Qiang and Hu tribes.
History records only one line:
"At the time, Xuan Emperor and others were also out of grain."
The Chancellor was no better off.
The wheat from Shanggui was nearly exhausted.
Longyou was only slowly being reclaimed.
Time dragged on—
and the longer it dragged, the heavier logistics weighed.
Thus the Chancellor even wrote to Li Yan, confiding:
This is the critical moment.This is the critical moment.
Sima Yi is also near collapse.Sima Yi is also near collapse.
If you are under pressure, I can cut his supply lines and farm locally.
Who couldn't see the favorable situation?
The Chancellor believed that if he endured just a little longer—
Longyou could be taken.
Han might yet be restored.
Then—
while he was still thinking—
Li Yan's messenger arrived.
Continuous rain from heaven.Continuous rain from heaven.
Grain transport may fail.Grain transport may fail.
Chancellor, please withdraw.]
Liu Bei and Pang Tong spoke at the same time.
"There's a problem."
Pang Tong gestured politely—Liu Bei spoke first.
"The Light-screen previously said that when Cao Zhen invaded Shu,
Kongming requisitioned Li Yan's troops—
possibly breeding resentment."
Everyone nodded. They remembered clearly.
Pang Tong was more blunt.
"The act of sending this message is highly suspicious."
Guan Yu felt the same unease.
"If the message were false," he said slowly,
"what benefit does Li Yan gain?"
That was what no one could understand.
What do you gain from this?
[Light-screen]
[ Though victory was in sight—though Longyou was nearly within reach—[ Though victory was in sight—though Longyou was nearly within reach—
the Chancellor could only withdraw.
The cost of running out of grain was simply too severe.
Moreover, Guo Huai had already stripped Longyou bare.
No food remained.
The Chancellor looked once more at the almost-won Longyou,
then announced retreat—heart heavy with regret.
Sima Yi perked up—
but not too much.
He dared not move himself.
But Zhang He?
"Get him!"
Zhang He's inner monologue was likely extremely unprintable.
First—Fort Lu was their loss, not the village scholar's.
Now the Chancellor was retreating—
even Sima Yi himself felt relieved.
What exactly were you showing off for?
And if there really was an opportunity—
why didn't you, Sima Yi, lead the charge yourself?
Why send me?
But Zhang He was a working man.
He could only advise gently:
"Boss, military texts say:
Leave an opening when encircling; do not pursue a retreating army."
He'd made it very clear.
This was a retreating force—not a routed one.
History records Zhang He's bitterness in a single phrase:
"He could not refuse, and thus advanced."
This alone shows how much greater a general's risk is than a civil official's.
Liu Ye offered countless suggestions—
at worst, the emperor ignored them.
Titles and salaries still flowed.
For generals?
Three sound pieces of advice earned Zhang He one outcome:
"Could not refuse."
Thus came the tragic act of face-checking the bushes.
At Mumen Trail,
Zhang He walked into an ambush—
and was cut down by a storm of Shu arrows.
One record says he died instantly.
Another says he was shot in the thigh and soon succumbed.
Zhang He's death carries a strange scent.
A veteran from Cao Cao's era to Cao Rui's—
his merit and seniority both exceeded Sima Yi's.
And his death?
It was not merely the result of Sima Yi's momentary madness.]