Wu Zhang Plains
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| Wars of the Three Kingdoms |
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| Sishui Pass – Hulao Pass – Jieqiao – Guandu – Changban – Red Cliffs – Tong Gate – Hefei – Mount Dingjun – Fancheng – Xiaoting – Southern Campaign – Northern Expeditions – Jieting – Wu Zhang Plains |
The Wu Zhang Plains(五丈原) are plateaus near the Wei River in China. They are now in the Shaanxi province, near Baoji(宝鶏). The plains were the site of a famous standoff between the kingdoms of Wei and Shu in 234 A.D. during the Three Kingdoms period of China.
The standoff came to an end when the Shu commander and strategist Zhuge Liang died of illness on the fields of Wuzhang, causing the entire army to retreat. When the news got to Sima Yi of Wei, he immediately issued an all out attack. During the pursuit the Shu forces dressed a soldier up like Zhuge Liang, and placed him with the counter forces. (Some sources say the double was a wooden statue or Jiang Wei himself.) When Sima Yi saw the figure he immediately took it as a trap and retreated. Many ambush parties took the Wei forces by surprise creating a Shu victory. Thus, the troops of Shu could return safely to their own land under the leadership of Jiang Wei, Liang's self-appointed successor.
The defeat of Sima Yi spawned a popular saying, "A dead Zhuge scares away a living Zhong Da" (死諸葛嚇走活仲達), referring to Sima Yi's courtesy name. The saying is still widely recognized today.
When Sima Yi was fleeing, Wei Yan chased after him against orders. After the minister's death, Wei Yan formed his own faction and tried to attack north while the rest of the Shu army retreated south. This eventually led to Yan's assassination at the hands of fellow Shu officers.
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