Zhuge Liang is a super idol for many Chinese males. He embodies wisdom, loyalty, integrity, and incorruptibility, assisting Liu Bei in borrowing Jingzhou, occupying Yizhou, entering Bashu, and allying with Dongwu. One could say that there were no big or small matters of the court that Zhuge Liang did not personally handle. However, it was precisely this dedication to serving until death that led to many mistakes in Shuhan's military and political management. All of this stems from Zhuge Liang's perfectionist personality.
■ Zhuge Liang has three manifestations of a perfectionist personality
Historical records show that since the establishment of Shuhan, Zhuge Liang has long held both central and local positions, handling everything from major policy decisions to the issuance of orders by himself. This situation became deeply entrenched, leaving him extremely exhausted.
In summary, Zhuge Liang's perfectionist personality mainly manifests as: (1) having excessively high expectations for himself and being strict with his subordinates, not tolerating mistakes; (2) unwillingness to delegate authority, believing that only he can take on the task of reviving the Han dynasty; (3) disregarding the military and political strategies outlined in the "Longzhong Plan" and repeatedly launching campaigns despite repeated defeats.
After Yong'an when Liu Bei entrusted him with his dying wishes, Zhuge Liang worked tirelessly, managing countless daily affairs, constantly worrying and sighing. One could say that Zhuge Liang suffered from severe physical and mental illness.
For example, all personnel evaluations and appointments within the Shuhan court were personally arranged by Zhuge Liang. He personally arranged for officials such as Guo Youzhi, Fei Yi, Dong Yun, General Xiang Chong, as well as secretaries, chief clerks, and aides to manage government affairs. Moreover, Zhuge Liang personally evaluated and appointed candidates for each official rank and made the final decision. According to historical records, even the selection of Liu Shan's concubine was recommended by Zhuge Liang, who praised Zhang Fei's daughter as "very virtuous."
Furthermore, during the 11 years Zhuge Liang managed the Shuhan administration, there were seven large-scale battles against Cao Wei, five of which occurred within six years, demonstrating an excessive militaristic approach. Each time he launched a campaign into Central China, he faced three major challenges: difficult terrain, insufficient troops, and inadequate provisions. Despite careful consideration and meticulous planning, he still experienced more defeats than victories. Simply looking at the troop comparison, Shu was at a clear disadvantage. At the time, Cao Wei controlled nine provinces with a population of approximately 4.33 million; Sun Quan controlled three provinces with a population of about 2.3 million; while Shuhan only controlled Yizhou with a population of around 940,000. Therefore, Zhuge Liang's northern expeditions had only about 50,000 troops, while Wei had 200,000 troops stationed in Chang'an alone, and another 200,000 troops under Cao Zhen and Guo Huai that could quickly reinforce them.
Thus, in my opinion, even if Ma Su had not lost Jieting, Shu's chances of victory would have been slim. Additionally, each time Zhuge Liang campaigned out of Qishan, he was at a disadvantage in terms of transportation, troops, and provisions. In fact, given the stark disparity in national strength between Shu and Wei, even if Liu Bei were alive, he might not have pursued such an aggressive military strategy to restore the Han dynasty. Yet, Zhuge Liang persisted in launching nationwide campaigns against Cao Wei, knowing full well their futility, clearly displaying obsessive behavior.
■ A death devotion complex, difficult to control rationally
Zhuge Liang, entrusted with the weighty responsibility of restoring Central China after Liu Bei's last will in Yong'an, continuously waged war year after year, achieving no success but remaining steadfast. To a large extent, this was due to Zhuge Liang's "death devotion complex," a prominent manifestation of his perfectionist personality.
Psychology defines a complex as a psychological phenomenon composed of some unconscious thoughts (i.e., thoughts, feelings, perceptions, memories, etc.) suppressed by consciousness. Complexes subtly influence one's thinking and emotional patterns, leading to specific biases or preferences. Complexes are also natural expressions of human emotions, difficult to control rationally.
Liu Bei once gave Zhuge Liang's loyal assistance very high praise, causing Zhuge Liang to gradually combine gratitude for recognition with the pursuit of perfect morality, forming an absolute belief in the ideal image of loyalty to the sovereign and serving the country. Later, Liu Bei's earnest words in Yong'an, entrusting his son to Zhuge Liang and proposing the shocking statement beyond the usual norms of ruler and minister—"If he lacks talent, you may take his place"—gave Zhuge Liang unlimited trust and respect, further reinforcing his obsessive pursuit of loyalty.
Thus, Zhuge Liang always emphasized not betraying the late emperor's trust and not disgracing the late emperor's hopes. His diligence in managing myriad affairs still felt insufficient. For any flaws in Shu's military or administrative affairs, Zhuge Liang would blame himself, aiming to "exert all efforts, demonstrate unwavering loyalty, and continue until death" to repay his loyalty to the late emperor.
Therefore, Zhuge Liang's death at Wuzhangyuan was not accidental. He intended to inspire future generations to realize his last wish, his painstaking efforts moving people to tears.
■ Zhuge Liang's perfectionism left many hidden dangers for Shuhan politics
Zhuge Liang's perfectionist personality left many problems and hidden dangers in Shuhan's administration. First, he took on the entire responsibility of restoring Central China, spending years away from home in battle, unable to educate Liu Shan, turning him into a dimwitted ruler without ambition.
Liu Shan was originally an ordinary person, extremely lacking in administrative management skills, while Zhuge Liang was an unparalleled genius through the ages. Liu Shan conveniently passed all military and political responsibilities to Zhuge Liang, indulging in wine and pleasure in the palace. Zhuge Liang, on the other hand, considered it his duty without hesitation. This passing and accepting of responsibilities not only caused Zhuge Liang to fall ill from overwork and die at Wuzhangyuan but also turned Liu Shan into a highly dependent person.
Secondly, Zhuge Liang often dealt too harshly with subordinates' mistakes. For example, when Liu Bei entered Jingzhou, he adopted Liu Feng. Later, "the Former Lord blamed Liu Feng for invading Da and not rescuing Yu." Zhuge Liang, concerned that Liu Feng was fierce and would be hard to control after the change of dynasties, advised the Former Lord to eliminate him. The Former Lord "shed tears for him," but compelled by Zhuge Liang's persistent advice, he reluctantly ordered Liu Feng to commit suicide. Besides Liu Feng, other senior ministers highly regarded in Shuhan who were demoted by Zhuge Liang included Peng Yang, Li Yan, Liao Li, and Wei Yan. This severely affected these ministers' enthusiasm.
Thirdly, Ma Su was far from being someone fierce and uncontrollable in Zhuge Liang's eyes; he always respected Zhuge Liang greatly. However, after Ma Su lost Jieting, most generals believed that although Ma Su made serious mistakes, he did not deserve execution, and he had contributed significantly during Zhuge Liang's southern campaign by frequently offering advice. Nevertheless, Zhuge Liang insisted on executing Ma Su. This was an extremely unwise move given the shortage of talent in Shu. If Ma Su were a general under Sima Yi, Sima Yi would never have executed him for this reason.
Finally, Wei Yan had always been a meritorious and senior minister of Shuhan, but in order to ensure that Jiang Wei could smoothly take over military power in Shuhan, Zhuge Liang entrusted military authority to Yang Yi, Wei Yan's bitter enemy, just before his death, leading to their conflict and ultimately resulting in the complete extermination of Wei Yan's family.
The tragedy of Zhuge Liang's personality lies in his excessive pursuit of perfection. On one hand, it caused him to shoulder too much responsibility and pressure, leading to constant worry, physical and mental exhaustion, and his premature departure from the historical stage. On the other hand, it left Shuhan later lacking wise rulers, able generals, and weakened national strength, truly lamentable.