The videos I watched became popular in ancient times

Wei Yan, courtesy name Wenchang, was a native of Yiyang County (now east of Tongbai, Henan). He was a general of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms period. He served as former military advisor, general of the Western Expedition, and temporary governor, and was granted the title of Marquis of Nanzheng.

In his early years, Wei Yan followed Liu Bei to capture Yizhou and was promoted to General Yamen for his merits.

In the 219th year of Jian'an ( AD) during the reign of Emperor Xian of Han, Liu Bei captured Hanzhong and was promoted to King of Hanzhong. He also promoted Wei Yan to the rank of General Zhenyuan and concurrently appointed him as the prefect of Hanzhong County, guarding Hanzhong.

After Liu Bei became emperor, Wei Yan was promoted to General Zhenbei. Later, Liu Chan succeeded to the throne.
Wei Yan was granted the title of Marquis of Duting. On the eve of the Northern Expedition, Prime Minister Zhuge Liang led his army into Hanzhong and appointed Wei Yan as the commander of the front troops, concurrently serving as the Sima of the Prime Minister's Office and the Governor of Liangzhou.

In the eighth year of Jianxing of Shu Han (230 AD), Wei Yan led his army on a westward expedition into the area inhabited by the Qiang people, defeated Cao Wei's rear general Fei Yao and Yongzhou governor Guo Huai, and was promoted to front military advisor, general of the Western Expedition, and was granted the title of Marquis of Nanzheng.

During Zhuge Liang's Northern Expedition, Wei Yan hoped to lead an army on his own, but Zhuge Liang did not allow it. Wei Yan often complained and was at odds with Yang Yi, the Chief Clerk of the Prime Minister's Office.

In the 234th year of Jianxing ( AD), Zhuge Liang led his troops out of Xiegu (now southwest of Mei County, Shaanxi Province), with Wei Yan as the vanguard.

In August of the same year, Zhuge Liang died. Wei Yan planned to lead the army to continue the Northern Expedition, but was opposed by Yang Yi and others.

Wei Yan led his troops back south, burned the plank roads along the way, occupied Nangukou (now northwest of Hanzhong City, Shaanxi Province), and attacked Yang Yi and others;

Wei Yan was defeated and fled to Hanzhong. General Pingbei Ma Dai led his troops to pursue and kill Wei Yan.

After Wei Yan's death, Yang Yi held a grudge against him and exterminated all three of his clans.

Yang Xi, a minister of Shu Han, commented that Wei Yan was brave and capable of shouldering important responsibilities but difficult to get along with.

Chen Shou, a historian of the Jin Dynasty, commented that Wei Yan was "good at taking care of his soldiers and extremely brave", but he was arrogant and eventually brought disaster upon himself.
Regarding Wei Yan's death, modern scholars Mao Heting and Lu Simian believed that he had no intention of treason and surrendering to the enemy, but was killed by Yang Yi because of personal grudges, which was indeed a great loss to Shu Han.

Wei Yan was a native of Yiyang County (now east of Tongbai, Henan). In his early years, he followed Liu Bei into Yizhou as a subordinate, made many military achievements, and was promoted to General Yamen.

In July of the 219th year of Jian'an ( AD) during the reign of Emperor Xian of Han, Liu Bei captured Hanzhong and was promoted to King of Hanzhong. He moved the capital back to Chengdu and needed a general to garrison Hanzhong.

The generals and soldiers discussed and believed that Zhang Fei was the best candidate to guard Hanzhong, and Zhang Fei himself thought so too.

As a result, Liu Bei promoted Wei Yan to the position of General Zhenyuan, and appointed him concurrently as the prefect of Hanzhong County, commanding all the troops in Hanzhong and guarding Hanzhong. The entire army was shocked.

Liu Bei summoned all his ministers to a meeting and asked Wei Yan how he should arrange the defense of Hanzhong since he had now been entrusted with an important task.

Wei Yan replied that if Cao Cao led the army of the whole country to come, he would personally lead the army to resist;

If Cao Cao simply sent his generals to lead the army to attack, he would have annexed the enemy army.

Liu Bei praised Wei Yan highly, and all the generals praised his powerful words. After Liu Bei became emperor, Wei Yan was promoted to General Zhenbei.

In the first year of Jianxing of Shu Han (223 AD), Liu Bei died and was succeeded by Liu Chan, the later emperor. Wei Yan was granted the title of Marquis of Duting.

In the fifth year of Jianxing (227 AD), Prime Minister Zhuge Liang led a large army into Hanzhong and reappointed Wei Yan as the commander of the front line, concurrently serving as Sima of the Prime Minister's Office and Governor of Liangzhou.

In the eighth year of Jianxing (230 AD), Wei Yan was ordered to lead his army westward into the area inhabited by the Qiang people. He encountered the army of Cao Wei's rear general Fei Yao and Yongzhou governor Guo Huai in Yangxi (now southwest of Wushan County, Gansu Province). The two sides fought fiercely and Wei Yan defeated the enemy.

Wei Yan was promoted to the positions of former military advisor and general of the Western Expedition due to his merits, and was granted temporary authority and was granted the title of Marquis of Nanzheng.

At that time, Xiahou Mao, the Anxi General of Wei State, was stationed in Chang'an and commanded the army in Guanzhong area.

Wei Yan advised Zhuge Liang that Xiahou Mao was timid and had no strategy. If he was allowed to lead 5,000 elite soldiers and 5,000 grain transport soldiers, and go directly east along the Qinling Mountains from the Baoxiade Road and go north to the Ziwu Valley (now south of Chang'an County, Shaanxi Province), he could reach Chang'an in a dozen days and launch a surprise attack.

When Xiahou Mao learned that he was attacked, he would surely abandon the city and flee; he could then capture Chang'an.

Using Chang'an City as a base and waiting for Zhuge Liang to lead a large army from Xiegu (now southwest of Mei County, Shaanxi) to join them, the area west of Xianyang could be stabilized in one fell swoop.

Zhuge Liang thought Wei Yan's plan was treacherous and risky and was unwilling to adopt it.

Every time Wei Yan followed Zhuge Liang to the north, he hoped to split his forces with Zhuge Liang and lead a separate army to take a different route from Zhuge Liang.

Then they planned to meet at Tongguan (now north of Tongguan County, Weinan City, Shaanxi Province), just like Han Xin, a famous general of the founding of the Han Dynasty, but Zhuge Liang kept stopping him and did not allow it.

Wei Yan often thought that Zhuge Liang was timid and felt regretful that he could not fully display his talents.

Wei Yan was brave and arrogant, so his colleagues all gave way to him. Only Yang Yi, the chief secretary of the Prime Minister's Office, did not tolerate Wei Yan.
Wei Yan was extremely angry about this, and the two hated each other. Every time they met and sat together, they would quarrel. Wei Yan sometimes even drew his sword to threaten Yang Yi, and Yang Yi would cry in grievance with tears streaming down his face.

Zhuge Liang deeply valued Yang Yi's talent and relied on Wei Yan's bravery. He often felt sorry for the discord between the two and could not bear to favor or abolish either of them.

In the 234th year of Jianxing ( AD), Zhuge Liang led his troops to the north entrance of Xiegu (now southwest of Mei County, Shaanxi Province), with Wei Yan as the vanguard. The army was stationed at Wuzhangyuan (now in Qishan County, Baoji, Shaanxi Province), and was in a stalemate with Wei general Sima Yi.

Wei Yan's camp was ten miles away from Zhuge Liang's camp. In August of the same year, Zhuge Liang was critically ill and secretly convened Yang Yi, the chief secretary of the Prime Minister's Office, Sima Feiyi, and the guard general Jiang Wei to discuss.
He made arrangements for the retreat after his death, and left instructions to Wei Yan to cover the rear, followed by Jiang Wei; if Wei Yan disobeyed the order, the army would set out on their own.

After Zhuge Liang's death, Yang Yi kept the news a secret and asked Fei Yi to find out what Wei Yan thought.

Wei Yan said that although Prime Minister Zhuge Liang had passed away, he was still alive, so he asked the officials of the Prime Minister's Office to escort the Prime Minister's body back to Chengdu for burial, while he would lead the army to continue the Northern Expedition. Why should the fight for the world be delayed because of the death of one person?

What's more, Wei Yan was a man of low status. How could he obey Yang Yi's command and act as the rear guard general?

Wei Yan immediately kept Fei Yi and made arrangements with him on whether the army should move or stay. He also asked Fei Yi to write it down in person and sign it with him, and then announced it to the officers and soldiers below.

Fei Yi coaxed Wei Yan, saying that he needed to return to the camp to comfort Yang Yi on his behalf. Yang Yi was a civilian official who seldom commanded military affairs and would definitely not disobey Wei Yan's orders.

As soon as Fei Yi walked out of the camp gate and rode away on horseback, Wei Yan regretted his decision, but unfortunately it was too late to get Fei Yi back.

Wei Yan then sent people to scout Yang Yi's movements. Yang Yi and others had to retreat in turn according to the established deployment made by Zhuge Liang before his death.

Wei Yan was furious, and before Yang Yi's army set out, he led his troops back straight south, burning the plank roads wherever he passed.

Wei Yan and Yang Yi each submitted a memorial to the later emperor Liu Chan, accusing the other of treason, and urgent documents were delivered one after another within one day.

Liu Chan asked his attendant Dong Yun and the chief secretary Jiang Wan about this matter. Both of them vouched for Yang Yi's loyalty and suspected Wei Yan of rebellion.

Yang Yi and others led the army to retreat, cut down trees on the mountain to build a plank road, and marched day and night, following Wei Yan.

Wei Yan's army arrived first, occupied Nangukou of Baoxiadao (now northwest of Hanzhong City, Shaanxi Province), and sent troops to block Yang Yi and others;

Yang Yi ordered General Wang Ping to lead his troops to resist Wei Yan. Wang Ping rushed forward to rebuke Wei Yan and loudly asked, "How dare they rebel when the prime minister has passed away and his body is still warm?" Wei Yan's subordinates knew that Wei Yan was in the wrong and were unwilling to serve him, so the army quickly collapsed.

Wei Yan was defeated and had to flee to Hanzhong with his son and a few close associates.

Yang Yi sent General Pingbei Ma Dai to pursue and kill Wei Yan, then cut off his head and brought it back.

Yang Yi stood up and stomped on Wei Yan's head on the ground with his own feet, yelling at Wei Yan as a "common slave", and then exterminated Wei Yan's entire clan.

In order to prevent military unrest, the later emperor Liu Chan sent Jiang Wan to lead the imperial guards stationed in Chengdu to the north. After walking for dozens of miles, he learned that Wei Yan had been killed, so Jiang Wan led his troops back to Chengdu.

When Liu Bei entered Sichuan, Wei Yan was promoted to General Yamen because of his military achievements.

After Liu Bei conquered Hanzhong, he was promoted to General Zhenyuan and Grand Administrator of Hanzhong, becoming a powerful general who guarded Hanzhong for ten years.

After Liu Bei ascended the throne, he was appointed General Zhenbei. He accompanied Zhuge Liang in the Northern Expedition, was appointed Governor of Liangzhou, and was granted the title of Marquis of Duting. He once defeated Fei Yao and Guo Huai in Yangxi.

When Zhuge Liang launched his first Northern Expedition, Wei Yan proposed the Ziwu Valley strategy, but Zhuge Liang did not adopt it.

During Zhuge Liang's fourth Northern Expedition, he sent Wei Yan, Gao Xiang and Wu Ban to fight. The Wei army was defeated and lost 3,000 people. Sima Yi withdrew his troops back to Shangbang.

Sun Quan, the King of Wu, commented: Yang Yi and Wei Yan are nothing but small-time shepherds.

Although they had occasionally made some contributions in current political affairs, since they had already been appointed, their official positions could not be weakened. If Zhuge Liang was gone one day, the two of them would inevitably cause chaos.

Wei Yan was a tough and brutal man, but he was able to take on orders in times of crisis, destroy the enemy, resist foreign invasion, garrison Hanzhong, and guard the border.

It's a pity that he couldn't live in harmony with others, and he was disloyal and spoke nonsense. His ending was regrettable, but it was caused by himself.

Chen Shou, a historian of the Jin Dynasty, commented: Wei Yan was good at taking care of his soldiers, was extremely brave, and was arrogant by nature, so his colleagues at the time avoided him.

Wei Yan was appointed because of his bravery and talent, and his status was prominent and noble. However, examining his way of doing things and the way he dealt with people, it can be said that Wei Yan eventually brought disaster upon himself.

He Qufei, a scholar in the Song Dynasty, commented: When the Shu army was on the Northern Expedition, Wei Yan often requested to be able to split the troops and take other routes as a surprise attack, but Zhuge Liang refused every time, and Wei Yan felt deeply resentful for this.

Zhuge Liang once threatened to attack Xiegu and sent troops to Qishan. He attacked Cao Wei by surprise and occupied three counties, which shocked Guanzhong.

Ultimately, he was defeated because of the wrong use of Ma Su; it was not that he could not use surprise troops in the Northern Expedition, but that Zhuge Liang was not good at it.

Hu Yin, an official of the Song Dynasty, commented: The purpose of using treacherous tactics in war is just to win the battle. It is very clear that Wei Yan's Ziwu Valley strategy can be used, but Zhuge Liang did not use it.

As for the reason, some people think that Zhuge Liang is good at governing the country but not good at military strategy; some people think that Zhuge Liang did not trust Wei Yan, so he did not dare to entrust him.

Hu Sanxing, a scholar in the late Song and early Yuan dynasties, commented: From today's perspective, everyone thinks that Zhuge Liang did not use Wei Yan's Ziwu Valley plan because he was timid.

When deploying troops, one should have insight into the enemy's monarch and know the enemy's main general. The reason why Zhuge Liang did not use Wei Yan's strategy was because the Wei monarch was wise and talented, and the enemy's main general Sima Yi should not be underestimated.

Zhuge Liang's plan to capture Longyou was unsuccessful, let alone relying on luck to send troops to stabilize the area west of Xianyang.

Wang Fuzhi, a scholar in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, commented: Wei Yan asked for troops to attack Chang'an directly from Ziwu Valley, which was to use regular troops;

Zhuge Liang went around the mountains and went west out of Qishan, heading straight for Qinlong, using a surprise attack.

At the beginning, Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang, abandoned the plank road and sent troops to Chencang, using a surprise attack to capture Guanzhong. The enemy was quickly defeated, but the situation of Cao Wei was different.

Modern scholar Mao Heting commented: Wei Yan's rebellion was really unfair.

He was too conceited and lamented that his talents were not being fully utilized. Therefore, after Zhuge Liang's death, Wei Yan planned to send someone to escort the prime minister's body back to Chengdu for burial, while he himself stayed in Weinan to continue dueling with Sima Yi.

Although Wei Yan's talent and strategy were not as great as Zhuge Liang's, his loyalty to restoring the Han Dynasty was the same as Zhuge Liang's.

Wei Yan was at odds with Yang Yi and was unwilling to serve under him, but Yang Yi led his troops to retreat without authorization.

Wei Yan was furious and returned south first, burning the plank road to prevent Yang Yi's army from returning.

This is because of momentary anger, and forgetting the important military and national affairs.

There were few talented people in Shu, and accusing Wei Yan of being a rebel was tantamount to destroying one's own strength. Yang Yi was deeply guilty.

Wei Yan was executed by Yang Yi. Did he have any plans to rebel and surrender to the enemy?

"Yuan Yan's intention was not to surrender to Wei in the north but to return to the south. He only wanted to kill Yi and others. The other generals had always disagreed with him. He hoped that the public opinion would replace Liang. This was his original intention, so it was inconvenient for him to betray."

Tracing back Wei Yan's original intention, he did not surrender to Cao Wei in the north but retreated to the south, just to get rid of Yang Yi and others; Wei Yan hoped to succeed Zhuge Liang and continue the Northern Expedition, not to rebel.

Modern scholar Mao Heting believes that Wei Yan did not commit treason and surrender to the enemy, but was killed by Yang Yi, which was really unjust;

Shu Han was already short of talent, and killing Wei Yan was tantamount to destroying its own Great Wall.

It is believed that Yang Yi and Wei Yan were at odds with each other and led their troops to attack each other, but Wei Yan did not rebel;
After Wei Yan was defeated, Yang Yi accused him of treason; Wei Yan's death was a great loss to Shu Han.

When Zhuge Liang launched his second Northern Expedition, Wei Yan proposed the "Ziwu Valley Strategy" to him, but Zhuge Liang did not adopt it.

There has been much controversy in later generations as to whether the "Ziwu Valley Strategy" could succeed.

For example, Song Dynasty scholar He Qufei believed that Zhuge Liang did not adopt Wei Yan's strategy because he was not good at using surprise troops.

Hu Yin, an official of the Song Dynasty, also pointed out in his discussion that "Zhuge Liang is good at governing the country but not good at military strategy."

However, Hu Sanxing, a scholar in the late Song and early Yuan dynasties, believed that Cao Wei was powerful and Sima Yi was even more difficult to deal with. The Ziwu Valley's strange strategy and treacherous tactics would have a low chance of winning.

The Ziwu Valley plan was just a theory, and it would cost a lot of troops to attack from a far distance, which was something that military strategists would not want.
Moreover, the Wei State also had generals like Zhang He, who could either lead troops to resist in the front or lead troops to cut off the retreat of the Shu army. This would inevitably lead to the failure of the Ziwu Valley surprise attack and damage the country's dignity.

Wei Yan's strategy is very risky and unlikely to succeed by chance, so it is not worth adopting. (End of this chapter)