Zhuge Liang's Northern Expedition was the five offensive wars launched by Zhuge Liang, the prime minister of Shu and Han during the Three Kingdoms period, from 228 to 234 AD. Although he made some gains in the Wei War, he failed to achieve the goal of "reviving the Han Dynasty", and Zhuge Liang himself died in the front line of Wuzhangyuan in the last Northern Expedition. In the works of art, Zhuge Liang's Northern Expedition is called "six expeditions to Qishan", but in fact Zhuge Liang launched five offensive wars against Wei and sent troops to Qishan battlefield only twice.

Zhuge Liang spent more than two years to recuperate, put down the rebellion in the south, and got a lot of strategic materials from it. In the fifth year of Jianxing, Zhuge Liang wrote a letter "A Model", and then Zhao Yun led an army into Hanzhong, taking Wei Yan, the satrap of Hanzhong, as the prime minister's office Sima, ready to formally attack Cao Wei.

Motivation of Zhuge Liang's Northern Expedition

1, report to the late emperor and fulfill his wishes. Zhuge Liang's Northern Expedition was to repay Liu Bei's kindness to him and fulfill his last wish of recovering the Han Dynasty.

If we don't attack Cao Wei, Shu Han will die. If Cao Wei is allowed time to develop its national strength, the gap between Han and Wei will grow. Once Cao Wei's national strength is strong, Shu can only do nothing. Only by going out of Shu and occupying Yongzhou and Liangzhou can we get Qinchuan horses and organize cavalry; Second, there is room for detours in combat and large-scale operations are launched; Third, it can greatly weaken the strength of Cao Wei cavalry.

3. Northern expedition to the Central Plains, shifting contradictions. Zhuge Liang launched the Northern Expedition, which can transfer the internal contradictions of Shu Han to the external contradictions of Cao Wei and give Shu Han a chance to win the Central Plains.