"Where to find the Prime Minister's ancestral temple? It is densely covered with cypresses outside Jinguan City." Wuhou Temple, located in the southwest of the city, is the number one tourist attraction in Chengdu in the minds of most people. In my childhood memory, this place is located in the suburbs, with pine and cypress trees, making it a fun place. At that time, the starting station of the No. 1 bus was Liangjia Lane, where I lived, and the terminal station was Wuhou Temple, which was called Nanjiao Park at that time. Sometimes I invite friends from the same courtyard to play, and I can play for a day with the fifty cents given by my mother. The fare for the whole journey is about 14 cents, and the round-trip is 28 cents. At noon, a bowl of chili noodles is 120 cents. After buying tickets, the remaining dime is still a few cents left to weigh one or two miscellaneous sugar for snacks. It was really a happy childhood day.

Things have changed, and this area has long been the downtown area of Chengdu, and due to the appeal of Wuhou Temple, it has even become one of the hottest and most prosperous neighborhoods in Chengdu. As Chengdu's number one check-in attraction, Wuhou Temple is a must-visit for tour groups. Regardless of whether it is cold or hot, whether it is a New Year or not, this place is always crowded with people and lively. Passing by here on September 17th, I thought that I hadn't been here for at least thirty years, so I followed the crowd to verify the entrance and had an impromptu tour of the old place.

The Wuhou Temple was built in memory of Zhuge Liang, the Prime Minister of the Shu Han Dynasty, and there are several places across the country. In addition to Chengdu, the more famous ones are Hanzhong in Shaanxi Province (where Zhuge Liang died), Nanyang in Henan Province and Xiangyang in Hubei Province (where Zhuge Liang lived in seclusion). The most famous one is of course Chengdu, the seat of the Shu Han regime.

Interestingly, the name of this famous building in Chengdu is actually not Wuhou Temple but Zhaolie Temple. The plaque of "Han Zhaolie Temple" hangs high on the lintel of the main entrance. The one who was the founder of the Shu Han Dynasty was Liu Bei. In other words, this is an official temple built to commemorate Liu Bei, and the backyard of the official temple is the Wuhou Temple in memory of Zhuge Liang, so the Wuhou Temple is at most a supporting role and accessory in this building. However, when it comes to popularity, let alone other places, even in Chengdu, everyone knows when the Wuhou Temple is mentioned. When asked about the Zhaolie Temple, at least 90% of Chengdu people will be confused and confused.

After the deaths of Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang, the Shu Han regime successively built Zhaolie Temple and Wuhou Temple adjacent to each other in southwest Chengdu for the people to mourn. The house is called a temple and a temple. People are divided into princes and ministers. When the monarch is higher than the minister, the temple is larger and the temple is smaller. However, to the surprise of the government, from the first day the temple was together, the incense in the minister temple far exceeded that in the jun temple, and the difference was huge. This was of course the affirmation and love of the people of Sichuan for Prime Minister Zhuge, the "virtuous prime minister", but it made the court, where imperial power was paramount, feel unbearable and extremely embarrassed. The Shu Han regime, which was originally a short-lived dynasty, died before it could "bring things right", causing this situation to last for more than a thousand years.

It was not until the early years of the Ming Dynasty that this situation, which had troubled previous dynasties, was finally broken. Zhu Chun, the son of the founding emperor Zhu Yuanzhang, was shocked to see the prosperity of the Wuhou Temple and the desolation of the Zhaolie Temple after arriving in Chengdu. Zhu Chun, who was strongly stimulated, changed the establishment of temples and shrines side by side to worship monarch and minister, and set the Wuhou Temple in the west courtyard of Zhaolie Temple. The monarch was the minister's side to conform to the etiquette system and put an end to the embarrassing recurrence of the minister's temple being destroyed. The "Prime Minister's Ancestral Hall" described in Du Gong's poems in the Tang Dynasty no longer exists and becomes an annex to the Zhaolie Temple. In the year of Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty, the Wuhou Temple was rebuilt and changed from a side courtyard of the Zhaolie Temple to a backyard, making it what it is today.

However, there is another world among the people. No matter how hard the ruler tried to promote the monarch and suppress his ministers, and named it Zhaolie Temple, the people only had Wuhou Temple in their hearts, and they would not change their words. Over time, the "Wuhou Temple" was deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, but the "Zhaolie Temple" was forgotten by people. This divine operation was originally intended to strengthen the Zhaolie Temple, but only the Wuhou Temple was left in the end. Therefore, there is a poem that says: "There is a big book on the Zhaolie Temple, but the world knows the Wuhou Temple." People's hearts are in favor of meat-eaters, but there is nothing they can do.

Starting from the gate of Wuhou Temple, there are three courtyards along the main axis: there are stele pavilions on the left and right of the front yard. The Tang Monument on the right is the most famous. Its articles, calligraphy, and carving skills are all top-notch, so it is called the "Sanjue Monument". The main courtyard is the largest. It is a group of statues built by Liu Bei and civil and military ministers according to the style of the court. Fans of the Three Kingdoms can find their favorite Shu and Han heroes. The walls on both sides of the door are engraved with the wild grass of Yue Fei of the Southern Song Dynasty,"Pre-Graduation Table" and "Post-Graduation Table". It is worth a visit. Behind Liu Bei's Hall is the Wuhou Temple. The terrain is slightly low and several steps have to be lowered, which means "the monarch is superior and the minister is inferior". The most famous one here is the couplet written by Zhao Fan, a native of Yunnan in the Guangxu period of the Qing Dynasty."If it can attack the heart, it will be reversed and eliminated. From ancient times, it was known that soldiers are not belligerent; if they do not judge the situation, they will be lenient and strict. Later, when governing Shu, we must think deeply." It is said that this is a must-see and ponder for major border officials who come to Sichuan.

On the side of the central axis, through the red wall and the road, you will arrive at the Huiling Tomb of Liu Bei. In 223 AD, Liu Bei died of illness in Baidi City, Wanzhou, Chongqing after being defeated in Yiling. His body was transported back to Chengdu and buried here. The couplet in front of the tomb is meaningful. Although it ridiculed Cao Wei from the standpoint of Shu Han, its picture is full of feeling and makes people think: "A handful of soil is still majestic. I ask him where to find the suspected tomb in the Zhanghe River on the Tongque Wilderness Terrace; The three-legged tripod is safe now, and the remaining stone scale ancient road reminds people of the official ceremony of the Han Dynasty."

Compared with before, the Wuhou Temple has expanded. Behind the Zhuge Liang Hall, a new "Sanyi Temple" and a square are built, and garden landscapes such as a bonsai garden and ponds and rockery have been built to add some fresh atmosphere to the rich history.

As a politician, Zhuge Liang was gradually mythical in later generations. Especially with the emergence of the novel "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms" in the late Yuan and early Ming Dynasties, Zhuge Liang stepped onto the altar and became the embodiment of wisdom and strategy. Stripping off his mythical coat, the real Zhuge Liang did have some skills. It is generally believed that his foresight and foresight is more concentrated in "Longzhong Dui". In this roadmap and programmatic document for the Shu Han Dynasty to the founding of the People's Republic of China, twenty-seven-year-old Zhuge Liang made a very clear and thorough analysis of the chaotic world situation at that time. He pointed out the future direction and route for Liu Bei, who was still "without a house, without a ridge", solved the primary problem of who was the enemy and who was the friend, and "knew three parts of the world before he left the castle." His amazing ability to predict the situation was amazing. The subsequent Shuhan regime was the product of this strategic conception.

However, behind the huge aura, the flaws of "Longzhong Dui" are also fatal.

Liu Bei Group takes the revival of the Han Dynasty as its own responsibility. Whether it is true or false, it is the brand and appeal of this group, and it is also its fundamental interest. How to achieve it? The prescription given by Zhuge Liang was,"If there is Jingyi across the border, protect its rock resistance, west to the Rong tribes, south to pacify Yi and Yue, forge alliances with Sun Quan on the outside, and cultivate political governance on the inside; if there is a change in the world, then order a general to lead the army of Jingzhou to Wanluo, and the general personally led the people of Yizhou to go out of Qinchuan. Who of the people would dare not drink pot of rice to welcome the general? If this is the case, hegemony can be achieved and the Han Dynasty can prosper."

According to this policy, if we want to achieve the great cause,"there are benefits across the border" is the prerequisite. In other words, we must occupy Jingzhou and Yizhou at the same time to have the basic material foundation for the great cause of reunification. But it is not enough. Because Liu Bei's clique is too weak, even if he possesses Jingyi, he still needs to do a good job in internal affairs and diplomacy, especially in "forging good Sun power outside". At the same time, he still needs to wait for the opportunity to "change the world" before he can take advantage of it. It can be seen that the extreme importance of concurrently leading Jingyi in this strategic concept is the absolute prerequisite for the realization of strategic goals. And forming an alliance with Wu, forming a group to warm up, and jointly resisting the strong Wei are also necessary ways to survive.

Then the historical process proved that with the strength of Shu Han,"crossing Jingyi" was an impossible goal.

Geographically, although Jingyi and Yizhou are connected by mountains and rivers, there is a large Wushan Mountain in between. The connection between the two places mainly depends on the Three Gorges waterway of the Yangtze River, which is blocked by mountains and rivers, and the water is dangerous. Its traffic conditions are even worse than those of the Dabashan Mountains in the Qinling Mountains north of Yizhou. Compared with Yizhou, the center of the Shu and Han regime, Jingzhou was actually a large enclave outside Guxuan Mountain, making it difficult to sail in time during wartime. Compared with Yizhou, which is surrounded by mountains, Jingzhou is a different situation.

In "Longzhong Dui", Zhuge Liang described Jingzhou as follows: "Jingzhou is located in the north of the Han and Mianyang Dynasty, benefiting all the South China Sea, connected to Wuhui in the east, and connected to Ba Shu in the west." The Lianghu Plain, which is the thoroughfare of the nine provinces, has an extremely important strategic position. Since the Qin and Han Dynasties, it has been one of the center stages of the competition between China and the Yuan Dynasty. If it was governed by the Shu Han regime, it would be possible to attack Cao Wei in the north and Sun Wu in the east. It would indeed be a well-deserved "place to use force." Yizhou is remote but easy to defend, making it easy to protect oneself; Jingzhou is well-established and attacks heavily, and the strong is attacking. If the world was to be unified, Jingzhou was indispensable to Shu Han.

However, both coins have two sides. For the strong, Jingzhou is conducive to external attacks; for the weak, it is not easy to defend. What's more, this is a "place for use" and military strategists compete for it. If you can go north, he can go south; if you can go east, he can go west. Faced with enemies on both sides, Liu Bei's "general" in Jingzhou, Guan Yu, was actually difficult to deal with. Although it was like the god of war possessed him and attacked Xiangfan North, flooded the seven armies, captured Yu Jin, killed Pang De, and shocked Zhongzhou. However, Lu Meng from Wu crossed the river in white clothes and captured Jiangling at night. He had no choice but to die in Maicheng.

The fall of Jingzhou means that the strategic goal of "Longzhong Dui" has gone bankrupt. Later, Shu Han launched a war against Sun Wu in the name of revenge for Guan Yu, but the real purpose was actually to attempt to recapture Jingzhou and revisit the strategic concept of "crossing Jingyi". However, his strength was weak, and he was burned by Wu general Lu Xun and defeated in Yiling (Yichang). Liu Bei himself died of illness while retreating. The failure of the Battle of Yiling marked the complete demise of the Shu Han dream that "hegemony could become a Han family and prosper".

Paradoxically, after the Yiling War, the Shu and Han no longer had any intentions for Jingzhou, but the Wu and Shu sides no longer had any worries. The real Wu and Shu alliance was established, the diplomatic strategy of "establishing a good alliance with Sun Power" was finally realized, and the three countries 'confrontation finally took shape. Zhuge Liang's strategic conception in "Longzhong Dui" is also halfway completed.

Next to the Wuhou Temple Cultural Relics Area is the garden area, which was formerly the Southern Suburb Park. This is actually the cemetery of General Liu Xiang, former chairman of the National Government of Sichuan Province, commander of the Seventh Theater during the Anti-Japanese War, first-class general of the Army, and the largest warlord faction in Sichuan. The cemetery is built in imitation of the Qing Mausoleum and is the only northern cemetery building in Sichuan. Liu Xiang's tomb is adjacent to Liu Bei's Huiling, which satisfies General Liu's wish to "recognize his ancestors and return to his family."

on September 29,2020