I have a mixed view of Zhuge Liang, considering he made some crap decisions like advocating for Liu Feng's execution (a loyal and capable general) and Ma Su (a scapegoat for Jieting). What do you think?
Zhuge Liang was totally in the right to call for Kou Feng’s execution, and Liu Bei is the one who made that decision at the end of the day. Setting aside not being able to help Guan Yu, that gets played up, he lost Shangyong through his own fault. He as well presented a threat to the throne and so his death was entirely expected. Sad, absolutely. But to think it anything other than justified in the third century shows a lack of political understanding. Kou Feng was an adopted son who was elder to Liu Shan, the heir to the throne. Even if he didn’t have Imperial ambitions anyone around him could, and then use him as a proxy to rise against Shan if they felt there was an opening. Zhuge Liang secured the future of the state by sacrificing one life. Trolley meme.
As for Ma Su, that was his own fault. Ma Su wasn’t a scapegoat. Ma Su got himself executed. Setting aside the fact that Ma Su lost a large portion of the army which outnumbered Wei. Ma Su had every single advantage in this battle as Zhang He’s force was a splinter army. Cao Zhen took the bulk of the force, along with 50,000 extra soldiers to engage Zhao Yun and Deng Zhi. Ma Su lost this massive army and the real problem came afterward. Ma Su fled. He tried to escape and avoid facing Zhuge Liang for his defeat. After finding out all of this combination of new information for me, I have no sympathy for Ma Su anymore. He deserved to have his head cut off. Failing this badly and attempted to run away to save your skin is the height of cowardly and being utterly pathetic. Zhuge Liang did Ma Su a kindness in giving him the dignity of execution after capture and sparing his family.
（《致堂讀史管見》）胡寅：「街亭之敗，罪由馬謖；箕谷之敗，咎自鄧芝。兵多於賊反為賊所敗，而諸葛公以為病在一人。」
Jiētíng is the failure of Mǎ Sù, Jīgǔ’s failing is Dèng Zhī. They outnumbered the thieves [Wei] and yet still faced defeat, Duke Zhūgé lay the blame at one man.
明年，亮出軍，揚聲由斜谷道，曹真遣大衆當之。亮令雲與鄧芝往拒，而身攻祁山。雲、芝兵弱敵彊，失利於箕谷，然歛衆固守，不至大敗。軍退，貶為鎮軍將軍。
Next Year, Liàng set out the army, announcing to take Xié valley road, Cáo Zhēn sent large forces to meet him. Liàng ordered Yún with Dèng Zhī to resist, personally attacking Qíshān. Yún and Zhī’s troops were weak and the enemy was strong, they lost advantage at jīgǔ, however they drew back the forces and defended, and did not reach to a great defeat. The army returned, demoted to General of the Right [zhènjūn jiāngjūn].
魏書曰：是時朝臣未知計所出，帝曰：「亮阻山為固，今者自來，旣合兵書致人之術；且亮貪三郡，知進而不知退，今因此時，破亮必也。」乃部勒兵馬步騎五萬拒亮。
Wèishū states: The courtiers were unaware of the action to take, the Emperor spoke: “Liàng protected himself with mountains, now coming forth in person as it says in military books to draw upon men. His greed for the three commandaries and knows only to advance, yet not retreat. Our victory is certain.” and therefore sent soldiers and horses of 50,000 to resist.
These 50,000 were men sent with Cao Zhen from the central plains westward. Zhen’s main force with these extra men engaged Deng Zhi and Zhao Yun, meanwhile Zhang He was sent from Mei to attack Ma Su and the larger army. Ma Su’s blunder saw this massive force utterly annihilated and while the likes of Wang Ping were willing to give their lives to rally together and save the army from complete loss to pull back, Ma Su thought only of himself and fled like a true coward.
In Zhuge Liang’s own writings he set out that there are eight evils that a general can commit. Strategic inability, lack of delegation to the wise, inability to meet out punishments, inability to aid the less fortunate, insufficient talent or genius to guard against disaster, insufficient tact to protect against the subtle, inability to express intuition and inability to avoid criticism in defeat.
Ma Su possessed nearly all of these evils in his defeat. Cutting off his head was no grave crime, and just as Liu Bei shed a tear for Kou Feng, Zhuge Liang did for Ma Su. He took no pleasure in this but he did what he had to do. Zhang Junsi said of Zhuge Liang’s rule that fair rewards are given to all, no matter relations. Punishments were not spare no matter how close. Nobility cannot be obtained through nepotism. Punishment cannot be pardoned by anyone.
