228 – 234 AD · Qinling Mountains and Wei River valley (modern Shaanxi/Gansu) Theater
228 – 234 AD
Knowing that Shu was the weakest kingdom and time favored Wei, Zhuge Liang launched five grueling campaigns north through the Qinling Mountains to attack Wei's heartland. Each time, supply lines stretching hundreds of miles through mountain passes forced retreat before a decisive blow could land. His principal adversary, Sima Yi, adopted a strategy of patient defense, refusing pitched battle and letting Shu's logistics defeat themselves. In the fifth expedition, Zhuge Liang died of exhaustion at the Wuzhang Plains, still in the field, at age fifty-three.
Commanders