Battle of Wuzhang Plains The Battle of Wuzhang Plains was a stand - off between the contending states of Cao Wei and Shu Han in AD 234 during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history . The battle was the fifth and last of the northern expeditions led by Shu Han ' s , Zhuge Liang , who fell ill and died during the standoff . Background . In the spring of 234 , Zhuge Liang led 100 , 000 troops through Xiagu Pass ( 斜谷口 ) after three years of preparation since his last Northern Expedition . At the same time , Zhuge Liang sent an emissary to Shu Han ' s ally state , Eastern Wu , hoping that Wu would attack Cao Wei concurrently . In April , Shu forces reached the Wuzhang Plains near the Wei River and made camp there . The Cao Wei commander , Sima Yi , was well - prepared with a 200 , 000 strong army , which held a fortified position on the southern bank of the Wei River . The battle . Initial clashes . Guo Huai suggested that Sima Yi form a position in the northern part of the Plains , since Zhuge Liang would likely strike there . Sima Yi agreed , and sent Guo Huai to set camp there . Shu forces attacked the Wei camp there while it was being built , but Guo Huai was able to hold them off . Stalemate . Sima Yi would not engage the Shu forces , instead trying to make the enemy retreat through attrition . Zhuge Liang understood the problem , and implemented the " tuntian " system to sustain his troops . The Shu army awaited an agreed offensive by Wu for the moment to strike . However , Sun Quan ' s armies in the Huai River region were defeated by forces led by the Wei emperor , Cao Rui , and succumbed to an endemic disease . Thus the stalemate remained in place and continued for hundreds of days . Shu forces tried to engage the Wei forces several times , but Sima Yi remained firmly in camp and refused to engage the enemy . In an attempt to provoke Sima Yi to attack him , Zhuge Liang sent women ' s clothing to Sima , suggesting that Sima should be a woman since he did not dare to attack him . Sima Yi ' s subordinates were enraged by the insult , but Sima himself remained calm . To appease his men , Sima Yi asked Cao Rui for permission to engage the enemy . Cao Rui understood the situation and sent minister Xin Pi to persuade the Wei army to be patient . Death of Zhuge Liang . In another attempt to force Sima Yi to go to battle , Zhuge Liang sent an emissary to urge Sima to fight him . However , Sima Yi refused to discuss military issues with the messenger , and instead inquired about Zhuge Liang ' s daily tasks . The emissary replied that Zhuge Liang had been personally overseeing all affairs in the army , ranging from strategic planning to his men ' s daily meals , and that Zhuge himself had not been eating and sleeping well . Sima Yi later told an aide that Zhuge Liang would not last long . In August , Zhuge Liang fell ill due to exhaustion , and his condition worsened day by day . News reached the Shu emperor , Liu Shan , who sent minister Li Fu ( 李福 ) to ask Zhuge Liang about future plans for Shu . Zhuge Liang replied that Jiang Wan could succeed him , and Fei Yi could succeed Jiang . When Li Fu asked again about Fei Yi ' s successor , Zhuge Liang fell silent . Li Fu then returned to the capital Chengdu . Zhuge Liang also gave instructions on how the Shu forces should withdraw back to Hanzhong : Yang Yi and Fei Yi would lead the army while Jiang Wei and Wei Yan would lead a force to defend the rear ; if Wei Yan disobeyed orders , the army would proceed on without him . Zhuge Liang eventually died at the age of 54 in the early autumn of 234 . The Shu retreat . Following Zhuge Liang ' s death , the Shu forces quietly withdrew from their camps while not revealing news of Zhuge ' s death . Sima Yi was convinced by the locals that Zhuge Liang had died , so he gave chase to the retreating enemy . Jiang Wei then had Yang Yi turn around and pretend to strike . Seeing this , Sima Yi feared that Zhuge Liang had faked his death to lure him out , and immediately retreated . Common folklore tells of a double , or a wooden statue , disguised as Zhuge Liang , driving Sima Yi away in this incident . Another folktale tells that Jiang Wei dressed up as Zhuge Liang . In any case , word that Sima Yi fled from the already dead Zhuge Liang spread , spawning a popular saying , " A dead Zhuge scares away a living Zhongda ( Sima Yi ' s ) " ( 死諸葛嚇走活仲達 ) . When Sima Yi heard of such ridicule , he laughingly responded , " I can predict the living , but not the dead . " News of Zhuge Liang ' s death were kept secret until the Shu army had reached the safety of the Baoye valley to return to Hanzhong . Sima Yi , fearful that the announcement was false and merely another opportunity for Zhuge Liang to demonstrate his talent for ambuscade , hesitated to pursue . Only after his inspection of the empty Shu encampment did he resolve that pursuit was appropriate . However , upon reaching Baoye , Sima Yi decided that they had insufficient supplies to support the advance , so he ordered a retreat back to the Wei River . Aftermath . Conflict between Wei Yan and Yang Yi . Wei Yan , dismayed that the Shu forces are retreating " over the death of one man " , gathered his men and rode ahead of the main army and razed the gallery road behind them to prevent the main army from returning home . Yang Yi , who held a personal grudge against Wei Yan , sent the emperor Liu Shan a letter accusing Wei Yan of treason ; Wei Yan did likewise against Yang Yi . Liu Shan asked Dong Yun and Jiang Wan for their opinions , and both were suspicious of Wei Yan . Liu Shan then sent Jiang Wan to lead a force of imperial guards north to cope with the disorders . Later , Yang Yi led the main army through the mountains despite the loss of the gallery roads and confronted Wei Yan ' s detachment at Southern Valley Pass ( 南谷口 ) . There , Wei Yan sent troops to attack Yang Yi while Yang ordered Wang Ping to resist Wei Yan . Upon meeting , Wang Ping scolded Wei Yan , " His Excellency ( Zhuge Liang ) has died recently and his body has yet to turn cold ; how dare you act this way ! " Hearing this , Wei Yan ' s forces scattered , knowing their commander was in the wrong . Wei Yan , along with his sons and a few followers , fled to Hanzhong . Yang Yi sent Ma Dai to give chase , and soon Ma chopped off Wei Yan ' s head and sent it to Yang Yi . Yang Yi stepped on Wei Yan ' s head and issued orders for the extermination of Wei ' s clan . Jiang Wan was about ten " li " away from the capital Chengdu when he heard news of Wei Yan ' s death , so he returned . Long - term influences . After Zhuge Liang ' s death , Jiang Wan took his post , but Jiang was more interested in domestic affairs than military expansion . Thus the death of Zhuge Liang ended a huge strategic threat to Cao Wei and the Wei court soon began development of ambitious public works . Sima Yi ' s success and subsequent rise in prominence paved the way for his grandson Sima Yan ' s founding of the Jin Dynasty , which would eventually bring an end to the Three Kingdoms period . Modern references . The battle is featured as one of the final playable stages in Koei ' s video game series " Dynasty Warriors " . The earlier installments of the game changed the original account of the battle : certain characters such as Cao Cao and Liu Bei , who had historically died more than a decade before the battle , survived until then to participate in the battle . However , the most recent installment has made the battle more accurate than it was in the earlier installments .