Crazy, rich, and... poor?!?
Recently, Singapore made the headlines again since Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders (At Singapore). Otherwise known as Crazy Rich Asians, it's got the likes of Alfian "not that Alfian from Class 1H and 2H in the 90s Gan Eng Seng School" Sa'at and Kirsten "one half of the Sisters Han" Han up in arms.
Assuming the majority of Singaporeans has its own dangers. For starters, it means the privileged majority can date any local Singaporean girl (if you're a guy). The problem here? This and that. Does that mean Singaporeans belong to the low SES bonehead category? Well, being a low SES bastard (that is in the words of the stereotypical high SES-ers) like yours truly doesn't mean you're useless.
Note: The poster is yours truly who happens to be a low SES-er. Just don't try guessing where I am in the profile photo.
If there's a place I can liken to the ASEAN region, it'd be the Jing Province during the Han/Three Kingdoms era. In the Jing Province, there's a place called Longzhong. Not to be confused with the Singlish word longzong. Before I officially start this post, allow me to up two songs.
So what this post will be all about?
In the history of China, there's a famous (and I really mean famous) strategy. Also known as the Longzhong Strategy, this was to be the warlord Liu Bei's masterplan for unification and domination (actually, it's the same thing. Just ask Cao Cao and Sun Quan). The reason why this was called the Longzhong Strategy lies in two facts.
1. It was at Longzhong where Liu Bei and the famed strategist Zhuge Liang discussed great matters related to unification and domination.
2. The strategy was devised by Zhuge Liang.
So was the Longzhong Strategy truly unfeasible like what the critics say?
No, it's not. Here's my analysis why
Before I start, let me just point out that before Zhuge Liang, Sun Quan already had two wise men saying similar things. The first wise man was a high SES-er behaving like a low SES-er. His name was Lu Su, styled Zijing. During his youth, those around him actually think he went suku (i.e. Singlish word for daft).
[肃体貌魁奇，少有壮节，好为奇计。天下将乱，乃学击剑骑射，招聚少年，给其衣食，往来南山中射猎，阴相部勒，讲武习兵。父老咸曰：“鲁氏世衰，乃生此狂儿！”]
When Sun Quan asked Lu Su what he should do in the face of chaos, Lu Su pointed out that the importance of the Jing Province.
[“...为将军计，惟有鼎足江东，以观天下之衅。规模如此，亦自无嫌。何者？北方诚多务也。因其多务，剿除黄祖，进伐刘表，竟长江所极，据而有之，然后建号帝王以图天下，此高帝之业也。”]
Lu Su's strategy was very simple: It involved Sun Quan seizing control of the Jing Province, a task which he would surely relish. After all, Huang Zu was the reason why his dad Sun Jian died. At the same time, both sides had been going at each other's throats while Sun Sr was still alive, breathing, and yet to be ambushed to death. Consolidating the current Jiangdong territory and observing the situation first. Once the chance arrived, seize Jing Province, make yourself an emperor, and start plotting domination in the name of unification. If this sounds like the present day China, I apologize for mentioning what is coincidental.
Another wise man was a low SES-er who was the closest thing to an ITE grad minus a polytechnic diploma. Recently, someone made the news for all the wrong reason. Gan Ning, styled Xingba, was an ex-convict released from Changi prison. Comparing Aaron "not Kwok" Lim to Gan Ning is like comparing a content creator to a serial killer. Seriously, one does not simply make that guy angry.
So what was Gan Ning's masterplan? Seize Jing Province, then seize the Yi Province.
[宁陈计曰：“今汉祚日微，曹操弥憍，终为篡盗。南荆之地，山陵形便，江川流通，诚是国之西势也。宁已观刘表，虑既不远。儿子又劣，非能承业传基者也。至尊当早规之，不可后操。图之之计，宜先取黄祖。祖今年老，昏耄已甚，财谷并乏，左右欺弄，务于货利，侵求吏士，吏士心怨。舟船战具，顿废不修，怠于耕农，军无法伍。至尊今往，其破可必。一破祖军，鼓行而西，西据楚关，大势弥广，即可渐规巴、蜀。”]
Gan Ning's analysis was absurdly accurate for a low SES lowlife. Either he got lucky or he's actually smarter than your grandfather's A*STAR scholar. Given his future exploits, the answer should be the latter. Firstly, he knew Liu Biao and his sons (because he got more than one) were... well, useless despite their high SES status. At the same time, Huang Zu wasn't exactly the best man motivator alive, let alone the best man manager. Basically, that's my way of rephrasing Gan Ning's words in a diplomatic language. The original text basically reads more like "Huang Zu is a senile old man who doesn't understand his men's needs." (Fun fact: Huang Zu was guilty of looking down on Gan Ning due to his past as an ex-convict released from Changi prison, Yellow Ribbon or no Yellow Ribbon)
Secondly, he proposed an invasion to the west. In other words, the Yi Province should be next. This plan was different from Lu Su's version for a good reason: Lu Su never mentioned the Yi Province. Which means Lu Su's masterplan would most likely involve two options. Namely, either attacking the Yi Province or Cao Cao's territory depending on which side would tank like a Kyrgios first (Note: The regions of Ba and Shu [巴、蜀] referred to the Yi Province).
Zhuge Liang's Longzhong version was effectively a more in-depth version of Gan Ning's ah-beng version.
Note: Zhang Zhao wasn't clearly impressed by Lu Su and Gan Ning. He felt Xingba's plan was unfeasible due to the more immediate political needs [张昭时在坐，难曰：“吴下业业，若军果行，恐必致乱。”] while Zijing was nothing less than an orang kura ajar (i.e. a rude person) who might have consumed too much tide pods. [张昭非肃谦下不足，颇訾毁之，云肃年少粗疏，未可用。]
Add note: Sun Quan didn't give a heck to Zhang Zhao's words.
An introduction to Zhuge Liang's past
First, let's talk about Zhuge Liang's family.
[诸葛亮字孔明，琅邪阳都人也。汉司隶校尉诸葛丰后也。父圭，字君贡，汉末为太山郡丞。亮早孤，从父玄为袁术所署豫章太守，玄将亮及亮弟均之官。会汉朝更选朱皓代玄。玄素与荆州牧刘表有旧，往依之。]
Zhuge Liang styled Kongming. He was born in Yangdu County, Langya Commandery. His ancestor was Zhuge Feng, who happened to be an important court official (the term 司隶校尉 was ancient China's version of the FBI watching over the White House and Congress in case someone does something funny). Zhuge Liang's dad was Zhuge Gui (not the other Gui), styled Jungong. He's also a politician albeit on the municipal level. Zhuge Liang was orphaned at a young age (let this sink in for those who think their lives suck). His uncle Zhuge Xuan was the governor of Yuzhang. Because of this, Zhuge Liang and his younger brother (Zhuge Jun) became politicians as well. Then Zhuge Xuan was replaced by Zhu Hao. Zhuge Xuan had always stayed in contact with Liu Biao. After all, they're friends (whether they're BFF is something I can't answer you).
[臣本布衣，躬耕于南阳，苟全性命于乱世，不求闻达于诸候。先帝不以臣卑鄙，猥自枉屈，三顾臣于草庐之中，咨臣以当世之事，由是感激，遂许先帝以驱驰。]
Above is part of Zhuge Liang's First Military Memorial [前出师表]. The statement tells us Zhuge Liang's early life. A few points to note.
1. [臣本布衣，躬耕于南阳] Zhuge Liang was merely a low SES-er working as a farmer in Nanyang. It's a bit like working as a porter in SGH. Oh wait, that's me, not Kongming. Also, Nanyang here is different from another Nanyang.
2. [苟全性命于乱世] Zhuge Liang was living in chaotic times. Actually, everybody was living in chaotic times. Erm... like the current era, I guess?
3. [不求闻达于诸候] Basically, that's Zhuge Liang's way of saying "I didn't give a damn to politicians even though I enjoy analysing things."
4. [先帝不以臣卑鄙，猥自枉屈，三顾臣于草庐之中，咨臣以当世之事，由是感激，遂许先帝以驱驰。] This was Liu Bei paying a visit to Zhuge Liang at Longzhong, which resulted in the latter's life changing for good.
Point 4 refers to the moment where Zhuge Liang analysed the circumstances somewhere around 207 AD. Back then, the Jing Province had yet to fall into Cao Cao's hands. However, a family feud was brewing back then. Forget about Oxley Road, that one won't destroy Singapore. What happened between Liu Qi and Liu Cong was the real (catastrophic) deal. Family drama wise, it's self-destructive. Political drama wise, it's totally destructive. The ding dong was exactly the kind of drama Cao Cao enjoyed watching. No prizes for guessing correctly what happened next.
Explain the plan pls...
[自董卓已来，豪杰并起，跨州连郡者不可胜数。曹操比于袁绍，则名微而众寡，然操遂能克绍，以弱为强者，非惟天时，抑亦人谋也。今操已拥百万之众，挟天子而令诸侯，此诚不可与争锋。孙权据有江东，已历三世，国险而民附，贤能为之用，此可以为援而不可图也。荆州北据汉、沔，利尽南海，东连吴会，西通巴、蜀，此用武之国，而其主不能守，此殆天所以资将军，将军岂有意乎？益州险塞，沃野千里，天府之土，高祖因之以成帝业。刘璋暗弱，张鲁在北，民殷国富而不知存恤，智能之士思得明君。将军既帝室之胄，信义著于四海，总揽英雄，思贤如渴，若跨有荆、益，保其岩阻，西和诸戎，南抚夷越，外结好孙权，内修政理﹔天下有变，则命一上将将荆州之军以向宛、洛，将军身率益州之众出于秦川，百姓孰敢不箪食壶浆以迎将军者乎？诚如是，则霸业可成，汉室可兴矣。]
[Trans: Since Dong Zhuo, countless heroes and conquerors have risen. Compared to Yuan Shao, Cao Cao was inferior in terms of fame and numbers. Yet, he was able to overcome Shao as the weaker faction. It is not just a matter of timing gifted by heaven, but also a case of relying on sound counsel. Now that Cao has millions at his disposal with the emperor as the hostage to rein in the dissenting nobles, direct confrontation is not an option. Sun Quan is now in command of Jiangdong, his family lasting for three generations. His nation is like a fortress while the people are loyal. Combined with capable men at his disposal, it is wise to seek aid and not to invade. The Jing Province is linked up north with the region of Han and Mian with its riches stretching till the South Sea. To the east, it is linked to Wu while to the west is the region of Ba and Shu. That land is good for military usage, yet its master is incapable of holding onto it. This is like a gift from above, are you interested? The Yi Province is surrounded by treacherous terrain with rich soil spanning for thousand miles. It is the land of heavenly riches and this was how Gaozu (Liu Bang, the first Han emperor) eventually established his conquest. Liu Zhang is inept with Zhang Lu at the north. The people are hardworking while the nation is wealthy, yet not knowing help. The capable men there seek a capable lord. You are a descendant of royalty with your integrity spanning to the four corners of the land, always gathering heroes while seeking talented people like a man thirsting for water. If you can command the lands of Jing and Yi while retaining the defences and making peace with the minority tribes in the west and south, if you can make friends with Sun Quan while ensuring internal stability, then you can make your move once the vital opportunity presents itself. From the Jing Province, the troops can advance towards the region of Wan and Luo. You, my lord, can lead the men of Yi Province to the land of Qin. Once this happens, will the people not welcome you with food and drink? Once this takes place, the hegemony can be established and the Han royalty's fortune can be revived.]
The criticism behind Zhuge Liang's Longzhong Strategy lies in the assumption that Liu Bei must become the emperor with no rival whatsoever. This view was further reinforced by the fact that Zhuge Liang never mentioned Sun Quan's role once the main action started. Once we take a closer look at the greater picture, however, we may end up looking at the Longzhong Strategy as some kind of "wah this plan really lonzong dio, man!"
Let's divide China into three parts first. I don't mean (Inner) Mongolia, Tibet, and Xinjiang. Rather, I'm referring to the Cao Wei region spanning north and west, the Jiangdong region held by Sun Quan, and the aforementioned provinces of Jing and Yi under Liu Bei. Zhuge Liang never mentioned seizing Sun Quan's territory, but this was in fact a brilliant stroke of diplomacy. Separating Jiangdong from Cao Cao's territory was the Jing Province. Once Liu Bei was able to launch an invasion up north (according to Zhuge Liang's plan), Sun Quan could only have two choices.
1. Help Liu Bei. But because the Jing Province would be under Liu Bei's control, the Jiangdong faction would be forced to do Liu Bei's bidding in order to share whatever profit available. And by this, I mean splitting of the profit as well.
2. Do nothing. That'd be arguably worse.
The reason why I say option 2 would be arguably worse is that there must be a prerequisite requirement for the invasion: Cao Cao must experience the kind of upheaval capable of crippling the political stability. At that time, he got an immediate threat in the form of Ma Chao and Han Sui making more than just noise in the Liang Province (edit: Ma Chao and Han Sui only started making trouble in 211 AD, which would be 4 years after Zhuge Liang came out from his comfortable hole). It's quite possible that this was to be Zhuge Liang's best bet to stage what one would call the grand finale. Once the internal destabilization began, Liu Bei would start moving up north. From Chengdu, he would move up to Longxi. The land of Qin was effectively part of the Liang Province. By taking the western end of the province, Liu Bei would have effectively created a domino effect. The locals of Liang Province would start flocking to him like bees to honey.
From there, the momentum could easily go towards Luoyang. Luoyang was an important place for a reason: It was the capital of Eastern Han (back then, the Three Kingdoms era wasn't officially ushered in because that'd be Cao Pi exiling the emperor much later on). Therefore, a place holding much symbolic purpose could easily become a morale booster (for Liu Bei) and a morale Titanic (for Cao Cao). This, however, would be the job of the troops stationed at the Jing Province. Effectively, you can call it a pincer invasion. In reality, this pincer strategy could only be done on one condition: Liu Bei's entrance into Longxi. Years later, Zhuge Liang would employ this strategy. Without the Jing Province since Sun Quan would eventually take over Liu Bei's share by force (and with Lu Meng's shrewdness).
Simply put, the main force would be attacking from the west while the eastern front was intended to increase the pressure. Note that Zhuge Liang mentioned the need to take more land from the west compared to the east (i.e. comparing the land of Qin with the region of Luo and Wan would be like comparing the land mass of Soviet Union territory with the land mass of U.K. Okay, that's a hyperbole, but you get what I mean).
Ultimately, Liu Bei would get the lion's share while Sun Quan would have to decide between the scraps and nothing.
Another Medo-Persian Empire?
Zhuge Liang's plan mirrored another chapter of history in another land. One could compare the Cao Wei faction with the Babylonian Empire during the Old Testament era. As for Liu Bei and Sun Quan, they were effectively the Persians and Medes respectively. The Medo-Persian Empire (i.e. the Achaemenid Empire) was quite special in the sense that power was shared between the Persians and Medes. Case in point: We got Cyrus the Persian and Darius the Mede. In this case, Liu Bei would be the equivalent of Cyrus while Sun Quan would be the equivalent of Darius the Mede. Political influence wise, Liu Bei's territory would be equivalent to the entire empire. For Sun Quan, there'd be no difference between Jiangdong and the province of Babylon. So tell me, who would be the winner in the game of power sharing?
Perhaps this was Zhuge Liang's plan all the while. To stage an invasion during such times, one must have a legitimate reason based on integrity. That's why he mentioned the Han royalty. Never mind the fact that no one could authenticate whether Liu Bei was fibbing about his ancestry. In fact, Sun Jian's claim that he was descended from Sun Wu was another case of "you say, I say, who confirm."
By creating a hegemony favouring Liu Bei, that'd mean a case of a big boss state and a vassal state. In the history of ancient China alone, this is evident when it comes to China and Korea (i.e. the Korean Peninsula). Play the fast-forward button on the proverbial VCR player and you got Beijing and Pyongyang.
Epic fail
Ultimately, the reason why the Longzhong Strategy never worked was due to external circumstances more than anything else. When Cao Cao staged a successful invasion down south against the Jing Province, Liu Biao had passed away. The region was in turmoil. Despite Liu Biao's insistence to let Liu Bei take over as the boss, the legitimacy of such a will was to be disputed. The reason why was Liu Biao's distrust towards Liu Bei all the while. Of course, it could be counter-argued that Liu Biao saw no promise (and hope) in his two useless sons, that's why his will favoured Liu Bei. No matter what, there's no way for us to know the answer. Either way, Cao Cao took advantage of the situation and seized control of the region. If this sounds familiar to my fellow Singaporeans (i.e. not just the ethnic majority), that's because the Japanese learnt it from a Chinese during World War II. I won't be surprised if the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew was pissed off at the British over this. Just don't ask me whether he was pissed off at Winston Churchill as well.
The sequence of events would result in an unfair treaty so as to speak. Once Cao Cao got driven away during the Battle of Chibi, the Jing Province became a land grab scenario. Liu Bei got the southern part while Sun Quan got the western part. The northern part remained under Cao Cao's control and don't get me started on the Battle of Yiling. The reason why I say the treaty was unfair isn't due to the terms, but rather Sun Quan was better equipped in terms of manpower and resources. The fact that Liu Bei got his fair share of the booty was a testimony of Zhuge Liang's tactical brilliance more than anything else (hence, his self-comparison to Yue Yi who was a famous military commander during the Warring States era). To make things worse, Sun Quan managed to seize control of Nanjun. To fulfil his ambition, Liu Bei had to borrow Nanjun from Sun Quan with Jiangxia going the other direction (note: Interestingly, Jiangxia was nearer to Jiangdong while Nanjun was the Jing Province's border region linking it to the Yi Province). When Sun Quan demanded Liu Bei to return Nanjun, Liu Bei refused. On one hand, this was the agreement which Liu Bei shamelessly broke. On the other hand, giving up Nanjun is like putting a brain-dead patient on life support. Eventually, Nanjun would become the location of the last of the three great battles during that time. Namely, the Battle of Yiling, also known as the Battle of Xiaoting. This was where Lu Xun made his name as a rookie while this was where it all ended for Liu Bei. Not to mention Zhuge Liang's grand plan of creating a greater hegemony.
To end this on a more positive note...
Was Zhuge Liang's wife beautiful or ugly? There are two sides of the story just like how there are two sides of the coin.
The first side asserted that his wife was ugly. According to the historical text, his wife (surnamed Huang or Ng depending on whether you're mainland Chinese or Singaporean Chinese) was the adopted daughter of Huang Chengyan. How Huang/Ng Sr described his daughter went like this: [身有丑女，黄头黑色]
What does this mean?
1. Her complexion was dark.
2. Her hair was blonde/light coloured.
In fact, it was recorded that Zhuge Liang was ridiculed by the locals over his choice.
[时人以为笑乐，乡里为之谚曰：“莫作孔明择妇，正得阿承丑女。”]
The other side would go like "wait, is there such a woman existing as a Chinese in the first place?" At the risk of sounding racist (and politically incorrect), it seemed that Huang/Ng Sr was doing a Trumpish hyperbole. Yes, it's possible to see a Chinese girl with a dark complexion. During my days at the DDR department, I did see at least one such girl in the CT-MRI. And she's a Singaporean Chinese, not a Singaporean Malay. The problem lies in the hair. I mean, you don't need to have the surname Huang/Ng to dye your hair if you're a girl. The problem is, why would someone in ancient China do this? I don't know whether people could dye their hair back then, but the logic seems absurd to me nevertheless. Assuming the wife was a South Asian adopted by Huang/Ng, that's not going to explain why the hair colour like that!
There is a contradiction in both sides of an unlikely (love) story. For the seemingly unacceptable, you have the neighbours and residents making fun of the obvious. For the seemingly acceptable, there's no way to explain why Huang/Ng Sr would go all out with his words.
Which now comes to a daring assumption. What if Lady Huang/Ng was actually a beautiful lass, that the only reason behind Zhuge Liang brutally ridiculed was due to a case of sour grapes? After all, Huang/Ng Sr was a prominent figure in the political circles of Jing Province. He's no Dr Ng Eng Hen, but I guess it should be close enough.
Of course like always when it comes to studying history, there's no way you can get an answer to every question.
Note: There's this theory concerning Zhuge Liang marrying his Huang/Ng where he only did it in order to have better access to the local political circle. However, there's a problem. His uncle Zhuge Xuan was on good terms with Liu Biao. In other words, he already got an uncle to do the job for him. Either way, it should be safe to say that Zhuge Liang's wife was a high SES-er while he himself remained a low SES manual worker until Liu Bei entered his home.
Ending song
Copyright claim filed, even the Chinese are learning something from the Japanese. Hence, I decided to change the song. Skillsfuture, gotta love it.
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