Longzhong Plan

Others charge that the political goal of the Longzhong Plan was flawed because the restoration of the Han court was unrealistic. The Wei government, considered by Zhuge Liang to be illegal, had effectively dealt with economic and political issues and had gained the support of the people. The military historians at the Military Science Academy in Beijing view Zhuge Liang's political goal as inappropriate and unrealistic even in 207 when the plan was formulated and totally irrelevant by the time of the Northern Expedition. The idea of seizing Jingzhou in the Longzhong Plan was a flawed concept because Sun Quan would never accept Liu Bei in control of this critical area, crucial for the security of his Jiangnan base. In essence, Zhuge Liang is charged with failing to make an objective analysis of the political situation in 207. The diplomatic success in restoring the alliance with Sun Quan prior to the Northern Expeditions is dismissed as useless because it brought little strategic dividend: each side had different political agendas which precluded close military coordination. Once the first Northern Expedition was turned back, the Wei state was capable of handling the two-front threat without much difficulty.