小编导读:《后出师表》是三国时期著名文学家、政治家诸葛亮的作品。《后出师表》作于第一次北伐失败之后,大臣们对再次北出征伐颇有异议。诸葛亮立论于汉贼不两立和敌强我弱的严峻事实,向后主阐明北伐不仅是为实现先帝的遗愿,也是为了蜀汉的生死存亡,不能因“议者”的不同看法而有所动摇。正因为本表涉及军事态势的分析,事关蜀汉的安危,其忠贞壮烈之气,似又超过前表。表中“鞠躬尽力,死而后已”之句,正是作者在当时形势下所表露的坚贞誓言,令人读来肃然起敬。
诸葛亮 《后出师表》
先帝虑汉、贼不两立,王业不偏安,故托臣以讨贼也。以先帝之明,量臣之才,故知臣伐贼,才弱敌强也。然不伐贼,王业亦亡。惟坐而待亡,孰与伐之?是故托臣而弗疑也。
臣受命之日,寝不安席,食不甘味。思惟北征,宜先入南。故五月渡泸,深入不毛,并日而食;臣非不自惜也,顾王业不可偏安于蜀都,故冒危难,以奉先帝之遗意,而议者谓为非计。今贼适疲于西,又务于东,兵法乘劳,此进趋之时也。谨陈其事如左:
高帝明并日月,谋臣渊深,然涉险被创,危然后安。今陛下未及高帝,谋臣不如良、平,而欲以长策取胜,坐定天下,此臣之未解一也。
刘繇、王朗,各据州郡,论安言计,动引圣人,群疑满腹,众难塞胸;今岁不战,明年不征,使孙策坐大,遂并江东,此臣之未解二也。
曹操智计,殊绝于人,其用兵也,仿怫孙、吴,然困于南阳,险于乌巢,危于祁连,逼于黎阳,几败北山,殆死潼关,然后伪定一时耳。况臣才弱,而欲以不危而定之,此臣之未解三也。
曹操五攻昌霸不下,四越巢湖不成,任用李服而李服图之,委任夏侯而夏侯败亡,先帝每称操为能,犹有此失;况臣弩下,何能必胜?此臣之未解四也。
自臣到汉中,中间期年耳,然丧赵云、阳群、马玉、阎芝、丁立、白寿、刘合、邓铜等,及驱长屯将七十余人,突将、无前、丛叟、青羌、散骑、武骑一千余人。此皆数十年之内,所纠合四方之精锐,非一州之所有;若复数年,则损三分之二也,当何以图敌?此臣之未解五也。
今民穷兵疲,而事不可息;事不可息,则住与行劳费正等;而不及今图之,欲以一州之地,与贼持久,此臣之未解六也。
夫难平者,事也。昔先帝败军于楚,当此时,曹操拊手,谓天下已定。然后先帝东连吴、越,西取巴蜀,举兵北征,夏侯授首:此操之失计,而汉事将成也。然后吴更违盟,关羽毁败,秭归蹉跌,曹丕称帝。凡事如是,难可逆见。
臣鞠躬尽瘁,死而后已;至于成败利钝,非臣之明所能逆睹也。
Chu-Ko Kung-ming’s Second Memorial to the Throne on his Expedition
Having considered the fact that the House of Han could not allow theinsurgents to live under the same heaven and that its imperial activity oughtnot be contented with the enjoying of one-sided peace and tranquility, the lateemperor instructed your servant to have the insurgents suppressed. His Majesty,though fully aware of your servant’s inability to carry out this instruction,trusted him without hesitation; for the trend of events is that should therebels not be quelled the imperial destiny would be bound to go to rack, so itwould seem far much better to fight against them than succumb to them withoutresistance.
Upon receiving His Majesty’s order, your servant was quite lost inthinking, enjoying no sound sleep and having no good appetite. He was of theopinion that in order to be able to dispatch an expeditionary force to thenorth, it was essential that matters should first be settled in the south, andhe therefore ventured to cross the Lu River in the fifth moon, entering rightinto the barren region and setting a dietary limit to himself. It is not thathe did not know how to care about himself, but that the imperial dignity shouldnot tolerate the maintenance of one-sided peace in Szechuen; this is where hehas endeavored to act upon the late emperor’s instructions, though at his ownrisk. Such a course of action there are, however, many who are now disposed tocriticize or deprecate.
Now the rebels are being engaged in the east and getting exhaustedin the west; this is certainly a most propitious time to start a campaign, fortaking advantage of the adversary’s misfortunes is a good policy in militarytactics. Your servant begs to submit his views as follows:
With the acumen of Kao Ti — which can be likened to the brilliancyof the sun and moon — and with the counsels of his wise advisers, peace andorder was not maintained until many difficulties had been surmounted and untoldsufferings sustained. Seeing that Your majesty is not such as Kao Ti and YourMajesty’s advisers are not such as Chang Liang and Chen Ping, how is itpossible to expect to win, while sitting tight and making no attempt to move?This the first point not understood by your servant.
While holding their respective counties, Liu Yu and Wang Lang alwaysquoted from the sages in discussing the situation and in laying their plans,but they were so prone to suspicion and so easily overwhelmed with fear thatthey failed to make up their mind to fight year after year, until Sun Tse beganto rise and annex the entire territory of Kiangtung. This is the second pointnot understood by your servant.
Notwithstanding the fact that his resourcefulness was almostsuperhuman and his proficiency in strategies could favorably be compared withthat of Sun Ping and Wu Chi, Ts’ao Ts’ao was once besieged at Nanyang, thenescaped narrowly from Wuchao, then suffered seriously at Chilien, and was finallyvehemently pursued at Liyang. At PeisLan he was nearly put to rout; at Tungkwanhis escape from death was by a hair-breadth. After all this, he was only ableto find himself settling down to enjoy temporary peace. Now in the case of oneof much weaker caliber such as your servant, how could settlement be expectedwithout having to go through dangers? This is the third point not understood byyour servant?
In his attacks on Changpa on five different occasions Ts’ao Ts’aowas repulsed; in his attempt to cross Lake Chao for four times he met with nosuccess. He employed Li Fu and Li Fu betrayed him; he trusted Hsia How and HisaHow was killed. He was admired by the late emperor for his ability, yet hecould not avoid such failures. Then how could one of your servant’s inabilitybe sure of success? This is the fourth point not understood by your servant.
It is only a year since your servant came to Hanchung. During thistime, however, generals such as Chao Yun, Yang Chun, Ma Yu, Yen Chih, Ting Li,Pai Show, Liu Ho, Teng Tung, etc., and seventy odd majors and garrisoncommanders have been dead, together with over a thousand brave generals offoreign birth and well-disciplined cavaliers. They were among the best of theelements, not belonging to one district only, but gathered together fromvarious sources in all directions during the last tens of years. If it happensthat another few years are allowed to pass without any action being taken, theresult will be that two thirds of these elements will have been lost. Then withwhat will the enemy be attacked? This is the fifth point not understood by yourservant.
The people are now impoverished and the military strength is on thewane, yet we cannot afford to rest satisfied with the present condition ofaffairs. Under the circumstance, it would seem to involve the same amount ofenergy whether we stand still in the rear or take the offensive at the front.It is, therefore, inexplicable that while few appear to be prepared to taketime by the forelock, there are many who are content with the keeping of onedistrict to stand face to face with the rebels. This is the sixth point notunderstood by your servant.
It may be stated that it is exceedingly difficult to bring thecurrent of events to a standstill. At the time when the late emperor wassignally defeated in Hupeh, Ts’ao Ts’ao chuckled with glee at the impressionthat the situation began to be settled in his favor. But later, when HisMajesty threw in his lot with Wu and Yueh in the east acquired Szechuen in thewest, and launched a campaign in the north resulting in the killing of HsiaHow, it appeared likely that Ts’ao Ts’ao’s plan was doomed to failure, whilethat of Han was going to be crowned with success. Shortly afterwards, however,Wu broke off its agreement; Kuan Yu lost the day; the late emperor got theworst of it at Tzukuei and Ts’ao Pei assumed the title of emperor. All thisgoes to show how this course of things is often too uncertain to admit offorecast.
Your servant, therefore, desires to do all he can, even to the lastdrop of his blood, but without being able to foretell the consequences.