The Records of the Three Kingdoms

The Execution of Ma Su

...[the late Emperor Liu Bei had warned,] "[Ma Su] should not be given significant responsibility; you must observe him carefully." Liang Zhuge Liang (181–234), the Chancellor of Shu Han., however, did not believe this to be the case. He appointed Su Ma Su, a talented but theoretical strategist whose blunder at Jieting led to the expedition's failure. as an Army Advisor, and the two would often converse from dawn until the deep of night.

But following the recent defeat, Liang had him arrested and executed. Liang wept bitter tears for him. When the time came for the funeral sacrifices, Liang personally comforted Su’s orphaned children.

Jiang Wan A high-ranking official and eventual successor to Zhuge Liang. spoke to Liang, saying: "In ancient times, when the State of Chu executed its general Dechen Dechen was a Chu commander whose suicide/execution after a defeat was celebrated by his enemy, Duke Wen of Jin, because it removed a capable threat., Duke Wen of Jin rejoiced. Today, while the world is still in upheaval and far from settled, to put to death a man of such strategic intellect—is this not a cause for great regret?"

Liang replied through his tears, "The reason Sun Wu Sun Tzu, the legendary author of The Art of War. was able to achieve victory throughout the world was because his application of the law was transparent and absolute. Today, the four seas are divided and the clash of arms has only just begun. If we begin to abandon our laws now, by what means shall we suppress the rebels?"

The Merit of Wang Ping

Prior to these events, Assistant General Wang Ping had repeatedly counseled Ma Su, but Su had been unable to use his advice. When the defeat occurred and the various units scattered in chaos, only the thousand-odd men under Ping’s command remained organized. They beat their drums and held their positions. The Wei general Zhang He suspected an ambush and did not dare to press his advantage.

Because of this, Ping was able to slowly and methodically gather the scattered soldiers from the various camps and lead them back. For this conduct, Liang appointed Ping as an Army Advisor and promoted him to the rank of Marquis. Meanwhile, Liang requested of the Emperor that he himself be demoted by three ranks A traditional Chinese gesture of taking official responsibility for a military failure..