In 231 AD, Zhuge Liang once again led his troops to Mount Qi, facing off against the Wei army on the southern bank of the Wei River.
Zhuge Liang devised a plan: lure Sima Yi out of his camp into Shangfang Valley, using its treacherous terrain to annihilate the Wei army. He set an ambush there, and once Sima Yi entered, he ordered the valley set ablaze, trapping the Wei soldiers with no escape. But just then, a fierce wind arose and a torrential downpour extinguished the flames, allowing Sima Yi and his sons to survive against all odds. Watching the valley erupt in fire, Zhuge Liang was certain the Sima clan would perish—only to see his scheme fall short at the last moment.
After Sima Yi fled back to his camp, he held his position and refused to engage, ignoring all challenges from the Shu army. Zhuge Liang, working tirelessly day and night and exhausting every ounce of his strength, eventually collapsed from overwork. Knowing his time was short, he summoned Jiang Wei and Ma Dai to teach them military strategy and hand over secret plans. He then instructed Yang Yi, "After my death, do not announce my passing. Build a large shrine, place my body inside with grains of rice in my mouth and an eternal lamp lit at my feet. Keep everything in the army as usual, let the rear camps withdraw first, then each camp slowly follow, without haste. If Sima Yi pursues, form battle formations, wave flags, and beat drums. When he arrives, place my wooden statue on a chariot and push it to the front, with soldiers arrayed on both sides. Sima Yi will surely be frightened and flee." Having arranged everything, Zhuge Liang passed away that very night.
Following Zhuge Liang's final orders, Jiang Wei and Yang Yi suppressed all mourning, placed his body in a shrine guarded by three hundred loyal soldiers, and then issued the command for every camp to withdraw one by one.
Shortly before Zhuge Liang's death, he sent an envoy to Sima Yi. Sima Yi only asked about Zhuge Liang's diet and daily routine, then remarked to those nearby, "Zhuge Liang likely won't last much longer." When news of Zhuge Liang's death arrived, Sima Yi ordered his troops to pursue. Just outside the camp gate, he hesitated: "Zhuge Liang was a master of strategy—could he be faking his death to lure me out? If I charge recklessly, I'll fall into his trap." He turned back, sending only Xiahou Ba with a few dozen scouts to probe the Shu camp.
After confirming the Shu army had truly withdrawn, Xiahou Ba urgently reported, "The Shu forces have all retreated." Sima Yi and his son led their troops straight to the Shu camp, only to find it completely empty. Sima Yi pressed forward to the mountain base, spotting Shu soldiers in the distance and giving chase. Suddenly, a great clamor erupted from behind—Jiang Wei had ordered Yang Yi to raise banners and beat drums. From among the trees, a massive flag unfurled, reading: "Han Chancellor, Marquis of Wuxiang, Zhuge Liang." Sima Yi's face turned ashen. Gazing intently, he saw dozens of generals escorting a four-wheeled carriage, and seated within was none other than Zhuge Liang himself. Sima Yi cried out, "Kongming is still alive—I've fallen into a trap!" and fled at once. Jiang Wei attacked from the rear; the Wei soldiers, terrified out of their wits, abandoned their armor and weapons, suffering countless casualties. Sima Yi fled over five hundred li without stopping, his heart still pounding. The Shu army withdrew in an orderly fashion. Source: *Romance of the Three Kingdoms*, Chapter "Kongming's Death and Retreat"
A few days later, word spread among the people that Zhuge Liang had indeed died and the figure in the carriage was a wooden statue. They mocked Sima Yi, saying, "The dead Zhuge Liang scared away the living Zhongda." When this reached Sima Yi's ears, he laughed at himself, saying, "I can only anticipate the affairs of the living—how could I foresee his death?"
Later, the idiom "Dead Zhuge Scares Away Living Zhongda" came to be used figuratively for using a dead person to frighten the living.
Source: *Records of the Three Kingdoms*, "Biography of Zhuge Liang" (Pei Songzhi's Annotation)
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "死诸葛走生仲达" came to describe using a dead person to frighten the living.