生平

諸葛瑾因避戰亂而從徐州瑯琊郡遷往江東，孫權大姊夫弘咨向孫權推薦，而諸葛瑾與魯肅受到孫權器重，二人同為賓客禮待一併起用，後升為長史、中司馬。

後來赤壁之戰爆發之前，孫權派魯肅到荊州邀請劉備聯盟，魯肅說到自己與諸葛瑾是朋友，於是與諸葛瑾的弟弟諸葛亮交好。

雍容大度

215年，諸葛瑾奉命出使蜀漢要求劉備歸還荊州，最後以分界結束。219年，跟隨討伐關羽，封宣城侯、綏南將軍，代呂蒙領南郡太守。黃初二年（221年），劉備東伐吳，孫權請和故意示弱，害怕劉備的大軍如果失敗了就難以再對抗曹魏，諸葛瑾給劉備做書曰：「陛下遠道來至白帝，恐怕是因為吳王侵取荊州而來，危害關羽，怨深禍大。不肯講和，這是小人之心。試為陛下論說輕重，及其大小。陛下如果壓抑憤恨，所以問題都可以立刻解決，不用再次咨詢各位將領。陛下與關羽的親密與歷任漢先帝哪個更重要？荊州的大小與海內天下又如何相比？根據這些與仇恨區分，哪些才是先後解決的事呢？如若審視現況，易於反掌。」

由於諸葛亮久事劉備，而且位高權重，諸葛瑾此時的立場便顯得尷尬（尤其以記載來看，關於諸葛瑾通蜀漢的謠言不是此時才有），當時謠言四起，或言瑾遣親人與備相聞，權曰：「孤與子瑜有死生不易之誓，子瑜之不負孤，猶孤之不負子瑜也。」並說自己與諸葛瑾已是神交，關係非外人可以離間，對其信任之深不言可喻。

弘緩不失

222年，孫權受封吳王，封諸葛瑾為左將軍、督公安，假節，封宛陵侯。同年曹真、夏侯尚等圍朱然於江陵，孫權派諸葛瑾與夏侯尚對江救援，諸葛瑾水陸兩進，在陸地上渡江的同時，分水軍在江上渡江；夏侯尚在夜裡使用布滿油的船，把步騎萬餘人於下流潛伏渡江，進攻諸葛瑾的大軍，在夾江的地方燒毀其船隻，同時也進行水陸進攻打敗諸葛瑾大軍。諸葛瑾性格弘緩，根據道理來定計劃，沒有應急依存的方案，被圍困的大軍長時間沒有得到緩解，孫權對此失望。當時春水又開始，潘璋見魏兵日渡不絕，說：「魏勢始盛，江水又淺，未可與戰。」便將所領，到魏上流五十裡，伐葦數百萬束，縛作大筏，準備順流放火，燒敗浮橋。筏剛做完，伺水長當下，夏侯尚就因得到命令而撤出，諸葛瑾攻浮橋，曹真等軍也退去。雖無大功，但全軍保護國境有功。

229年，孫權稱帝，諸葛瑾升任大將軍，兼任左都護豫州牧。

朝政風波

226年，孫權得知魏文帝去世後，於八月出兵攻魏。命吳左將軍諸葛瑾部兵分兩路進攻襄陽（今湖北襄樊），親自率軍進攻江夏郡（治安陸，今湖北雲夢西南）。孫權攻陷高城，而諸葛瑾則被司馬懿擊敗，並斬殺吳將張霸，別將在尋陽被曹休打敗。十二月，升任驃騎將軍。

赤烏元年（238年），弄政大臣呂壹遭處死。先前，諸葛瑾、呂岱、朱然、步騭以自己為武官，未有幹涉呂壹一事，呂壹死後，孫權派遣中書郎袁禮斥責四人，指自己與四人恩猶骨肉，榮福喜戚，相與共之，自己政治上出錯，理應上奏勸告，不應置身事外。

進退有度

236年，孫權北征，派右都督陸遜與中司馬諸葛瑾攻襄陽。陸遜派親戚韓扁懷揣奏疏上報朝廷，返回途中，在途中遇到敵人，敵人抓獲了韓扁。諸葛瑾聽後，十分恐慌，寫信給陸遜說：「大駕已還，敵人得到韓扁，將我們的虛實全部打聽清楚了。而且河水快乾了，最好是趕快離去。」陸遜接報後並未作答覆，卻催促人種葑豆（一種蔬菜），與眾將領下棋射箭遊戲，一如平常。諸葛瑾知道後說：「陸伯言足智多謀，他這樣做一定自有考慮。」於是親自來見陸遜，陸遜說：「敵人知道大駕已還，再不用為此籌謀，便專心對付我們。如今敵人已經守衛了要害之處，兵將已經出動，我們自己應當首先鎮定自如以穩住部隊，然後再巧施計謀，退出此地。如果今天就向敵人表明我們要走，敵人會以為我們害怕了，必然會來威逼我們，那就是必敗之勢了。」於是二人秘密定計，令諸葛瑾坐鎮舟船，陸遜率領全部兵馬向襄陽進發。敵人素來懼怕陸遜，見陸遜要攻襄陽，立即退回城中。諸葛瑾便引船而出，陸遜慢慢整頓好隊伍，大張旗鼓地走上船。敵人不知究竟，反而不敢追擊，於是陸遜全軍安然退出。

241年四月，吳帝孫權分兵四路攻魏：全琮率軍數萬出淮南決芍陂（今安徽壽縣南）之水，諸葛恪攻六安（今安徽六安東北），朱然、孫倫攻樊城（今湖北襄樊），諸葛瑾、步騭攻祖中（今湖北南漳蠻河流域）。五月，太子孫登逝世，其臨終上疏裡的輔臣名單有諸葛瑾，同月司馬懿出兵救樊。六月，班師回朝。

同年閏六月，諸葛瑾逝世，享年六十八歲，死前命後人簡葬不得鋪張。

特徵

• 諸葛瑾容貌溫文爾雅而且大方，當時的人都敬服他為人弘雅。孫權亦非常敬重他，每有大事都會先與他商量。三國志《諸葛恪傳》則記載諸葛瑾為長臉，曾被孫權帶著驢對自身的臉開玩笑。

• 諸葛瑾朝中人緣極好，與吳宗室的孫皎、江東豪族的張承、同為徐州出身的步騭和嚴畯等皆為好友，大都督陸遜亦與諸葛瑾結好，諸葛瑾女兒嫁給張承為繼室。周昭稱這些人雖地位有所不同，仍各守所志，保其名好，可謂當世君子。虞翻因為狂放直率而被流放，也只有諸葛瑾多次替他說情。

逸聞

• 虞翻性格狂直，所以被遷徙，唯獨諸葛瑾屢次幫他求情。虞翻寫書給親友時說道：「諸葛瑾仁厚，如蒼天救助生存物，承蒙他的公平，維繫我的名分。但我的罪惡累積深重，恐怕加重我的罪。雖有祁奚般的解救，但我沒有羊舌氏的德行，解釋也是難辭其咎。」

• 諸葛瑾同孫權無論談話、勸諫，從不急迫直言，只是委婉表示出自己的傾向，大略道出自己的意圖，點到為止。如有與孫權心意不合時，他便放棄正在進行的內容而轉向其他的話題，漸漸地再借其他事情從頭開始，以對同類事情的看法求得孫權的贊同，于是孫權的思想也往往得到開通。故孫權非常敬重喜愛他，稱與諸葛瑾有死生不易之誓，為自己的神交。

• 夷陵之戰準備開戰時，朝廷中有謠言說諸葛瑾派親人暗通劉備有謀反之意，陸遜則為諸葛瑾辯說要孫權不要相信讒言。孫權亦知道諸葛瑾為人絕對無反意，並對陸遜說：「當初諸葛亮來東吳時，我打算讓子瑜勸諸葛亮留下來為江東效力，但子瑜回答大家已經各為其主，君臣歸屬已經決定，從道義上不能三心兩意。弟弟不會留在東吳，正如我不會投靠蜀漢一樣這樣回應。所以我不相信謠言，我與子瑜有生死不易的誓言，子瑜不會負我，我亦不會負子瑜，之前有任何妄言的文疏，我都封了表章直接交給子瑜，並親自寫信給他，我與子瑜已是神交，不是其他人可以離間的，你的意思我已經知道，會把你的表章交給子瑜，讓他知道你的用心。」

• 諸葛瑾才略雖然不及其弟諸葛亮，但德行謹慎謙卑，妻子死後不再娶，愛妾生子而不扶立。

家庭

祖先

• 諸葛豐，漢元帝時任司隸校尉，他以執法嚴格、性情剛直見稱。

父輩

• 諸葛珪，諸葛瑾父親。東漢末年為泰山郡丞。於諸葛亮幼年已死。

• 諸葛玄，諸葛瑾叔父。本為豫章太守，後投靠劉表，照顧諸葛亮和諸葛均。

堂兄弟

• 諸葛誕，諸葛瑾堂弟，三國時曹魏大臣和重要將領，官至征東大將軍，後在壽春發動叛亂反抗司馬昭，兵敗被殺。

兄弟姊妹

• 諸葛亮，諸葛瑾之弟。蜀漢丞相，兄弟二人於公事上都不帶親屬感情。

• 諸葛均，諸葛瑾之弟。在蜀漢官至長水校尉。

• 諸葛瑾有兩位妹妹，一位嫁給龐山民，一位嫁給襄陽望族蒯氏的蒯祺。

子女

• 諸葛恪，諸葛瑾長子，三國時孫吳權臣，後被誅。

• 諸葛喬，諸葛瑾次子，後成為諸葛亮養子。官至翊武將軍，早逝。

• 諸葛融，諸葛瑾三子，在父兄中特別奢侈，諸葛恪被誅後飲藥而死。

• 諸葛氏，諸葛瑾之女，後成為其好友張承續弦妻子，生張震。

孫

• 諸葛綽

• 諸葛竦

• 諸葛建

• 諸葛攀，諸葛喬之子。諸葛恪被殺後東吳諸葛瑾後裔已滅絕，便恢復諸葛瑾之後。

玄孫

• 諸葛顯，蜀亡後與諸葛京一同被遷到河東郡定居，成為諸葛瑾一脈唯一傳人。

評價

• 三國志作者陳壽評曰：「諸葛瑾、步騭並以德度規檢見器當世。」

• 孫權：「子瑜與孤從事積年，恩如骨肉，深相明究，其為人非道不行，非義不言。」「孤與子瑜，可謂神交，非外言所間也。孤與子瑜有死生不易之誓，子瑜之不負孤，猶孤之不負子瑜也。」

• 虞翻：「諸葛敦仁，則天活物，比蒙清論，有以保分。」

• 孫登：「諸葛瑾、步騭、朱然、全琮、朱據、呂岱、吾粲、闞澤、嚴畯、張承、孫怡忠於為國，通達治體。」《三國志·吳書·孫登傳》

• 世說新語中曾記載諸葛瑾與弟諸葛亮、堂弟諸葛誕齊名，時人有言：「蜀得其龍，吳得其虎，魏得其狗。」這裡的虎便是指諸葛瑾。

• 傅玄：「孫策為人明果獨斷，勇蓋天下，以父堅戰死，少而合其兵將以報讎，轉鬥千里，盡有江南之地，誅其名豪，威行鄰國。及權繼其業，有張子布以為腹心，有陸議、諸葛瑾、步騭以為股肱，有呂範、朱然以為爪牙，分任授職，乘間伺隙，兵不妄動，故戰少敗而江南安。」

• 周昭：「急論議則傷人，爭名勢則敗友，重朋黨則蔽主，務欲速則失德，此四者不除，未有能全也。當世君子能不然者，亦比有之，豈獨古人乎！然論其絕異，未若顧豫章、諸葛使君、步丞相、嚴衛尉、張奮威之為美也。」

• 陸機：「風雅則諸葛瑾、張承、步騭以聲名光國。」

• 袁宏：「子瑜都長，體性純懿。諫而不犯，正而不毅。將命公庭，退忘私位。豈無鶺鴒，固慎名器。」

• 《吳書》：「初，瑾為大將軍，而弟亮為蜀丞相，二子恪、融皆典戎馬，督領將帥，族弟誕又顯名于魏，一門三方為冠蓋，天下榮之。謹才略雖不及弟，而德行尤純。妻死不改娶，有所愛妾，生子不舉，其篤慎皆如此。」

• 郝經：「諸葛瑾才猷蘊借，顓面上將以功名終，亦其次也。」「侃侃相臣，濟威以仁。震霆收聲，澤國生春。元嘆徳度，沉深穆逺。澄淵不波，龍盤蛟轉。子山純懿，子瑜共肅。贊元將命，共安坤軸。」

• 余嘉錫：「諸葛三君，功名鼎盛，彪炳人寰，繼以瞻、恪、靚，皆有重名。故渡江之初，猶以王、葛並稱。」

• 黎東方於《細說三國》一書指出（146頁）：「沒有周瑜、魯肅，便不會有建安十三年（208年）的赤壁之戰，沒有諸葛瑾，也不會有猇亭之役以後的吳、蜀言歸於好。」由此可見，諸葛瑾與周瑜、魯肅等人，同為孫權所倚重，在吳國有舉足輕重地位的人物。

藝術形象

三國演義

• 在魯肅推薦下加入江東，赤壁之戰前夕與弟弟諸葛亮相遇，是投降派的一人。周瑜命諸葛瑾說服諸葛亮加入東吳，但被諸葛亮反說加入劉備。第一次合肥之戰，太史慈打算夜襲，諸葛瑾則認為張遼多謀恐怕已經有準備，這個計劃不可行。樊城之戰，曹操派滿寵為使者聯絡孫權聯合夾擊關羽。孫權問謀士意見，諸葛瑾獻計與關羽聯姻，如果關羽答應，我們就一起攻打曹操，如果拒絕的話，我們就幫助曹操並取回荊州。諸葛瑾出使聯姻，受到關羽辱罵打算砍諸葛瑾，最終孫權聯合曹操攻取荊州。關羽敗走麥城，諸葛瑾出使勸降。在彞陵之戰爆發前夕，孫權派諸葛瑾向劉備求和，結果遭到企圖為關、張之死報仇的劉備回絕。曹丕三路伐吳，諸葛瑾在南郡防禦曹真。諸葛瑾伏兵於外、陸遜伏兵於內裡應外合大敗曹真和夏侯尚。石亭之戰後，諸葛瑾與陸遜在江陵防禦司馬懿。

• 三國志

• 三國演義

• 《橫山光輝三國志》（橫山光輝）

• 《蒼天航路》（王欣太）

• 《火鳳燎原》（陳某）

影視作品

• 香港亞洲電視電視劇《諸葛亮》 （1985年）：由熊德誠飾演諸葛瑾。

• 中國中央電視台電視劇《三國演義》（1994年）：分別由種玉傑、汪兆桂飾演諸葛瑾。

• 中國電視劇《東方小故事》（1994年）：由張慶海飾演諸葛瑾。

• 中國中央電視台電視劇《武聖關公》（2004年）：由雷雄飾演諸葛瑾。

• 中國電視劇《三國》（2010年）：由曹毅飾演諸葛瑾。

Family background

Zhuge Jin's ancestral home (and probably birthplace too) was in Yangdu County, Langya Commandery (琅邪郡), which is located in present-day Yinan County or Yishui County, Shandong. There are two other accounts of his ancestral origins in the Wu Shu and Fengsu Tong.

The Wu Shu recorded that his ancestral family name was actually Ge (葛) and his ancestors were originally from Zhu County (諸縣; southwest of present-day Zhucheng, Shandong) before they settled in Yangdu County. As there was already another Ge family in Yangdu County before they came, the locals referred to the newcomers as the Zhuge – combining Zhu (County) and Ge – to distinguish them from the other Ge family. Over time, Zhuge Liang's ancestors adopted Zhuge as their family name.

The Fengsu Tong recorded that his ancestor was Ge Ying (葛嬰), a general who served under Chen Sheng, the rebel king who led the Dazexiang uprising against the Qin dynasty. Chen Sheng later executed Ge Ying. During the early Western Han dynasty, Emperor Wen considered that Ge Ying was unjustly put to death, so he enfeoffed Ge Ying's grandson as the Marquis of Zhu County to honour Ge Ying. Over time, Ge Ying's descendants adopted Zhuge as their family name by combining Zhu (County) and Ge.

The earliest known ancestor of Zhuge Jin who bore the family name Zhuge was Zhuge Feng (諸葛豐), a Western Han dynasty official who served as Colonel-Director of Retainers (司隷校尉) under Emperor Yuan ( 48–33 BCE). Zhuge Jin's father, Zhuge Gui (諸葛珪), whose courtesy name was Jungong (君貢), served as an assistant official in Taishan Commandery (泰山郡; around present-day Tai'an, Shandong) in the late Eastern Han dynasty under Emperor Ling ( 168–189 CE).

Zhuge Jin had two younger brothers and two sisters. His brothers were Zhuge Liang and Zhuge Jun (諸葛均). One of their two sisters married Kuai Qi (蒯祺) while the other married Pang Shanmin (龐山民), a cousin of Pang Tong.

Early life

In his youth, Zhuge Jin visited Luoyang, the imperial capital, where he studied classical texts such as the Mao Commentary on the Classic of Poetry, Book of Documents, and Zuo Zhuan. When his mother died, he went home and dutifully performed filial mourning. He also treated his stepmother in a courteous and respectful manner, which earned him fame for his filial piety.

When chaos broke out throughout China towards the end of the Eastern Han dynasty, Zhuge Jin fled from home and headed south to the Jiangdong region for shelter. He travelled around the region with Bu Zhi and Yan Jun, and they earned themselves fine reputations as learned men. At the time ( 200s), Sun Quan had recently succeeded his deceased elder brother, Sun Ce, as the warlord ruling over the territories in Jiangdong. Hong Zi, a brother-in-law of Sun Quan, noticed and recognised Zhuge Jin's talent so he recommended Zhuge Jin to serve under Sun Quan. Sun Quan treated Zhuge Jin, Lu Su and other talents who came to join him like honoured guests. Zhuge Jin then started his career under Sun Quan as a Chief Clerk (長史). Later, he was reassigned to the position of a Central Major.

Sun–Liu territorial dispute

Sometime between June and August 215, Sun Quan sent Zhuge Jin as his representative to visit his ally, Liu Bei, who had recently seized control of Yi Province (covering present-day Sichuan and Chongqing). Zhuge Jin's task was to ask Liu Bei to "return" the territories in southern Jing Province (covering present-day Hubei and Hunan) to Sun Quan, according to an earlier agreement that Liu Bei would only use Jing Province as a temporary base and would return them to Sun Quan once he found another base. However, Liu Bei refused and said he would return the territories after he seized Liang Province.

Sun Quan ignored Liu Bei and sent his officials to assume office in the three commanderies of Changsha (長沙), Lingling (零陵) and Guiyang (桂陽) in southern Jing Province. However, Guan Yu, Liu Bei's general in charge of defending those territories, drove Sun Quan's officials away. An enraged Sun Quan then ordered his general Lü Meng to lead 20,000 troops to seize the three commanderies by force. After a standoff between both sides and tense negotiations, Liu Bei agreed to divide southern Jing Province between his and Sun Quan's domains along the Xiang River: Liu Bei would keep Nan, Lingling and Wuling commanderies in the west, while Sun Quan would take Changsha, Jiangxia and Guiyang commanderies in the east.

The territorial dispute was resolved by mid August to early September 215. Sun Quan then sent Zhuge Jin as his representative to visit Liu Bei again. During this trip, Zhuge Jin met his second brother Zhuge Liang, who was serving as an adviser to Liu Bei. They refrained from meeting each other in private to dispel any suspicions that either of them was secretly collaborating with his brother against his lord.

Role in the Wu–Shu conflict

Wu invasion of Jing Province

In 219, Sun Quan broke the Sun–Liu alliance and ordered his general Lü Meng to lead troops to seize Liu Bei's territories in southern Jing Province, which were guarded by Liu Bei's general Guan Yu, who was away at the Battle of Fancheng at the time. Zhuge Jin participated in the invasion, which turned out successful. Guan Yu was eventually captured and executed by Sun Quan's forces. Lü Meng died of illness a few months after the victory. In recognition of Zhuge Jin's contributions during the campaign, Sun Quan enfeoffed him as the Marquis of Xuancheng (宣城侯) and appointed him as General Who Pacifies the South to replace Lü Meng as the Administrator (太守) of Nan Commandery (南郡; around present-day Jingzhou, Hubei), the former headquarters of Liu Bei's territories in Jing Province. Zhuge Jin was stationed at Gong'an County, one of the key counties in Nan Commandery.

In 220, Cao Pi usurped the throne from Emperor Xian, ended the Eastern Han dynasty, and established the state of Cao Wei (or Wei) with himself as the new emperor. This event marked the end of the Eastern Han dynasty and the beginning of the Three Kingdoms period in China. Sun Quan pledged nominal allegiance to Cao Pi and became a vassal of Wei. In return, Cao Pi awarded Sun Quan the title "King of Wu" and granted him autonomous rule over the Jiangdong (or Wu) territories. A year later, Liu Bei declared himself emperor and established the state of Shu Han (or Shu) to contest Cao Pi's legitimacy.

Battle of Xiaoting

In 221, when Liu Bei started the Battle of Xiaoting against Sun Quan to retake his lost territories in southern Jing Province, Sun Quan sent Zhuge Jin as his representative to meet Liu Bei and begin peace talks. Zhuge Jin told Liu Bei:

In his annotations to Zhuge Jin's biography in the Sanguozhi, the fifth-century historian Pei Songzhi rebutted Zhuge Jin's speech to Liu Bei. From Pei Songzhi's point of view, Liu Bei had good reason(s) to go to war with Sun Quan because Sun Quan thwarted his attempts to revive the Eastern Han dynasty when he broke the Sun–Liu alliance and seized Jing Province. Pei Songzhi also noted that Liu Bei's relationship with Guan Yu was so close that it could not be described in words. He remarked that if Liu Bei and Guan Yu's relationship were to be described in words in the Sanguozhi, it would take up so much space that it becomes a waste of space.

The Battle of Xiaoting ended in late 222 with victory for Sun Quan's forces, which were led by Sun Quan's general Lu Xun. Liu Bei retreated to Baidicheng (in present-day Fengjie County, Chongqing) after his disastrous defeat and died of illness in early 223.

Battles against Wei

In late 222, Sun Quan, who was previously a vassal king under the Cao Wei state, broke ties with the Wei emperor Cao Pi and declared himself the independent ruler of his Eastern Wu state. He promoted Zhuge Jin to General of the Left, granted him acting imperial authority, and ordered him to station at Gong'an County to oversee the Wu defences in southern Jing Province. He also enfeoffed Zhuge Jin as the Marquis of Wanling (宛陵侯).

Battle of Jiangling (223)

Between 222 and 223, the Wei generals Cao Zhen and Xiahou Shang led their troops to attack the Wu-controlled Jiangling County (江陵縣; in present-day Jingzhou, Hubei), which was defended by the Wu general Zhu Ran. At the same time, another detachment of Wei troops occupied Zhongzhou (中州), an island in the Yangtze River near Jiangling County. When Zhuge Jin heard about it, he led Wu forces from Gong'an County to reinforce Zhu Ran. However, he turned out to be an incompetent military commander as he showed weak leadership, adopted a slow and reactive approach, and spent too much time on discussion and planning as opposed to actively seizing opportunities to attack the enemy. Due to his incompetence, the siege dragged on, and Sun Quan became rather unhappy with him. The siege on Jiangling County was eventually lifted after the Wu general Pan Zhang came up with a plan to burn down the Wei forces' pontoon bridges and drive them back. Although Zhuge Jin did not make any significant achievements in the battle, he received credit for contributing to the Wu forces' overall success in defending Jiangling County.

Battle of Xiangyang (226)

Between September and early November 226, following Cao Pi's death and Cao Rui's accession to the Wei throne, Sun Quan personally led Wu forces to attack the Wei-controlled Jiangxia Commandery, which was defended by the Wei general Wen Ping. At the same time, he ordered Zhuge Jin and Zhang Ba to lead a separate Wu army to attack the Wei-controlled city of Xiangyang. However, Zhuge Jin lost the battle against Wei forces led by Sima Yi. Zhang Ba was killed in battle and the Wu army lost over 1,000 men. In the meantime, Sun Quan mistakenly believed that Wei reinforcements had arrived at Jiangxia Commandery, so he pulled back his troops and returned to Wu.

Battle of Xiangyang (234)

Between mid June and early September 234, Sun Quan personally led a 100,000 strong Wu army to attack the Wei fortress of Xincheng at Hefei. At the same time, he ordered Lu Xun and Zhuge Jin to lead another 10,000 troops to attack Xiangyang, and Sun Shao and Zhang Cheng to lead their troops to attack Huaiyin County in Guangling Commandery (around present-day Huai'an, Jiangsu). The Wei general Man Chong, who oversaw Xincheng's defences, successfully repelled the Wu invaders and killed Sun Quan's nephew Sun Tai in battle. Sun Quan eventually ordered a retreat when a plague broke out in his army and after he heard that the Wei emperor Cao Rui was personally leading reinforcements to Hefei. Sun Shao and Zhang Cheng also pulled back from Guangling Commandery after learning of Sun Quan's retreat from Hefei.

In the meantime, Lu Xun ordered a close aide, Han Bian, to deliver a report to Sun Quan. On the journey back, Han Bian was captured by a Wei patrol. When Zhuge Jin learnt of Han Bian's capture, he became fearful so he wrote to Lu Xun and urged him to make a hasty retreat from Xiangyang. Lu Xun did not respond, and he instructed his men to plant turnips and peas while he played weiqi and other games with his officers as though nothing had happened. Zhuge Jin believed that Lu Xun knew what he was doing so he did not panic. He came to see Lu Xun, who told him: "The enemy knows that His Majesty (Sun Quan) has withdrawn his forces, so they have no worries and will concentrate their attacks on us. Besides, they have already stationed troops at critical positions and are poised to strike. Hence, we should remain composed and calm our men, after which we will have a change of plans and prepare to withdraw. If we display signs of retreat now, the enemy will think that we are afraid and will definitely attack us, resulting in defeat for us."

Lu Xun then secretly conveyed his plan to Zhuge Jin and ordered him to supervise the fleet of vessels on which they would sail back to Wu, while he gathered his troops and headed towards Xiangyang. The Wei forces had been wary of Lu Xun all this while so they immediately retreated back into the city when they saw Lu Xun's army approaching. Lu Xun organised his men in an orderly manner and instructed them to pretend to prepare for an attack on Xiangyang. By then, Zhuge Jin and the fleet had shown up, so Lu Xun and his forces progressively retreated to the vessels and left. The Wei forces in Xiangyang did not dare to make any move.

Later life and death

In 229, after Sun Quan declared himself emperor of Eastern Wu, he appointed Zhuge Jin as General-in-Chief, Left Protector-General (左都護), and as the nominal Governor (牧) of Yu Province.

After the Lü Yi scandal ended in 238, Sun Quan sent a personal representative to meet all his senior generals and apologise to them, as well as to seek their views on how he could reform the bureaucracy to prevent corrupt officials like Lü Yi from abusing their powers again. However, to his disappointment, Zhuge Jin and other generals such as Bu Zhi, Zhu Ran and Lü Dai gave the excuse that they were not in charge of civil affairs and said that civil affairs were best left to civil officials such as Lu Xun and Pan Jun. Sun Quan then wrote an emotional letter to them, blaming himself for the mistakes and urging them to give him honest advice and point out his mistakes. After receiving the letter, Zhuge Jin was so moved that he wrote a clear, detailed and well-reasoned response to the Lü Yi scandal and Sun Quan's queries.

Zhuge Jin died in July or August 241 at the age of 68 (by East Asian age reckoning). Before his death, he expressed a desire to be dressed in plain clothes and to have a simple funeral.

Relationship with Sun Quan

Throughout his life, Zhuge Jin was known for conducting himself with grace and decorum, and for being thoughtful and magnanimous. These traits earned him much admiration and respect from his contemporaries. Sun Quan also regarded him highly and often consulted him on important issues.

Zhuge Jin was known for being tactful whenever he spoke to Sun Quan, be it giving advice or small talk. He spoke in a toned-down and indirect manner, gave only a brief outline of what he wanted to say, and stopped immediately once he sensed that Sun Quan got his point. When he realised that Sun Quan's views were at odds with his, he would subtly change the topic of the conversation and use other topics as analogies to persuade Sun Quan to see things from his point of view. He was successful as Sun Quan understood his views better and became more receptive of them.

After the Battle of Xiaoting of 221–222, someone secretly reported to Sun Quan that Zhuge Jin had sent a close aide to speak with Liu Bei. Sun Quan did not suspect Zhuge Jin's loyalty towards him and instead remarked, "I have made an oath with Ziyu. As long as Ziyu doesn't let me down, I won't let him down."

The Jiang Biao Zhuan (江表傳) recorded that when Zhuge Jin was serving as the Administrator of Nan Commandery, someone secretly reported to Sun Quan that Zhuge Jin had covert dealings with Liu Bei. When Lu Xun heard of such rumours, he wrote a memorial to Sun Quan to speak up for Zhuge Jin and reassure his lord that Zhuge Jin was loyal towards him. Sun Quan wrote a reply to Lu Xun as follows:

Mediating conflicts between Sun Quan and his subjects

Apart from being one of Sun Quan's most trusted subjects, Zhuge Jin was also known for helping to mediate conflicts between his lord and his subjects on a number of occasions as follows.

Zhu Zhi

Zhu Zhi was the official who recommended Sun Quan as a xiaolian (civil service candidate) to serve in the government when Sun Quan was still in his youth. After Sun Quan became the warlord ruling over the Jiangdong territories, Zhu Zhi served under Sun Quan and was held in high regard. Later, for some reason, Sun Quan became unhappy with Zhu Zhi but he could not bring himself to scold the latter, out of respect for him. Zhuge Jin noticed Sun Quan's frustration and figured out why. However, he kept quiet and decided to use an indirect method to help Sun Quan resolve the problem. He set up a hypothetical scenario similar to the conundrum Sun Quan faced, asked Sun Quan questions and guided his thoughts, and wrote them down as Sun Quan spoke. Once they were done, he presented his writing to Sun Quan, who was so pleased after reading it that he remarked: "You have helped me resolve my frustration. Yan Hui spoke of promoting harmony among people as a virtue. Isn't this an example of that?"

Yin Mo

On one occasion, Sun Quan got angry at Yin Mo (殷模), a colonel serving under him, and accused him of committing an offence so severe that Sun Quan's other subjects were shocked. When his subjects pleaded with him to spare Yin Mo, Sun Quan became even more furious and he started quarrelling with them. Only Zhuge Jin remained silent. Sun Quan noticed it and asked him: "Ziyu, why are you the only person who hasn't spoken?" Zhuge Jin then left his seat, stood up and said: Sun Quan felt deeply saddened after hearing Zhuge Jin's words. He then said: "I'll let him off because of you."

Yu Fan

When Yu Fan, one of Sun Quan's advisers, was banished to the remote Jiao Province for his disrespectful and offensive behaviour, Zhuge Jin not only repeatedly tried to persuade Sun Quan to pardon Yu Fan, but was also the only one among Sun Quan's subjects who spoke up for Yu Fan.

Later, Yu Fan wrote a letter to a relative as follows:

Zhou Yin

Sometime between 229 and 239, Zhou Yin (周胤), a son of Zhou Yu, committed an offence and was exiled to Luling Commandery (廬陵郡; around present-day Ji'an, Jiangxi) as punishment. In 239, Zhuge Jin and Bu Zhi wrote a memorial to Sun Quan, requesting for Zhou Yin to be pardoned and restored of his titles on account of his father's contributions. Sun Quan was reluctant to do so, as he noted the severity of Zhou Yin's offence and said that Zhou Yin had not shown any sign of remorse. However, after much urging from Zhuge Jin, Bu Zhi, Zhu Ran and Quan Cong, Sun Quan eventually agreed, but Zhou Yin had already died of illness in exile by then.

Family and descendants

During Zhuge Jin's lifetime, his family was one of the most illustrious families in China. While he was serving as General-in-Chief in Wu, his second brother Zhuge Liang served as the Imperial Chancellor of Wu's ally state, Shu, and their cousin Zhuge Dan served as a general in Wu and Shu's rival state, Wei. Two of Zhuge Jin's sons, Zhuge Ke and Zhuge Rong, also served as generals in Wu.

Although Zhuge Jin was not as talented and brilliant as his better known brother Zhuge Liang, he was noted for his exemplary conduct and virtuous character. After his wife died, he did not promote his favourite concubine to the status of his formal spouse to replace his deceased wife. He also did not show any favouritism towards his son(s) born to his concubine.

Zhuge Jin's eldest son, Zhuge Ke, was not only famous in Wu, but also highly regarded by Sun Quan. However, Zhuge Jin disapproved of Zhuge Ke's behaviour, treated him coldly, and constantly worried that his eldest son would bring doom to their family. After Zhuge Jin died, his third son Zhuge Rong inherited his peerage as the Marquis of Wanling (宛陵侯); Zhuge Ke did not inherit his father's peerage because he had already received a peerage of his own. Zhuge Rong also took control of the troops previously under his father's command at Gong'an County.

In 253, Zhuge Ke, who briefly served as a regent for Sun Quan's successor Sun Liang, was overthrown and assassinated in a coup d'état by Sun Jun, a distant relative of Sun Liang. Zhuge Ke's two surviving sons, along with Zhuge Rong and Zhuge Rong's three sons, as well as other members of Zhuge Ke's extended family, were rounded up and executed.

Zhuge Jin's second son, Zhuge Qiao, was adopted by his uncle Zhuge Liang because Zhuge Liang initially had no son and needed a male heir. Zhuge Qiao came to serve in Shu and died in 228. His son, Zhuge Pan (諸葛攀), also served as an official in Shu. However, after Zhuge Jin's descendants were purged in 253, Zhuge Pan reverted to his original lineage and moved to Wu to continue Zhuge Jin's bloodline there.

Zhang Cheng, a general serving under Sun Quan, was a friend of Zhuge Jin. When his wife died, his father Zhang Zhao suggested that he marry Zhuge Jin's daughter. Zhang Cheng initially felt awkward about becoming his friend's son-in-law, but eventually agreed after Sun Quan persuaded him to do so. Zhang Cheng and Zhuge Jin's daughter had a daughter, Consort Zhang, who married Sun Quan's third son Sun He.