Zhuge Liang faced Sima Yi on the banks of the Wei River. The Weishi Chunqiu, quoted in Pei Songzhi’s commentary on the Records of the Three Kingdoms, tells what Sima Yi asked a messenger from the enemy camp. He asked about Zhuge Liang’s sleep, his food and how much work he had. He did not ask about the war.
The messenger answered: “Lord Zhuge rises early and goes to bed late. Every punishment of twenty or more, he handles himself. He eats no more than a few sheng.” Sima Yi said: “Liang will soon die.” In the eighth month of that year, Zhuge Liang fell ill and died in camp, at the age of fifty-four.