Zhuge Liang eats three or four liters of rice a day. Why did Sima Yi assert that his life was coming to an end?

Readers who like to watch the Romance of the Three Kingdoms know that Zhuge Liang and Sima Yi in the novel are sworn enemies, and their wits and courage are wonderful. In the later stage of their struggle, Sima Yi met an envoy sent by Zhuge Liang and asked Zhuge Liang about his recent life and how many meters he ate for each meal. The messenger replied that Zhuge Liang ate three or four liters a day, so Sima Yi asserted on the spot that Zhuge Liang was dying. Why did Sima Yi judge like this? Does he really have the ability to predict the future?

First of all, let's find out what three or four liters of rice were at that time. At that time, the average soldier's appetite was almost a barrel of rice (a barrel was ten liters). Lian Po, for example, is a veteran, but he is still strong, and he eats like an ordinary soldier. Although Zhuge Liang was not a soldier, after years of fighting, his appetite would be similar to that of Lian Po, or slightly lower than that of Lian Po. This is Zhuge Liang's real appetite, but now?

Because a bucket of rice made in the Han Dynasty is equivalent to ten liters of rice, Lian Po eats ten liters a day, while Zhuge Liang only eats three or four liters of rice a day, which is less than half. In theory, Zhuge Liang has risen by eight feet, and he has been fighting all the year round, and his journey is tiring. He should not eat so little unless there is something wrong with his health!

After asking about Zhuge Liang's diet and daily life, Sima Yi asked Zhuge Liang, the messenger, how to handle government affairs on weekdays. The messenger said that Zhuge Liang was bent on handling government affairs. As long as it is more than 20 sticks, Zhuge Liang has personally tried it. You know, it takes a lot of energy to try a case. It must be tiring to deal with so many cases every day. Coupled with the decrease in appetite, Sima Yi concluded that Zhuge Liang was dying!

In fact, as Sima Yi expected, Zhuge Liang died in Wuzhangyuan a few months later.