During the late Han Dynasty, after Cao Pi established the State of Wei, Liu Bei also declared himself emperor of Shu Han, with Zhuge Liang as his Prime Minister. Along with Sun Quan's Eastern Wu, this formed the Three Kingdoms period.

After Liu Bei's death, his son Liu Shan succeeded him. Zhuge Liang continued as Prime Minister, holding immense military and political power. He advocated an alliance with Wu against Wei and prepared for northern expeditions.

Before his first campaign, he submitted the famous 'Former Oration on Dispatching the Troops' to Liu Shan, advising him to heed wise counsel. Despite the temporary retreat of the first expedition, Zhuge Liang later launched a second one, facing internal opposition.

He then wrote the 'Later Oration on Dispatching the Troops,' explaining the crucial need to continue fighting Wei. Both orations demonstrated his unwavering loyalty. The idiom '鞠躬尽瘁' (to bow and exert all one's efforts) comes from the line '臣鞠躬尽瘁，死而后已' (I will bow and exert all my efforts, only stopping after death) at the end of the 'Later Oration on Dispatching the Troops'.