In July 219 CE, Guan Yu launched the Battle of Xiangfan, attacking Cao Cao’s forces. To prevent the front line from collapsing, he transferred troops from Jingzhou to reinforce the front, leaving Jingzhou’s defenses depleted. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Lü Meng of Eastern Wu led his army across the Yangtze River and launched a surprise attack on Jingzhou. Trapped in a two-front war, Guan Yu ultimately lost Jingzhou.
A war born of grief and rage
Sun Quan’s treachery against the alliance cost Guan Yu both Jing Province and his life. Upon learning that Guan Yu was executed by Sun Quan, Liu Bei was consumed by fury. Trembling with grief, he declared to his ministers:
“I must avenge this wrong!”
His trusted general Zhao Yun urged caution:
“Our true enemy is Cao Pi, not Sun Quan. Now that Cao Pi has just ascended the Wei throne, this is the perfect moment to strike north.”
But Liu Bei would hear none of it. Even Zhuge Liang, who privately opposed the campaign, chose silence rather than confront his sovereign directly. Thus, Liu Bei left Zhuge Liang and his heir Liu Shan to guard Chengdu, and prepared to march east with General Zhang Fei.
The tragic death of Zhang Fei
Zhang Fei, stationed in Langzhong, shared Liu Bei’s burning hatred for Wu. Yet his volatile temper – beating soldiers, berating officers – made him feared rather than loved. When ordered to mobilize, he drank heavily and lashed out again. That night, two subordinates, Zhang Da and Fan Jiang, assassinated him in his sleep and fled to Eastern Wu with his severed head.
Hearing the news, Liu Bei collapsed in tears. Remembering the oath of brotherhood sworn decades earlier at Zhuo County, he now stood utterly alone. With both Guan Yu and Zhang Fei dead – “wrongfully,” as he saw it – he vowed to destroy Sun Quan. He launched the invasion without delay.
The Shu army surged eastward like a storm, swiftly capturing multiple Wu cities. When Sun Quan sent envoys to sue for peace, Liu Bei refused even to receive them.
Sun Quan’s diplomatic maneuver
Alarmed, Sun Quan faced a nightmare scenario: a two-front war against Shu in the west and Cao Pi’s Wei in the north. To neutralize the northern threat, he submitted formally to Wei, sending a memorial addressed to Emperor Wen of Wei (Cao Pi) as a vassal – just as he once had to Cao Cao.
Delighted, Cao Pi granted him the title “King of Wu.” With his northern flank secure, Sun Quan turned fully to the west and appointed the young but brilliant Lu Xun as Grand Commander to defend Yiling (modern Yichang, Hubei).
Liu Bei’s overextension vs. Lu Xun’s patience
Liu Bei’s massive army – hundreds of li long, stretching from Wuxia Gorge to Yiling – established dozens of interconnected camps, many nestled in dense forests and low-lying valleys to escape the summer heat. Supply lines stretched over 700 li, straining logistics.
He deployed generals Feng Xi and Zhang Nan in mountain passes and sent Wu Ban with a small force onto open ground to provoke Lu Xun into battle. Liu Bei hoped to lure Wu troops into an ambush and annihilate them.
But Lu Xun refused to engage. Despite relentless taunts – Shu soldiers shouting insults, stripping bare, lounging provocatively under trees – Lu Xun calmly told his furious officers:
“Cover your ears. Their position is strong. This challenge is a trap.”
When Liu Bei finally emerged from the hills, Lu Xun revealed his foresight:
“I knew he’d do this.”
For six months, the armies faced off in stalemate.
The Inferno at Yiling
By summer, Liu Bei moved his naval forces ashore, merging them with land troops and building wooden palisades amid dry brush – a fatal error.
Lu Xun saw his chance. Though some generals argued it was too late to attack, Lu Xun countered:
“At first, Liu Bei was vigilant and strong. Now his men are weary, demoralized, and camped in tinder.”
He tested one Shu camp – and lost deliberately, to gauge defenses. Then he unveiled his plan: fire.
On a night when strong easterly winds howled, Wu soldiers – each carrying oil-soaked torches of reed and pine – slipped through the woods. They set fire to every other Shu camp, letting flames leap uncontrollably across the dry, connected encampments.
Chaos erupted. Shu troops, blinded by smoke and panic, fled in disarray. Feng Xi and Zhang Nan were killed. Liu Bei, guarded by Fu Tong, barely escaped the inferno and fled to Ma’anshan.
Collapse and Escape
At dawn, scattered survivors gathered on the mountain – but Wu forces closed in. From the summit, Liu Bei surveyed the devastation: Smoke still rose from both banks of the Yangtze; the river floated with empty warships, weapons, and corpses.
He lamented bitterly:
“To be defeated by Lu Xun – a mere youth! How can I face my ministers?”
In a final breakout, Fu Tong held the rear alone, fighting until mortally wounded. When urged to surrender, he roared:
“Are you blind? Since when does a general of the Han ever surrender?”
With those words, he took his life with his own sword and died on horseback.
Liu Bei’s retreat was only saved by a desperate ruse: discarding armor and setting fire to the road, blocking pursuit with burning debris.
Just as all seemed lost, Zhao Yun arrived with reinforcements, escorting Liu Bei safely to Baidicheng (Baidi City) in Yong’an.
Wu’s withdrawal
Zhao Yun prepared for further Wu attacks – but none came. Intelligence soon revealed why: Cao Pi had launched a surprise invasion of Wu, hoping to exploit its western engagement.
Fearing encirclement, Sun Quan and Lu Xun immediately withdrew, ending the campaign. Liu Bei’s vengeance had not only failed – it had nearly annihilated Shu’s military.
The last words
Broken in spirit and body, Liu Bei fell gravely ill in Baidicheng (Baidi City). In early 223 CE, knowing death was near, he summoned Zhuge Liang from Chengdu.
Zhuge Liang left Liu Shan to defend Chengdu and led Liu Yong and Liu Li, two of Liu Bei’s sons, to Baidi City.
With tears streaming, Liu Bei grasped Zhuge Liang’s hand:
“I regret not heeding your counsel… Now I entrust the state entirely to you. Your talent is ten times greater than Cao Pi’s. You will surely accomplish the great cause of governing the nation.”
Clasping Zhuge Liang’s hand tightly, he added:
“If my son A Dou (Liu Shan) is worthy, assist him. If not… you may take the throne yourself.”
Zhuge Liang wept:
“How dare I not devote my life to Your Majesty? Even death would be no regret.”
Liu Bei then ordered his attendants to draft an edict for Liu Shan, stating:
“Only by upholding virtue can one win the allegiance of others. Do not commit small evils because they are minor; do not neglect small virtues because they seem insignificant.”
Turning to Liu Yong and Liu Li, he urged:
“After my passing, the three of you must treat the Prime Minister as your own father. Remember this always!”
A few days later, Liu Bei passed away in Baidi City at the age of sixty-three, ending the dream of restoring the Han – and leaving Zhuge Liang to shoulder the burden of a fractured realm.
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