Chapter 35 (35) The Battle of Yiling

Liu Bei occupied Jingzhou, but was finally taken back by Sun Quan, and also took the life of his right-hand man-Guan Yu.This is undoubtedly a heavy blow to Liu Bei, who is planning to make a big splash.Liu Bei, who was unwilling to let it go, then launched the Battle of Yiling with the intention of retaking Jingzhou. So how did Liu Bei command this war?Facing the menacing Liu Bei, how did Soochow Sun Quan deal with it?The - The Battle of Yiling is currently being broadcast, so stay tuned. After the Battle of Chibi in 208 A.D., Jingzhou, a strategically important area with eight counties in the north and south of the Yangtze River, was divided among Cao Cao, Liu Bei and Sun Quan.Jingzhou is a crucial strategic base for Liu Bei. From Jingzhou to the north, he can attack Xuchang via Xiangyang, and if he goes east, he can go straight to the hinterland of Wu State, so that the Shu Han is in a favorable position to attack and retreat.However, Sun Quan has always been worried about Liu Bei's failure to return Jingzhou, and finally found a fighter in 219 AD, regained Jingzhou, and killed Liu Bei's right-hand man Guan Yu.Liu Bei, who lost both Jingzhou and his beloved general, of course would not let it go. In July 221 AD, he led tens of thousands of Shu Han troops and launched a large-scale war against Wu.

So, how did Liu Bei command this war?Facing the menacing Liu Bei, how did Soochow Sun Quan deal with it?Professor Yi Zhongtian from Xiamen University will tell you about the "Battle of Yiling". In December of the twenty-fourth year of Jian'an, Guan Yu was defeated and fled Maicheng, and Liu Bei lost Jingzhou forever.For Liu Bei, this is a major loss, and he will never let it go.After Jingzhou was lost and Guan Yu was killed, it is said that Liu Bei should calm down to sum up his experience, recuperate, and prepare his troops so that he can avenge his hatred.But he didn't, what did he do?Proclaim himself emperor in a hurry.In April 221 AD, Liu Bei took the throne in Wudan Mountain in what is now Shuangliu County, Chengdu City.In June, troops and generals were dispatched, and in July, Yujia personally marched to fight Sun Quan.

At this time, Liu Bei issued an order to let Zhang Fei rush to Jiangzhou, which is now Chongqing, to join him.Unexpectedly, before Zhang Fei's army set off, Zhang Fei himself was killed by his subordinates, and Zhang Fei's head was sent to Sun Quan.Zhang Fei's death was another great loss to Liu Bei.What do we know about Liu Bei's situation now?Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Huang Zhong are all dead. Huang Zhong died of illness. His important counselor Pang Tong is long gone, and Fazheng has also passed away.On the general's side, there are Ma Chao, Zhao Yun, and Wei Yan, and on the counselor's side there is only Zhuge Liang.Wei Yan and Ma Chao wanted to guard against Cao Cao's attack, and they were on the north side.Zhao Yun is not trusted.Why is Zhao Yun not trusted?Because Zhao Yun disapproved of Liu Bei beating Sun Quan, Zhao Yun came out to dissuade Liu Bei and said that the national thief is Cao Cao, so we should fight Cao Wei first instead of Sun Wu; and once Cao Wei is defeated, Sun Wu is no problem.Now once we start a war with Sun Wu, it will be out of control.Liu Bei refused to listen, did not trust him, and refused to let him accompany him.Therefore, those who followed Liu Bei to fight Sun Quan did not have any decent figures on both the civil and military sides, so Liu Bei's war was called "unfavorable division, lack of generals".

Zhao Yun was not allowed to accompany him, and Zhuge Liang had to guard Chengdu and couldn't get away. So why did Liu Bei insist on fighting this war under such a situation?The traditional saying is to avenge Guan Yu and show loyalty.But this kind of brotherly loyalty is probably a novelist's words, not a politician's real thinking. Mr. Lu Simian has long raised objections to this point.In fact, in my opinion, Liu Bei launched this war to avenge Guan Yu, so I can't say that he didn't.This point has already been pointed out by Liu Ye, a counselor of the Cao Wei Group.Liu Ye said that Liu Bei and Guan Yuyi are monarchs and ministers, and they are kind to father and son. It is unreasonable not to avenge Guan Yu's murder; but don't worry about the main reason. What is the main reason?Liu Ye believes that the main reason is that the entire strategy of the Liu Bei Group is characterized by offense as defense, that is, he must fight, and he must fight to show his strength.And why didn't he fight Cao Wei, but Sun Wu?Mr. Lu Simian believes that it is the same as Lu Meng's idea of ​​not fighting Xuzhou and fighting Jingzhou. To put it bluntly, "eat persimmons and pick the soft ones." Sun Quan did not fight Xuzhou and Jingzhou, Liu Bei did not accept Zhao Yun's suggestion, he did not fight Cao Wei and Sun Wu, this is the second reason.As for the third reason, I think there is another very important point, that is, Jingzhou must be recaptured. After all, Jingzhou is a strategically important place.So because of these three reasons, Liu Bei insisted on launching this war.

But even so, in our opinion, you can fight this battle, you can take it easy, right?At that time, there was an important figure named Huang Quan who accompanied Liu Bei on the expedition.Huang Quan suggested to Liu Bei that the Wu army has always been very brave and good at fighting, and the Wu army is not so easy to deal with; while our army goes straight down the river, it is easy to advance but difficult to retreat.It is easy for me to go forward, but it is very difficult for me to go back.Huang Quan said: I beg your majesty to approve, to be a pioneer to explore the way, to explore the reality of the opponent, please sit in the rear and command.This should be said to be a good suggestion, but Liu Bei refused to listen.Not only did he not listen, he also didn't want Huang Quan, and sent Huang Quan to another place to garrison.Therefore, from this point of view, Liu Bei's emotion at this time is just two words-impetuous.

In 219 A.D., the Soochow Group recaptured Jingzhou in a flash.However, Lou Zi really made a big mistake this time.Sun Quan knew that killing Guan Yu, Liu Bei's right-hand man, was definitely a blood feud with Liu Bei. This disastrous fight between Sun and Liu was inevitable after all, it was just a matter of time.Therefore, Liu Bei desperately wanted to launch a war to attack Sun Wu, even if there were few generals, he had to go on the expedition himself.This desperate attitude made Sun Quan of Soochow feel a little ashamed.Therefore, Sun Quan, who had expected Liu Bei to attack at the moment he decided to stab Guan Yu in the back, took precautions after winning Jingzhou and actively prepared for war politically and militarily.So how did Sun Quan deal with this crisis that is about to come, so as to avoid risks to the greatest extent?

After Guan Yu was killed, Sun Quan gave Cao Cao the head of Guan Yu.The meaning is obvious, I want Cao Cao to take this responsibility and announce to the world that I, Sun Quan, killed Guan Yu because Cao Cao asked me to kill him.Cao Cao knew very well that Sun Quan had no good intentions, so Cao Cao buried Guan Yu generously according to the etiquette of princes, and he refused to admit it.But in any case, Sun Quan offended Liu Bei this time, and the Sun-Liu alliance was completely broken.Regarding this point, Sun Quan was very clear in his heart, and he also knew that it would be problematic to rely on his strength to fight against Liu Bei alone.Therefore, after the war, Sun Quan simply and openly fell to Cao Wei and turned against Liu Bei.

What did he do?He announced that he did not recognize Liu Bei as Yizhou Mu.Didn't Liu Bei take Yizhou from Liu Zhang? Sun Quan declared that he would not recognize it, saying that Yizhou Mu was still Liu Zhang.Cao Cao also immediately expressed his position, announcing that Jingzhou Mu was Sun Quan.Originally at this time, Liu Bei was the shepherd of the two prefectures, and the shepherd of Jingzhou and the shepherd of Yizhou; now one family declares that Yizhou shepherd is still Liu Zhang, and the other declares that Jingzhou shepherd is Sun Quan, so Liu Bei is no longer a shepherd.This is one aspect.

On the other hand, in 220 A.D., that is, the twenty-fifth year of Jian'an, Cao Cao died. Cao Pi inherited the title of King Wei. In the same year, he forced Emperor Liu Xian to abdicate and became emperor himself. This is Emperor Wei Wen.After this incident happened, the Liu Bei Group denounced Cao Pi as a traitor and usurped the Han.Sun Quan didn't express his position, but remained silent; in August 221 AD, Sun Quan submitted a form to profess his minister, and he simply proclaimed his minister; in November, he accepted the title of King of Wu given to him by Cao Pi.Well, this matter is not easy for Sun Quan. It means two points: first, it means that he admits that Cao Pi's usurping the Han is legitimate, and he surrenders to Cao Pi; second, it means that Sun Quan admits that The relationship between Cao Pi and him is that of monarch and minister.So it was not easy for him to take this step, and at that time some subordinates clearly expressed their opposition.Sun Quan said, "It doesn't matter. Didn't our Emperor Gao accept Xiang Yu's title back then and become King of Han?"In other words, Sun Quan's meaning is very clear. He admitted that Cao Pi's proclaiming emperor was an expedient measure. Why?It was to unite Cao Wei to fight against Liu Bei. This was Sun Quan's political preparation.

Sun Quan made military preparations by moving his capital to Wuchang.Sun Quan's administrative office is the location of Sun Quan's headquarters before he became king of Wu. His administrative office is in Jianye, which is now Nanjing.But in order to fight against Liu Bei, Sun Quan moved his headquarters to Wuchang, which is now Ezhou City in Hubei Province—not the Wuchang District in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, but Ezhou, and Sun Quan changed his name to Wuchang.This matter was also very difficult. Those who lived in Jianye at that time were unwilling to go to Wuchang. There was a famous folk song called "I would rather drink Jianye water than eat Wuchang fish", which was a saying at this time.But Sun Quan said, we must move to Wuchang, because we should be prepared for danger in times of peace.When we look at the map, we know that his action is a military preparation against Liu Bei, so Sun Quan is prepared for any danger.

After Sun Quan killed Guan Yu, he began to actively avoid the risk of war.In politics, he did not hesitate to swallow his anger and profess his minister to the Cao Wei Group in exchange for the support of the Cao Wei Group.At the same time, for the needs of military defense, regardless of the opposition of the people of the country, the headquarters was moved to Wuchang.One and a half years after Guan Yu was killed, Liu Bei led tens of thousands of troops from the Shu Kingdom to attack Soochow on all fronts, passing all the borders and defeating generals along the way, invincible.So, in the face of national crisis, who in the Soochow Group can turn the tide and deal with this precarious disaster? In July 221 A.D., Liu Bei launched a war against Sun Quan. This war took place in Yiling and Xiaoting, so it was called the battle of Yiling and Xiaoting in history, also called the battle of Yiling and Xiaoting. battle.The Battle of Yiling Xiaoting is one of the three major battles in the history of the Three Kingdoms. These three major battles are the Battle of Guandu, the Battle of Chibi, and the Battle of Yiling. We know that in the battle of Liu Sun Yiling, or the battle of Xiaoting, the front-line commander of the Wu army was Lu Xun, who succeeded Lu Meng.Lu Meng passed away after the battle for Jingzhou, before the celebration party could be held.Let's see how Lu Xun directs this war.According to historical records, in the first month of 222 AD, Liu Bei's vanguard arrived at Yiling, and in February, Liu Bei arrived at Xiaoting.At this time, Lu Xun's army also arrived at Xiaoting, and the two armies confronted each other.At this time, Lu Xun's subordinates proposed to meet Liu Bei immediately.Because the armies from both sides have moved over, and they have reached Xiaoting, so they should fight him.Lu Xun said no, let's not move.why?Lu Xun said something like this. He said that Liu Bei "raised his army to the east, and his vigor began to flourish. He took advantage of the heights to defend the danger, and it was difficult for soldiers to attack. If he attacked vertically, it would still be difficult to overcome; if there is a disadvantage, it will damage our general situation." What does that mean?It is said that Liu Bei is coming down the river eastward, and his morale is at its peak. What's more, he relies on the natural dangers of the Yangtze River and the surrounding mountains, so we can't attack him all at once.Even if we can win a battle, we can't win a big victory; on the contrary, if we make a bad start, it will spoil the overall situation.So what should we do now?Should not move. Lu Xun said, where do you think Liu Bei's army is now?In the mountains and mountains, ah.In such a terrain, if we drag him for a period of time, he will definitely get tired, and then we will find a way.However, the generals of the Wu army were not convinced, alas, they were timid to say that he was a scholar, because in everyone's mind, Lu Xun was a scholar, he had never fought a war, and he was timid.Each harbored resentment, but had no choice but to accept the order.At this time, Lu Xun gave the order to retreat, retreating in large strides, and gave Liu Bei all the mountains hundreds of miles away. Liu Bei also pushed forward.After advancing, they set up camp, and seeing that Lu Xun would not come out to fight, he ordered the next general to build another camp on flat ground.At this time, the general of the Wu army said that when Liu Bei was in the mountains, the general said he could not be beaten; now that Liu Bei is on the flat ground, he can always be beaten, right?When Lu Xun said he couldn't fight, there must be some fraud in it.Sure enough, because Wu Jun did not come out to fight, Liu Bei lost his temper, and eight thousand ambush soldiers came out of the valley.It was only now that the general of the Wu army began to accept Lu Xun, saying that the general really knew things like a god. Then in this stalemate until June of that year, Lu Xun decided to attack Liu Bei.At this time, General Wu Jun didn't understand again, saying that Liu Bei should be attacked when he first came. Wasn't he in a hurry when he first arrived and hadn't gained a firm foothold yet?Now that we have been here for such a long time, Liu Bei has already occupied so many places, and he has already established his heels. I am afraid that we will not be able to fight at this time.Lu Xun said it was wrong, Lu Xun said why didn't I fight at the beginning?Because Bei is a cunning prisoner, it is Liu Bei who is cunning and cunning, and he is well-informed, has fought all his life, and has very rich experience. When he comes, one is full of momentum, and the other is that he has many ideas. At this time, we will fight him , can't beat it.And now several months have passed, Liu Bei himself, I don't think he can think of any ideas, the soldiers under him are already exhausted, the weather is getting hotter and hotter, and the supply is getting more and more insufficient , morale is getting more and more depressed, this is the best time to attack. Those of us who have read "Cao GUI's Controversy" all know that "a man fights with courage. He fights with all his strength, then he declines again, and then he is exhausted." Liu Bei attacked again and again, but Lu Xun ignored him, and his morale was depressed.So Lu Xun said that this time is the best time to counterattack.But even so, Lu Xun still had to hold his breath. He said we would try it first, so he sent troops to attack one of Liu Bei's camps, and they were defeated.The generals under him were in an uproar again, look, look, look, let's say we can't fight, you are dying for nothing.Lu Xun said, I didn't die in vain, I already knew how to deal with him. Liu Bei personally led the army to conquer Sun Wu, which can be said to be menacing, and he is bound to win.War is like a game of cat and mouse. Originally, Liu Bei was a cat, and he was going to treat Soochow as a delicious mouse.But after arriving in Wudi, the mouse Lu Xun just stood still, making Liu Beijun unable to use his strength. After a long time, Liu Beijun became a little impatient.Lu Xun, who was young and mature, tried his best to avoid a decisive battle with Liu Bei's army, and implemented a strategy of shrinking and defending, and he did not fall into Liu Bei's trap of luring the enemy deep.At this time, the impatient Liu Bei looked like a mouse scurrying around; Lu Xun became a cat sitting firmly in the tent of the Chinese army, looking for the enemy's flaws.In this way, the two armies confronted each other for four months, and Liu Bei was able to take advantage of this to take root in Wu and calmly lined up his troops.So what flaw did Lu Xun discover about Liu Beijun? Where is the flaw?This is the Seven Hundred Li Company.Because Liu Bei's front line was very long at that time, seven hundred miles, dozens of barracks passed all the way.At that time, when his method of formation was passed on to Cao Pi, Cao Pi said, Liu Bei does not know how to fight, how can there be such a formation, how can there be a 700-li company that can resist the enemy?He said that I think Sun Quan's good news is coming soon.Lu Xun also saw such a problem, and Lu Xun also saw what was one of Liu Bei's mistakes?It was he who moved all the navy to the shore.Lu Xun wrote to Sun Quan at the time, saying, what I am most afraid of is Liu Bei's simultaneous advance of land and water, and this is what I am most afraid of; now that he has given up his navy, he has all turned into an army, and a 700-li company battalion.Lu Xun said yes, there is a way, all of you soldiers, each with a handful of thatch in hand, go to fight, attack a battalion first, and set fire after attacking. Lu Xun's soldiers attacked in this way, and they succeeded as soon as they attacked, and burned his camp.Lu Xun immediately issued an order, everyone came together, the military order was issued, the Wu army gathered at Xiaoting, everyone killed the enemy, set fire to each other, burned the company's camp, and pulled out Liu Bei's forty camps in one go.Liu Bei was caught off guard and had no strength to fight back, so he turned around and ran to Ma'anshan.After running to Ma'anshan, Lu Xun ordered the troops to move forward and surround Ma'anshan.The situation at this time, according to the records in the history books, Liu Bei called it "falling apart and tens of thousands of dead".Liu Bei had no choice but to escape from Ma'anshan overnight with a few entourages, fled back to Wu County, and later fled to Yong'an County—Yong'an County was originally called Yufu County, Liu Bei changed it to Yong'an County—and fled into Baidi City.At this time, Liu Bei looked up to the sky and sighed, I really didn't expect to be hit and humiliated by Lu Xun.It seems that Liu Bei underestimated Lu Xun too much. Both Liu Bei and Guan Yu thought that Lu Xun was a scholar. They didn't know that Lu Xun was not a scholar, but a Confucian general.Liu Bei looked up to the sky with a long sigh and said, I am defeated by Lu Xun, I am afraid it is God's will. Tens of thousands of Shu troops basically lost all their casualties and suffered heavy losses in this war. Liu Bei barely escaped into Baidi City relying on the life insurance of his generals.After the Shu Kingdom experienced this catastrophic blow, it basically lost the ability to compete with Wei and Wu for the world.Liu Bei, who fought all his life, lost to Lu Xun, a young man who was less than 40 years old when he was 60 years old. Liu Bei's first life's fame has since been wiped out; Young.So, in this war that determined the fate of Shu, where did Lu Xun win? Lu Xun's victory was not God's will, but man's plan.In my opinion, there are at least a few reasons why Lu Xun was able to win: The first reason, attaches great importance to it, and is determined to win.On the front line of Xiaoting, Lu Xun wrote a letter to Sun Quan. At the beginning of the letter, he said that Yiling and Xiaoting are the throat of the country and the gateway to our Eastern Wu. This place cannot be lost; This place is not only the loss of a county, but the safety of the entire Jingzhou cannot be guaranteed.Therefore, this war is only allowed to win, not to lose. This is the first point. The second reason is to know yourself and the enemy with confidence.In his letter to Sun Quan, Lu Xun analyzed the three reasons why Liu Bei was bound to fail. The first point is that Liu Bei worked on an expedition and left his base camp to fight in our territory. This is the first point.The second point he said, looking at Liu Bei's life, although he has experienced many wars, in general, he won fewer victories and lost more, so he is not a person who knows how to fight.The third point is that Liu Bei made a fatal mistake and left the boat. Originally, his best way was to advance by land and water, but he gave up.So Lu Xun said to Sun Quan, I am sure to defeat Liu Bei, this is the second reason. The third reason is to take the challenge calmly and strike late.I think that in the battle between Yiling and Xiaoting, psychological warfare accounted for a large proportion. One of the important reasons is that Liu Bei was impetuous and Lu Xun was calm.After Liu Bei won the first battle, he once sent an army to surround General Sun Huan in Yidao.Who is Sun Huan?He is the nephew of Sun Quan's family.This Sun Huan asked Lu Xun for help, but Lu Xun said no, no need to go, why?First, General Anton Zhonglang has a high prestige, and all his soldiers support him; second, the Jincheng Tangchi in Yidao can be defended, and we don't need to rescue it.After my strategy here is successful, you will not be able to save yourself from the siege on his side.Sure enough, as soon as Lu Xun set fire here, the siege on Yidao's side was lifted.Afterwards, Sun Huan specifically told Lu Xun that I really complained that the general didn't come to rescue me at that time, and I complained a lot, but now I feel that the general is really in command.Then Lu Xun took such a risk in making such a decision. What if he lost Sun Quan and his nephew?Are you kidding me?He is really calm, so this is the third reason. The fourth reason, which is the most important reason, is to endure humiliation and serve the public wholeheartedly.I just said that it is risky for Lu Xun to make such decisions, and he was able to do so because he had confidence.Lu Xun himself, as we mentioned in the last episode, is not famous, not a very famous person, not a veteran veteran.And the subordinates he led were all veteran generals with military exploits, or relatives and nobles. These people didn't listen to his command much at first, telling everyone not to move.Lu Xun once held a meeting, called all the generals, stood up with his sword in his hand, and said: "Attention, everyone, Liu Bei, the hero of the world, is not an easy person to deal with."Now that the lord has entrusted us with such a heavy responsibility, each of us should unite and boost our morale to deal with this formidable and cunning enemy.In the army, orders are prohibited, everyone please do it yourself, this commander has spoken first.After some righteous words, these people began to listen to him.Afterwards, Sun Quan once asked Lu Xun, saying that those generals under your command did not listen to your command, why didn't you report to the widow?Lu Xun said: These generals are the pillars of our country, and they are the people the Lord will rely on in the future.Lu Xun himself really doesn't have any skills, he only has one advantage, which is to bear the burden of humiliation.Besides, although Lu Xun is dull, he has heard the story of Lin Xiangru.Just know that the overall situation is the most important, team comrades. So this is the reason why Lu Xun won the battle between Yiling and Xiaoting, but Liu Bei failed.Then the reversal of the war situation can also be said to be in the blink of an eye.Liu Bei fled from Xiaoting to Ma'anshan, from Ma'anshan to Wuxian, and finally from Wuxian to Yufu County, which he renamed Yong'an, which is now Fengjie in Chongqing.After arriving at this place, Liu Bei, who had suffered a heavy blow, was exhausted physically and mentally, and could not afford to fall ill.Liu Bei knew very well that his heroic career in this life would soon come to an end, he would die soon, and the Shu Han regime he created must continue.He also knew very well in his heart that his eldest son Liu Chan would succeed him on the throne, and Liu Chan was only seventeen years old and still a minor, so he had to find someone capable to assist him.The question is, can this capable man live up to his high hopes?How should he make an explanation to ensure that Liu Chan gets the best assistance and that the Shu Han regime can continue?Please see the next episode - Yongan Tuogu.