Liu Bei Entrusts His Heir at Baidicheng

Liu Bei had escaped Yiling and withdrawn to Baidicheng.

Lu Xun did not immediately chase him.

Liu Bei had gathered troops again. Zhao Yun had arrived near Yong'an. And Lu Xun could see Cao Wei waiting in the north.

Wu had beaten Liu Bei, but it could not turn its back on Cao Pi.

Wei Pressed Wu

Before Yiling, Sun Quan had submitted to Wei in name.

Cao Pi wanted more than words. He demanded that Sun Quan send a son as hostage. Sun Quan promised, then delayed.

Cao Pi understood that Sun Quan was not truly obedient.

In 222, Wei attacked Wu on three fronts.

Cao Xiu, Zhang Liao, and Zang Ba attacked Dongkou. Cao Ren attacked Ruxu. Cao Zhen, Xiahou Shang, Zhang He, and Xu Huang besieged Jiangling.

Sun Quan wrote humbly to Cao Pi while also using his own Huangwu era name. He was bowing and separating at the same time.

The war with Wei prevented Wu from pressing Liu Bei too far.

At Ruxu, Zhu Huan defeated Cao Ren's plan and captured Wang Shuang. At Jiangling, Zhu Ran held out under heavy pressure. Dong Zhao warned that spring floods could endanger Wei's bridges and retreat, and Wei eventually withdrew.

Wu survived the round.

For Shu, that mattered. Sun Quan now had reason to repair relations with Liu Bei.

Liu Bei at Yong'an

Liu Bei did not return to Chengdu.

He stayed at Yong'an, near Baidicheng, gathering what remained and watching the Wu-Wei situation.

The defeat weighed on him. Guan Yu and Zhang Fei were dead. Jingzhou had not been recovered. The eastern campaign had destroyed many officers and much of Shu's strength.

His illness worsened.

He wrote to Lu Xun, asking whether Lu Xun could handle it if he came east again.

Lu Xun replied calmly, warning him not to act rashly. The message was clear: Shu was not ready for another eastern war.

Liu Bei knew his time was short.

He summoned Zhuge Liang, Li Yan, and others to Yong'an.

Entrusting the Heir

The most famous sentence from Baidicheng is Liu Bei's instruction to Zhuge Liang.

If Liu Shan can be assisted, assist him. If he lacks ability, you may take the state yourself.

Zhuge Liang wept and vowed to exhaust his loyalty until death.

The sentence has been debated for centuries.

Some read it as sincere trust. Others see political design. By saying it so heavily, Liu Bei gave Zhuge Liang the highest authority while also fixing that authority inside the role of loyal regent.

Either way, the effect was clear.

After Liu Bei died, state power concentrated in Zhuge Liang's hands, and Liu Shan had to honor him.

This prevented the young emperor's court from breaking apart after Yiling.

Li Yan was also named in the entrusted group. Liu Bei did not mean Zhuge Liang to stand alone. Li Yan had military experience and could shoulder part of the burden.

In practice, Zhuge Liang would become the center.

Liu Bei's Final Edict

Liu Bei also left instructions for Liu Shan.

The best-known line urged him not to do evil because it was small and not to neglect good because it was small.

He told Liu Shan to study and to treat Zhuge Liang as a father.

This was less like an emperor's grand proclamation than a dying father's repeated advice to a young son.

In 223, Liu Bei died at Yong'an. He was later honored as Emperor Zhaolie.

Liu Shan succeeded. Zhuge Liang became Marquis of Wuxiang and Governor of Yi Province. Major affairs passed through him.

The Chancellor's Burden

Zhuge Liang did not inherit an easy state.

Shu had lost troops at Yiling. Jingzhou was gone. Yi Province had to be calmed. Wu relations had to be repaired. The south was unstable.

He began by organizing government and inviting criticism.

He remembered Xu Shu and Dong He as men who could point out his faults. Later Yang Yong criticized him for personally checking even small punishments and accounts. Zhuge Liang accepted the warning.

His rule was concentrated, detailed, and exhausting.

He had to repair the cracks Liu Bei left behind before he could think about attacking Wei.

Baidicheng ended Liu Bei's age.

Next, Zhuge Liang must first pacify the south.