Why Jingzhou Surrendered to Cao Cao

Zhuge Liang's plan needed Jingzhou.

Then Jingzhou slipped away.

Cao Cao Secured Xu Before Marching South

In 208, Cao Cao prepared to attack Jingzhou.

Before leaving, he tightened control at court. He became Chancellor, no longer merely the Excellency of Works but the man openly directing government.

He also killed Kong Rong.

Kong Rong was famous, a descendant of Confucius, and a man Cao Cao had once sheltered. But he often mocked Cao Cao in public. After Cao Pi took Lady Zhen, Yuan Xi's wife, Kong Rong even used an old Zhou story to ridicule the act.

Cao Cao finally found a pretext to execute Kong Rong and punish his family. The story behind the saying "under an overturned nest, how can any eggs remain whole" is tied to this killing.

The message to Xu's officials was plain. Cao Cao was going south, and the court could not become a rear-area problem.

Then he marched.

Liu Biao was already gravely ill.

Liu Biao's Succession Broke Jingzhou

Liu Biao had two sons: Liu Qi and Liu Cong.

By seniority, Liu Qi had the stronger claim. But Liu Biao's later wife, Lady Cai, favored Liu Cong because her niece had married him. Her brother Cai Mao and Liu Biao's nephew Zhang Yun also praised Liu Cong and spoke against Liu Qi.

Liu Qi grew afraid. He asked Liu Bei how to protect himself. Liu Bei did not want to interfere directly in Liu Biao's family affairs, so he told him to ask Zhuge Liang.

Zhuge Liang refused to answer. This was not a simple personal matter. It was Jingzhou's succession crisis.

Liu Qi then invited Zhuge Liang up a tower and had the ladder removed. With no way up to heaven and no way down to earth, he said, whatever Zhuge Liang said would enter only his ears.

Zhuge Liang finally told a story. In the Spring and Autumn age, Prince Shensheng stayed at home and died, while Chong'er went into exile and survived to become ruler.

Liu Qi understood. He needed to leave the center.

When Huang Zu, Administrator of Jiangxia, was killed, Liu Qi asked to take that post. Liu Biao agreed, and Liu Qi left Xiangyang.

Soon Liu Biao became critically ill. Liu Qi came from Jiangxia to see him, but Cai Mao and Zhang Yun blocked him outside, fearing a father-son meeting might change the succession. Liu Qi left in tears.

After Liu Biao died, Cai Mao and Zhang Yun installed Liu Cong as the new leader of Jingzhou.

Liu Cong Surrendered

Liu Qi, in Jiangxia, was furious when he heard Liu Cong had succeeded. He considered using mourning as a reason to raise troops against his younger brother.

Before he could act, Cao Cao's army arrived.

Liu Qi knew he could not face Cao Cao and prepared to cross the river. Liu Cong was even more frightened. He had just inherited Jingzhou when the northern army appeared.

His advisers urged surrender. To resist the emperor's representative as a subordinate, they said, was rebellion. To resist Cao Cao with a newly inherited province was dangerous. To rely on Liu Bei was no guarantee either.

If Liu Bei could not stop Cao Cao, Jingzhou would fall. If Liu Bei could stop Cao Cao, he would no longer remain under Liu Cong.

Liu Cong accepted the logic.

In the ninth month, when Cao Cao reached the New Fields area, Liu Cong surrendered Jingzhou and sent men with imperial credentials to welcome him.

Jingzhou had troops, grain, ships, river defenses, and years of cultivated elite networks. But its succession had barely settled, and the war party and surrender party had not formed a united front. Cao Cao reached the door before Jingzhou could become a fighting state.

The man guarding Fancheng, Liu Bei, did not yet know.

Liu Bei Fled South

Liu Cong did not dare tell Liu Bei.

Only after some time did Liu Bei sense that something was wrong and send a trusted man to ask. Liu Cong then revealed that Jingzhou had surrendered and Cao Cao was already at Wan.

Liu Bei was shocked and angry. Why tell him only when disaster had arrived?

Some urged him to attack Liu Cong and seize Jingzhou. Liu Bei refused. Liu Biao had entrusted him with his orphaned son, he said. If Liu Bei betrayed that trust for private gain, he would have no face to meet Liu Biao after death.

So Liu Bei withdrew.

Passing Xiangyang, he called out to Liu Cong, hoping he would reconsider. Liu Cong was too afraid to appear. Many Jingzhou scholars and common people followed Liu Bei instead.

Liu Bei also stopped at Liu Biao's tomb and wept.

By the time he reached Dangyang, more than one hundred thousand people and thousands of carts were with him. Most were civilians carrying the old and young. The column moved only about ten li a day.

This was emotionally powerful and militarily dangerous.

Some people followed Liu Bei out of loyalty. Others feared what would happen under Cao Cao and fled with the crowd. But for Cao Cao, the danger was clear. If this massive group reached Jiangling first, Liu Bei might gain grain, weapons, and boats.

Liu Bei sent Guan Yu ahead by water with several hundred ships to meet at Jiangling.

His followers urged him to hurry and leave the civilians behind. Liu Bei answered that anyone who wanted to achieve great things had to take the people as his root. How could he abandon those who had come to him?

Changban Became a Crisis

Cao Cao feared Liu Bei reaching Jiangling before him.

He left the baggage behind and personally led five thousand elite cavalry in a forced chase. After riding more than three hundred li in a day and night, he caught Liu Bei at Changban near Dangyang.

Liu Bei's fighting troops were too few. The cavalry charge scattered his force.

He abandoned his wife and children and escaped with Zhuge Liang, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, and a few dozen riders.

In the chaos, someone reported that Zhao Yun had fled north, perhaps to surrender to Cao Cao. Liu Bei threw a hand halberd at the man and said Zhao Zilong would never abandon him.

Soon Zhao Yun returned carrying Liu Bei's son Liu Shan.

Zhang Fei covered the retreat with twenty riders. He stood by the river, destroyed the bridge, held his spear, and shouted that he was Zhang Yide of Yan and challenged anyone to fight to the death.

Cao Cao's men did not advance.

The later stories of Zhao Yun rescuing the young lord alone and Zhang Fei shaking Changban Bridge come from this crisis. The historical record is shorter, but the danger was real.

Xu Shu left Liu Bei after Changban because his mother had been captured by Cao Cao's army. He went to Cao Cao.

Liu Bei finally joined Guan Yu's fleet and met Liu Qi with more than ten thousand men. Together they reached Xiakou.

After Changban, the situation was clear. Most of Jingzhou was Cao Cao's. Liu Bei had few troops. Liu Qi could help, but not enough to stop Cao Cao alone.

Liu Bei needed an ally.

Lu Su Connected Liu Bei and Sun Quan

Cao Cao entered Jiangling, appointed Liu Cong to Qingzhou, made him a marquis, and rewarded many Jingzhou surrender officials. Wen Ping, an important Jingzhou general, also submitted.

Jiangdong shook.

Sun Quan had inherited Sun Ce's six commanderies at a young age. Zhang Zhao and Zhou Yu had helped him stabilize the regime. Lu Su had also become important after Zhou Yu recommended him.

In a private conversation, Sun Quan asked Lu Su what kind of achievement he could build as the Han declined. Lu Su answered that the Han was already hard to restore and Cao Cao could not be removed quickly. Sun Quan should hold Jiangdong, watch events, defeat Huang Zu, take Liu Biao's territory when possible, and control the Yangzi region.

This was Jiangdong's own grand strategy.

When Liu Biao died, Lu Su immediately advised Sun Quan to send him to Jingzhou. He would mourn Liu Biao, comfort the people, and observe the relationship between Liu Bei and Liu Biao's sons. If Liu Bei and Jingzhou could unite, Jiangdong should ally with them. If Jingzhou was divided, Jiangdong should choose another path.

Sun Quan agreed.

By the time Lu Su reached Nan Commandery, Liu Cong had surrendered and Liu Bei was fleeing. Lu Su went straight to Liu Bei and met him near Changban.

Liu Bei said he planned to seek refuge with Wu Ju, the Administrator of Cangwu.

Lu Su warned him that Wu Ju was an ordinary man in a remote border region and could be swallowed at any time. Sun Quan, by contrast, was intelligent, generous, respected talent, held six commanderies, and had troops and grain. Liu Bei should send a trusted envoy to Jiangdong and join him in a common cause.

Liu Bei was pleased.

Lu Su also met Zhuge Liang and mentioned that he was a friend of Zhuge Jin, Zhuge Liang's elder brother serving Sun Quan. That personal link made discussion easier.

Liu Bei accepted Lu Su's advice and moved to Fankou, preparing to unite with Sun Quan against Cao Cao.

Cao Cao had Jingzhou. Liu Bei had remnants. Sun Quan faced enormous pressure.

The next episode follows Red Cliffs, where fire, disease, river warfare, and coalition strategy stop Cao Cao's southern conquest.