The Yiling Campaign Burns Liu Bei's Army

Liu Bei had become emperor in the name of restoring Han.

Then he turned his army against Wu.

The war carried two fires: the personal grief of Guan Yu and Zhang Fei's deaths, and the strategic urgency of losing Jingzhou.

Liu Bei wanted the east back. Sun Quan had to hold what he had taken.

Sun Quan Asked for Peace

Before the fighting hardened, Sun Quan tried to make peace.

Liu Bei refused.

Sun Quan then submitted to Cao Wei in name, accepting a title from Cao Pi so that he could steady his northern side.

Cao Pi made him King of Wu.

Liu Ye warned Cao Pi that Sun Quan's submission was temporary. If Wei attacked while Wu and Shu were fighting, it might gain more.

Cao Pi chose to watch instead.

That allowed Wu to focus on Liu Bei.

Sun Quan gave command to Lu Xun.

Lu Xun did not have the old fame of Zhou Yu, Lu Su, or Lü Meng. Some Wu generals did not yet respect him. But Sun Quan knew Lu Xun understood timing. He had already helped deceive Guan Yu before Jingzhou fell.

Liu Bei Went Deep

In 222, Liu Bei advanced from Zigui.

Huang Quan warned him that going downstream was easy, but retreating would be hard. He suggested that he lead the front while Liu Bei stayed behind.

Liu Bei did not accept the plan.

He placed Huang Quan in the north to watch Cao Wei and personally pushed east along the Yangzi.

The Shu camps stretched from the gorges toward Yiling and Xiaoting. Ma Liang contacted local groups around Wuling. Shamoke and others joined Liu Bei's side.

The army looked powerful.

But the line was too long.

Shu had moved deep into Wu territory. The road back was difficult. Water and land coordination became weaker. In summer heat, Liu Bei moved many camps into wooded areas for relief.

The army seemed broad and impressive, but its camps could not support one another easily.

Lu Xun Waited

Wu generals repeatedly asked to fight.

Lu Xun refused.

Liu Bei had come from far away with anger and momentum. Meeting him too early would be dangerous. Lu Xun wanted to wait until the army tired.

Liu Bei tried to lure him out. Wu Ban set up a tempting camp on open ground. Wu generals wanted to attack.

Lu Xun saw that there must be an ambush and did not move.

The standoff lasted for months.

Time helped Wu. The Shu army had marched far, summer heat grew worse, and the long line of camps became more vulnerable.

Lu Xun finally saw the moment.

The Linked Camps Burned

Lu Xun first tested an attack on one Shu camp. It did not achieve much.

But he had learned enough. Fire could be used.

At night, Wu troops carried dry reeds and fire into the Shu camps.

Once flames rose in the woods, the linked camps became a chain of confusion. A fire in one place could not be quickly contained by the next.

Zhu Ran cut the rear. Pan Zhang's men defeated Feng Xi. Zhuge Jin, Luo Tong, Zhou Yin, and others attacked from different directions. Sun Huan, who had been besieged, broke out.

More than forty Shu camps collapsed.

Zhang Nan, Feng Xi, Shamoke, and others died. Du Lu and Liu Ning surrendered. Ma Liang was killed during the retreat.

Huang Quan's road back to Shu was cut, so he surrendered to Wei. Liu Bei later said that he had failed Huang Quan, not the other way around.

Liu Bei fled west to Baidicheng.

The defeat was severe. Shu lost soldiers, officers, and the prestige Liu Bei had gained from Hanzhong and the imperial claim.

Lu Xun's Authority

After the victory, the Wu generals finally accepted Lu Xun.

Before the battle, some had resisted his command. Lu Xun had enforced discipline and kept waiting.

Sun Quan later asked why he had not reported those who disobeyed.

Lu Xun answered that he had been entrusted with state affairs. Exposing internal conflict would only damage the campaign.

Sun Quan valued him even more.

Zhuge Liang later heard of the defeat and said that if Fa Zheng had lived, he might have stopped Liu Bei from going east. Even if he could not stop him, the defeat might not have been so disastrous.

Cao Pi, hearing that Liu Bei had linked camps for hundreds of li, also predicted defeat.

The judgment was the same: Liu Bei had entered the war in anger and let Lu Xun choose the timing.

Baidicheng

Liu Bei stopped at Baidicheng, near the exit of the Three Gorges.

The position could gather survivors and guard the entrance into Shu. Zhao Yun soon arrived near Yong'an, helping stabilize the retreat.

Lu Xun did not pursue recklessly.

Liu Bei was defeated, but alive. Zhao Yun had arrived. Cao Wei might also attack Wu from the north.

So after the fires of Yiling, no side was truly at ease.

Liu Bei survived. Sun Quan kept Jingzhou. Cao Pi began to reconsider whether Sun Quan was really obedient.

Next, Liu Bei will fall ill at Baidicheng and entrust Shu's future to Zhuge Liang.