"Advance by both water and land…"
Guan Yu's voice carried a faint trace of regret.
Ever since being influenced by the light screen, he had begun studying naval warfare ahead of time. And precisely because of that, he now understood just how terrifying those four simple words truly were.
From Yi Province into Jing Province, the route followed the river downstream. If water and land forces advanced together, the navy could transport supplies while simultaneously striking deep into the enemy's rear. Harassment, disruption, constant pressure.
Once the rear was repeatedly set ablaze, how could Lu Xun possibly sit comfortably and hold his defensive line for half a year?
Liu Bei stared at Lu Xun's memorial to Sun Quan and slowly lowered his head until it nearly touched the table.
So this was what the enemy feared the most.
And yet he had done the exact opposite.
He had abandoned the ships and marched on foot, walking straight into the trap with full confidence.
Guan Yu could not bear to watch any longer and stepped forward.
"Big Brother, why torment yourself like this? Our navy now has its foundation. This mistake will not be repeated."
Zhang Fei leaned in from the side, curiosity written all over his face.
"Big Brother, are you like Zilong or something? The more troops you have, the worse you fight?"
Liu Bei and Zhao Yun both opened their mouths, then hesitated.
They wanted to argue.
But somehow… they could not quite find the words.
Their expressions stiffened.
Guan Yu glanced at Zhang Fei with visible sympathy.
That question had landed a little too accurately.
---
[Lightscreen]
[Records regarding Lu Xun's river-cutting maneuver are sparse, but can be reconstructed from multiple sources.
The Biography of Huang Quan states: "Taking advantage of the current, they cut off the encirclement. The southern commanderies collapsed. The Former Lord retreated, but his path was severed."
The Biography of Zhu Ran is even more direct: "They cut off his rear route. Liu Bei was defeated and fled."
Lu Ji, grandson of Lu Xun, later boasted: "Lu Xun regarded the Shu army as a long snake. In narrow terrain, head and tail could not support each other."
Combining these, a clear picture emerges.
From the very beginning, Lu Xun had already identified his path to victory. After Liu Bei ordered the navy ashore, Lu Xun accelerated preparations.
Once he had scouted the Shu camps, he ordered Zhu Ran to sail upstream. At the same time the fires were lit, the fleet cut directly into the rear of the Shu army.
At that moment, Liu Bei's chain of camps did not provide strength. Instead, they became a burden.
Panic spread like wildfire through the connected camps. Order collapsed. The stalemate shattered instantly, and the Shu army disintegrated.]
---
"Terrifying," Pang Tong muttered, unable to hold back.
"Momentum is shaped by advantage. Control arises from adapting to it."
His gaze sharpened.
"This Lu Xun… faced with superior forces, he refused to meet them head-on. The battlefield at Yiling was his choice. The timing of the decisive strike was also his choice."
"From beginning to end, he controlled the situation through momentum."
"He had already secured a position where defeat was impossible."
Zhang Fei waved a hand impatiently.
"Why say it so complicated?"
He grinned.
"Simple. Where to fight, Lu Xun decided. When to fight, still Lu Xun decided."
He looked at Liu Bei.
"So how was Big Brother supposed to win?"
That blunt explanation hit home instantly.
The generals all understood.
If the battlefield belonged to the enemy, then the advantage would always lean their way.
"Then what should be done in such a situation?" voices rose one after another.
Guan Yu spoke first, calm and steady.
"Secure supply lines. Guard against fire. Wait until autumn. Their momentum will naturally decline."
Zhang Fei snorted.
"Send tough soldiers to shout insults every day. Break their morale. When they slip, charge and smash their camps."
Zhao Yun thought for a moment, recalling something mentioned earlier by the light screen.
"Dispatch an elite force to cross the mountains and harass their rear. Force them to engage."
Three answers.
Three completely different approaches.
No one pressed Wei Yan for an opinion. His rank was not quite there yet.
Liu Bei felt a surge of satisfaction.
Reliable.
All three of them were truly reliable.
---
[Lightscreen]
[Meanwhile, Huang Quan on the north bank of the Yangtze witnessed everything unfold.
He did not know which Wu general had executed the maneuver of cutting off the river route.
He only knew one thing.
His retreat was gone.
Unwilling to surrender to Wu, Huang Quan had no choice but to head north and surrender to Wei.
The Wei army, who had been relaxing and spectating for months, were completely stunned.
Huang Quan was a key Shu minister who had helped secure Hanzhong. A high-value prize.
And he arrived with tens of thousands of troops and supplies.
The Wei army basically sat there eating and chatting… and suddenly completed their annual quota.
It is worth noting that Shu also believed Huang Quan's surrender was forced.
His son Huang Chong later served in Shu and died in battle alongside Zhang Zun, grandson of Zhang Fei, resisting Deng Ai.]
---
"What a tragic fate," someone murmured.
"But what could he have done?"
Liu Bei let out a long sigh.
"Huang Quan did not betray me. It was I who failed him."
Pang Tong stepped forward to console him.
"Entrusting him with command north of the river to guard against Wei was a sign of trust."
"And once the camps collapsed, Your Lordship could barely save yourself. How could you account for everything?"
Zhang Fei crossed his arms and nodded.
"Father forced to surrender, son dies in battle. We in Shu-Han are all good men!"
"Indeed," Jian Yong added with a smile. "Broad-minded and upright. I have inquired about him in Chengdu. He serves as a clerk now."
"Another talent left unused," Liu Bei said, shaking his head.
Then he sighed again, this time with genuine envy.
"Liu Zhang truly had good fortune."
---
[Lightscreen]
[Another piece of evidence for Lu Xun's river maneuver lies in Liu Bei's near solitary escape to Baidi City.
In the era of cold weapons, armies are only completely destroyed or forced to surrender when their retreat is cut off.
Classic examples include Yuan Shao at Guandu and Guan Yu at Xiangfan.
This battle also bears resemblance to the Incheon Landing.
Back then, the North Korean army was sweeping through the South, their lines stretched thin.
The U.S. forces landed at Incheon, using a 'Joint Operation' of sea, land, and air to strike the center and cut off the retreat.
Without the intervention of our Volunteer Army, the North Korean forces would have been annihilated]
---
Pang Tong's expression shook violently.
He looked around.
Everyone else looked… calm.
Some were even casually discussing it.
Clearly, they were already used to the light screen casually throwing in future history like seasoning.
Huang Yueying frowned thoughtfully.
"I suspect these 'U.S.' forces intended to conquer our neighbor to threaten our borders. But where is this 'Chosen' (Korea)?"
Kongming recalled his readings: "When Zhou destroyed Shang, King Zhou's uncle was enfeoffed as the Marquis of Chosen in Liaodong. It connects to the Central Plains and extends into the sea; 'Peninsula' is a fitting name. Emperor Wu established four commanderies there, but we have heard little since General Gongsun's fall."
Jian Yong waved it off.
"Another former Han territory that went independent. Nothing new."
Because of this unexpected tangent, no one focused on Liu Bei's earlier humiliation.
Which, frankly, was a relief for him.
He exhaled quietly.
Then turned to Pang Tong with a smile.
"The light screen is always like this. It occasionally reveals fragments of the future."
Pang Tong nodded, understanding.
But then Liu Bei asked another question.
"Shiyuan, can you deduce what 'mobile territory' means?"
Meanwhile, the generals had latched onto something else entirely.
"Sea, land, air coordination…" Zhang Fei scratched his head.
"So the air force is that flying thing we saw before?"
He smacked his lips.
"I thought maybe people in the future just grow wings."
Guan Yu stroked his beard, eyes narrowing.
"Naval forces… perhaps the future evolution of water armies."
"Multi-branch coordination… that may be the true direction of warfare."
Wei Yan's eyebrow twitched uncontrollably.
This was getting dangerously exciting.
---
[Lightscreen]
[However, at Yiling, the success of this 'amphibious' blockade only ensured Lu Xun's safety.
To truly win, he still had a very tough nut to crack: the sixty-year-old, never-say-die Emperor Liu Bei.
Using fire to disrupt morale and naval forces to cut retreat, Lu Xun shattered over forty camps.
Zhang Nan, Feng Xi, and Shamoke were killed. Du Lu and Liu Ning surrendered in desperation.
The situation spiraled irreversibly toward collapse.
And yet…
Liu Bei still intended to make one final stand.]