"Xiu Yuan and Wen Jin… both died because of my negligence."
At this point, Liu Bei no longer needed anyone to explain it to him.
He understood exactly where he had gone wrong.
The images surfaced in his mind without invitation. The two of them arriving together back then, full of spirit, full of ambition, speaking as if the future lay open before them.
Now that memory only made his chest feel heavier.
"They treated me as a man of the state… yet I failed to repay them in kind."
Guan Yu's gaze sharpened as he pieced together the battlefield.
"The battle at Mount Ma'an is likely a loss,"
"Lu Xun used fire to break the camps and a surprise force to cut the rear. His main army should still have at least forty thousand troops capable of fighting."
"And Elder Brother's forces… were trapped within the chain camps…"
"Second Brother, just watch," Zhang Fei muttered, tugging at his sleeve.
No need to say more.
Everyone could already feel how this would end.
Ma Liang, meanwhile, silently wrote down the name Shamoke.
To think this Barbarian King died just like that...
---
[Lightscreen]
["Liu Bei ascended Ma'an Mountain and arranged his forces around it."
Ma'an Mountain held a unique position. Located to the west of the Yiling battlefield, it had a narrow path leading north directly to Zigui, which was the closest retreat route available to Liu Bei at the time.
It is also highly likely that Ma Liang was stationed here, as it served as the encampment for the Wuxi tribes.
It was here that Shu-Han and Sun Wu finally had a literal head-to-head clash.
Unfortunately, while Liu Bei held the terrain advantage, he had no more than ten thousand scattered troops at his side. The bulk of his army had already been destroyed across the forty-plus camps broken by Lu Xun.
Lu Xun, though attacking uphill, commanded fifty thousand untouched troops eager for merit. A battle fought with momentum is the easiest kind.
Moreover, everyone knew who stood atop that mountain.
The leader of Shu.
No need to capture him alive. Killing him alone would guarantee eternal fame, titles, and rank.
Under such incentives, the soldiers became fearless.
With overwhelming disparities in both numbers and morale, the Shu army had only one option left.
Fu Rong and Cheng Ji fought to the death to cover the retreat, buying Liu Bei a sliver of survival.
Yiling was lost.
But Liu Bei could not die here.
In the end, Liu Bei escaped alone to Baidi City.
The veteran soldiers he had accumulated over ten years of warfare since Red Cliffs were completely wiped out.
A vast number of mid and high-ranking officers were killed or captured. The losses were absolute.]
---
Utter devastation.
The word did not even begin to cover it.
Liu Bei's fingers tightened until his knuckles turned pale.
Just days ago, he had hosted a banquet with Fu Rong. That same man had wept for the Han after drinking, grief pouring out of him like a flood. And later, even his son would die for Shu.
And now…
Gone.
As for "total annihilation," Liu Bei, a veteran himself, understood exactly what that meant.
An army's strength was not just its soldiers.
It was the officers. The captains of tens, hundreds, the commanders hardened through Jing Province, Hanzhong, Yi Province.
Soldiers could be recruited again.
But those men?
Where would he ever find them again?
Even with abundant grain and gold, all he could raise would be fresh recruits.
At best, they would be like Wu soldiers who scattered the moment battle turned unfavorable.
Wei Yan spoke up, emboldened.
"Wu troops are actually quite good at defensive warfare. I have dealt with them back in my hometown."
"They are driven by authority, not reward. Without profit or merit to gain, they will not fight to the death."
"But Ma'an Mountain is different."
He raised a finger.
"First, there is great reward ahead. Second, this battle is fought in Jing Province."
He paused.
"And third… they are defending their own land."
"How could they not fight desperately?"
"Well said," Guan Yu nodded.
"Third Brother, Wu troops may be weak, but they are not to be underestimated."
Zhang Fei gave a rare serious nod.
Guan Yu then glanced at Wei Yan again, his thoughts turning.
The light screen had not said much about this subordinate. Only that there would be a "Wei Yan rebellion" in the future, yet he would also be one of the strategist's right-hand men.
At first, Guan Yu had opposed bringing him in.
But Liu Bei had insisted.
If he could become the strategist's right hand, then he must have talent.
And if his rebellion lay twenty years in the future, then his nature was not yet fixed.
Treat him with great favor now, and perhaps that future disaster could be avoided.
---
[Lightscreen]
[This single battle caused Shu-Han to collapse entirely.
Looking back, the first major error was the timing: The campaign began in the seventh month of 221. Liu Bei advanced swiftly, capturing Wu County and Zigui.
And then… he stopped. He remained there until early 222 before advancing again.
This gave the hastily reacting Sun Wu time to mobilize and array their forces
Lu Xun completed his strategic analysis and tactical setup, locking the Shu army into the Yiling gorge.
So where did Liu Bei go during those months?
Surely he was not imitating Duke Xiang of Song, playing at righteousness?
A line outside Liu Bei's biography notes: "In the second year of Zhangwu, the Empress Si was posthumously honored and her remains moved to Shu, but the First Ruler passed away before they arrived.'
The second year of Zhangwu is 222.
During the first half of the year, Liu Bei was trapped at Yiling.
In the latter half, he suffered defeat and could not leave Jing Province.
Thus, some speculate that the missing months were used to relocate Lady Gan's tomb.
Because she had died in Nan Commandery and was buried there, and after the stalemate at Yiling, there would have been no time or opportunity to move her remains.
Due to lack of detailed records, this remains speculation.
But aside from this, it is difficult to explain such a major tactical delay.]
---
Liu Bei froze for a moment.
Then he shook his head.
"Speculation. Nothing more."
"Perhaps disease broke out among the troops at Zigui, delaying the advance."
Zhang Fei shook his head vigorously.
"If it were anyone else, I would not believe it."
He hesitated, then added.
"But… Big Brother…"
The others exchanged glances and quietly nodded.
Everyone knew how deeply Liu Bei cared for Lady Gan.
And how well she had managed his household, sparing them countless concerns.
Liu Bei forced a smile.
"Just last month, Physician Zhang diagnosed wind illness. Prescribed a few decoctions. I have improved since."
"That is good," the others said, relieved.
But Zhuge Liang and Pang Tong exchanged a glance.
Concern flickered beneath their calm expressions.
The speculation sounded strange.
Yet Liu Bei had spent his life accepting advice humbly.
Only at Yiling had he acted with such stubborn insistence.
Something was off.
There had to be a reason.
Pang Tong seemed to realize something. He silently wrote a few characters and passed the slip to Zhuge Liang.
---
[Lightscreen]
[The second tactical error was the six-month stalemate with Lu Xun. In modern terms: 'I'm waiting for my ultimate move, what are you waiting for?'
Lu Xun was under immense pressure from his arrogant generals and had to write to Sun Quan every two months to soothe his nerves.
He was waiting for Shu-Han's morale to drop and the weather to change, hoping for a flaw. Luck favored him; Liu Bei handed over control of the river, and Lu Xun struck with precision.
In a stalemate, it's often a contest of who blinks first.
If Liu Bei hadn't slipped up, Lu Xun might have been forced to attack prematurely by his veteran generals, giving Shu-Han a chance.
But history has no 'ifs.' If there were 'ifs,' Guan Yunchang would have marched north from Xiangfan and beheaded Cao Cao years ago.]
---
Liu Bei could not help asking.
"Second Brother, if Sun Quan had coordinated from Hefei during Xiangfan… could we have reached Xudu?"
Guan Yu shook his head without hesitation, shattering the illusion.
"If Sun Quan had such resolve, there would have been no Xiang River alliance."
"By then, you would already have taken Guanzhong after securing Hanzhong. Why would we still be here?"
He paused. "But these are empty words. No use discussing them."
Jiang Wan added thoughtfully.
"Even after Jing Province, Lu Xun still lacked full authority. He had to stabilize both his lord above and the generals below."
"The outcome between him and Your Lordship was no more than fifty-fifty."
Liu Bei nodded.
Yet inside, his heart ached.
Where exactly was Lu Xun?
The intelligence Jian Yong had gathered on the Lu clan was still tucked in his sleeve.
A thin sheet of paper.
No matter how he read it, there was no mention of "Xun."
---
[Lightscreen]
[Overall, Yiling is called Liu Bei's 'Gamble of Destiny.'
At this time, Wei was strong, but not overwhelmingly so. Sun Wu had swallowed Jing Province and the surrendered troops of Guan Yu and Yu Jin, greatly increasing their strength.
Wu's attention was fixed on Yiling.
By choosing to fight south of the river, Liu Bei might have been acting as bait to lure Cao Wei into the fray.
But unfortunately, Cao Pi, lacking his father's cunning, was thoroughly outplayed by old fox Sun Quan.]
---
Zhuge Liang unfolded the slip Pang Tong had handed him.
Four characters.
"Cao Pi is inferior to his father."
The battle of Yiling had ended quickly.
But its echoes… Would linger for a very long time.