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[Assistant] Whoa are my hundred thousand civilian followers who are being put in harm's way thing and refuse to go in.


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[Assistant] As a result, Wei Yan was left to fend for himself, and he lost.


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[Assistant] But Han Xuan did not like Wei Yan's rather high opinion of himself and therefore did not make much use of him. So as you can imagine, Wei Yan was holding a grudge. After he rescued Huang Zheng,


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[Assistant] Wei Yan gathered up a throng of civilians who were also not big fans of Han Xuan.


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[Assistant] He led a few hundred men and stormed toward the top of the city walls, ignoring Huang Zhong's pleas for him to stop.


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[Assistant] When he had fought his way to the top, Wei Yan removed Han Xuan's head with one swing of his knife. He took the head, hopped on the horse, and led his civilian followers outside the city to surrender to Guan Yu.


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[Assistant] Guan Yu was ecstatic about this turn of events. He immediately entered the city to restore order.


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[Assistant] Once that was done, he invited Huang Zhong to come meet him, but Huang Zhong, feeling rather down about what happened, declined the invitation on the excuse that he was sick.


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[Assistant] Meanwhile, Guan Yu sent word to Liu Bei and Zhu Ge Liang.


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[Assistant] Liu Bei and Zhu Ge Liang were en route to Changsha with reinforcements when suddenly a blue-green banner fell and rolled up while a south-flying crow let out three squawks. What do these omens portend? Liu Bei asks.


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[Assistant] Zhu Ge Liang did a little calculation from atop his horse and replied,


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[Assistant] Changsha is ours and your lordship will gain a major general. You will see shortly after noon time.


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[Assistant] Moments later, a soldier rushed onto the scene with a message.


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[Assistant] General Guan has taken Changsha. The officers Huang Zhong and Wei Yan have surrendered. They are awaiting your lordship's arrival. Liu Bei was delighted when he heard the news.


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[Assistant] When he got to Changsha, Guan Yu welcomed him in and told him that Huang Zhong was being an anti-social grump locked up in his house.


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[Assistant] Liu Bei then personally went to Huang Zhong's home to see him.


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[Assistant] This gesture was enough to convince Huang Zhong of Liu Bei's worthiness, and Huang Zhong came out and surrendered.


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[Assistant] But, he also asked Liu Bei to allow Han Xuan's remains to be buried east of the city.


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[Assistant] As part of his Kill Them With Kindness benefits package, Liu Bei granted this request. For his loyalty to his dead master, whose last act was to order his execution, a poet later praised Huang Zhong thus.


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[Assistant] His martial powers set him high as heaven, yet in the end, this greybeard went in bonds.


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[Assistant] Resigned to death, he held no man to blame.


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[Assistant] Surrender made him hang his head in shame.


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[Assistant] His dazzling saber bespoke demonic daring. His farted mount, wind-breathing, inspired his combat lust. This hero's noble name through the ages never fades. Above Changsha, the orphan moon he shall ever chase.


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[Assistant] After Huang Zhong was brought into the fold, Guan Yu then introduced Wei Yan to Liu Bei.


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[Assistant] But as soon as Wei Yan came in, Zhu Ge Liang ordered the guards to arrest him and execute him, which stunned everybody.


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[Assistant] Wei Yan has rendered service and done no wrong. Why do you want to kill him? Liu Bei asked.


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[Assistant] Then everyone who surrenders to us would feel uneasy, Liu Bei said. I hope you will spare him.


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[Assistant] Since Liu Bei has spoken, Zhuge Liang relented. He pointed at Wei Yan and said, I will spare you for now.


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[Assistant] Serve my lord loyally and do not harbor any thoughts of betrayal. If you do, I will have your head one way or another.


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[Assistant] So instead of the nice fat reward that he was probably expecting, poor Wei Yan just got an earful and had to feel pretty darn lucky to get off with just that, nodding in agreement with Zhuge Liang's warning as he retired.


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[Assistant] As we'll see going forward, Wei Yan is going to become a key figure over time, not to mention Zhuge Liang's favorite punching bag.


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[Assistant] Huang Zhong now recommended Liu Biao's nephew, Liu Pan. He was the former governor of Changsha, and he had just been taking it easy as a civilian in a nearby county.


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[Assistant] Liu Bei brought him back to Changsha and put him in charge once again.


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[Assistant] So Liu Bei now has conquered the four counties he set out to take, and at each place, he has either kept a member of the original management team in charge, or installed someone with ties to Liu Biao, the former imperial protector of the province.


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[Assistant] Add in the fact that he's technically helping Liu Biao's son, Liu Qi, to run things in the province, and Liu Bei is doing a pretty darn good job of ingratiating himself to the locals and making a strong case for legitimacy in the province.


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[Assistant] So now, Liu Bei basically had control of all of Jing Province.


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[Assistant] He returned to the provincial capital, stationed his commanders at all the strategic places, and renamed the spot from which he launched his sack of Nanjun, the first city he claimed after the Battle of Red Cliff, to a suitably auspicious name to mark the occasion.


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[Assistant] From then on, he found himself with plenty of money and grain, and talented men began to flood into his service. In short, life was good for Liu Bei for the first time in a long, long time.


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[Assistant] We'll leave Liu Bei to enjoy the fruits of his labor for now and check in on his ally, the state of Dongwu.


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[Assistant] Zhou Yu, the commander of the Dongwu forces, had been spending the last couple episodes recuperating in Chaisang after Zhuge Liang's underhanded theft of the city of Nanjun had ticked him off so much that he re-aggravated his arrow wound.


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[Assistant] While he was recuperating, Zhou Yu stationed two of his top generals, Gan Ning and Ling Tong, at the key counties of Ba Ling and Hanyang, where they deployed warships and awaited his command.


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[Assistant] At the same time, the veteran general Cheng Pu led an army and the other officers to Hefei, where Sun Quan was currently bogged down in an unsuccessful siege against Cao Cao's troops, who were under the command of Zhang Liu, one of Cao Cao's top generals.


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[Assistant] The two sides have fought about a dozen indecisive engagements, and Sun Quan has been forced to move his camp to about 15 miles away from the city.


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[Assistant] So Sun Quan was naturally happy to see Cheng Pu and company, and he personally went out to welcome them.


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[Assistant] Lu Su, the advisor who had told Sun Quan to fight Cao Cao when almost everyone else advocated surrender, arrived ahead of Cheng Pu's forces.


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[Assistant] When he saw Lu Su approaching, Sun Quan dismounted and waited for him, which was a tremendous honor. Lu Su hurriedly dismounted as well and bowed.


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[Assistant] All the officers were rather stunned to see the deference that Sun Quan was showing to Lu Su.


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[Assistant] But they hadn't seen nothing yet. Sun Quan then asked Lu Su to get on his horse, and the two rode side by side. Another tremendous honor.


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[Assistant] Was there recognition enough for you when I dismounted to greet you? Sun Quan whispered to Lu Su as they rode. No, my lord, Lu Su answered. Then what would be recognition enough for you?


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[Assistant] When I see your lordship's awesome virtue prevailing throughout the land, when I see all nine provinces under your control, when I see Imperial Enterprise established and my name written down in the histories, then it would be enough.


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[Assistant] So all you bootlickers out there can just quit now because Luzu just showed you all up and gave you a lesson on how to do it properly and with dignity.


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[Assistant] Sun Quan was so delighted by this that he rubbed his hands and laughed out loud.


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[Assistant] When they arrived in camp, he threw a big feast to welcome the new troops and discuss how to sack He Fei.


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[Assistant] In the midst of the party, a messenger arrived bearing a letter from Zhang Liao challenging Sun Quan to battle. Upon reading the letter, Sun Quan was incensed.


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[Assistant] Zhang Liao pushes me too far, he said angrily. He heard that Cheng Pu's reinforcements had arrived, so he sent this challenge. Well, watch me give him a fight without using the fresh troops.


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[Assistant] So Sun Quan ordered his army to set out at 3am that night to tour Hefei.


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[Assistant] Around 7am, they were halfway there when they ran into the enemy and the two sides lined up for battle.


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[Assistant] Donning a golden helmet and a suit of golden armor, Sun Quan rode out flanked by two officers, Song Qian and Jia Hua, who were wielding halberds and serving as his personal bodyguards.


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[Assistant] After three rounds of battle drums, the enemy's lines opened up to reveal three generals.


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[Assistant] In the center was Zhang Liao, to his left was Li Dian, and to his right was Yue Jin.


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[Assistant] These three were among Cao Cao's most veteran generals, and the fact that he stationed them at Hefei speaks to the strategic importance of this location.


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[Assistant] Zhang Liao now rode out and challenged Sun Quan to battle. Sun Quan, gripping his spear, wanted to go out and answer the challenge himself. Which was like, dude, what are you doing? You are the lord of the Southlands. You do not go out to engage in hand-to-hand combat. Period.


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[Assistant] Fortunately, one of Sun Quan's top generals Tai Shi Ci beat him to the punch. Tai Shi Ci and Zhang Liao traded blows for about 80 bouts without a winner.


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[Assistant] While they were fighting, on Zhang Liao's side of the field, the general Li Dian said to his comrade, Yue Jin,


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[Assistant] The man wearing the golden helmet across the way is Sun Quan.


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[Assistant] If we capture him, it would be enough to avenge the 830,000 men we lost at Red Cliff.


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[Assistant] Before Li Dian had finished speaking, Yue Jin had already darted out from his line with Saber in hand.


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[Assistant] Flying towards Sun Quan like a boat of lightning. When he got near, he raised his saber and brought it down with all his might.


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[Assistant] Sun Quan's bodyguards Song Qian and Jia Hua raised their halberds to parry the blow. With a loud clang, both halberds were shattered, though they did manage to block Yue Jin's initial attack.


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[Assistant] The two bodyguards now try to attack Yue Jin with just the broken stems of their halberds. Having lost the element of surprise, Yue Jin turned and rolled back towards own lines. Song Qian grabbed the spear from one of the soldiers and came after him.


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[Assistant] But, across the field, Li Dian let fly an arrow and struck Song Qian in his heart, sending him tumbling to the ground, dead.


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[Assistant] Seeing a comrade fall behind him, Tai Shi Zi now gave up his duel with Zhang Liao and rode back toward Dong Wu's lines. Zhang Liao directed his men to sweep in, and the Dong Wu forces fell into disarray and scattered every which way.


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[Assistant] In the midst of the chaos, Zhang Liao spotted Sun Quan and gave chase. He was almost on top of Sun Quan when suddenly another army darted onto the scene. It was the Dongwu General Cheng Pu.


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[Assistant] These reinforcements put up a fight and rescued Sun Quan, while Zhang Liao brought his troops back inside Hefei.


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[Assistant] So it was another setback for Sun Quan, and after he and his defeated troops trickled back into camp, he wept bitterly over the loss of his bodyguard Song Qian. My lord, his advisor Zhang Hong now spoke up.


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[Assistant] Your confidence in your own vigor led you to underestimate the enemy, and our entire army was disappointed by your rash actions.


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[Assistant] Fighting on the battlefield is the duty of your low-ranking commanders, not yours. I hope you will check the desire to display brute valor and instead hone strategies worthy of kings and hegemons. Song Qian's death today was the result of your underestimating the enemy.


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[Assistant] Please, take greater care to keep yourself safe from now on.


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[Assistant] This was some pretty serious admonishment, but to his credit, Sun Quan admitted that he was in the wrong and promised to change his ways.


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[Assistant] But will this lesson learn do him any good in his ongoing battle with Zhang Liao? Find out next time on the Romance of the Three Kingdoms podcast. Thanks for listening.


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[Assistant] Welcome to the Romance of the Three Kingdoms Podcast. This is a supplemental episode.


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[Assistant] In this episode, we're going to take a look at the real battle of Redcliffe versus the fictional version.


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[Assistant] Considering that we spent all or part of 11 episodes of the podcast on this one battle and the events immediately leading up to it,


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[Assistant] It goes without saying that this was a seminal event in the novel.


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[Assistant] And that mirrors its significance in real history.


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[Assistant] Even if the players involved may not have realized it at the time.


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[Assistant] This turned out to be essentially the battle that set us on the path to having three kingdoms instead of one kingdom run by Cao Cao. However,


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[Assistant] As you may have already guessed, a lot of the events described in the novel are exaggerations or just pure fiction.


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[Assistant] So let's start with what was real. To do that, I'm going to read you what was written about this battle in the Records of the Three Kingdoms.


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[Assistant] Which is generally considered the most reliable source of information on the Three Kingdoms period.


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[Assistant] This is actually a collection of three books, each one being the official history of one of the three kingdoms. I'll start off with the Book of Wei.


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[Assistant] Which is the kingdom that Cao Cao's descendants would found.


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[Assistant] Here's roughly what it says about the Battle of Redcliffe.


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[Assistant] Cao Cao arrived at Red Cliff and fought against Liu Bei. The outcome was unfavorable.


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[Assistant] Also, there was pestilence and many soldiers died, so he led his army back.


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[Assistant] Liu Bei then gradually gained the counties of Jing province and the Southlands. So, I know what you're thinking.


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[Assistant] That's not a very substantial record of what was supposed to be such an important event.


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[Assistant] Perhaps we should not be surprised by this, since one can hardly fault Cao Cao's descendants for not wanting to spill too much ink on this less than glorious chapter in the career of their ancestor.


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[Assistant] But surely, Cao Cao's enemies would have much more to say about their triumph, right? Well, let's see what the Book of Shu...


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[Assistant] The official history of the kingdom that Liu Bei would create has to say.


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[Assistant] Liu Bei sent Zhu Ge Liang to go form an alliance with Sun Quan.


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[Assistant] Sun Quan sent Zhou Yu, Cheng Pu, and a navy of several tens of thousands to join forces with Liu Bei.


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[Assistant] They fought against Cao Cao at Red Cliff and routed him.


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[Assistant] Burning his ships, Liu Bei and the Dongwu troops advanced on land and water and pursued to Nanjun.


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[Assistant] At this time, there was pestilence, causing many deaths in the northern army, so Cao Cao retreated with his forces.


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[Assistant] Okay, so that's a little bit more, but still not that much. Let's see what's in the book of Wu, Sun Quan's kingdom.


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[Assistant] Liu Bei moved to Xiakou and sent Zhuge Liang to meet with Sun Quan. Sun Quan sent Zhou Yu and Cheng Pu.


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[Assistant] At the time, Cao Cao had just added Liu Biao's forces and looked very strong.


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[Assistant] Many advisors were intimidated and advised Sun Quan to welcome him.


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[Assistant] Only Zhou Yu and Lu Su advocated resistance, which Sun Quan agreed with.


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[Assistant] Zhou Yu and Cheng Pu served as left and right commanders, each leading 10,000 men, and advanced with Liu Bei.


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[Assistant] They faced off at Red Cliff and routed Cao Cao's army.


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[Assistant] Cao Cao burned the remainder of his ships and retreated.


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[Assistant] His troops were starving and exhausted, and most of them died.


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[Assistant] Liu Bei, Zhou Yu and company pursued him to Nanjun and Cao Cao returned to the North.


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[Assistant] Okay, so once again, there's not really that much detail about the battle here.


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[Assistant] Based on these passages, here's what we know happened, or at least what the most reliable historical source says happened. Cao Cao pursued Liu Bei. Liu Bei joined up with Sun Quan.


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[Assistant] Zhou Yu and Lu Su talked Sun Quan into fighting instead of submitting to Cao Cao.


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[Assistant] Sun Quan sent several tens of thousands of men and Dai, together with Liu Bei's forces, defeated Cao Cao at Red Cliff. Cao Cao's ships were burned, possibly by Zhou Yu, possibly by Cao Cao himself, or possibly a combination of both. Cao Cao then retreated


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[Assistant] First to Nanjun, and from there, back to the north.


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[Assistant] As for what did NOT happen in real life, let's get to the first major discrepancy between fact and fiction, the size of the armies involved in this battle.


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[Assistant] In the novel, Cao Cao was said to have 830,000 men, which he conveniently rounded up to a million.


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[Assistant] While there doesn't seem to be much agreement in the historical sources about how many troops he actually had,


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[Assistant] One source that I saw went as far as to estimate that Cao Cao may have only had about 70,000 troops in the field.


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[Assistant] In the novel, Dong Wu was said to have sent 50,000 troops, while Liu Bei was said to have about 10,000 to 20,000.


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[Assistant] From the historical sources, these numbers seem to actually be pretty close to reality.


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[Assistant] Zhou Yu was said to have led about 30,000 men, plus however many Liu Bei had.


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[Assistant] So Cao Cao still had a definite numerical advantage, though it certainly was not the overwhelming edge the novel portrayed. It was more like 4-5 to 1 instead of more than 10 to 1.


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[Assistant] One of the sources I came across relayed an interesting story.


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[Assistant] It's said that at the time, Sun Quan only had 50,000 men altogether, and he sent 30,000 of them to help Liu Bei, with assurances that if things didn't go well, he would take the other 20,000 and send them as well.


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[Assistant] When Zhou Yu met Liu Bei and told him that he had brought 30,000 men, Liu Bei apparently said, well that's not enough. And Zhou Yu basically answered, well, it will have to be.


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[Assistant] So now that we have addressed the numbers, let's turn our attention to another major discrepancy between fact and fiction.


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[Assistant] Which is the role that Dong Wu played in the outcome of the battle.


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[Assistant] In the novel, while Dongwu was certainly important because it had the bodies to stand up against Cao Cao,


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[Assistant] The picture we get is pretty much that Zhou Yu, Lu Su, and the rest of the Dongwu forces were more or less just along for the ride while Zhuge Liang dazzled everyone with his strategies and god-like talents. In reality though,


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[Assistant] Dongwu's forces really were the ones that did the heavy lifting. For example


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[Assistant] It was the Dongwu general Huang Gai who suggested to Zhou Yu that he should use fire. And Huang Gai actually did lead a fleet of fire boats under the pretense of defecting to Cao Cao to start the fire that consumed Cao Cao's ships.


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[Assistant] Of course, there isn't anything in the historical records quite so dramatic as Huang Gai willingly enduring a beating in order to convince Cao Cao that he was really defecting.


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[Assistant] Or his friend Kanze risking his life to deliver the fake defection letter.


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[Assistant] Or Zhou Yu tricking Cao Cao into executing his best naval commanders.


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[Assistant] He did indeed go to Dongwu as an envoy to convince Sun Quan to join forces with Liu Bei. And in that effort, he was successful.


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[Assistant] However, once the Southlands mobilized its army, Zhuge Liang seems to have faded into the background.


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[Assistant] In the chapter about his career in the records of the three kingdoms,


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[Assistant] There is basically no mention of him being involved


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[Assistant] In any of the military operations at the Battle of Redcliffe.


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[Assistant] And, I'm sure this comes as a total shock to you.


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[Assistant] Was there really a sudden shift in the direction of the winds that affected the battle?


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[Assistant] I have seen different things from different sources on this question.


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[Assistant] Some speculated that there was a temporary shift in the winds and that it was probably a local weather phenomenon, while others suggested that wind or no wind, the fire attack would have worked just fine. So, I don't really know.


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[Assistant] Oh, and that episode where Zhuge Liang tied a bunch of straw men to boats and sailed them out onto a foggy river to borrow a hundred thousand arrows from Cao Cao?


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[Assistant] Believe it or not, something like that actually did happen.


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[Assistant] But it was not Zhuge Liang who did it, and it did not happen at Red Cliff.


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[Assistant] Instead, it was Sun Quan who pulled off this trick.


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[Assistant] And he did it in a later battle against Cao Cao. But!


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[Assistant] Like so many of the Dongwu characters, Sun Quan gets the shaft here, in the name of Deifying Zhuge Liang. In the real battle,


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[Assistant] There was a much more significant player than the winds or Zhuge Liang's god-like abilities.


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[Assistant] But this player's role was severely downplayed in the novel. I'm talking about disease.


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[Assistant] In the novel, this was only mentioned in passing as one of the reasons that Cao Cao decided to tie his ships together. In reality though,


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[Assistant] Disease appears to have taken a significant toll on Cao Cao's troops and was as much a reason for his decision to fall back as the defeat in the battle itself.


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[Assistant] We can see evidence of this in that the histories of all three kingdoms in the records of the three kingdoms make it a point to mention pestilence among Cao Cao's troops.


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[Assistant] But, I suppose it's not great storytelling to say Cao Cao decided to go home because his guys were getting sick.


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[Assistant] Finally, let's talk about Cao Cao's desperate escape after the battle and his encounter with Guan Yu at the narrow path of Huarong Trail.


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[Assistant] In the novel, Zhu Ge Liang in his infinite wisdom.


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[Assistant] But also in that infinite wisdom, Zhuge Liang had foreseen that it was not yet time for Cao Cao to die, so he sent Guan Yu to defend that position, knowing full well that Guan Yu


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[Assistant] Everything I have read pretty much says this did not happen.


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[Assistant] Much of what we know about what actually happened comes from a later edition of the records of the three kingdoms.


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[Assistant] This edition was produced more than a century after the original was compiled.


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[Assistant] Apparently, the emperor at the time felt that the original version was too bare-bones, so he told one of his courtiers to beef it up a little bit.


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[Assistant] The resulting addition incorporated more than 200 other sources, though there are some questions about how reliable some of these sources are.


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[Assistant] In any case, much of the Huarong Trail episode is derived from one of these sources. According to this source, after he was defeated at Red Cliff, Cao Cao was beaten.


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[Assistant] But hardly in as dire straits as the novel depicted. As his army retreated, there were some enemy troops in pursuit.


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[Assistant] What's the treacherous condition of Huarong Trail?


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[Assistant] It was apparently as muddy as the novel said.


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[Assistant] And many of Cao Cao's troops did die on the stretch of their retreat.


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[Assistant] Interestingly enough, Cao Cao apparently did laugh at his enemy's inadequate strategy at one point.


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[Assistant] But unlike in the novel, he was not laughing at Zhuge Liang or Zhou Yu, but rather at Liu Bei. And he did not laugh three times, nor did his laughs bring enemy ambushes upon his troops.


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[Assistant] Instead, he only laughed once after his army had retreated out of Huarong Trail.


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[Assistant] After he left, some of Liu Bei's troops did show up in pursuit, and they set a fire to try to burn Cao Cao's troops.


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[Assistant] But by that point, Cao Cao and his men were already safely out of range.


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[Assistant] There was certainly no mention of any groveling for mercy on Cao Cao's part, and I doubt that it would have done him much good if he really had been in that situation.


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[Assistant] So there you have it, a quick look at some of the main differences between fact and fiction where the Battle of Red Clip is concerned.


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[Assistant] I hope you enjoyed it, and I'll see you next time on the Romance of the Three Kingdoms podcast. Thanks for listening.


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[Assistant] Welcome to the Romance of the Three Kingdoms Podcast. This is episode 83.


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[Assistant] Last time, Liu Zhang had reached out to his nemesis Zhang Lu for help against Liu Bei.


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[Assistant] Zhang Lu sent General Ma Chao to lead the relief force.


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[Assistant] But Ma Chao ended up joining Liu Bei and volunteered to go force Liu Zhang to surrender.


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[Assistant] When Liu Zhang saw the help he had been pinning his hopes on showing up on his doorstep demanding his surrender, he collapsed on the wall of the city of Chengdu.


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[Assistant] When his officials brought him back around, he lamented.


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[Assistant] I was blind and now it's too late for regrets. Let's open the gates and surrender so as to save the civilians. One of his officials objected.


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[Assistant] We still have more than 30,000 troops inside the city, and enough money and provisions to last us a year. How can we just surrender? But Liu Zhang would not hear of it.


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[Assistant] My father and I have reigned in Shu for twenty some years, and we have done nothing for the people, he said. After three years of war, the fields are covered with blood and bodies, and it is all my fault. How can I live with myself? I would rather surrender to protect the people. These words made everyone around him tear up. But just then, someone spoke up and said,


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[Assistant] My lord, your words are in accordance with heaven.


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[Assistant] This was a man named Qiao Zhou, and he was known for his knowledge of astrology.


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[Assistant] Liu Zhang asked him to elaborate, and Qiao Zhou said,


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[Assistant] When I observed the night sky, I saw many stars clustered over Shu, and the main star was as bright as the moon. This is the imperial sign.


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[Assistant] Also, a year ago, there was a children's limerick that said,


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[Assistant] If you want fresh rice, you must wait until the first ruler comes. This is a clear omen. We must not go against heaven's will.


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[Assistant] A couple of the loyal officials, like Huang Quan and Liu Ba, were outraged by these words and wanted to kill this Qiao Zhou. But Liu Zhang stopped them.


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[Assistant] Just then, word came that the district governor of Shu had already said see ya later and slipped out of the city to surrender to Liu Bei. Seeing his men abandoning him,


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[Assistant] Liu Zhang wept bitterly and returned to his residence.


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[Assistant] The next morning, Liu Bei sent his aide Jian Yong to request an audience with Liu Zhang.


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[Assistant] Liu Zhang ordered the gates to be opened, and Jian Yong entered in his carriage.


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[Assistant] As he rode through the streets, he was feeling and acting mighty smug until suddenly, an official named Qin Mi pulled out a sword and shouted,


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[Assistant] Just because your upstarts guide you away, do you think you are above us all?


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[Assistant] This little outburst set Jian Yong straight, and he immediately got out of his carriage to greet Qin Mi.


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[Assistant] Forgive me sir, I did not recognize you, he said. Thus, somewhat appeased,


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[Assistant] Qin Mi accompanied Jian Yong to go see Liu Zhang.


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[Assistant] Jian Yong told Liu Zhang how Liu Bei was generous and magnanimous and bore no ill will toward him.


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[Assistant] Nevermind that big army he's got outside your city.


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[Assistant] This convinced Liu Zhang to make up his mind and surrender.


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[Assistant] The next day, Liu Jiang personally carried his seal and court of command along with other paperwork.


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[Assistant] It's not that I am dishonorable or inhumane. I was compelled by circumstances.


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[Assistant] Well, one can only imagine what Liu Zhang was thinking when he heard this. Yeah, circumstances. Okay, whatever you say, man.


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[Assistant] Whatever he thought, Liu Zhang obviously did not dare to say much.


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[Assistant] They then went inside the camp and completed the handover, after which the two kinsmen rode side by side back into the city to show that everything was cool between them.


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[Assistant] Inside the city, the civilians were waiting to welcome Liu Bei by the gates with incense, flowers, and lanterns.


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[Assistant] When he arrived at the main hall, Liu Bei sat in the big chair, and all the officials of the district kneeled in front of him.


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[Assistant] All that is, except for Huang Quan and Liu Ba.


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[Assistant] Both of them stayed home and kept their doors shut.


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[Assistant] This did not please Liu Bei's officers, and many wanted to kill these two obstinate holdouts. Liu Bei however,


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[Assistant] Quickly send out word that whoever harmed either of those men would have their entire clans exterminated.


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[Assistant] Liu Bei then personally went to call on the two men and asked them to serve him.


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[Assistant] Liu Bei's humility did its usual thing, and the two men caved and said, Fine, you twisted our arms, we'll serve you.


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[Assistant] With the initial transition taken care of, Zhu Ge Liang now set to Liu Bei.


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[Assistant] The river lands are now at peace, but it is not big enough for two masters. You should send Liu Zhang to Jing province.


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[Assistant] But I just took over the region. I cannot send him so far away just yet. Liu Bei said.


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[Assistant] Liu Zhang lost his enterprise because he was too feeble, Zhuge Liang said.


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[Assistant] If your lordship is soft-hearted like a woman and indecisive, I worry that this territory would not be ours for long.


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[Assistant] Oh well, since you called me a woman, I guess I'll take your advice.


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[Assistant] But more to the point, this highly sought after position is based not in the riverlands, but in Jin province in the city of Gong'an.


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[Assistant] So Liu Zhang and his family had to hit the road that very day. Now that's taken care of.


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[Assistant] Liu Bei got down to the business of doling out rewards and titles to all the civil officials and military officers of the Riverlands who surrendered to him.


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[Assistant] And yea, there were a lot of them who surrendered to Liu Bei. Sixty-some in all.


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[Assistant] And of course, Liu Bei made sure his old entourage was well taken care of. Zhu Ge Liang was named Director General.


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[Assistant] Both of Liu Bei's brothers, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, got general ships and marquee ships.


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[Assistant] Zhao Yun, Huang Zhong, Wei Yan, and Ma Chao all got general ships.


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[Assistant] The rest of the group that followed him through thick and thin, guys like Sun Qian, Jian Yong, the Mi brothers, his adopted son, Liu Feng, and so on, along with all the officials from Jing province, got nice promotions.


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[Assistant] Liu Bei also went a step further in rewarding Guan Yu, sending him a ton of gold and silver, along with lots of copper coins and fine silk. As for the rank and file foot soldier,


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[Assistant] Liu Bei threw a big party for them and fed them lots of oxen and horses. He also opened up the city's granaries and distributed food to the civilians.


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[Assistant] He also wanted to distribute the finest land and buildings in Chengdu to his officials.


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[Assistant] But, the General Zhao Yun now spoke up against it.


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[Assistant] The people of Yi province have suffered the ravages of war, Zhao Yun said.


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[Assistant] Their fields lie fallow and their buildings are deserted.


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[Assistant] We should return the fields and buildings to the civilians and allow them to resume their occupations. That would make them accept our rule. We should not take what is theirs for ourselves.


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[Assistant] See, this is why I love Zhao Yun. The guy is not only a great warrior, but he was also righteous and knew a thing or two about how to treat people correctly.


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[Assistant] Liu Bei was impressed with his reasoning and took his advice.


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[Assistant] Liu Bei then put Zhu Ge Liang in charge of laying down the new laws of the land, and Zhu Ge Liang came up with a set of laws that carried with them particularly stiff punishments for wrongdoings.


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[Assistant] Fa Zheng, the Riverlands official who helped concoct the conspiracy to give the territory to Liu Bei, objected.


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[Assistant] When the supreme ancestor entered the capital of the vanquished Qin dynasty,


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[Assistant] I hope, Director General, that you will be more lenient and reduce the scope of the law.


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[Assistant] So we're basically engaged in a debate about big government versus small government here, and Zhuge Liang was firmly on the side of big government, and here's why. Sir, he said to Fa Zheng,


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[Assistant] You do not know the whole story about the supreme ancestor.


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[Assistant] The Qin dynasty had a cruel legal code that drew the ire of the people.


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[Assistant] That is why the supreme ancestor treated them with benevolence and leniency. But Liu Zhang was weak.


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[Assistant] His benevolence inspired no dedication and his severity received no respect.


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[Assistant] The relationship between lord and officials gradually broke down.


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[Assistant] Those he favored with office became cruel as their power increased, and those who were kept dependable by his generosity,


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[Assistant] Our new administration must win respect through legal authority. When the laws are carried out, the people will appreciate our kindness. Also, we must use rank to limit ambition, so that when a rank is granted, the honor will be appreciated.


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[Assistant] Balance bestowing of kindness and honor will restore the proper relationship between lord and officials, and the principles of good governance will again flourish.


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[Assistant] This little speech impressed Fa Zheng, and he bowed to show that he was impressed.


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[Assistant] So from that day on, with troops garrisoned throughout the region, peace returned to the Riverlands.


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[Assistant] But before we go, there's a quick aside here about Fazheng.


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[Assistant] He was named the district governor of Shu, which was a pretty powerful posting.


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[Assistant] The bad part, however, was that Fa Zheng also set out to settle old scores, and even minuscule slights were paid back.


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[Assistant] It was Fa Zheng who lent him wings and helped him soar beyond anyone's reach.


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[Assistant] So how can we restrict him or deny him his way now?


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[Assistant] Well, that's not exactly the kind of response you would expect from a guy who just a moment ago was preaching about imposing the rule of law.


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[Assistant] But, thus are the ways of the law in China since time immemorial.


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[Assistant] But while Zhuge Liang turned a blind eye to Fa Zheng's ways, word of what he said did get back to Fa Zheng, who was shamed into reigning himself in.


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[Assistant] So maybe Zhu Ge Liang knew what he was doing after all.


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[Assistant] One day, Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang were just sitting around, shooting the bow, when Guan Yu's son, Guan Ping, suddenly arrived from Jing province, bearing a note from his father.


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[Assistant] Thanking Liu Bei for all the nice loot that Liu Bei has sent.


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[Assistant] But, as he handed over the letter, Guan Ping said,


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[Assistant] My father heard about Ma Chao's superior fighting skills and wanted to come to the Riverlands to have a contest with him. He wanted me to relay this to you, uncle. Liu Bei was quite alarmed. If Brother Guan comes to compete with Ma Chao, they might become mortal enemies, he said. No worries, Zhuge Liang said. I will write a reply to take care of it.


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[Assistant] Knowing that his brother was not the most patient of men, Liu Bei asked Zhu Ge Liang to write the reply right away, and then sent Guan Ping back to Jing Province at once.


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[Assistant] When Guanping returned to Jing Province, Guan Yu asked him about the whole competition thing, and Guanping showed him the letter from Zhuge Liang, which said, General.


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[Assistant] I heard that you wanted to have a contest with Ma Chao.


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[Assistant] In my estimation, even though Ma Chao has great valor, he is no more than the likes of Ying Bu and Peng Yue.


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[Assistant] And by the way, both of those guys were famous generals from the time the founding of the Han dynasty.


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[Assistant] Maybe a match for your brother Zhang Fei, but he cannot compare with the unique and incomparable ability of you, our lord of the beautiful beard.


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[Assistant] Your current governorship of Jing province is no small responsibility.


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[Assistant] If you leave your post and come to the river land and something happens to Jing province, that would be a grave offense. Please exercise discretion.


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[Assistant] So what Zhuge Liang did here was basically turn the flattery dial up to 11.


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[Assistant] But note that he did not say exactly in what ways Guan Yu was superior to Ma Chao or even to his own brother Zhang Fei. Just that he was superior.


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[Assistant] And that was enough to placate Guan Yu's ego.


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[Assistant] As he stroked his beautiful beard, Guan Yu laughed and said, Zhu Ge Liang really does understand me.


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[Assistant] And from that point on, Guan Yu dropped the notion of going to the riverlands, and everything was kumbaya again for Liu Bei and company.


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[Assistant] While Liu Bei was making himself comfortable in the Riverlands, the ruler of the Southlands, Sun Quan, was getting pretty restless. When he heard that Liu Bei had conquered the Riverlands, Sun Quan summoned his top two civil officials, Zhang Zhao and Gu Yong, and said to them, When Liu Bei borrowed Jing Province from us,


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[Assistant] He said he would return it as soon as he took the river lands.


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[Assistant] Well, he now has the 41 districts of Shu and is about to extend his rule to the region of Hanzhong. If he does not return Jing province now, we are going to come to blows. But Zhang Jiao said, we must not mobilize our army.


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[Assistant] I have a plan that would make Liu Bei offer Jing Province back to your lordship.


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[Assistant] The person that Liu Bei relies on the most is Zhuge Liang. Zhuge Liang's brother Zhuge Jin


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[Assistant] But Zhu Gejin is an honest gentleman. I cannot bear to arrest his family. Sun Quan said.


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[Assistant] Just let him know that this is all a ruse and he will have no worries. Zhang Jiao countered. Sun Quan consented.


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[Assistant] So he moved Zhu Gejin's entire family to his own residence under the pretense of house arrest and sent Zhu Gejin to the riverlands with a letter.


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[Assistant] After a journey of a few days, Zhu Ge Jin arrived in Chengdu, where he sought an audience with Liu Bei.


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[Assistant] Liu Bei asked Zhu Ge Liang what his brother was doing here.


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[Assistant] And it did not take a genius to figure out that an envoy from Dongwu could only mean one thing. They want Jing province back. Again.


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[Assistant] The two of them hashed out an appropriate response, and Zhu Ge Liang went out to welcome his brother.


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[Assistant] Instead of bringing Zhu Ge Ji into his own home, however, Zhu Ge Liang led him straight to the guest house.


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[Assistant] Is it because we have not returned Jing province yet? Zhu Ge Liang asked knowingly.


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[Assistant] Upon reading the letter from Sun Quan, Liu Bei put on an angry face.


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[Assistant] Sun Quan married his sister to me, and yet, while I was away from Jing province, he secretly sneaked her back to Dongwu. That is inexcusable.


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[Assistant] I was just about to mobilize my troops and conquer the Southlands to quell my anger. How dare he come ask for Jing Province!


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[Assistant] But now, Zhu Ge Liang began to cry and kneel on the floor and beg.


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[Assistant] Lord Sun has arrested my brother's entire family.


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[Assistant] If we do not return Jin province, he and his whole family will be executed.


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[Assistant] If my brother dies, how can I go on living?


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[Assistant] My lord, I hope that for my sake, you will return Jing province, so as to preserve my brotherly bond.


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[Assistant] Liu Bei, however, steadfastly refused while Zhuge Liang kept crying and begging.


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[Assistant] After this good cop bad cop routine had gone on for a convincing length of time, Liu Bei made a concession. Fine, for the sake of my Director General.


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[Assistant] Please write a letter instructing General Guan to hand over those three counties. So Liu Bei wrote a letter and gave it to Zhu Gejin, but not before he added a little warning. When you see my brother Guan Yu, be sure to speak kindly to him.


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[Assistant] He has a fiery temper. Even I am wary of him. Please tread carefully.


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[Assistant] So Zhu Gejin took the letter and headed to Jin province, where he was welcomed in by Guan Yu.


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[Assistant] After the necessary courtesies, Zhu Gejin produced a letter from Liu Bei and said,


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[Assistant] The Imperial Uncle has agreed to return three counties to Dongwu for now.


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[Assistant] I hope, General, that you will transfer them to our control quickly, so that I may report back to my master.


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[Assistant] But Guan Yu's face changed colors, and he said sternly,


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[Assistant] I swore an oath in the peach orchards with my brother to support the house of Han. Jing province belonged to the Han.


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[Assistant] So how can I give an inch of its territory to someone else?


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[Assistant] A general in the field can refuse a lord's command.


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[Assistant] Well, that was the signal for Guan Yu to end this conversation. He drew his sword and declared, Say no more! This sword is blind!


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[Assistant] Guan Yu's son, Guan Ping, now tried to play good cop and said,


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[Assistant] Father, please calm down, or it might not look good with the director general.


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[Assistant] If not for the Director General, I would see to it that you do not make it back to Dongwu, Guan Yu said to Zhu Gejin. Zhu Gejin was now humiliated and flummoxed.


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[Assistant] He quickly took his leave and headed back to the Riverlands to tell his brother that uhm, we have a problem here.


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[Assistant] But Zhuge Liang conveniently was out doing, um, inspections around the region. Yeah, that's it.


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[Assistant] So Zhu Ge Jin had no choice but to bring his trouble to Liu Bei.


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[Assistant] My brother is impulsive and difficult to reason with. Liu Bei consulted him. He should return home for now.


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[Assistant] Once I have taken the eastern part of the riverlands and the region of Hanzhong, I will reassign Guan Yu there.


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[Assistant] You ran back and forth for nothing, he said angrily. Was this a trick by Zhuge Liang? No, Zhuge Jin said. My brother also cried and begged Liu Bei. It was only because of him.


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[Assistant] That Liu Bei agreed to return the three counties first.


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[Assistant] It's just that Guan Yu obstinately refused to do so.


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[Assistant] Since Liu Bei has already said he's returning the three counties,


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[Assistant] Then let's send some officials there to take over administration and see what they will do. Sun Quan said.


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[Assistant] So Sun Quan released Zhu Gejin's family and sent off officials to the three counties. Within a day,


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[Assistant] All the officials came scurrying back and told Sun Quan,


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[Assistant] The guy who was now the top commander of Dongwu's forces, Sun Quan summoned him and chilled him out.


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[Assistant] You were the one who vouched for Liu Bei when he borrowed Jing Province, Sun Quan said.


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[Assistant] Now he has conquered the river lands, and yet he refuses to return Jing province. How can you just sit by and watch? My lord, Liu Su said.


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[Assistant] I have already come up with a plan and was just about to inform you. Well, of course you were. What is this brilliant plan? Sun Quan asked. Our forces are garrisoned at Lu Kou, Lu Su said. I will invite Guan Yu to a banquet. If he comes, then I will ask him nicely for Jing Province. If he refuses to hand it over, I will stage an ambush and kill him.


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[Assistant] If he does not come, then I will mobilize the troops immediately and settle this on the battlefield to take Jing province by force. That suits me, Sun Quan said. You may proceed. One of his advisors, however, objected. You cannot.


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[Assistant] Guan Yu is a tiger, not a common man. If things go south, you might end up dead by his hand. When will we ever get Jing Province back then?


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[Assistant] Sun Quan shot down this objection angrily and told Lu Su to proceed at once.


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[Assistant] So Lu Su went to Lu Kou and discussed the matter with his top two generals, Lu Meng and Gan Ning.


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[Assistant] They decided to hold a banquet at a pagoda by the river outside their camp and dispatched a well spoken messenger.


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[Assistant] Since Mr. Lu is inviting me, then I shall attend tomorrow. You may go. After the messenger left, Guan Ping voiced some concerns.


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[Assistant] There cannot be anything good behind this invitation, he said. Father, why did you agree to go? You think I don't know that? Guan Yu said with a laugh.


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[Assistant] This must be because Zhu Ge Jin went back and told Sun Quan that Ai refused to hand over the three counties. So they had Lu Su garrison his troops at Lu Kou.


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[Assistant] So on one hand, this is a pretty bold move.


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[Assistant] On the other hand, this is also a pretty idiotic move if the only reason Guan Yu insisted on sailing into an obvious trap was that he did not want to look chicken.


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[Assistant] Father, you cannot risk your valuable self by going into a den of tigers and wolves, Guanping said. I don't think uncle would approve.


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[Assistant] Even in the chaos of battle, I ride freely as if no one is there when you scoff.


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[Assistant] Why should I fear the vermin of the Southland? One of Guan Yu's top aides, Ma Liang, now also try to talk him out of it.


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[Assistant] Even though Lu Su has a reputation for honesty, he is in a tight spot.


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[Assistant] So why should I, one who has fought against tens of thousands, be afraid? Since I have already accepted the invitation, I must knock back out.


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[Assistant] And if you're wondering who this Lin Xiangru character was,


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[Assistant] Revisit the second half of Supplemental Episode 3, The Deal with the Seal.


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[Assistant] Anyway, Ma Liang told Guan Yu that if he really insisted on going on this seemingly foolhardy and quite possibly suicidal visit, then he should at least be prepared.


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[Assistant] So, Guan Yu told Guan Ping to prepare 10 fast ships with 500 soldiers on board and wait on the river.


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[Assistant] As soon as they saw Guan Yu's flag waving across the way, they were to speed across the river to provide backup.


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[Assistant] Meanwhile, Lu Su got word that Guan Yu was really coming.


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[Assistant] And he discussed with the General Lu Meng on how to proceed.


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[Assistant] If he brings troops with him, Li Meng said, Gan Ning and I will each lead a squad of soldiers and lie in wait by the river bank.


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[Assistant] Sounding explosive as the signal, and we will attack.


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[Assistant] If he comes without any troops, then we just need to hide 50 armed men at the banquet and kill him right there. And so it was settled.


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[Assistant] To see how this treacherous feast will turn out,


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[Assistant] Tune in to the next episode of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms podcast. Thanks for listening.


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[Assistant] Liu Bei was on a roll against Cao Cao in the region of Hanzhong.


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[Assistant] First, Liu Bei's general Huang Zhong took over a series of key locations and killed one of Cao Cao's kinsmen and top generals, Xia Hou Yuan. Then,


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[Assistant] When Cao Cao personally came to avenge his kinsman,


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[Assistant] Liu Bei's forces burned his provisions and sent him scurrying back to his home base.


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[Assistant] Undaunted, Cao Cao set out once again, trying to dislodge Liu Bei from his position along the Han River.


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[Assistant] Cao Cao sent the generals Xu Huang and Wang Ping to lead the vanguard and attack.


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[Assistant] When they arrived at the river, Xu Huang, the commander, ordered his troops to cross the river and line up in battle formation, but Wang Ping, his second in command, disagreed.


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[Assistant] If we cross the river, what will we do if we need to retreat quickly, Wang Ping asked, pointing out that once they cross over to the other side they will have their backs against the river.


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[Assistant] Which was not a very strategically sound place to be. Xu Huang, however, was not swayed.


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[Assistant] was a famous battle during the founding of the Han dynasty. Han Xin, the commander of the Han army,


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[Assistant] Deployed his forces with their backs against a river, which went against every rue in the book.


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[Assistant] But Han Xin was a genius, so he could throw out the book.


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[Assistant] Unfortunately, his success that day has also become a convenient excuse for many a less talented general trying to justify doing the same thing when they really, really shouldn't. And Wang Ping pointed out as much.


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[Assistant] When Han Xin did that, he knew the enemy was not smart enough to take advantage, Wang Ping said.


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[Assistant] Can you say the same for the enemy generals Zhao Yun and Huang Zhong?


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[Assistant] Xu Huang, however, was done arguing and made an executive decision.


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[Assistant] You will lead the infantry into battle, and watch as I break the enemy with a cavalry.


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[Assistant] He said as he ordered his men to deploy pontoons and begin crossing.


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[Assistant] When Liu Bei got word that Xu Huang was setting up camp with his bag to the river, his generals Huang Zhong and Zhao Yun both volunteered to go meet the enemy, so Liu Bei sent both of them. Xu Huang is pressing ahead on courage alone. Huang Zhong said to Zhao Yun, let's not fight him just yet.


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[Assistant] By evening, his men will be tired, and then we can each lead a battalion and attack.


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[Assistant] Zhao Yun agreed, so they each led a battalion and set up barricades. Xu Huang's army began to challenge for combat at sunrise, but from dawn to dusk, the Shu troops made no movement.


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[Assistant] Now Xu Huang sent his archers forward to fire at the Shu camp. Seeing this, Huang Zhong set Zhao Yun.


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[Assistant] Xu Huang must be preparing to fall back. Let's get ready to strike.


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[Assistant] He had barely finished speaking when word arrived that the rear of Xu Huang's army was indeed moving out.


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[Assistant] Now, the Xu army let loose with its war drums and battle cries as Huang Zhong dashed out from the left and Zhao Yun charged forth from the right. The pincer attack crushed Xu Huang's army, and as Xu Huang fled, countless of his soldiers were forced into the Han River and drowned.


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[Assistant] Just as his second in command, Wang Ping, had feared.


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[Assistant] Xu Huang himself managed to slip away and run back to camp on the other side of the river. As soon as he got back to camp, however, he chilled out Wang Ping.


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[Assistant] Why did you not come help me when you saw my troops were in trouble? Xu Huang said angrily.


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[Assistant] If I had, then this camp would not be here now, Wang Ping said. Sir, I advised you against going, but you refused to listen. That is why you lost.


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[Assistant] Well, Xu Huang was in a sour mood, and he did not need this I Told You So from Wang Ping.


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[Assistant] He went so far as to threaten to execute Wang Ping. And here's a lesson to you. If you threaten to kill an officer,


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[Assistant] Actually follow through instead of just making a hollow thread.


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[Assistant] Because that very night, Wang Ping said the heck with this and let the troops under his own command in an uprising. They set Xu Huang's camp on fire


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[Assistant] And in the chaos, Xu Huang was forced to abandon camp and flee.


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[Assistant] Wang Ping then crossed the river and surrendered to Liu Bei.


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[Assistant] Whereupon he shared all his knowledge of the geography around the Han River, and Liu Bei was delighted.


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[Assistant] Now that I have you, I have no doubt that I will take Han Zhong. Liu Bei said as he appointed Wang Ping to assisting general and army guide.


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[Assistant] Meanwhile, Xu Huang ran back to see Cao Cao and told him that Wang Ping betrayed him and surrendered to Liu Bei.


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[Assistant] This only added to Cao Cao's already mounting aggravation, and he now personally led his army toward the Han River to take back his camp.


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[Assistant] Fearing that he would be outnumbered and trapped on the wrong side of the river, Liu Bei's general Zhao Yun decided to fall back to the west side of the river.


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[Assistant] And the two armies now stared at each other from opposite banks.


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[Assistant] As Liu Bei and Zhu Ge Liang scouted out the area, Zhu Ge Liang noticed that there was a dirt mound upstream that was big enough to hold about a thousand men. This gave him an idea.


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[Assistant] Upon returning to camp, Zhuge Liang summoned Zhao Yun and told him, Take 500 men.


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[Assistant] And bring drums and horns. Go hide by the dirt mound.


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[Assistant] Around midnight or around dusk, listen for the sound of explosives from my camp as your signal. Whenever the explosives sound,


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[Assistant] Beat the drums, but stay down and do not go out to fight.


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[Assistant] Zhao Yun accepted the order and headed off, and Zhu Ge Liang found a high hill from which to keep watch over Cao Cao's camp while staying out of sight. The next day, Cao Cao came to pick a fight.


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[Assistant] But no one from the Shu camp went out to meet his army, and not even a single arrow was fired. After a while, Cao Cao returned to camp, but that's when the real action began.


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[Assistant] Late that night, Zhuge Liang could see from his high vantage point that Cao Cao's soldiers were blowing out their lamps and torches and settling in for a good night's rest.


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[Assistant] As soon as they lie down, however, a series of explosives sounded from the Shu camp, followed shortly thereafter by the rolling of drums and the blaring of horns. This threw Cao Cao's troops into a panic. An enemy raid must be coming! They hastily threw on their armors,


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[Assistant] Grabbed their weapons and dashed outside the camp to repel the raid, and there they saw... no one.


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[Assistant] Well, I guess it was all just a false alarm. Let's go back to sleep, they thought.


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[Assistant] But as soon as they had lied down again, another series of explosives went off. The earth shook and the sound of drums and horns echoed across the canyon. Well, this is not good.


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[Assistant] And so it went, several times a night, for three nights in a row. Each time, there was no attack. But if you were Cao Cao, you really couldn't take that chance and decide to just ignore the next round of drums and horns. After the third night, Cao Cao had had enough.


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[Assistant] So he pulled back about 10 miles and set up camp on open ground. At least now, he could get a decent night's sleep.


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[Assistant] When Zhuge Liang saw this, he smiled and said,


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[Assistant] Cao Cao may know military strategy, but he does not understand the art of deception.


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[Assistant] Zhu Ge Liang then asked Liu Bei to personally lead troops across the river and set up camp with his back to the water. But wait, wasn't that the enemy's mistake?


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[Assistant] Liu Bei asked Zhu Ge Liang what he was up to, and Zhu Ge Liang whispered a few things in his ear, because Zhu Ge Liang likes to move in mysterious ways.


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[Assistant] When Cao Cao saw Liu Bei camping out with his back to the river, he grew suspicious.


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[Assistant] Surely, Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang couldn't be that dumb, right? He decided to not wait around and find out. Instead,


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[Assistant] He sent a message to Liu Bei, challenging him to battle.


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[Assistant] Zhu Ge Liang promptly accepted on his lord's behalf and said, we'll see you tomorrow.


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[Assistant] So the next day, the two sides met midway in front of the Five Boundaries mountain and lined up for battle.


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[Assistant] Cao Cao sat atop his horse under his command banner.


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[Assistant] Liu Bei rode out, accompanied by Liu Feng, Meng Da, and a group of other officers from the Riverlands.


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[Assistant] Pointing at Liu Bei with his whip, Cao Cao scolded him.


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[Assistant] Liu Bei, you ungrateful dishonorable traitor of the court!


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[Assistant] I am a member of the House of Han, Liu Bei shot back. By Imperial edict, I have been ordered to bring the traitor to justice. You killed the Empress, made yourself king, and commandeered the Imperial carriage. If that is not treason, then what is?


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[Assistant] Cao Cao was like, I don't have to stand here and listen to this. I am the king of Wei. So he sent the general Xu Huang out to fight.


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[Assistant] Xu Huang was greeted by Liu Bei's adopted son, Liu Feng.


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[Assistant] While Liu Bei himself rolled back into his own lines.


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[Assistant] Liu Feng was no match for Xu Huang, who was one of Cao Cao's best warriors, so he turned and fled. Seizing the momentum, Cao Cao told his troops,


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[Assistant] Whoever captures Liu Bei will be the Lord of the Riverlands.


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[Assistant] With that juicy carrot dangling in front of them, Cao Cao's men roared and charged across the battlefield.


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[Assistant] The Xu soldiers turned and fled toward the Han River, abandoning their camp and littering the road with their horses and weapons. Pretty soon, Cao Cao's soldiers were busy fighting amongst themselves for booty instead of fighting the enemy.


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[Assistant] When he saw this, Cao Cao hurriedly ordered his men to ring the gong and signal retreat.


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[Assistant] But we are about to capture Liu Bei, his officer said. Why does your highness signal retreat?


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[Assistant] I was already suspicious when I saw the Shu army camp with its back to the river.


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[Assistant] Now they are leaving behind so many horses and weapons. That makes it even more suspicious. We must fall back. Now, do not take any spoils.


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[Assistant] Cao Cao was so serious about this that he sent out word that anyone who dared to pick up so much as a single piece of booty would be executed, and that the army was to retreat with all possible haste.


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[Assistant] But it was too late. Before Cao Cao's army could turn around, Zhu Ge Liang had raised a flag. Liu Bei now turned his troops around and charged. He was joined by a battalion on the left led by Huang Zhong and another battalion on the right led by Zhao Yun.


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[Assistant] This three-pronged assault put Cao Cao's troops to flight, and Zhu Ge Liang ordered his soldiers to pursue through the night.


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[Assistant] Cao Cao now ordered his troops to head toward his home base at the city of Nanzheng. But he was in for a nasty surprise. So a couple episodes ago,


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[Assistant] We mentioned that Zhuge Liang has sent the old general Yan Yan to go defend the key location of Langzhong.


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[Assistant] And Zhang Fei and Wei Yan were then freed up to lead separate armies to come join the fight here.


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[Assistant] But along the way, they first took advantage of Cao Cao's absence to sack the city of Nanzheng.


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[Assistant] Now turned and fled toward Yangping Pass.


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[Assistant] Liu Bei and his army now advanced to the newly conquered city of Nanzheng.


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[Assistant] After doing the usual round of handshaking to reassure the locals that they would not be massacred, Liu Bei asked Zhu Ge Liang, why did Cao Cao lose so quickly this time?


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[Assistant] Cao Cao is suspicious by nature, Zhuge Liang replied. Even though he knows how to wage war, paranoia leads to many defeats, so I use decoys to defeat him.


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[Assistant] He then sent Zhang Fei and Wei Yan to each lead an army to cut off Cao Cao's supply lines, while ordering Huang Zhong and Zhao Yun to each lead an army to go set fire to the mountains around Yangping Pass.


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[Assistant] Hold up inside Yangping Pass, Cao Cao sent out scouts to assess the situation. And they reported back that the Shu army had blocked off all the back roads and set fire to all the woods.


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[Assistant] His Mad Tiger General Xu Chu immediately volunteered


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[Assistant] So Cao Cao gave him a thousand crack troops and assigned him to convoy duty.


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[Assistant] Unfortunately, Shichu kind of took things a little too far and availed himself of a little too much wine.


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[Assistant] Then, totally ignoring the safe blood alcohol level for convoy duty, Xu Chu ordered the procession to continue. But it's getting late, and the terrain ahead is treacherous, the delivery officer said. We should not try to cross now. I am the equal of 10,000 men, a buzzing Xu Chu said. What do I have to fear? Tonight, with the moonlight, it is perfect for moving these provisions.


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[Assistant] So, Xu Chu rode out in front, leading the convoy ahead. After 9 o'clock that night,


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[Assistant] Just as they were traveling, drums and horns blared from the hills and an army blocked their path, led by none other than Zhang Fei.


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[Assistant] Wielding his spear, Zhang Fei galloped straight for Xu Chu, who hoisted his saber and prepared for battle.


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[Assistant] But hey, guess which one of them got totally hammered earlier. Well okay, maybe Zhang Fei did too.


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[Assistant] But Xu Chu was the more inebriated of the two at this moment.


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[Assistant] And now, he was learning why it was a bad idea to drink and ride.


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[Assistant] Within a few bouts, he took a spear thrust in the shoulder, which sent him tumbling off his horse. Fortunately for him, the wound was not too serious, and his men helped him up and they ran for their lives, while Zhang Fei helped himself to their provisions.


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[Assistant] So, Xu Chu limbed back to see Cao Cao, having totally botched convoy duty. But everybody knows that Cao Cao loves Mad Tiger way too much to really punish him.


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[Assistant] Instead of threats of execution, Cao Cao just sent Xu Chu off for medical attention, while he personally mobilized his troops to go meet Liu Bei and settle this thing.


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[Assistant] When the two sides lined up, Liu Bei sent out his adopted son Liu Feng to challenge for battle, and this drew Cao Cao's ire. You sandal peddler! He cursed Liu Bei.


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[Assistant] How dare you keep sending out your fake son to fight?


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[Assistant] If my little yellow-beard son, Cao Zhang, were here, he would cut your fake son to pieces.


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[Assistant] Liu Feng, who was probably carrying a chip on his shoulder as the adopted son anyway, did not take too kindly to this slight.


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[Assistant] He wielded his spear and galloped toward Cao Cao. Cao Cao told Xu Huang to go take care of this little punk. And soon Liu Feng turned and fled.


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[Assistant] Cao Cao now ordered his troops to give chase, but suddenly, explosives sounded from all over the Shu army's camp, followed by the sound of drums and horns, and by now, Cao Cao was probably panicking


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[Assistant] Every time he heard explosives followed by drums and horns, so he quickly ordered retreat.


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[Assistant] His soldiers too were mindful of all their recent setbacks and they trampled each other trying to run back to Yangping Pass.


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[Assistant] Liu Bei's forces chased Cao Cao's troops all the way to the pass, whereupon they set fire to the east and south gates while making lots of ruckus at the west and north gates. Cao Cao was forced to abandon the pass and flee, with the Shu army hot on his tail.


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[Assistant] Just as he was running, he was cut off in front by a battalion led by Zhang Fei, pursued from behind by Zhao Yun, and attacked from the side by Huang Zhong. The result was not pretty.


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[Assistant] And Cao Cao was routed and fled under the protection of his officers.


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[Assistant] No sooner had they arrived at the border of Xie Gorge did they see a dust cloud ahead as an army approached.


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[Assistant] If this is an enemy ambush, then I am done for, Cao Cao said in a panic. But when the army got closer, Cao Cao saw that it was led by his second son, Cao Zhang.


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[Assistant] So this is the kid that Cao Cao was calling Little Yellowbeard earlier in the day.


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[Assistant] Ever since he was a kid, Cao Zhang had been skilled at riding an archery.


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[Assistant] He was also uncommonly strong, so strong that he could tame ferocious beasts with his bare hands. Despite Cao Jiang's impressive attributes, however, Tiger Dad Cao Cao had often nagged him, saying,


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[Assistant] A man of action ought to be like the great generals of yore, winning glory in the desert and leading hundreds of thousands of men as they traverse the empire. I could not stand being a scholar.


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[Assistant] And whenever Cao Cao asked his sons what their ambitions were, Cao Zhang always answered, to be a general.


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[Assistant] And what do you think that means? Cao Cao would ask.


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[Assistant] It means strapping on the hard shell of armor and hefting the pointed weapon. Cao Jiang would answer


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[Assistant] The Wu Huan nation on the northern edge of the empire rose up in revolt.


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[Assistant] And Cao Cao sent Cao Zhang at the head of 50,000 men to put them down.


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[Assistant] When he arrived in the north, he led from the front and pacified the region.


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[Assistant] After that, he heard that Cao Cao was losing at Yangping Pass, so he came to help.


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[Assistant] So now, when Cao Cao saw this impressive warrior son, he was delighted. My little yellow beard is here.


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[Assistant] Now I will defeat Liu Bei for sure, Cao Cao said.


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[Assistant] And so he regrouped his army and turned around, setting up at the mouth of Xie Gorge.


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[Assistant] When Liu Bei got word that Cao Jiang had arrived to reinforce Cao Cao, he asked which officers dared to go meet the new guy.


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[Assistant] His adopted son Liu Feng and the General Meng Da both stepped up.


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[Assistant] So Liu Bei sent them both, each with 5000 troops.


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[Assistant] Liu Feng led the way, while Meng Da brought up the rear.


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[Assistant] When they ran into Cao Zhang, it only took Liu Feng three bouts to realize that he was no match for Yellowbeard, so he turned and fled.


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[Assistant] Meng Da now came up from behind and was just about to fight Cao Zhang when suddenly the enemy troops fell into disarray. This it turns out.


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[Assistant] Was the doing of the Xu generals, Ma Chao and Wu Lan, attacking with two battalions.


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[Assistant] These new troops were fresh as they had not done any fighting yet, so they were unstoppable. Meng Da now also piled on with his troops and Cao Zhang's soldiers took flight.


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[Assistant] In the midst of this melee, Cao Jiang did manage to score a small victory.


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[Assistant] He ran into the enemy officer Wu Lan, and within a few bouts, Cao Jiang killed Wu Lan with the thrust of his halberd.


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[Assistant] After the two sides scrummed for a while, Cao Cao called his troops back to camp.


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[Assistant] The two sides now engaged in a bit of a stalemate. Cao Cao's army was sitting at the mouth of the gorge for days.


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[Assistant] He wanted to attack, but Macha was there to repel him.


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[Assistant] He thought about calling off the campaign and going home, but he was afraid the enemy would laugh at him. Just as Cao Cao was wrestling with this dilemma, his attendant brought him some chicken soup. In the bowl, there was a piece of chicken ribs.


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[Assistant] And the sight of that brought a thought to Cao Cao's mind, just as he was contemplating that thought


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[Assistant] His old warhorse Xia Houdun came in to ask what the password was for that night.


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[Assistant] Xia Houdun dutifully relayed this password to his officers. When the secretary Yang Xiu received the word,


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[Assistant] He immediately instructed his attendants to begin packing up their stuff and prepare for a journey home.


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[Assistant] When someone reported this to Xia Hodun, he was alarmed because, hey, who told you guys that we were going home?


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[Assistant] So he went to Yang Xiu's tent to ask him why he was packing up.


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[Assistant] Tonight's password is a clear indication that His Highness will soon retreat. Yang Xiu explained,


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[Assistant] Chicken ribs have no meat, and yet one relishes them for their flavor.


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[Assistant] If we retreat, we are afraid of being laughed at.


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[Assistant] There is no point in staying here, so why not leave?


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[Assistant] His highness will no doubt call off this war soon.


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[Assistant] You really do understand His Highness's mind. Xiaodun said in admiration. So he now too began to pack his stuff.


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[Assistant] And summoned Xia Wudun to ask him what the heck is going on.


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[Assistant] How dare you spread rumors and damage my men's morale! Cao Cao said angrily as he ordered the guards to drag Yang Xiu outside and behead him.


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[Assistant] He then had the head displayed by the gates as a warning to all.


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[Assistant] So at this point, I should pause for a minute and explain that


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[Assistant] There is a bit of history between Yang Xiu and Cao Cao.


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[Assistant] This Yang Xiu, whom we met a couple times before,


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[Assistant] Was a free spirit who thought highly of his own talents and was never one to pass up an opportunity to show it off.


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[Assistant] And in doing so, he had run afoul of Cao Cao on more than one occasion.


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[Assistant] Now the novel goes into quite a bit of detail about these incidents.


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[Assistant] Since we're already coming up on the customary length for an episode, and to avoid too much digression in the narrative,


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[Assistant] I'm going to leave out those details here and cover them in a supplemental episode that I will put out in the near future.


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[Assistant] In any case, Yang Xiu's head was now hanging by the camp gate, but Cao Cao was not content to stop there.


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[Assistant] He now turned his ire toward Xia Hodun for following Yang Xiu's suggestion that he start packing.


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[Assistant] And Cao Cao called for the guards to put Xia Hodun to the blade as well. Everyone else begged for leniency.


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[Assistant] And of course, Cao Cao was just kidding anyway. He wasn't really going to axe his veteran commander and kinsman. After letting Xia Wudun off with a tongue lashing,


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[Assistant] Cao Cao turned his attention to the stalemate at hand.


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[Assistant] No more of this chicken ribs nonsense, he decided. It was time to take action. To see what action Cao Cao decides to take and how it will pan out for him,


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[Assistant] Tune in to the next episode of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms podcast. Oh wait, not the next episode, because that will be our 100th episode question and answer session, and I can't wait.


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[Assistant] I have received a lot of good questions, and I hope I have some good answers for you. So next week is my regular week off.


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[Assistant] And I'll be using that to finish up work on the Q&A episode.


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[Assistant] Tune in two weeks from now for the 100th episode Q&A extravaganza and tune in the week after that to pick up where we left off in the story.


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[Assistant] I'll see you next time on the Romance of the Three Kingdoms podcast. Thanks for listening.


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[Assistant] Welcome to the Romance of the Three Kingdoms Podcast. This is episode 90.


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[Assistant] Last time, the forces of Liu Bei and Cao Cao were going at it in the region of Hanzhong.


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[Assistant] One of Cao Cao's generals, Zhang He, was routed by Liu Bei's brother, Zhang Fei.


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[Assistant] Losing almost his entire army of 30,000 men. When Zhang He ran back to his commander Cao Hong,


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[Assistant] Cao Hong was so incensed that he wanted to execute Zhang He.


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[Assistant] Even though Zhang He is at fault, he is well liked by the King of Wei and must not be lightly executed.


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[Assistant] Then you can punish him for both offenses.


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[Assistant] Cao Hong simmered down a bit when he heard this, so he gave Zhang He another 5,000 men and sent him off to attack Jiameng Pass.


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[Assistant] Jiameng Pass was a key location near the borders between Hanzhong and the Western Riverlands.


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[Assistant] It was being defended by the officers Meng Da and Huo Jun.


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[Assistant] When they heard the enemy was coming, Meng Da insisted on going out to fight despite his comrades' advice to the contrary.


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[Assistant] So out went Mengda, and moments later, back in came Mengda, having received a beatdown by Zhang He.


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[Assistant] So now, they hurriedly send off an urgent dispatch to Liu Bei in the city of Chengdu.


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[Assistant] When Liu Bei got word of this, he consulted Zhu Ge Liang, and Zhu Ge Liang assembled the officer corps and said,


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[Assistant] We must go fetch General Zhang Fei. He is the only one who can defeat Zhang He.


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[Assistant] But General Zhang is currently defending another important location, the advisor, Fa Zheng, said.


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[Assistant] We cannot redeploy him. We must pick an officer from among those here to repel Zhang He.


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[Assistant] But Zhang He is a famous general of the North, Zhuge Liang said with a smile.


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[Assistant] Ordinary folks are no match for him. No one but Zhang Fei is up to this task.


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[Assistant] Well, as you might imagine, somebody among the officers present was bound to take offense to this remark.


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[Assistant] It was like Zhuge Liang was deliberately trying to rile them up. Not that he would ever do anything like that.


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[Assistant] Director General, why do you hold us in such low regard? A stern voice boomed, even though I am untalented.


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[Assistant] I am willing to go get Zhang He's head and bring it to you.


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[Assistant] But you are nonetheless getting up there in age. I worry that you would not be a match for Zhang He.


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[Assistant] When Huang Zhong heard that, the white hairs on his head stood up, and he said,


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[Assistant] I may be old, but my arms can still pull a strong bow, and my body still possesses plenty of strength. How can I not be a match for that nobody, Zhang He?


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[Assistant] But General, you are nearing 70. How can you not show signs of age? Zhuge Liang said, continuing to egg on Huang Zhong.


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[Assistant] Huang Zhong now stomped out of the hall, grabbed a big saber off the weapons rack, and spinned it in his hands like a windmill.


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[Assistant] If you are to go, who would be your second in command? he asked.


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[Assistant] The old general Yan Yan can accompany me, Huang Zhong said. If there's any slip up, I will give you my white head.


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[Assistant] If Jiamen Pass falls, then all of Yi province would be in danger.


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[Assistant] Why did you send two old officers to face such a strong foe?


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[Assistant] You all think that they are old and not up to the task, Zhu Ge Liang said.


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[Assistant] But I think they will be the ones to deliver Hanzhong to us.


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[Assistant] Well, Zhao Yun and many of the other officers politely begged to differ, snickering under their breath as they took their leave. And they were not the only ones who were skeptical.


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[Assistant] When Huang Zhong and Yan Yan arrived at Jiameng Pass, the two officers defending the pass, Mengda and Huo Jun,


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[Assistant] Also laughed at Ju Ge Liang under their breath, thinking,


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[Assistant] Why did he send two old fogies to protect such a key location?


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[Assistant] So Huang Zhong let some troops out of the path to face Zhang He. And like everyone else, when Zhang He rode out and saw his opponent, he could not help but laugh.


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[Assistant] Hm, how can you not have any sense of shame at your age? Zhang He said to Huang Zhong. How dare you come on the battlefield?


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[Assistant] And so they went at it, throwing themselves at each other for twenty some bouts. Suddenly, cries rose up from behind Zhang He's lines. It was the other old general, Yan Yan, sneaking up on him via the back roads.


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[Assistant] Sandwiched between two enemy forces, Zhang He was crushed and forced to retreat for about 30 miles. Huang Zhong and Yan Yan contented themselves with the victory and brought their troops back to camp.


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[Assistant] When word of Zhang He's latest failure reached Cao Hong, he was once again enraged and itching to dole out some punishment.


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[Assistant] But, Guo Huai, who bailed out Zhang He last time, intervened again, telling Cao Hong that if he pushed Zhang He too far, then Zhang He might just get desperate enough to surrender to the enemy.


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[Assistant] Guo Huai instead advised Cao Hong to send a relief force to 1. Help Zhang He and 2. Keep an eye on him to make sure that he doesn't get any ideas. Cao Hong agreed and sent two officers to head up a relief force of 5,000 to help Zhang He.


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[Assistant] One of these officers was Xia Hou Shang, the nephew of Cao Cao's old war horse, Xia Hou Dun.


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[Assistant] The other was Han Hao, and his older brother used to be the former governor of the county of Changsha.


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[Assistant] If you will remember from episode 65, Changsha was Huang Zhong's old haunt before he joined up with Liu Bei.


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[Assistant] When Liu Bei's forces attacked Changsha, the governor of Changsha thought Huang Zhong was trying to betray him and wanted to execute the old general. But that triggered an uprising led by Wei Yan, who killed the governor.


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[Assistant] So this Han Hao, that sling governor's brother, had a bit of a grudge against Huang Zhong.


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[Assistant] When the relief force arrived at Zhang He's camp, he filled them in on what has transpired and cautioned them.


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[Assistant] The old general Huang Zhong is a true hero, and he is being assisted by Yan Yan. We must not take them lightly. Hm.


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[Assistant] When I was in Changsha, I knew all about that old trader Huang Zhong's skills, Han Hao said.


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[Assistant] He and Wei Yan surrendered the city and killed my brother. If I run into him, I swear I will get my revenge.


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[Assistant] And then Han Hao and Xia Hou Shang led their army forward, leaving Zhang He at his camp.


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[Assistant] Meanwhile, Huang Zhong has spent the past few days scouting out the area and getting an idea of where the roads went.


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[Assistant] He and Yan Yan set their sights on Mt. Tian Dang, where Cao Cao's troops stored their provisions.


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[Assistant] They figured that if they could capture Mount Tandang and cut off the enemy's supplies, then the region would be theirs. So they drew up a plan and Yan Yan went off with a detachment of troops.