The Strategic Chessboard of 211 AD

In the winter of 211 AD, a pivotal moment unfolded in China’s southwest when Liu Zhang, governor of Yi Province (modern Sichuan), invited his distant relative Liu Bei to “defend against northern warlords.” This decision—sparked by advisor Zhang Song’s warnings of internal revolts and Cao Cao’s looming threat—would unravel the fragile balance of power.

Liu Zhang ignored vehement protests from officials like Huang Quan (“Liu Bei is a cunning predator!”) and Wang Lei, who famously hung upside-down from Chengdu’s gates to dissuade him. His rationale? Positioning Liu Bei at Jiange Pass—a secondary choke point behind the impregnable Baishui Gate—allowed him to:
– Block northern invasions via hidden mountain trails
– Monitor rival general Pang Xi in Baxi Commandery
– Replicate the Qin Dynasty’s historic conquest route into Sichuan

The Hospitality Trap

Liu Bei entered with 20,000 troops, welcomed by Liu Zhang’s 30,000-strong parade at Fu City. During 100 days of feasting, advisors urged assassination, but Liu Bei declined—his brand as the “benevolent uncle” required patience. The parting gifts (200,000 hu of grain, 1,000 horses) masked Liu Zhang’s miscalculation: he’d stationed history’s greatest opportunist at the throat of his kingdom.

For a year, Liu Bei “convalesced” at Jiange while:
– Exploiting Cao Cao’s distraction with Ma Chao in Liangzhou
– Building populist support through welfare projects
– Waiting for his moment

The Betrayal Unfolds

In 212 AD, Liu Bei manufactured a crisis—claiming he needed reinforcements to rescue Sun Quan (his brother-in-law). When Liu Zhang offered only 4,000 troops, Liu Bei turned propagandist: “We risk our lives while they withhold supplies!”

The plot collapsed when Zhang Song’s brother exposed the conspiracy. Liu Zhang executed Zhang Song, triggering open war. Strategist Pang Tong presented three options:
1. Lightning strike on Chengdu (high-risk decapitation)
2. Subvert Baishui garrison (moderate deception)
3. Retreat to White Emperor City (defensive play)

Liu Bei chose Option 2—luring Baishui commanders Yang Huai and Gao Pei to their deaths, then seizing their families as hostages to force the garrison’s surrender. With Sichuan’s northern gates now his, the invasion began.

Sichuan’s Thermopylae

Liu Zhang’s advisor Zheng Du proposed a scorched-earth defense:
– Evacuate civilians west of Fu River
– Burn all crops and fortify

Had Liu Zhang listened, history might differ. But his Confucian ethics (“Rulers protect people, not sacrifice them”) proved his undoing. Instead, he sent generals to crush Liu Bei’s “under 10,000 troops” at Fu City—unaware this was Liu Bei’s ideal combat scale.

The results were catastrophic:
– Wu Yi surrendered instantly
– Li Yan defected with Mianzhu’s garrison
– Zhang Ren died defending Wild Goose Bridge
– Liu Xun’s 10,000 troops were trapped at Luocheng

The Final Gambit

After a year-long siege at Luocheng (and Pang Tong’s death), Liu Bei called for Zhuge Liang’s reinforcements from Jing Province. As Zhang Fei broke through the Yangtze defenses, a psychological weapon arrived—Ma Chao, the broken warlord.

Ma Chao’s tragic arc—from渭水 hero to pariah after betraying his father and massacring surrendering troops—made him the perfect terror weapon. When his “army” (actually Liu Bei’s loaned troops) appeared at Chengdu’s gates, Liu Zhang’s will collapsed.

On June 214 AD, after declaring “Three years of war are my fault,” Liu Zhang surrendered. Chengdu wept—not for the conqueror, but for the flawed ruler who chose mercy over survival.

The Poisoned Chalice

Liu Bei’s victory came with structural flaws:
1. Illegitimacy: Seen as a treacherous guest who murdered his host
2. Factionalism: Jing Province newcomers vs. Eastern Yi migrants vs. Sichuan locals
3. Strategic overextension: Jing Province defenses were now critically weakened

These cracks would culminate in 263 AD, when the Shu Han fell with barely a whimper—its people long disillusioned with the regime born from this betrayal.

As Cao Cao’s forces mobilized in 219 AD, the stage was set for the Three Kingdoms’ climactic act—where every decision from this Sichuan conquest would echo through history’s valley.