In ancient warfare, when two men of roughly equal ability had fought each other for years, it was difficult to determine a victor.
Because of the limits of transportation and the nature of combat, the military methods of this era tended to become rigid.
Once one had figured out the other's patterns, it was generally difficult to gain a decisive tactical victory. The most famous example was Sima Yi and Zhuge Liang.
In the early stages of war, Zhuge Liang could gain a tactical advantage by exploiting his opponent's unfamiliarity with him.
But by the middle stages, once Sima Yi had figured out Zhuge Liang's methods and adopted a defensive strategy, ordinary schemes could no longer succeed.
Zhou Yu and Qin Tian were now in precisely such a situation. After suffering repeated defeats, Zhou Yu had figured out Qin Tian's ways.
In Zhou Yu's eyes, the most terrifying thing about Qin Tian was that he never played by the rules.
That had been true in the Battle of Shouchun, and it had also been true in the recent Battle of Flourishing Prosperity. Qin Tian simply never acted according to the direction his opponents expected!
On the contrary, every scheme Qin Tian had used had been built upon seeing through his enemy's scheme and then turning it to his own use.
It gave people the feeling that their own plans had proceeded smoothly, that everything had unfolded exactly as expected—yet Qin Tian would still turn defeat into victory in the end.
Thus, when faced with Liu Bei's army suddenly withdrawing, Zhou Yu immediately fell into confusion.
Clearly, Liu Bei's sudden withdrawal did not suit the current situation, nor did it serve Liu Bei's army's interests.
Then why had Liu Bei chosen to retreat halfway through his preparations for a forceful assault?