Wang Yang leaned back casually, letting his tipsiness carry him:
"Of the waterways between Jingzhou and Shu, the river gorges are the most perilous. In ancient times, this was called the Gorge River Route-the Three Gorges.
To the west lies Broad Stream Gorge-that is, Qutang Gorge; in the middle, Wu Gorge; and to the east, Xiling Gorge.
The great river flows down from Shu into the Three Gorges. Across those hundreds of li, peaks rise in overlapping ranks, and terrifying waves race like charging steeds.
Only after leaving Xiling Gorge does the river broaden and its current ease. The land routes, too, begin to open onto level plains, and the heartland of Jingzhou lies spread before one's eyes.
Yiling lies downstream of Jianping, at the mouth of Xiling Gorge. With mountains at its back and the river beside it, it commands the terrain's strategic advantages. To the west, it controls Ba-Shu; to the east, it shields Jingchu.
Its formidable terrain allows forces within and without to support one another, while its broader setting gives a great army room to unleash its strength. Truly, it is a place for waging war!"
Wang Yang sat upright, his spirits soaring, and pointed his chopsticks at two dishes on the western side of the table:
"In its capacity for both attack and defense, Yiling surpasses Jianping.
In allowing forces within and without to sustain one another, Yiling is superior to Jianping." (Unlike his earlier assessment that Jianping was "isolated in its strategic position.")
"And in the importance of its strategic location, Yiling also exceeds Jianping!
There are ordinary strategic points, and there are extraordinary ones.
An ordinary strategic point is like a corner tower. Holding it lets you contest the advantage; losing it weakens your position, but the city need not fall. There is