Recaps

Sun Quan’s thirty-thousand-man army reached Xiaoyao Ford and prepared to besiege Hefei, defended by Zhang Liao and roughly four thousand troops. Zhang Liao chose a risky counterattack: Huang Zhong would destroy Xiaoshi Bridge while Zhang Liao led a charge against Sun Quan, and Qu Yi defended the city.

• Sun Quan seized Xiaoyao Ford and ordered his army to begin the siege of Hefei the next day, aiming to take the city within ten days.
• Zhang Liao learned that reinforcements from Xu Province would need at least seven days to arrive and discussed how to defend Hefei with Huang Zhong and Qu Yi.
• Zhang Liao proposed ambushing Xiaoshi Bridge, destroying it after Sun Quan crossed, then attacking the separated enemy force from front and rear.
• Huang Zhong and Qu Yi agreed to follow Zhang Liao’s plan despite its danger.
• Zhang Liao ordered Huang Zhong to lead two hundred Vanguard Camp Death Warriors to Xiaoshi Bridge, Qu Yi to defend the city, and declared that he would lead eight hundred Vanguard Death Warriors into battle.

Sun Quan’s army repeatedly failed to take Hefei, where Zhang Liao and Qu Yi led a determined defense. When Sun Quan finally marched toward the city in person, Huang Zhong’s ambush at Xiaoshi Bridge sprang into action, leaving the story with the bridge being set alight.

• Han Dang led Sun Quan’s vanguard in a brutal assault on Hefei, but Zhang Liao, Qu Yi, and the city’s people repelled the attackers.
• Zhang Liao chose to keep waiting for a chance to capture Sun Quan rather than call Huang Zhong back from his ambush.
• After four days of failed assaults, Sun Quan ordered the whole army to march and declared he would lead the next attack himself.
• Huang Zhong and his two hundred Vanguard Death Warriors spotted Sun Quan’s command banner among the troops crossing Xiaoshi Bridge.
• Huang Zhong ordered his men to destroy Xiaoshi Bridge, and the warriors began pouring fire oil over the wooden structure and setting it alight.

Huang Zhong led two hundred Vanguard Camp Death Warriors in a surprise assault on Sun Quan’s army while Zhang Liao waited for the chance to sortie from Hefei. After Huang Zhong killed Jiang Qin and Sun Quan’s troops began to encircle him, Zhang Liao led eight hundred elite warriors out of the city and charged into the enemy formation.

• Huang Zhong rallied the Vanguard Camp Death Warriors before they set fire to Xiaoshi Bridge and attacked Sun Quan’s rear.
• Sun Quan launched a full assault on Hefei, and Zhang Liao held the city walls while waiting for Huang Zhong’s attack.
• Huang Zhong led two hundred warriors into Sun Quan’s formation and killed Jiang Qin with a thrown spear.
• Zhou Tai ordered Sun Quan’s men to surround Huang Zhong and stop the Vanguard Camp warriors.
• Zhang Liao handed command of the walls to Qu Yi, then led eight hundred Vanguard Camp warriors out of Hefei’s western gate.
• Zhang Liao charged into Sun Quan’s army, cutting down enemy soldiers with his spear.

Zhang Liao led the Vanguard Camp in a charge that routed Sun Quan’s forces and captured Sun Quan at the burned Xiaoshi Bridge. He returned with Sun Quan as the battle continued, while Huang Zhong held off Zhou Tai, Han Dang, and Cheng Pu.

• Sun Quan sent his elite Lujiang Upper Armor Army to stop Zhang Liao, but Zhang Liao and the Vanguard Camp broke through toward his command banner.
• Sun Quan ordered a retreat, and Zhang Liao joined Huang Zhong before pursuing him; Huang Zhong stayed behind with three hundred men to engage Zhou Tai, Han Dang, and Cheng Pu.
• Sun Quan found Xiaoshi Bridge burned and was trapped between the river and Zhang Liao’s pursuing force.
• Zhang Liao routed Sun Quan’s two thousand troops, killed Sun He, and knocked Sun Quan from his horse.
• Zhang Liao captured Sun Quan and compelled the remaining Sun soldiers to surrender, then ordered him taken back toward the battlefield.
• Huang Zhong continued fighting Zhou Tai, Han Dang, and Cheng Pu, holding them off despite his fatigue.

Zhang Liao captured Sun Quan during the siege of Hefei, but Sun Quan refused to surrender and threatened the city’s inhabitants. Taishi Ci’s reinforcements arrived, forcing Sun Quan’s army to withdraw and surrender; at Tongling Ferry, Cao Cao was stunned to hear that Sun Quan had been defeated and surrendered.

• Huang Zhong and his Vanguard soldiers held Zhou Tai, Cheng Pu, and Han Dang in battle while Zhang Liao returned with Sun Quan captured.
• Cheng Pu offered to withdraw from Huainan Commandery in exchange for Sun Quan, but Zhang Liao demanded the enemy army surrender and threatened Sun Quan’s life.
• Sun Quan refused to surrender and threatened that Hefei’s soldiers and civilians would die if Zhang Liao killed him.
• Taishi Ci arrived with Imperial Court troops, destroying Sun Quan’s hopes; Cheng Pu and the others laid down their weapons and ordered their army to withdraw.
• Zhang Liao handed Sun Quan to the Vanguard soldiers and cut down the enemy banner as the Han Army celebrated victory.
• Cao Cao learned from Xu Chu that Hefei had held and Sun Quan had been defeated and surrendered, leaving him incredulous.

After Sun Quan was captured at Hefei, Cao Cao decided to invade Jing Province from two directions, while Zhou Yu reluctantly agreed to Lu Su’s plan to surrender Xu Province to the Imperial Court. In Ye City, Liu Xie remained frustrated by the Land Reclamation Policy and waited for news from the front.

• Xu Chu reported that Zhang Liao had captured Sun Quan after charging with eight hundred men, and Cao Cao grew furious and worried about the Imperial Court’s advance.
• Cao Cao decided to have Cao Ren attack Jing Province from Guandu while he sent troops west from Jiangdong.
• Zhou Yu learned of Sun Quan’s defeat and capture, and Lu Su urged him to surrender Xu Province to seek a pardon.
• Zhou Yu initially rejected Lu Su’s proposal as betrayal, but eventually agreed after Lu Su warned that resisting would leave him facing Zhang Liao’s forces.
• Liu Xie reviewed Jia Xu and Guo Jia’s inadequate proposals on the Land Reclamation Policy, delayed morning court, and asked whether new battle reports had arrived.

Yang Xiu exposed his clan’s illegal land reclamation, surrendered the fields, and won promotion to Attendant Gentleman while Liu Xie warned other officials to investigate their own clans. Gao Lan then reported that Zhang Liao had captured Sun Quan and defeated his army at Hefei, leaving the court stunned as Zhang Liao returned to Ye City with the prisoners.

• Yang Xiu admitted that members of the Yang Clan had evaded the land reclamation limit, surrendered their reclaimed fields, and asked Liu Xie to punish him.
• Yang Biao confessed that he had known about the land appropriation, and he and Yang Xiu argued over who should bear the blame.
• Liu Xie withheld Yang Biao’s salary for a year, ordered the Yang Clan to surrender seventy percent of its reclaimed land, and promoted Yang Xiu to Attendant Gentleman.
• Liu Xie ordered the other officials to inspect their clans or face an investigation by the Embroidered-Clothes Envoys.
• Gao Lan announced that Zhang Liao had captured Sun Quan after defeating his thirty-thousand-man army at Hefei, and that Xu Province and the Three Commanderies North of the Yangtze had been recovered.
• The court officials were stunned to hear that Zhang Liao’s eight hundred elite warriors had defeated Sun Quan’s army and captured its leader.

Liu Xie celebrated Zhang Liao’s victory over Sun Quan and ordered Lü Bu and his advisers back to court after the campaign in Yu Province. Lü Bu, frustrated by the empty cities he had taken, learned that Zhang Liao had won a spectacular victory and cursed Cao Cao and Sun Quan for leaving him without a battle.

• Cui Yan congratulated Liu Xie after news arrived that Zhang Liao had captured Sun Quan and recovered Xu Province and the Three Commanderies North of the Yangtze.
• Gao Lan reported that Cao Cao’s army had withdrawn from Guandu toward Jing Province, and Liu Xie ordered Lü Bu to station troops in Yu Province before returning to court.
• Yang Xiu worried that the Yang Clan’s public offer to donate reclaimed land had made enemies among the aristocratic families, but Yang Biao urged him to stand by his own convictions.
• Lü Bu entered Xu County with little resistance, found Cao Cao’s residence empty, and complained to Zhao Yun that he had gained no real victories in Yan and Yu Provinces.
• Sima Yi told Lü Bu that Zhang Liao had routed Sun Quan’s thirty thousand men with eight hundred, captured Sun Quan, and recovered Xu Province and the Three Commanderies North of the Yangtze.
• Lü Bu was stunned by Zhang Liao’s victory and cursed Cao Cao and Sun Quan for ruining his chance to fight.

Lü Bu returned from Yu Province while Zhuge Liang and Sima Yi weighed Cao Cao’s retreat toward Jing Province. In Xiangyang, Liu Cong’s advisers debated Cao Cao’s alliance proposal, and Cai Mao went to speak with Emperor Xian of Han, whom he found playing blindfolded chase with beauties.

• Lü Bu reluctantly left Yu Province after Zhuge Liang reminded him that the emperor had ordered his return.
• Zhuge Liang warned Sima Yi that Cao Cao might use an alliance with Liu Cong as cover to seize Jing Province, but they decided to consult the emperor before acting.
• Liu Cong’s advisers debated Cao Cao’s offer: Pang Ji and Liu Xian opposed it, while Cai Mao advised accepting it cautiously and Kuai Liang urged reconsidering the war in Yi Province.
• Cai Mao went to Emperor Xian of Han’s residence and found him playing blindfolded chase with several beauties.
• Emperor Xian of Han released Cai Mao after mistaking him for a beauty, dismissed the women, and prepared to discuss matters with his minister.

Cai Mao questioned Emperor Xian of Han and learned that Cao Cao genuinely believed him to be the true emperor, then dismissed his hopes of returning to Cao Cao. Zhang Liao brought Sun Quan and the other prisoners to Ye City, where the crowd jeered at them, and he spotted a troop bearing Lü’s banner ahead.

• Cai Mao asked Emperor Xian of Han whether Cao Cao knew he was a pretender, and the emperor insisted Cao Cao had always believed him genuine.
• Cai Mao concluded that Cao Cao opposed the Son of Heaven in Ye City out of loyalty to the Han Dynasty and rejected Emperor Xian of Han’s suggestion that they trust Cao Cao.
• Emperor Xian of Han longed to return to Cao Cao, but Cai Mao left him behind, calling him the real pretender emperor.
• Zhang Liao arrived at Ye City with Sun Quan, Zhou Yu, Cheng Pu, Han Dang, and the other prisoners after defeating Sun Quan’s forces.
• The people of Ye City cursed and pelted the prisoners, while Sun Quan endured the humiliation to protect his family.
• Zhang Liao noticed a troop approaching under a white banner bearing the character Lü.

Liu Xie welcomed the returning armies and rewarded their commanders for the southern campaign. After Zhang Liao and Lü Bu argued over their wager, Liu Xie praised the generals in court, with Zhuge Liang's reward still to come.

• Zhang Liao chased Lü Bu into Ye City and demanded that he honor their wager, but Lü Bu denied it and refused to listen.
• Liu Xie and the court officials arrived at the palace gates and laughed as Lü Bu pretended not to see or hear them.
• Liu Xie praised the campaign's victories and promoted Zhang Liao to General Who Conquers the South, enfeoffing him as Duxiang Marquis.
• Liu Xie promoted Huang Zhong to General Who Displays Might and raised Qu Yi's noble rank, granting him the title Marquis Within the Pass.
• Liu Xie promoted Zhao Yun to Central Pillar General and granted him the rank of Chief Minister of the Masses, then began addressing Zhuge Liang.

Liu Xie rewarded Zhuge Liang with the powerful post of Left Minster of the People, then judged the captured Jiangdong leaders for their rebellion. He condemned Sun Quan and his generals, while Zhou Yu remained before the throne after surrendering and ceding half of Xu Province.

• Liu Xie appointed Zhuge Liang Left Minster of the People and gave Lü Bu and Sima Yi token rewards.
• Liu Xie confronted the captured Sun Quan, Zhou Yu, Cheng Pu, and their men, and Sun Quan admitted that he had lied about Lü Bu holding the emperor hostage.
• Sun Quan confessed that he had rebelled for his own ambition and asked Liu Xie to spare his deceived subordinates and relatives.
• Liu Xie ordered Cheng Pu, Han Dang, and Zhou Tai executed with their households, then sentenced Sun Quan to death for his betrayal.
• Zhang Liao explained that Zhou Yu had surrendered voluntarily and handed over half of Xu Province, and Liu Xie studied the kneeling commander.

Liu Xie spared Zhou Yu from execution after Zhou Yu acknowledged his guilt, while Zhou Yu vouched for Lu Su and urged the emperor to recognize his innocence. The court then discussed the recovery of the southern provinces and the threat posed by Cao Cao’s army in Jing Province, with Lü Bu eager to attack.

• Liu Xie questioned Zhou Yu about surrendering Xu Province, and Zhou Yu explained that Lu Su had advised him to surrender and had repeatedly urged him to join the Imperial Court.
• Zhang Liao recognized Lu Su as the strategist who had thwarted his attacks, and Liu Xie offered Zhou Yu a chance to plead for mercy.
• Cui Yan, Lü Bu, and other officials argued that Zhou Yu should be killed, but Liu Xie asked whether Zhou Yu acknowledged his guilt and then sentenced him to prison instead of death.
• Zhang Liao reported that Cao Cao had moved fewer than thirty percent of the people and supplies from the southern provinces, and that Taishi had been left in Yang Province to resettle the people.
• Zhuge Liang warned that Cao Cao’s army had entered Nanyang Commandery and could threaten Jing Province, while Lü Bu volunteered to attack and Guo Jia urged the court to plan before starting another war.

After helping Zhuge Liang receive praise and encouragement for his promotion, Jia Xu discussed how the court should deal with the aristocratic clans that had supported Cao Cao. Guo Jia returned home to find two Yingchuan Guo Clan elders seeking to bring him into the direct lineage, and he rejected their offer as the confrontation continued.

• Liu Xie postponed the campaign against Jing Province and tasked Zhuge Liang and Sima Yi with settling Yan Province and Yu Province.
• Jia Xu and Guo Jia congratulated Zhuge Liang, who vowed to repay Liu Xie’s trust through service.
• Jia Xu asked Zhuge Liang how the court should punish the clans that had supported Cao Cao, and Zhuge Liang recommended a measured approach subject to Liu Xie’s decision.
• Guo Jia refused Jia Xu’s invitation to drink because Hua Tuo’s medicine required him to avoid alcohol, then returned home and found Guo Rou and Guo Hong waiting.
• Guo Rou offered to transfer Guo Jia from the collateral branch into the Yingchuan Guo Clan’s direct line, but Guo Jia refused and angered Guo Hong.
• Guo Rou told Guo Jia that he understood his resentment over the clan’s past failure to support collateral descendants.

Guo Jia refused to help his clan evade punishment for aiding Cao Cao’s rebellion, while Liu Xie tested Lu Su’s judgment by asking how to deal with aristocratic families in Yan and Yu provinces. Lu Su began outlining a solution by asking where the Imperial Court planned to campaign next.

• Guo Jia rejected Guo Rou and Guo Hong’s plea for help and ordered his steward to refuse future visitors from the Guo Clan.
• Guo Jia reflected that he wanted to open a path for impoverished scholars and regarded Liu Xie’s trust as his greatest support.
• Liu Xie confronted Lu Su over his aid to Sun Quan, then offered to spare him if he answered a test question.
• Liu Xie asked Lu Su how to punish the aristocratic clans in Yan and Yu provinces without undermining the Imperial Court.
• Lu Su asked whether Liu Xie planned to campaign against Jiangdong or advance into Jing Province next, and Liu Xie confirmed that he intended to raise troops again.

Lu Su proposed moving the capital to Luoyang and using the great aristocratic clans of Yan and Yu Provinces to rebuild it, earning Liu Xie's approval and a post in the Department of State Affairs. The chapter then turned to Yang Biao's banquet, where he began explaining why the Yang Clan had given up its reclaimed land.

• Lu Su proposed moving the capital to Luoyang and making the great aristocratic clans of Yan and Yu Provinces fund its reconstruction.
• Liu Xie approved Lu Su's proposal in principle, pardoned him, and ordered him to serve under Zhuge Liang.
• Lu Su asked about Zhou Yu, and Liu Xie said Zhou Yu's capital offense had been pardoned but he remained in prison to earn merit.
• Yang Biao hosted the great aristocratic families at a banquet to mend relations after the Yang Clan had donated its reclaimed land.
• Fu Wan and Dong Zhong challenged Yang Biao, who said he had surrendered the land after his son brought him to a sudden awakening.

At Yang Biao’s banquet, the great aristocratic families accepted his warning to surrender most of their reclaimed land, then grew resentful at the prospect of the Zhen and Lü families producing the future empress. The next day, Liu Xie’s ministers approved relocating the capital to Luoyang, but Sima Yi urged a northern campaign against the Wuhuan first.

• Yang Biao explained that Yang Xiu had advised surrendering seventy percent of the family’s land to avoid angering Liu Xie, and the gathered families accepted his counsel.
• Dong Zhong, Fu Wan, Cui Yan, and the other guests set aside their grievances with Yang Biao, though Fu Wan privately resented his own son when comparing him with Yang Xiu.
• Shen Rong said the Zhen and Lü families were likelier than the other aristocratic houses to prosper, prompting resentment and discussion of the future empress and Liu Xie’s lack of an heir.
• Cui Yan pointed out that Liu Xie had no heir, stirring concern among the banquet guests.
• Liu Xie summoned Zhuge Liang, Guo Jia, Sima Yi, Jia Xu, and Yang Xiu to discuss Lu Su’s plan, and they endorsed moving the capital to Luoyang.
• Sima Yi urged Liu Xie to send an army against the Wuhuan before relocating the capital.

Liu Xie approved a swift campaign against the Wuhuan and announced plans to rebuild Luoyang before moving the capital there. Lü Bu, Zhang Liao, and Huang Zhong all sought command of the expedition, leaving Lü Bu reconsidering whether Huang Zhong should have the chance to earn a marquisate.

• Sima Yi persuaded Liu Xie and his advisers that the Wuhuan had to be subdued before the court marched south, and Guo Jia proposed using an elite, lightly equipped force to strike quickly.
• Liu Xie approved the northern expedition and told his advisers that he would announce the move back to Luoyang at court.
• Liu Xie announced the capital's return to Luoyang and assigned Yuan Xi to raise funds from the Great Aristocratic Clans of Yan and Yu provinces to rebuild the city.
• Liu Xie called for a commander to lead the Wuhuan campaign, and Lü Bu and Zhang Liao stepped forward together and argued over who should go.
• Huang Zhong asked Lü Bu and Zhang Liao to let him lead so he could earn a marquisate, and Lü Bu began to reconsider competing with him.

Liu Xie appointed Huang Zhong and Guo Jia to lead a campaign against the Wuhuan, then faced a court demand to expand his imperial harem so he could produce an heir. The ministers’ push threatened to open the empress’s position to their daughters, but Lü Bu unexpectedly supported the expansion.

• Lü Bu declined to campaign against the Wuhuan, and Liu Xie appointed Huang Zhong as commander and Guo Jia as army supervisor of ten thousand Bing Province Iron Cavalry.
• Dong Zhong urged Liu Xie to expand the imperial harem because he had no heir, and Yang Biao and other ministers joined the appeal.
• Fu Wan argued that the lack of an heir endangered the state, while Liu Xie recognized that the ministers wanted their daughters to compete for the empress’s throne.
• Zhen Yi opposed the expansion to protect Zhen Mi’s position, but Cui Yan accused him of fearing rivals for her.
• Lü Bu concluded that Liu Xie should have more consorts and urged him to take at least eight hundred or a thousand.

Liu Xie faced growing pressure to choose between Zhen Mi and Lü Lingqi as empress while officials pushed to expand the Imperial Harem. After becoming exhausted and briefly fainting, he summoned Guo Jia and Jia Xu to discuss the succession of the empress.

• Lü Bu supported expanding the Imperial Harem, delighting officials who hoped to send their daughters into the Palace.
• Zhang Liao warned Lü Bu that other women might compete with Lü Lingqi for the Empress's Position, but Lü Bu trusted Liu Xie's promise and went drinking with him.
• Liu Xie worried that his promises to both the Zhen Clan and Lü Bu had created a hidden danger as the realm's unification made choosing an empress harder to postpone.
• Liu Xie briefly fainted from exhaustion and hunger, recovered after eating pastries, and ordered the Attendant Palace Maid to keep the incident secret.
• Guo Jia and Jia Xu arrived at the Xuan Room, where Liu Xie said the empress question had left him unable to sleep.

Liu Xie asked Jia Xu and Guo Jia how to choose an empress without empowering the Zhen Clan or Lü Bu’s military faction. They considered selecting a common woman, but the chapter ended with the problem of appeasing the Zhen Clan, Lü Bu, and the court still unresolved.

• Liu Xie told Jia Xu and Guo Jia that the officials had pressured him to expand the imperial harem and asked whom he should appoint as empress.
• Jia Xu indirectly prompted Liu Xie to consider choosing someone other than Noble Lady Zhen or Noble Lady Lü, and Guo Jia argued that neither was suitable because their families and allies could gain too much power.
• Liu Xie proposed choosing an empress from among the common people to prevent powerful maternal relatives from interfering in government, and Jia Xu approved the idea.
• Guo Jia pointed out that the Zhen Clan and Duke Wen would have to be appeased, leaving Liu Xie and Jia Xu without a solution.

Liu Xie’s advisers could not find a solution to the dispute over appointing an empress. In Xiangyang, Cao Cao arrived to meet Liu Cong and the supposed Emperor Xian of Han, whose emotional reunion and demand to leave with Cao Cao alarmed his hosts.

• Liu Xie asked Jia Xu and Guo Jia for a way to resolve the empress dispute, but neither offered a solution, so he postponed the matter.
• Liu Cong and Cai Mao waited outside Xiangyang to welcome Cao Cao, while Cai Mao explained that they hoped to use his strength against the Pretender Emperor of Ye City.
• Cao Cao arrived with the elite Tiger and Leopard Cavalry, impressing Liu Cong and the Jing Province advisers.
• Emperor Xian of Han rushed to Cao Cao, wept as he clutched his sleeve, and Cao Cao tearfully recounted his efforts to find him.
• Emperor Xian of Han asked to return to Jiangdong with Cao Cao, alarming Liu Cong and angering Cai Mao, who urged them to discuss it later.

Emperor Xian of Han accused Cai Mao and his allies of murdering Liu Biao and Liu Qi, but Cao Cao dismissed the charge and entered Xiangyang with Liu Cong. In Yi Province, Liu Zhang debated making peace with Liu Bei until Huang Quan proposed a plan to eliminate him.

• Emperor Xian of Han publicly accused Cai Mao and his allies of poisoning Liu Biao and his son, but Cao Cao declared the emperor misled and let Cai Mao’s men escort him back to the city.
• Liu Cong and Cai Mao welcomed Cao Cao into Xiangyang, while Cao Cao told Cao Ren that he had not seized the city because holding it would be difficult.
• Liu Zhang worried that his forces could not defeat Liu Bei after Liu Cong withdrew from the war and asked his advisors whether he should offer Liu Bei half of Yi Province.
• Liu Ba warned Liu Zhang that a truce would give Liu Bei time to recover, and Huang Quan offered a plan to eliminate him.

Liu Bei considered Liu Zhang’s offer of half of Yi Province and, on Xu Shu’s advice, agreed to travel to Shu Commandery for peace negotiations. He arrived with Guan Yu and guards, where Liu Zhang welcomed him warmly and led him toward a feast, while concealing his alarm at Guan Yu’s presence.

• Huang Quan urged Liu Zhang to lure Liu Bei to a banquet and have concealed soldiers kill him, and Liu Zhang sent an emissary to invite Liu Bei to peace talks.
• Liu Bei rejected the initial offer of peace, but reconsidered after the emissary offered half of Yi Province and asked Xu Shu and Pang Tong for advice.
• Xu Shu argued that Liu Bei’s army needed supplies and rest, so Liu Bei agreed to negotiate for half the province despite Zhang Fei and Guan Yu favoring continued war.
• Liu Bei decided to attend the talks in person and took Guan Yu and five hundred guards, leaving Zhang Fei to guard Ba Commandery.
• Liu Zhang greeted Liu Bei at the Shu Commandery landing, apologized for the war, and invited him and Guan Yu into the city for a welcoming feast.

Liu Bei attended a banquet hosted by Liu Zhang, who planned to kill him, but Guan Yu sensed the danger before the attack began. Fa Zheng warned Liu Bei and Guan Yu that the West Gate was unguarded, leaving them a possible escape route.

• Liu Bei demanded that Liu Zhang confirm his promise to cede half of Yi Province, and Liu Zhang agreed to discuss the boundaries the next day.
• Guan Yu recognized that the dancers were disguised soldiers and watched Liu Zhang, who lost his nerve and did not give the signal to attack.
• After Liu Bei and Guan Yu left the banquet hall, Huang Quan and Wang Lian urged Liu Zhang to proceed with the ambush, and Liu Zhang agreed to leave before they attacked.
• Guan Yu told Liu Bei that Liu Zhang seemed suspicious and proposed taking him hostage to escape the city.
• Fa Zheng introduced himself to Liu Bei and revealed that swordsmen and axemen were waiting outside the residence, advising the two men to flee through the unguarded West Gate.