The battle is significant because Wu was able to turn the situation from a series of initial losses into a defensive stalemate, before proceeding to win a decisive victory over Shu.
In late 219, Lü Meng, a general serving under Sun Quan, led an army to invade Liu Bei's territories in southern Jing Province.
[9] On 10 May 221, Liu Bei declared himself emperor[10][11] and established a new state, historically known as Shu, to contest Cao Pi's claim to the Han throne.
[13] Liu Bei desired to avenge Guan Yu and take back Jing Province, so he made preparations for war against Sun Quan.
[15] Qin Mi, an official under Liu Bei, also advised his lord against going to war with Sun Quan but ended up being thrown into prison.
He also gave higher appointments to some mid-ranking Shu officers from Jing Province, such as Feng Xi and Zhang Nan, to further raise his army's morale for the campaign.
[18] When Zhuge Jin met Liu Bei, he said: "I heard that your army has come from Baidicheng, and that your subjects have advised you to reject peace talks due to the hostilities between us which arose from the King of Wu's occupation of Jing Province and Guan Yu's death.
After Wu Ban and Feng Xi achieved success, the Shu army, comprising over 40,000 troops, advanced further to Zigui County.
[22] In response to the Shu invasion, Sun Quan appointed Lu Xun as his Grand Chief Controller (大都督) and ordered him to lead 50,000 troops to resist the enemy.
Lu Xun had under his command several Wu officers such as Zhu Ran,[23] Pan Zhang,[24] Song Qian,[25] Han Dang,[26] Xu Sheng,[27] Xianyu Dan (鮮于丹), and Sun Huan.
However, the Shu general Huang Quan noted that the Wu forces were powerful and had used the Yangtze to their advantage, so he volunteered to lead the attack and suggested that Liu Bei remain behind as backup.
[29] Liu Bei also ordered Wu Ban (吳班) and Chen Shi (陳式) to lead the Shu navy to Yiling on the banks of the Yangtze.
In the meantime, he also sent Ma Liang as an envoy to meet the tribes in Wuling Commandery and seek to bribe their chiefs with money and official titles to win their support.
[30][31] As the tribes in Wuling grew restless upon the Shu army's approach, Sun Quan sent Bu Zhi to guard Yiyang and deal with any unrest.
[35] The Shu army passed through the Wu Gorge, Jianping (建平), Lianping (連平), and Lianwei (連圍), and arrived at the border of Yiling, where they constructed about 10 fortified garrisons.
Since the Wu forces did not respond to the taunts, Liu Bei abandoned his plan to lure the enemy into the ambush and ordered the 8,000 soldiers to come out of the valleys.
When Lu Xun heard about it, he told the Wu officers: "The reason why I did not follow your suggestions to attack the enemy is because I suspected there was something fishy about it."
[25] Zhang Nan, Shamoke (a tribal king allied with Shu), Ma Liang,[30] and Wang Fu[43] were killed in action, while Du Lu (杜路) and Liu Ning (劉寧) were forced to surrender to Wu.
[1] Liu Bei and his remaining troops retreated to the Ma'an Hills (馬鞍山; east of present-day Changyang County, Hubei),[1] where they continued to be fiercely assaulted by the Wu forces from all directions.
The Wu general Sun Huan fought with his life and managed to break through enemy lines and capture the key positions in the hills.
[47] Liu Bei regrouped his scattered forces and ordered them to abandon their boats and travel on foot towards Yufu County, which he renamed "Yong'an" (永安; literally "everlasting peace").
[48] By the time Liu Bei reached the safety of Baidicheng, all his boats, military equipment, and supplies had been captured by Wu forces.
The reason why the State asks you to lower yourselves and submit to my command is because I have a modicum of value and I can endure humiliation for the sake of fulfilling a greater task.
When Cao Pi received news that the Shu forces had set up linked camps over a distance of more than 700 li,[56] he told his subjects: "(Liu) Bei does not know military strategy.
[32] After the battle, Xu Sheng, Pan Zhang, Song Qian and other Wu officers suggested attacking Baidicheng to capture Liu Bei.
The following are some notable events related to the battle, as described in the novel: Liu Bei plans to go to war with Sun Quan to avenge Guan Yu and retake Jing Province, but his decision is opposed by many of his subjects.
Guan Xing catches up with Pan Zhang, kills him, digs out his heart and places it on the altar as an offering to his father's spirit.
He flees, with the arrow still embedded in his head, reaches Fuchi (富池; in present-day Yangxin County, Hubei), sits down under a tree and dies.
[78] Liu Bei retreats under the protection of Guan Xing and Zhang Bao after his camps are set on fire by the Wu forces, who continue to pursue him.
After hearing rumours that Liu Bei had been killed in battle, Lady Sun ventured out to the bank of the Yangtze, where she faced the west and wept before drowning herself.