Three Kingdoms: Rebirth of Liu Bei, the Zhaolie

"Conquering the world is like farming..."

Looking up at the bright moon, Liu Bei spoke eloquently, "First, you must choose a good place, one that is not only close to a water source but also sheltered from the wind and gathers vital energy. Most importantly, it must have plenty of sunshine. Then, you must clear away all the weeds in the field, plow and turn the soil to loosen it and allow the vital energy to mingle. Next, you must sow seeds in the spring, nurture them throughout the summer, and finally harvest them in the autumn. In this way, when the harsh winter comes, you can hide in a warm house, warm yourself by the fire, and eat the harvested grain."

Geng Yong found it extremely interesting and asked:

"Xuande, have you chosen a location?"

"It's Zhuojun! It's Youzhou!"

Liu Bei said in a deep voice.

Geng Yong listened and nodded. "Emperor Gaozu rose from Fengpei, and Emperor Guangwu rose from Nanyang. Why did you choose this place?"

Liu Bei smiled slightly.

He knew that it was now 175 AD, the fourth year of the reign of Emperor Ling of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Liu Hong. There were still about ten years before the Yellow Turban Rebellion and the chaos that would engulf the country in 184 AD. His "strategic advisor" and trusted minister, Zhuge Liang, would not be born until 181 AD.

In the absence of Zhuge Liang, Liu Bei planned to spend about ten years establishing a base of operations, thereby gaining the confidence to conquer the world in this era of great strife.

Therefore, he first needed to give himself a Youzhou version of the "Longzhong Plan"—or, one could say, a "Lousang Plan" given to Liu Bei by a time traveler from later generations.

As the saying goes, "The Three Kingdoms period exhausted the spirit of heroes, while the Jin Dynasty was full of rats."

It was indeed not easy to gain a foothold in the Three Kingdoms period, a time of numerous heroes and countless life-or-death struggles.

By this time, Liu Bei had already thoroughly understood the five thousand years of Chinese history and knew that throughout history, it had always been easier to fight from north to south on the Chinese mainland than to fight from south to north.

In other words, conquering the south is easier than conquering the north.

Throughout history, only a handful of people have successfully launched northern expeditions: Liu Bang, King of Hanzhong; Liu Yu, Emperor of the Southern Song Dynasty (though not entirely successful); Zhu Yuanzhang, Emperor of the Ming Dynasty; and Chiang Kai-shek in modern times.

But there were far too many emperors who succeeded in their southern campaigns.

The northern expedition from the Sichuan Basin was particularly difficult, as it involved traversing towering mountains and facing immense logistical challenges. Furthermore, the military adventure of penetrating deep into enemy territory often presented a life-or-death situation.

Apart from Han Xin, the military genius who famously used the strategy of "openly repairing the plank road while secretly crossing the Chencang pass" to successfully launch a northern expedition from the Bashu region, very few wise and brave warriors throughout history have been able to achieve this feat.

Zhuge Liang, a peerless strategist who compared himself to Guan Zhong and Yue Yi, launched six expeditions to Qishan to fight against Cao Wei in the north, but ultimately died of illness at Wuzhangyuan.

Jiang Boyue of Tianshui launched eleven northern expeditions, all of which ended in failure.

To turn the tide in Sichuan and Chongqing and thus unify the world is as difficult as ascending to heaven.

Thinking of the hardships and difficulties of his past life, Liu Bei made up his mind to establish a base in his hometown of Youzhou, starting from Zhuo County, and gradually rise to power until he unified the Youyan region, subdued the Wuhuan and Xianbei in the north, and then headed south to contend for the world.

At that time, he will first seize Jizhou, then attack Qingzhou, then cross the Taihang Mountains to capture Bingzhou, then seize Yanzhou and occupy Xuzhou, followed by Sili and Liangzhou. At this point, he will "traverse the north and south of the Yellow River, uniting the forces of eight provinces," and then "serve the emperor to command the feudal lords," upholding the legitimate calendar to punish the disobedient. Then the remaining Yuzhou, Jingzhou, Yangzhou, Yizhou, Jiaozhou, the overseas Yizhou, and Liuqiu and other places can be pacified with a simple proclamation, and there is nothing to worry about.

This was also the strategic concept devised by Tian Feng and Ju Shou for Yuan Shao.

Cao Cao later unified the north, and his strategy largely followed the same path.

This is because, at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, about two-thirds of the population of the country lived in the north, where the foundation was strong, talents were abundant, and strategic resources were sufficient to support the unification of China, while the Jiangnan region had only about one-third of the population.

Although Yizhou, where Shu Han was located, was a land of plenty, its population was far less than that of the north and the south at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty. Even a genius like Zhuge Liang could not turn the tide and unify the country under such a population disadvantage.

In the era of cold weapons, population was the greatest strategic resource.

Therefore, Liu Bei's thought at this time was that he must gain a foothold in the north!

The North not only has a large population, a fierce and valiant people, and a wealth of talented individuals, but also has horses from beyond the Great Wall available for military use. Furthermore, after subduing the Wuhuan and Xianbei, the North can utilize the bravery and fighting prowess of their elite cavalry to wreak havoc on all sides.

In addition, Zhuo County in Zhuojun, Youzhou was his hometown. Liu Bei grew up there and was very familiar with every plant and tree there.

His friends, acquaintances, fellow villagers, and relatives were all here, making it easier for him to develop them into his own forces, thereby gaining a strong and stable base in this stronghold that no one else could shake.

Only with this solid foundation can we launch campaigns in the south and north, and conquer in the east and west.

Furthermore, Youzhou held an extremely important strategic position, and the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties regarded this city, which dominated Youyan, as their imperial capital.

Liu Bei envisioned that after unifying the world and rebuilding the Han Dynasty, he would establish his capital in Youzhou. He envisioned a permanent stronghold in the north, with the emperor guarding the nation's gates, suppressing the five barbarian tribes beyond the Great Wall, and preventing them from daring to invade the lands of Yan and Yun.

This is Liu Bei's "Longzhong Plan" for himself.

To conquer the world, one must have a strategic plan that takes a holistic view.

In his previous life, Liu Bei suffered a great loss in this regard at the beginning of his career, so much so that he fought for half his life before he met Zhuge Liang, a top talent in Jingzhou who was able to make strategic plans from a high-level perspective.

If Liu Bei had Zhuge Liang's assistance when he successfully conquered Xuzhou, a strategically vital region in his previous life, he might have unified the country much earlier.

In this life, after formulating a grand strategy, he can further break down this grand strategy, pre-determine the tasks and goals to be achieved at each stage, and then achieve these smaller goals step by step.

When all the small goals are achieved, that is when his grand strategic plan takes shape, and that is when he will unify the world.

Having figured out these general directions, he began to make some short-term plans for his fifteen-year-old self:

He became famous in the prefecture and county – he became famous throughout the land – he studied under Lu Zhi – he gained military merit – he guarded Youzhou – he fought against the powerful Hu tribes – he consolidated his roots and strengthened his foundation.

Liu Bei intended to complete these plans within ten years, that is, before the Yellow Turban Rebellion broke out.

Liu Bei roughly explained his thoughts to Geng Yong:

"...With the Xiongnu, Wuhuan, and Xianbei tribes to the north, You and Ji provinces to the east, and Bing and Liang provinces to the west, we can use this as a base to march south and contend for the Central Plains, pacify Qing, Xu, Yan, and Yu provinces, and then sweep southwards to conquer Jing, Chu, Wu, Yue, Ba, Shu, and Nanyue. Then the world will be mine, and all the world will come to congratulate us."

Upon hearing this, Geng Yong felt as if he had suddenly gained a clear understanding:

"Xuande, after hearing your words, I realize just how strategically important this land of Youyan we live in truly is. According to your plan, if Youyan is settled, then the world will be settled. These strategic plans could probably only be devised by the most outstanding strategists in the world. And you alone have meticulously planned everything. You are truly a once-in-a-millennium great ruler! And you are only fifteen years old."

Liu Bei said in a deep voice:

"Emperor Zhao ascended the throne at the age of eight and assumed personal rule at fourteen. He was already able to distinguish right from wrong, trusted Huo Guang, and ultimately ushered in the Zhaoxuan Restoration. Emperor He ascended the throne at the age of ten and at fourteen eliminated the Dou clan, a powerful family, reformed the bureaucracy, and achieved the Yongyuan era of prosperity. Gan Luo became the chief minister of Qin at the age of twelve, a young prime minister who subdued the enemy without a fight, forcing Zhao to cede territory to Qin. For me, fifteen years old is already quite old. Time is precious, and every moment counts. I must hurry."

Geng Yong nodded silently, then pondered for a moment and said:

"Xuande, regarding your brilliant strategy for conquering the world, I would like to add that if you intend to establish the Youyan region as your base, then you must safeguard the Fukou Pass, Jingxing Pass, Feihu Pass, Puyin Pass, and Jundu Pass among the Eight Passes of Taihang. These vital transportation routes are shortcuts for the Bingzhou and Xianbei forces to invade Youzhou."

"Of course."

Liu Bei said in a deep voice, "The Yanshan Mountains are the dividing line between the northern frontier and the Han territory. The Taihang Mountains are a natural barrier between Bingzhou and Youzhou. Back then, when Chu and Han were locked in a stalemate, Li Shiqi advised Emperor Gaozu to occupy the key passes of the Taihang Mountains, blocking the Taihang Road and the Feihu Pass. Emperor Gaozu adopted Li Shiqi's plan, using one force to defeat another, enabling Han Xin to attack Chen Yu, and ultimately successfully controlling the Jingxing Pass, subduing the feudal lords of Qi and Zhao, thus completely reversing the strategic situation of the Chu-Han War. From the overall perspective, this decisive battle effectively contained Xiang Yu, confining his power to the Central Plains and laying the foundation for the final strategic decisive battle. It was indeed a brilliant strategy!"

After Geng Yong's reminder, Liu Bei also thought of Zhuge Liang's Longzhong Plan from his previous life. The reason why it could not be fully implemented was because the unfavorable geographical situation at the junction of Jingzhou and Yizhou was overlooked, which made it difficult for the Shu troops to quickly rescue the Jingxiang army.

Guan Yu lost Jingzhou, and Liu Bei was defeated at Yiling; both were due to this.

Zhuge Liang's "Longzhong Plan" ultimately became a strategic vision that could never be realized.

Now, Liu Bei's "Lou Sang Dialogue," a brilliant strategy for vying for supremacy, has only just begun to take root in his heart.

……

Although Zhuge Liang's strategy (Longzhong Plan) suggested first securing Jing and Yi, Jing and Yi were thousands of miles apart. Dividing troops into two separate locations would ultimately make it difficult to provide reinforcements, which was precisely the reason for Guan Yu's defeat.

—Zhao Yi, Notes on the Twenty-Two Histories