Lü Meng's invasion of Jing Province
| Lü Meng's invasion of Jing Province | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the wars at the end of the Han dynasty | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
| Sun Quan | Liu Bei | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Lü Meng | Guan Yu | ||||||
| Lü Meng's invasion of Jing Province | |||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 呂蒙攻取荊州之戰 | ||||||
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| Simplified Chinese | 吕蒙攻取荆州之战 | ||||||
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| Transcriptions | |
|---|---|
| Standard Mandarin | |
| Hanyu Pinyin | Lǚ Méng Gōngqǔ Jīngzhōu Zhī Zhàn |
Lü Meng's invasion of Jing Province was fought between the warlords Sun Quan and Liu Bei in 219 in the late Eastern Han dynasty. Sun Quan's forces, led by Lü Meng, invaded Liu Bei's territory of Jing Province (covering present-day Hubei and Hunan), which was defended by Guan Yu, and succeeded in annexing the entire province. The campaign occurred after the Battle of Fancheng and provided the trigger for the subsequent Battle of Xiaoting (also known as the Battle of Yiling).
In 219, Guan Yu led his troops from Jing Province to attack Cao Cao's stronghold at Fancheng (present-day Fancheng District, Xiangyang, Hubei), that was defended by Cao Ren. Cao Ren had been besieged at Fancheng by Guan Yu for some time. Cao Cao's adviser Sima Yi sent an emissary to see Sun Quan, requesting that Sun sent his forces to flank Guan Yu's rear in order to lift the siege on Fancheng. The Jiangnan region was to be given to Sun Quan as spoils of war.
Sun Quan sent an emissary to Guan Yu, relating his wish for a marriage to be arranged between his son and Guan Yu's daughter (possibly named Guan Yinping). Guan Yu rejected the marriage proposal and insulted the emissary, infuriating Sun Quan. Worse, in the 10th month of the year, Guan Yu was running low on supplies, so he attacked Sun Quan’s supply depot at Xiangguan and took the supplies there. Whatever reservations Sun Quan had disappeared when Guan Yu attacked him, so he accepted a plan by Lü Meng to take Jing.
Sun Quan's forces stationed at Lukou (陸口) at the border were commanded by Lü Meng. Lü Meng claimed to be ill and was ordered back to the headquarters while Lu Xun was sent to replace Lü Meng as acting commander at Lukou. Lü Meng was actually feigning illness and he returned to the headquarters to discuss his plans with Sun Quan. In Luo Guanzhong's historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Lu Xun wrote a tame letter to Guan Yu, creating an impression that his forces were weaker than Guan Yu's, to put Guan Yu off guard. Guan Yu fell for the ruse, thinking that the younger and inexperienced Lu Xun posed no threat to him.
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