Lü Meng's invasion and capture of Jingzhou

Lü Meng's invasion and capture of Jingzhou is a coordinated campaign of deception that turns Guan Yu's northern expedition into an opening for Sun Quan's forces. By feigning weakness, flattering Guan Yu, concealing soldiers among merchant ships, and neutralizing his warning beacons, the attackers take Jiangling before dawn. The capture shifts control of the Jingzhou region and sets in motion the effort to secure neighboring cities, while Lü Meng's severe enforcement of discipline presents the conquest not only as a military success but also as a bid to establish order among the conquered population.

Background and Strategic Opening

The immediate opportunity comes as Guan Yu is attacking Fancheng. Cao Cao's position there is under pressure, and Sima Yi recommends exploiting the conflict between Xuande and Sun Quan: Cao Cao should offer Sun Quan the south in exchange for an attack on Jingzhou from behind Guan Yu. Cao Cao agrees, appoints Xu Huang to oppose Guan Yu, and sends the proposal to Sun Quan.

Sun Quan's adviser Zhang Zhao distrusts the offer. He argues that Cao Cao's forces are faltering and that the proposal may be a ploy to divert Sun Quan into helping Cao Cao against Xuande. The balance changes when Lü Meng arrives from Lukou with news that Guan Yu is occupied at Fancheng. Sun Quan chooses to seize the moment and authorizes Lü Meng to prepare an attack; Sun Quan intends to follow with the rest of the army.

At Lukou, however, Lü Meng learns that Guan Yu has built a line of beacons to warn of precisely this kind of invasion, and that Jingzhou is well defended. The scale of the task alarms him. He pretends to be ill, a performance that Lu Xun recognizes when sent to investigate. Lu Xun understands the source of Lü Meng's hesitation and offers a way around the defenses: make Guan Yu believe the threat has receded, then use praise and gifts to encourage him to lower his guard.

Deception and Capture of Jiangling

Sun Quan recalls Lü Meng under the pretense of concern for his health and appoints Lu Xun to carry out the deception. Lu Xun writes to Guan Yu in lavishly admiring terms and sends expensive gifts. The message appeals to Guan Yu's pride and appears to confirm that the danger from Sun Quan has passed. Lu Xun's spies report that Guan Yu is fooled and has committed his troops to the siege of Fancheng, where he is also waiting for his wound to recover before resuming the assault.

Sun Quan then commissions Lü Meng to lead the invasion with thirty thousand soldiers and eighty attack ships. As the fleet approaches the territory protected by Guan Yu's beacons, some soldiers dress as merchants while the rest hide in the ships' holds. Lü Meng also sends letters to Cao Cao urging an attack on Guan Yu, and to Lu Xun to keep him informed. The ships travel day and night along the Xunyang River.

At the northern shore, Guan Yu's guards stop the apparent merchants but accept their explanation and let them pass. At night, the concealed troops emerge and overwhelm the men guarding the shore and the beacons. The guards are captured, none escapes, and not one beacon is lit. The warning system that should have alerted Jingzhou to the invasion is thus turned into a silent passage for the invading force.

Lü Meng next approaches Jiangling. He persuades the captured guards to cooperate in fooling the city's defenders: they are to make the approaching force appear legitimate, gain entry, and set fires as a signal for the rest of the army. Late at night the men reach the gate and are recognized. Once admitted, they set the fires, and before dawn Jiangling is in Lü Meng's hands. The capture is achieved through a chain of deceptions rather than a prolonged assault: first the merchant disguise defeats scrutiny at the shore, then the captured guards help the force pass through the city gate.

Discipline and Consolidation

After the city's capture, Lü Meng gives strict orders that the ordinary people are not to be harmed and that nothing is to be taken from them. When he sees one of his soldiers wearing a rain cloak and hat that have been stolen, he rejects the soldier's explanation that he took them to keep his armor dry in the rain and has him executed. The punishment is displayed publicly to instill fear and ensure that the army obeys the prohibition on looting.

The account also distinguishes the public demonstration from Lü Meng's private response: he later gives the executed soldier a decent burial and weeps, but does not withdraw the punishment or its lesson for the troops. His treatment of the city therefore combines strict protection of its inhabitants and property with an uncompromising effort to enforce military authority. The victory depends on deception at the operational level; its consolidation depends on controlling the behavior of the victorious army.

Sun Quan arrives with his larger force almost immediately after Jiangling falls. With the Jingzhou region now under their control, the commanders turn to securing Gong'an and Nanjun. These cities are held by Fu Shiren and Mi Fang, respectively, and the campaign's next stage will exploit their dissatisfaction with Guan Yu. The capture of Jiangling is thus both a decisive territorial gain and a platform for extending Sun Quan's control across the region.