Liu Bei's conquest of Yi Province is the campaign by which he converts an expedition ostensibly undertaken to help his kinsman Liu Zhang into possession of Liu Zhang’s territory. Its significance lies in the tension between humane conduct and political acquisition: Liu Bei repeatedly resists proposals to kill or exploit Liu Zhang, yet accepts strategies that steadily dismantle his defenses, and ultimately rules the province. The outcome is not presented as a simple triumph of force. Local support, defections, negotiated surrenders, and Liu Bei’s promises of restraint all help make the conquest possible, while its moral cost remains visible in his repeated hesitation over how far to go against a relative.

Background and the decision to intervene

Liu Zhang asks Liu Bei for help against the threat from Zhang Lu. The request places Liu Bei in a difficult position: both men belong to the imperial family, and Liu Bei says he finds it hard even to contemplate attacking a kinsman. Fa Zheng counters that Liu Zhang possesses the province’s natural advantages but cannot govern effectively; if Liu Bei does not intervene, someone else may take the territory. He presents the land as, in effect, being offered to Liu Bei.

Pang Tong makes the case in terms of extraordinary political circumstances. In ordinary times, Liu Bei’s preference for reflection, humanity, and straightforwardness over Cao Cao’s aggression and guile has distinguished him; attacking a relative, he fears, would destroy that moral contrast. Pang Tong argues that there is no unambiguous right course in the present crisis. Liu Bei could take power and then govern with integrity, while leaving Liu Zhang a region under his authority. If Liu Bei declines, Pang Tong warns, another power will seize the land. The argument settles Liu Bei’s doubts enough for him to accept the expedition, though it does not erase his reluctance.

Liu Bei divides his forces before departing. He leaves Kong Ming at Jingzhou with Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Zhao Zilong to guard against attack, and takes Pang Tong, Huang Zhong, and Wei Yan with him. Their combined force numbers fifty thousand. Before setting out for Shu, Liu Bei informs Liu Zhang that they are coming, preserving the appearance of a mission undertaken openly at Liu Zhang’s request rather than a surprise invasion.

Restraint at Fucheng and the failed banquet plot

As Liu Bei advances through Shu, he orders his soldiers not to take goods or harm local people. Liu Zhang, delighted to meet him, sets caution aside despite advisers’ warnings that Liu Bei’s friendly manner may conceal a threat. After a banquet, Pang Tong proposes a decisive shortcut: Liu Zhang could be invited to another feast, where a signal from Liu Bei would prompt concealed men to kill him and clear the way to Chengdu.

Liu Bei refuses. Liu Zhang is his kinsman, he says, and Heaven and the people would not forgive his murder. Fa Zheng argues that the campaign serves the Mandate of Heaven rather than Liu Bei’s private glory; Pang Tong adds that, after the difficult journey into the region, turning back would make little sense. These appeals do not persuade Liu Bei to authorize an assassination. Although he recognizes that the political opportunity is real, he will not use the banquet to kill Liu Zhang.

The feast proceeds as a display of friendship and trust, but Pang Tong and Fa Zheng decide to act without Liu Bei’s approval. They arrange for Wei Yan to perform a sword dance as cover for an attack. The danger is quickly recognized: men from Liu Zhang’s side join the dance to protect him, while men from Liu Bei’s side enter to support the plot. When Liu Bei understands what is happening, he rises and orders the swords put down, insisting that he and Liu Zhang are friends and need no weapons between them. The plotters leave, and afterward Liu Bei rebukes Pang Tong for risking his honor. The episode makes the limits of his consent clear: his advisers may frame conquest as necessary, but he rejects the killing of his host when a peaceful encounter can still be maintained.

Soon afterward, Zhang Lu advances toward Jiameng Pass, and Liu Zhang asks Liu Bei to move there with his troops. Liu Bei’s men continue to pay for what they take and treat local residents respectfully. Their conduct earns them support, giving the expedition a foothold that is not based solely on military pressure. The contrast between the aborted assassination and this deliberate cultivation of local goodwill remains important as the campaign turns from an ostensibly defensive mission toward the seizure of Liu Zhang’s power.

From guarded alliance to open conflict

At Jiameng Pass, Liu Bei learns of developments between Cao Cao and Sun Quan and seeks advice from Pang Tong. Pang Tong proposes that Liu Bei ask Liu Zhang for thirty to forty thousand of his best soldiers and one hundred thousand bushels of grain, while claiming that he must return to assist Sun Quan against Cao Cao. If Liu Zhang grants the request, the additional troops and supplies would help Liu Bei move toward the next stage of the plan.

Liu Bei sends a letter, but General Yang Huai intercepts the messenger at Fu Pass and accompanies him to Chengdu. Liu Zhang initially considers the request credible. Yang Huai warns that Liu Bei has been winning the people over and now seeks Liu Zhang’s own troops as well. Liu Zhang is persuaded to refuse the requested force and grain, offering instead four thousand elderly soldiers and ten thousand bushels. Liu Bei sees this as an insult, particularly in light of what he regards as his efforts on his kinsman’s behalf.

Pang Tong lays out three choices: attack Chengdu at once, lure Yang Huai and Gao Pei away from their posts and kill them under the pretense of returning to Jingzhou, or abandon the campaign and go home. Liu Bei rejects the first as too hasty and the third as too slow, choosing the second. He writes to Liu Zhang that he must return home. Liu Zhang, alarmed by the discovery of a real threat, orders the passes guarded and bars people from Jingzhou from entering or leaving.

At Fu Pass, Liu Bei invites Yang Huai and Gao Pei to pay their respects as he departs. Suspecting a trap, they arrive with two hundred armed men and concealed knives, intending to kill him. A banner blows over; Pang Tong interprets it as a warning of a murder plot. Liu Bei welcomes the commanders and, on the pretext of a confidential conversation, sends their men away. The two are seized, and the weapons are found on them. Pang Tong demands their deaths, but Liu Bei hesitates until the commanders’ plan to kill him is pressed upon him; then he gives permission for their immediate execution.

Liu Bei does not punish the two hundred accompanying soldiers. He offers them the choice of freedom or service in his army, and they respond with loud approval. Pang Tong then asks them to assist in taking the pass by subterfuge. They agree, lead Liu Bei’s troops toward the fortification, and call to be admitted. The guards recognize them and open the gate; Liu Bei’s men and the defectors rush in. The capture is completed within minutes, and the Shu defenders surrender without bloodshed. The contrast is pointed: the commanders who arrived with concealed weapons are executed, while their men are spared and become the means by which the pass falls.

Liu Zhang is horrified by the deaths of Yang Huai and Gao Pei and by the loss of Fu Pass, especially because the assailant is his kinsman. On Huang Quan’s advice, he prepares to hold Luocheng, an obstacle on the route forward, and sends Liu Gui, Ling Bao, Zhang Ren, and Deng Xian to defend it with fifty thousand men. The campaign has now moved decisively beyond a joint response to Zhang Lu: Liu Bei’s forces are taking strategic positions, and Liu Zhang is organizing against them.

Luocheng: rivalry, warning, and loss

As Liu Bei approaches Luocheng, a dispute over command exposes competition within his own force. Huang Zhong offers to lead an attack on one of two enemy camps, but Wei Yan challenges him on account of his age, and the argument nearly becomes a fight. Liu Bei assigns one camp to each. Pang Tong advises that Liu Bei follow with his own troops in case the rivalry causes trouble.

Wei Yan learns from spies that Huang Zhong plans to depart at the fourth watch. He leaves an hour earlier and, driven by jealousy, tries to attack both camps, beginning with the one assigned to Huang Zhong. The move backfires: Ling Bao’s men hear Wei Yan’s force approaching and counterattack, while Deng Xian’s men join the fighting. Wei Yan is nearly killed by Deng Xian, but Huang Zhong arrives and turns the battle against the defenders. Deng Xian is killed, Ling Bao flees, and Shu’s forces are scattered. Liu Bei has occupied the other camp; Wei Yan later positions an ambush and captures Ling Bao as he attempts to reach Luocheng by country paths.

Liu Bei offers the surrendered soldiers a choice between joining him and returning to their families. They cheer at the offer. Wei Yan escapes dismissal because he has captured Ling Bao, but Liu Bei makes him publicly acknowledge that Huang Zhong saved his life. Liu Bei then frees Ling Bao, who promises to return to Luocheng and persuade the other commanders to come over. When Wei Yan objects, Liu Bei answers that the release is an act of benevolence and mercy and says Ling Bao will not betray him. Ling Bao does return to the city, but conceals his capture and release, instead claiming that he escaped after fighting bravely. The failed appeal and the deception that follows show the limits of generosity as a means of securing allegiance.

Ling Bao proposes a direct attack on Liu Bei’s camp: he would take five thousand men equipped with spades and picks and divert the swift River Fu, which runs near the lowland camp. Peng Yang warns Liu Bei that a flood there could kill thousands with no route of escape. He also points to the stars as a sign that something is wrong. Liu Bei sends patrols along the river, led by Wei Yan and Huang Zhong. During a storm, Ling Bao’s men go out to cut a channel but encounter the patrols and attempt to retreat. They are attacked; Wei Yan captures Ling Bao, and his men are killed. Liu Bei recalls having spared Ling Bao before and now orders him executed for repaying that mercy with an attack.

Kong Ming sends a warning after seeing the same astrological signs as Peng Yang. Pang Tong, offended by what he takes to be a challenge to his own judgment, tells Liu Bei that the signs concern the conquest of Shu rather than impending disaster and that Ling Bao was their intended victim. Liu Bei remains uneasy: he has dreamed that a demon struck his right arm with a club, and, on waking, the arm felt painful. Pang Tong dismisses the dream as an attempt by Kong Ming to undermine his achievements and urges an advance.

On the morning of the campaign, Liu Bei notices that Pang Tong’s horse is difficult to manage and exchanges it for his own grey horse. The defenders at Luocheng have been warned of the attack. Zheng Ren sees the grey horse, mistakes its rider for Liu Bei, and prepares an ambush. Pang Tong, riding into a narrow valley, asks where they are and learns that it is called Fallen Phoenix Valley. His Daoist name is Young Phoenix; recognizing the ominous correspondence, he orders a retreat. It is too late. Arrows and crossbow bolts fall on his force, and Pang Tong dies with many of his men at the age of thirty-six.

The battle swings back and forth. Zheng Ren nearly captures Liu Bei, who is saved by the intervention of thirty thousand troops. When Liu Bei returns to camp and learns of Pang Tong’s death, he faces west and weeps. He decides not to risk another attack while Luocheng remains defiant and sends messengers to bring Kong Ming from Jingzhou. Zhang Ren continues to challenge Liu Bei’s forces, but Liu Bei forbids them to engage until Kong Ming arrives. In Jingzhou, Kong Ming sees a great star fall and understands that Pang Tong has died, though confirmation reaches him days later; he too mourns the loss. The death of Liu Bei’s adviser changes the campaign’s command and pace, making Kong Ming’s arrival necessary before the advance can resume.

The fall of Luocheng and the submission of Chengdu

Kong Ming divides his forces into three columns. Zhang Fei takes the high country, Zhao Zilong follows the river valley, and Kong Ming intends to come after them. He warns Zhang Fei that disciplined treatment of the people is essential to winning their trust. Zhang Fei first meets resistance at Bazhou, where Governor Yan Yan refuses to surrender. Yan Yan’s advisers expect Zhang Fei either to exhaust his supplies or to lose control of his temper and alienate his soldiers. For three days Zhang Fei taunts the defenders without drawing them out; three days of attacks also fail. When men offer to show him a secret route around the city, spies report the plan to Yan Yan, who prepares an ambush on that very road.

Both forces move at night. Yan Yan’s men wait for Zhang Fei, see what appears to be the general approaching with his spear, and attack. A gong sounds; the apparent Zhang Fei is a decoy, and Zhang Fei himself leads the force that falls upon the ambushers. Yan Yan fights but is captured, and Bazhou falls. Rather than treat his prisoner simply as a defeated enemy, Zhang Fei removes his chains, provides fresh clothes, and seats him beside him in a place of honor. Moved by this treatment, Yan Yan agrees to help. Since the garrisons between Bazhou and Chengdu are under his command, he can order them to surrender. They do so as Liu Bei’s forces advance; when one hesitates, Yan Yan points out that he has already surrendered and asks what reason the garrison has to do otherwise. Here, personal generosity produces a concrete strategic result: a succession of towns submits without being taken by assault.

At Luocheng, Liu Bei attacks while waiting for Kong Ming and Zhang Fei to arrive. Zhang Ren exploits a gate that Liu Bei has not assaulted, counterattacks successfully, and drives Liu Bei into the hills. Zhang Fei arrives in time to confront him, and Yan Yan follows with the bulk of the army. Zhang Ren retreats into the city. Elsewhere, Huang Zhong and Wei Yan defeat another division and accept its surrender. Zhang Ren later lures Zhang Fei toward an ambush by challenging him to a duel and pretending to flee; Zhao Zilong arrives at the last moment and saves Zhang Fei.

Kong Ming reaches the campaign and draws Zhang Ren out using a feigned retreat and ambush. Dressed in Daoist robes, he rides toward a main gate in his carriage with troops made deliberately unimpressive in appearance. Zhang Ren takes the bait, leaves the city, and is captured. Brought before Liu Bei, he refuses to submit, arguing that a loyal servant cannot serve two masters. Liu Bei points to the reality of the times, in which submission means survival; Zhang Ren answers that any apparent submission would be temporary and asks to be killed rather than kept alive to strike later. Liu Bei cannot change his mind, and Zhang Ren is executed. His refusal contrasts with the many surrenders that have opened the road to Chengdu: loyalty to Liu Zhang, for Zhang Ren, cannot be exchanged for safety or reward.

With Zhang Ren’s resistance ended, Liu Bei’s army approaches Luocheng and calls for its surrender. The gates open, and Liu Bei enters. Liu Zhang’s son Liu Xun escapes through the opposite gate to bring the news to Chengdu. Fa Zheng sends Liu Zhang a letter proposing that he submit, but Liu Zhang tears it up in anger and prepares a counterattack; in desperation, he even seeks help from Zhang Lu, his other enemy. Liu Bei’s acquisition of Luocheng therefore does not immediately resolve the campaign, but it leaves Liu Zhang facing a narrowing set of options.

At the height of the struggle, Ma Chao joins Liu Bei. Zhang Lu had sent Ma Chao with twenty thousand soldiers toward Jiameng Pass, where he was to capture Liu Bei and force Liu Zhang to hand over twenty cities. Kong Ming’s maneuvering and the spread of rumors by Yang Song leave Ma Chao unable to return safely to Hanzhong. Kong Ming sends Li Hui to offer him a way out: Ma Chao can join Liu Bei. Ma Chao accepts and comes to Jiameng Pass, where he offers his service; together the forces set out toward Chengdu.

Some of Ma Chao’s men desert and report his change of allegiance. When Liu Zhang learns that the combined force is approaching the city, he seals Chengdu and prepares for the worst. Ma Chao and his brother Ma Dai call up to Liu Zhang from below the wall, and Ma Chao explains his decision to join Liu Bei. Liu Zhang recognizes that resistance is failing and, wishing to spare the people further suffering, orders the gates opened. A soothsayer’s report that the stars indicate the appearance of a bright new ruler confirms his decision.

Liu Bei enters Chengdu to public rejoicing. He forbids retribution against opponents such as Huang Quan and Liu Ba, who continue to resist him even after his entry; they are moved by his restraint and surrender. Liu Bei initially wishes to keep Liu Zhang in the city out of respect. Kong Ming argues that the territory cannot have two lords and that Liu Zhang’s indecision has cost him his right to rule. Liu Zhang is sent to Jingzhou under what amounts to comfortable house arrest and receives an honorific title. Liu Bei rewards those who joined him with offices, titles, and money, and sends treasures to Guan Yu in Jingzhou.

The final dispute concerns the land itself. Liu Bei proposes redistributing the newly conquered territory among his followers. Zhao Zilong opposes the plan, arguing that the people have already suffered enough and that leaving their land undisturbed will win support for the future. Liu Bei’s forces therefore do not treat the conquest as a license to seize the population’s property. The province comes under Liu Bei’s control through a mixture of military action, defections, coerced political choices, and negotiated submission; the restraint he maintains at Chengdu, like the respect his soldiers show on the road, becomes part of the claim that his new rule can be both successful and humane.