One day in the twenty-fourth year of Jian'an, the Eastern Wu general Lu Meng commanded his soldiers, dressed in civilian white clothes, incarnated as a business traveler, braved the wind and waves, day and night, and then quietly attacked the Yangtze River.
Lü Meng's target was Jingzhou.
Could it be that Lü Meng wanted to capture Jingzhou just by relying on these soldiers disguised as "white-clothed"?
Definitely! Lu Meng's strategy of "crossing the river in white clothes" is not only disguised as "white clothes", everything he did before and after the war cannot be described as "ruthless".
Later, because of this trick, Lu Meng not only harmed the lives of his father and son, but even he himself ended up in a "thankless" situation, and was finally scolded by later generations for thousands of years, why is this?
The Rise of Lü Meng
Born in Soochow, Lu Meng's early life was not smooth.
His family was poor, his father died young, and he had to flee his hometown with his mother at a young age.
In such an environment, Lu Meng not only exercised his tenacious will, but also cultivated a desire for the future.
In his youth, Lu Meng's intelligence and wit were revealed.
He was not satisfied with an ordinary life, and often consulted the generals around him, eager to learn military knowledge.
This thirst for knowledge led him to rapid prominence when he later joined the army.
Lü Meng first took refuge with his brother-in-law Deng Dang, who belonged to Sun Ce's troops.
As a young soldier, Lü Meng was appreciated by Sun Ce for his outstanding military talent and extraordinary courage.
Sun Ce was an outstanding military commander at that time, well aware of the importance of talent, and he saw hope for the future in Lü Meng.
Under Sun Ce's command, Lu Meng's performance was remarkable.
With his keen observation and quick reflexes, he successfully coped with many battles and gradually accumulated a wealth of combat experience.
After Sun Ce's death, Lü Meng bought cloth on credit before Sun Quan inspected the troops, and made uniform red clothes and leggings for his soldiers. This move suddenly attracted Sun Quan's attention when Sun Quan inspected the troops, and Sun Quan gradually began to reuse Lu Meng from then on.
Lü Meng also lived up to expectations, relying on his extraordinary courage and resourcefulness, he killed Chen Zhuo, the governor of Huang Zu, and was appointed by Sun Quan as the general of Yokono Zhonglang, and gave him tens of millions of money.
In the battle to quell the rebellion and fight against Cao Cao, Lü Meng showed outstanding command skills, especially in the Battle of Chibi, when the Eastern Wu naval army led by him and Lu Xun and others, under the leadership of Sun Quan, attacked and burned the Wulin Cao camp, making a great contribution to the victory of the Battle of Chibi.
This period was not only the beginning of his military career, but also the most glorious chapter of his life.
Lü Meng's contribution to Eastern Wu was not only reflected in the battle, but his strategy and wisdom laid a solid foundation for Sun Quan's rule.
It can be said that Lu Meng's rise is the result of his personal efforts and the opportunity given to him by the times.
The contest between the white-clothed cross-river and Guan Yu
After the Battle of Chibi, Lü Meng's prestige reached its peak.
His military strategy and command skills were greatly recognized by Sun Quan, and he became an important military advisor to Eastern Wu.
Whenever faced with challenges, Lu Meng was always able to lead his troops through many difficulties with a cool head and flexible tactics.
However, Lumeng's success did not depend solely on courage and experience, he also understood the importance of psychological tactics. In many battles, he exploited the psychological weaknesses of his enemies and cleverly set traps to make them passive.
By luring the enemy deep and waiting for an opportunity, he not only won the battle, but also the hearts of the soldiers. Lü Meng's tactics were so flexible that his true intentions were often elusive to the enemy.
Among them, the most representative strategy is Lu Meng's "crossing the river in white".
Someone on the Internet said, "Lu Meng may not be the first person to think of this kind of scheme, but he must be the first person to put this scheme into practice."
At that time, Liu Bei and Sun Quan formed an alliance and fought Cao Cao at Chibi. At the same time, Sun Quan also received some areas of Jiangbei in Liu Beinan County.
The areas that were originally lent out were of little use to Sun Quan, but with the continuous growth of Liu Bei's power, Liu Bei later reached the point where he could compete with Sun Quan, which made Sun Quan unacceptable.
Sun Quan wanted Liu Bei to return to Jingzhou.
At this time, Liu Bei didn't seem to have the enthusiasm to borrow at the beginning, but said that he would return Jingzhou when he conquered Liangzhou.
Sun Quan was not happy when he heard it, and later he tested their attitude by proposing marriage to Guan Yu, but he didn't expect to reject Sun Quan's marriage mercilessly.
At this point, Sun Quan's determination to form an alliance with Liu Bei had been shaken.
At the same time, Guan Yu led his army to attack Fancheng and flooded the Seventh Army. In order to understand the "siege of Fancheng", Cao Cao threw a request for "alliance" to Sun Quan, and Sun Quan hesitated and agreed.
As Sun Quan's right-hand man, Lü Meng knew that only through wisdom could he defeat this powerful enemy. So, he formulated an ingenious plan, first to call the sick, and then to be courteous to the subject, so that Guan Yu relaxed his vigilance against Eastern Wu, and transferred most of Jingzhou's men and horses to Fancheng.
After that, Lü Meng began his journey of "crossing the river in white".
At the heart of this plan is the idea of winning by surprise.
Lü Meng asked his troops to disguise themselves as merchants, and as "white-clothed", he chose an unexpected opportunity to quickly cross the Yangtze River and go straight to Jingzhou.
Before crossing the river, Lü Meng went deep into the enemy's territory to conduct reconnaissance and learn about the enemy's defense and movements.
This series of preparations made Lü Meng like a fish in water during the march, quickly captured the relatives of the generals and soldiers of Guan Yu's army, and took some measures to treat the people in the city preferentially.
After Guan Yu's subordinates heard what Lu Meng had done, the army's morale was disheartened.
Subsequently, Lu Meng's command was like a whirlwind, like a bamboo, and instantly tore through the enemy's defensive line.
Although Guan Yu was brave, his courage seemed a little weak in the face of Lu Meng's strategy.
Lü Meng succeeded in capturing Guan Yu and won an important victory for Eastern Wu.
However, the victory also sparked a moral controversy.
Lümont defeated his former ally in an extremely decisive manner, and many historians began to re-examine his actions.
While his tactics were impeccable from a military point of view, his approach was morally considered a renegade on the Covenant.
This incident sparked a wide discussion about Lü Meng's personal character, which made him more complicated on the stage of history.
The end of short-sightedness and treachery
Guan Yu's death, it can be said that whether it is Liu Bei, Cao Cao, or Sun Quan, it was not expected.
Guan Yu's death also made Liu Bei and Sun Quan completely fall out, and not long after this incident, Lu Meng suddenly died of illness. He was 42 years old.
Lü Meng's sudden death brought great losses to Eastern Wu.
As a general who was highly regarded by Sun Quan, Lü Meng's departure not only deprived Soochow of an excellent military commander, but also made people reflect on his strategic vision and moral choices.
Before his death, Lü Meng was summoned to the inner sanctum by Sun Quan due to illness, a scene that reflected Sun Quan's importance and trust in him.
However, the sudden death of Lü Meng prevented many plans from being realized.
During his reign, Lü Meng always paid attention to the development of Eastern Wu, but his short-sighted strategy in the face of Shu Han left hidden dangers in the subsequent development of Eastern Wu.
History has mixed reviews of Lü Meng.
Despite his impressive military achievements, his moral controversy was difficult to quell.
Lü Meng's treacherous behavior made him often regarded as a short-sighted general in the long course of history.
In the process of fighting Guan Yu, although he won the victory, he also lost the alliance that could have been deepened.
This strategic mistake not only affected his personal historical status, but also had a profound impact on the future fate of Soochow.
Sun Quan was deeply moved by this, and he realized that Lü Meng's short-sightedness could have a long-term impact on Eastern Wu.
The reason why I say this is mainly because Sun Quan could "sit on the mountain and watch the tiger fight". At that time, Liu Bei and Cao Cao were fighting fiercely, and if it weren't for Sun Quan's intervention, one of them would definitely have suffered heavy losses.
But because Sun Quan not only intervened, but also killed Guan Yu in the end, there was not much benefit to Sun Quan. And also let Sun Quan not only be attacked by Liu Bei in the years that followed, but also in the north of Huainan, Eastern Wu had no chance to win for decades, and could only be pressed by Cao Cao to death.
Knowing this, it may not be difficult to understand the emotion of "he is short-sighted and has cheated me for decades".
Lü Meng's death seems to have been a turning point in the fate of Soochow, and the future of Soochow became even more uncertain without a military talent like him.
Resources:
Romance of the Three Kingdoms