Sun Quan’s long and successful rule in the years 199 to 251 was due to his ability to choose and foster talented advisors and generals.

Before the battle of Red Cliffs, a supposedly sleeping Zhou Yu allowed his old friend, a Wei advisor, to steal a planted letter forged as if from Wei’s two best admirals.

Believing they wrote the forged letter that had been stolen from Zhou Yu, Cao Cao rashly executed his two best admirals for treason.

While pursuing the remnants of Yuan Shao’s forces into the Wuhan Desert, Cao Cao was temporarily turned back by a fierce sandstorm.

“Lieutenants dishonored, corpses carted home; The general raises troops again to take revenge.”

Out of time and options, Kongming was forced to bluff at Xicheng. He tricked an army of 150,000 Wei by leaving the city gates open and calmly playing the zither.

Taking control of powerful court positions one by one, eunuchs eventually brought on the fall of the Han dynasty, leading to the chaos of the Three Kingdoms.

Starving and worn, Cao Cao escaped from the battle of Red Cliffs with only 27 of his original 800,000 men.

“All warfare is based on deception.”
—Sun Tzu, Art of War (trans. Giles)

Zhou Yu, Sun Ce, and other famous generals feigned their deaths in order to later surprise their opponents.

“But it was a year of dearth. People were reduced to eating leaves of jujube trees. Corpses were seen everywhere in the countryside.”

“With fire he broke the battle at Bowang … . Striking fear deep into Cao Cao’s soul, thus Kongming scored a coup at his debut.”

Following the battle of Redcliffs, both Liu Bei and Sun Quan coveted the province of Jingzhou. After Sun Quan’s troops failed to capture it, Liu Bei’s succeeded.

“Leadership, not numbers, determines victory.”
—A Wu commander, before his 5,000 troops forced 15,000 Wei troops to retreat from Ruxu