Wubei Zhi (Vol. 12)

Records of the Three Kingdoms: Biography of Lu Xun

[Page Three]

...gains. Zhuge Jin A high-ranking general of Eastern Wu and the elder brother of the famous strategist Zhuge Liang. heard of this and became very afraid. He wrote a letter to [Lu] Xun, urging him to retreat quickly. Xun did not reply; instead, he urged his men to plant turnips and beans This was a psychological tactic to show the enemy—and his own nervous troops—that he intended to stay for a long time., while he played chess weiqi: a strategic board game of territory, known today as Go and practiced archery with his generals, just as he did every day.

Jin came to see Xun, and Xun said: "The morale of the soldiers and generals is currently shaken. We must first steady ourselves to calm their minds, and only after we have prepared our stratagems should we move out. If we were to retreat immediately now, the enemy original: 賊 (thief/rebel); a standard derogatory term for the opposing side's army. would assume we are terrified. They would press their advantage and intimidate us, which would certainly lead to our defeat."

He then secretly devised a plan with Jin. He ordered Jin to take command of the fleet of ships, while Xun led all his troops on horseback to advance toward the city of Xiangyang. The men of Wei had long feared Xun’s reputation; seeing his advance, they withdrew from their positions to retreat into the safety of the city walls. This allowed Jin to safely lead the ships out into open water.

Xun then slowly organized his ranks and made a grand display of his military strength as he marched back toward the ships. The Wei forces did not dare to press or harass them. When they reached Baiwei, Xun claimed they were going on a hunt, but instead he dispatched Zhou Jun and others to strike at Xinshi, Anlu, and Shiyang in the Jiangxia region. They captured or killed over a thousand people before finally returning home.