ExclusiveTraditional Chinese Tales: Liu Bei Did Not Abandon Civilians in Crisis

In the autumn of the thirteenth year of Jian'an, in the eighth month, Cao Cao (AD 155-220) launched a massive southern invasion into the Kingdom of Pei, leading to Emperor Liu Cong’s surrender. Liu Bei (AD 161-223) realized that he alone could not withstand Cao Cao’s forces. He had no choice but to retreat south to Jiangling, hoping to make another plan later. Many civilians from Jingzhou chose to follow Liu Bei in his retreat; even many of Liu Cong's subordinates willingly joined him, causing their numbers to grow larger. By the time they reached Dangyang, the group had grown to over a hundred thousand people, but they were moving too slowly, only a little more than ten miles a day.

Department of Production, Jing Di Academy