Battle of Red Cliffs is one of the three major battles of the Three Kingdoms. This war is more spectacular than the other two wars, because it is a late war in which all three countries participate. With the victory of Sun Quan and Liu Bei, the war ended, and the three pillars set the tone. That is to say, Cao Cao failed and never crossed Jiangnan again; Since then, Sun Quan's Wudong regime has achieved stability in the south of the Yangtze River, and the biggest beneficiary is Liu Bei. From then on, he had a real foothold, thus giving up and owning his own Han Shuguo. This battle, no matter from the level and number of participants, or the wisdom they showed, is incomparable to the other two battles and all other battles in the Three Kingdoms period. However, although the war was conducted under the command of post-Huang San, one person's role was the most important, and that was Zhou Yu, whose role was unmatched by others. Because of this, later generations of Su Shi had the famous saying "Red Cliff in Zhou Lang in Three Kingdoms"! However, many people don't quite understand the true meaning of this sentence, just because most people read historical novels instead of history books. So, why is Zhou Yu the most crucial figure in the Chibi War?

Sun Quan can't do it alone.

At the beginning of Battle of Red Cliffs, Cao Cao conquered Liu Biao in Jingzhou, but Liu Biao died shortly after Cao Cao went south. Liu Bei inherited Liu Biao's youngest son and led the whole country to surrender. He was caught off guard and was quickly defeated by Cao Cao. At the same time, Zhang, who gave up Liu, sent messengers to contact Cao Cao and sent hundreds of soldiers to help Cao Cao. In this way, Cao Cao's main goal became Sun Quan, and the ultimate goal of his southern expedition was to unify Jiangnan.

Cao Cao's obstacle to crossing the river lies in the lack of water army. So, in the thirteenth year of Jian 'an, Cao Cao dug Xuanwu Pool to train the water army, and began to March south in autumn and July. The surrender of the whole state led by Liu Cong not only enabled Cao Cao to successfully occupy Jingzhou, but also got Jingzhou Water Army by accident, which made Wu feel that his advantage was gone at once. Therefore, Wu Dong is shrouded in pessimism. For a time, capitulationism prevailed, and ministers suggested that Sun Quan surrender to Cao Cao. At this time, Sun Quan could not decide and surrendered. The foundation founded by his father and brother was destroyed once, and he was unwilling. In the battle, the strength gap between Cao Cao and Cao Cao is too big to be sure of winning. At this time, Lu Su stood up and reminded Sun Quan that everyone in Wu Dong could surrender to Cao Cao, but Sun Quan could not. He said that people like this, if they surrender to Cao Cao, can still get official positions. If you are promoted slowly in the future, you will not lose the opportunity to gain wealth. Master, what will Cao Cao do if he surrenders? This made Sun Quan see the most fundamental interests, but did not solve the problem of how to win. So Lu Su suggested that Sun Quan recall Zhou Yu as soon as possible.

After Zhou Yu returned to Wudu, he immediately refuted the capitulators and said, "Cao Cao is only a good reputation of the Han Dynasty, but he is actually a thief of the Han Dynasty! This solves the problem of war justice.

Zhou Yu also pointed out four advantages of defeating Cao Cao militarily: even if Cao Cao is United internally, he can only make a quick decision and cannot compete with Jiangdong for a long time; Moreover, the north is not very peaceful, and Ma Chao and Han Sui in the northwest have become Cao Cao's future troubles; Cao Jun's advantage lies in its infantry and cavalry. Now they have given up their advantage and it is not good for them to fly warships to deal with us; Now, the weather is cold and the war horses lack feed. Soldiers from the north came to Jiangnan water town. They are not satisfied with the water and soil here, and they are sure to get sick. These four things are taboo. If Cao Cao put all his eggs in one basket, he will surely fail. Under Zhou Yu's analysis, Wu Dong unified his thoughts and decided to fight against Cao Cao.

It can be said that Zhou Yu's accurate judgment on the basic situation of war unified Wu Dong's ideological understanding of war, which is also the key to Sun Quan's final decision.

Can Sun Quan lead troops to fight like Cao Cao and Liu Bei? I should have said no. Sun Quan inherited his father's will and became the master of the State of Wu. When Sun Ce died, he had a basic judgment about the two brothers. He said: "It was the generals in Jiangdong who made a decisive decision when the two armies confronted each other and shouldered the heavy responsibility of being heroes in the world. You are not as good as me; I am not as good as you. I will recruit wise men and try to defend Jiangdong. " It should be said that this judgment is basically accurate. As the leader of Wudong Group, Sun Quan has his own unique features in governing the country and promoting talents, but this is not his strong point in the front line. Not only did his brother say so, but practice also proved it to be true. For example, in the twenty years of Jian 'an, Sun Quan led a hundred thousand troops to attack Hefei, but was defeated by less than ten thousand people in Zhang Liao and had to withdraw. This battle is not a chance encounter, but a conscious battle. Sun Quan stayed in Hefei for more than ten days. From this point of view, Sun Quan is definitely not as good as Zhou Yu in operational command, so he cannot replace Zhou Yu as operational command.

In the actual stage of the campaign, the mobilization of troops, the deployment of the campaign and the implementation of the offensive and defensive were all planned and organized by Zhou Yu, which is also a powerful proof that Zhou Yu is irreplaceable. Zhou Yu became famous in Sun Ce, Sun Quan's younger brother, and Sun Ce settled in Jiangdong, which contributed greatly to Zhou Yu. Therefore, the position of the governor is irreplaceable by other generals.

Lu Su was the first person to persuade Sun Quan to resist Cao. Is he the most important person?

Before Battle of Red Cliffs, it was Lu Su who first advised Sun Quan to fight Cao Cao, then advised Sun Quan to unite with Liu Bei, and reminded Sun Quan to recall Zhou Yu. After Battle of Red Cliffs's victory, Lu Su first returned to Wudu. Sun Quan invited ministers to meet him and gave him great honor. After Zhou Yu's death, Lu Su led the troops instead of him, and all the troops to which Zhou Yu belonged were under the command of Lu Su. So, who is the most important person compared with Zhou Yu?

Battle of Red Cliffs Lu Su has also made great contributions, but Lu Su is a strategist, and all his suggestions are strategic. As far as Sun Quan is concerned, he is biased against Cao, but he is worried about the disparity in strength. Once he fails, he has no room for manoeuvre. Lu Su reminded him that surrender without a fight is tantamount to defeat and surrender, and Cao Cao will not give you a position. However, Lu Su did not deal with the problem of how to overcome it. Lu Su's opinion is only directed at Sun Quan. Zhou Yuze is different. His suggestion is to fight Wu, because resisting Cao Cao is politically reasonable and militarily beneficial to Wu Dong, and the result of the war is that Wu Dong will win. Because Zhou Yu said it at Sun Quan's "imperial court" meeting, it had a great influence on Wu Dong. Comparatively speaking, Lu Su strengthened Sun Quan's determination to resist Cao, and Zhou Yu strengthened the confidence of everyone including Sun Quan.

In the battle stage, Lu Su's duty is to "praise the army as a general" and to "help Zhou Yu plan a strategy", which is equivalent to a strategist or a modern chief of staff, and is very different from Zhou Yu's "frontline commander". Besides, Lu Su's position in Wu Dong can't be compared with Zhou Yu's. Before Battle of Red Cliffs, as long as Zhou Yu was the main battlefield, this leader must belong to Zhou Yu. As for Lu Su's replacement of Zhou Yu's leadership, it was Battle of Red Cliffs who made Lu Su. For example, before this war, Sun Quan chose a coach, and after Zhou Yu had a Cheng Pu. Besides Cheng Pu, there is Monroe. It was Battle of Red Cliffs who made Sun Quan know Lu Su from a strategic perspective, and Zhou Yu showed extraordinary military talents in the Sun Ce era. Lu Su, other generals are not as good as Zhou Yu. Zhou Yu's position in the Sun Ce era was also the most basic condition for him to become a key figure in Battle of Red Cliffs.

Is Zhuge Liang the most important person?

Influenced by the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, the whole of Battle of Red Cliffs seems to be proceeding according to Zhuge Liang's plan. Zhou Yu either can't see what will happen or is always one step behind Zhuge Liang. This makes people feel that Zhou Yu is only a nominal viceroy. Without Zhuge Liang's help, he could not have won Battle of Red Cliffs. In other words, Zhuge Liang is a key figure in Battle of Red Cliffs.

Is Zhuge Aliang a key figure in winning Battle of Red Cliffs?

According to Zhuge Liang's Shi Shuo, in the twelfth year of Jian 'an, that is, the year before Battle of Red Cliffs, Zhuge Liang followed Liu Bei at the request of his "three talents". During this period, Zhuge Liang had a close relationship with Liu Bei, but because Liu Bei was also attached to people, Zhuge Liang had no specific responsibility, because there was no war and no war plan. After Battle of Red Cliffs, Cao Cao failed, and Liu Bei took the opportunity to recover four counties in the south of Jingzhou. Zhuge Liang was appointed military commander, and he was appointed governor of Lingling, Guiyang and Changsha. His duty is to "supervise taxes and expel the army." In other words, Zhuge Liang can strategize, and it is only possible for Liu Bei to recover the four counties in the south of the Yangtze River. Battle of Red Cliffs, Zhuge Liang didn't have a chance to help Zhou Yu.

Zhuge Liang's contribution to defeating Cao Cao in Battle of Red Cliffs was to persuade Liu Bei to unite with Sun Quan, which eventually led to the alliance between Sun and Liu. When Liu Bei lost his throat, Zhuge Liang said to Liu Bei, "It is of great importance. Please tell me to ask General Sun for help. " After Liu Bei agreed, Zhuge Liang met Sun Quan in Wudong and successfully persuaded Sun Quan to accept Liu Bei. It should be emphasized that Zhuge Liang persuaded Sun Quan to accept Liu Bei, not that he first persuaded Sun Quan to resist Cao, but that Lu Su and Zhou Yuxian persuaded Sun Quan to resist Cao. Politicians should first consider the interests of their own group, while Sun Quan's war and health cannot listen to the opinions of people from another group. If people from another group can persuade him to make up his mind to make a decision, it is because he has the will. Zhuge Liang was able to convince Sun Quan because Sun Quan was willing to fight Cao Cao and Lu Su, and Zhou Yu was confident. In operational command, the supreme commander is Zhou Yu. Liu Bei turned to Sun Quan for help, so his army was under the command of Zhou Yu. It was only after Cao Cao's defeat and Battle of Red Cliffs's defeat that Zhou Yucai wanted to capture Jingzhou north of the Yangtze River, but he didn't want Liu Bei to profit from it, making Liu Bei's army do nothing. Because Liu Cong surrendered, Cao Cao was defeated, and four counties in the south of Jingzhou lost their owners. Liu Bei took this opportunity to treat them as his own.

After Battle of Red Cliffs, Liu Bei went to Wudu to see Sun Quan, hoping to get the position of Jingzhou secretariat. Sun Quan agreed to let Liu Bei resist Cao Cao for him. Zhou Yu told Sun Quan that it was not a good idea. He suggested that Liu Bei, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei and Xiong should be separated, and that Liu Bei should stay in Wudu and live a comfortable and luxurious life, so as to decide major events. Here Zhou Yu proposed three people, Liu Bei, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, without Zhuge Liang. In other words, Zhuge Liang is not so important at this time. As for the specific strategy of this campaign, the whole biography of Zhuge Liang is not without a word. It can only be said that Zhuge Liang's suggestion is very important to Liu Bei and cannot be compared with Zhou Yu in the whole campaign. There is also a Pang Tong for comparison. And Zhuge Liang in Pang Tong are all famous figures in Jingzhou. Pang Tong's position at this time is Zhou Yu's meritorious service. There is no evidence that Zhuge Liang and Pang Tong are around Zhou Yu at this time.

This may be the reason why Su Shi wants to talk about the Red Cliff in The Three Kingdoms Zhou Lang.