In the battle of Yiling, after Liu Bei's defeat, he was not afraid to return to Chengdu, but was forced by the times to prevent Liu Bei from returning to Chengdu.

In 222 AD, Liu Bei proclaimed himself emperor in Yizhou. Later, in order to avenge Guan Yu, Liu Bei refused to listen to the advice of Zhuge Liang, Zhao Yun and other important officials in Shu Han, and resolutely fought Wu Dong. Liu Bei ordered Zhang Fei to lead the army to Jiangzhou along the Langzhong River by water. Then, Liu Bei marched by land again.

But it's a pity that Zhang Fei was too eager to avenge Guan Yu and showed no sympathy for the foot soldiers at ordinary times. On the eve of the war, Zhang Fei was drunk and killed by Zhang Da and Fan Qiang. Liu Bei was angry and helpless when he heard that Zhang Fei had been killed, but he had to send it. In the end, Liu Bei could only March by land, with Huang Quan as commander-in-chief of Jiangbei Water Army and Zhao Yun as commander-in-chief of Jiangzhou.

Sun Quan was shocked to hear that Liu Bei had attacked the State of Wu. He took Lu Xun as the commander-in-chief, supplemented by Zhu Ran, Han Dang, Xu Sheng and other generals, and then sent messengers to Xudu to deepen the alliance with Cao Wei. When Liu Bei's army attacked Wushan and Zigui, Lu Xun took the initiative to retreat, lured the enemy deeper and lengthened the front of the Shu army.

Liu Bei longs for revenge. At that time, he didn't see through Lu Xun's intrigues. While sending Wu Ban and Chen Shi to lead troops into Yiling, they led troops from Zigui to Yiling and sat in Xiaoting. The two armies were at loggerheads for six months. It was not until the summer heat that the soldiers of the Shu army were exhausted that Lu Xun took the fighter plane and went forward by water to directly attack the Shu army with firepower.

In this way, Liu Bei was defeated by Lu Xun in the battle of Yiling, so he had to break through and retreat to Zigui, and ordered to burn armor on the dangerous road on the way to stop Wu Jun from pursuing.

Then, why didn't Liu Bei directly withdraw to Chengdu, but stationed in Baidicheng?

In fact, although Liu Bei was defeated by Lu Xun in the battle of Yiling, he did not retreat blindly and hastily, but chose to retreat strategically and purposefully.

Baidicheng is located on the north bank of the Yangtze River at the mouth of Qutang Gorge. In the southern part of Baidicheng, the Yangtze River cut off the seven hills to form Qutang Gorge, and a Qutang Pass was built at the mouth of Qutang Gorge. Under the terrain where the two mountains are opposite and the Yangtze River runs through, it is known as the "Kuimen World" and is a battleground for military strategists.

Liu Bei entered Sichuan to attack Yizhou, first attacking Qutangguan, and then further dividing his troops to attack Yizhou. So the geographical location of Qutangguan is very important. Baidicheng, located at the top of Baidicheng, is adjacent to Kuimen in the east, with eight arrays in the west, surrounded by water, and is hand in hand with land and water, closely guarding the gateway of the Three Gorges.

In other words, Baidicheng is a place where military strategists are in a dilemma. Shu Han lives in Baidicheng, but he can go downstream, which can put a lot of pressure on Wu Dong. Retreat can keep honor; Wu Dong must go up the river to attack Shu Han, so that Shu Han can keep up with the situation, stabilize the east gate of Shu Han and keep the safety of Shu Han.

So in the battle of Yiling, although Liu Bei was defeated by Lu Xun and Lu Xun sent troops to pursue him, Liu Bei retreated to Baidicheng and held the situation, which prevented Wu Jun from further attacking the hinterland of Shu Han to some extent. Moreover, Liu Bei firmly occupied Baidicheng and sent more troops from Yizhou to Baidicheng, which put pressure on Sun Quan in the middle and lower reaches. He was really a "son of heaven to protect the country".

In addition, although Cao Wei allied with Wu Dong, Cao Wei would attack Wu Dong as long as he seized the opportunity. Therefore, when Liu Bei was stationed in Baidicheng, Sun Quan should not only guard against Liu Bei, but also pay attention to Cao Wei. Therefore, this is also the reason why Sun Quan wants to form an alliance with Shu Han again.

In addition, although Liu Bei was defeated in the battle of Yiling, his determination to recapture Jingzhou remained unchanged. In 223 AD, Liu Bei was sixty-three. At this age, judging from the average age and medical conditions in ancient times, this is already an old age.

Liu Bei's original intention has always been to restore the Han Dynasty. Although he is old, he is still active in the battlefield. Jingzhou is not only the most important link in Zhuge Liang's alliance, but also an important link in Liu Bei's restoration of the Han Dynasty. Therefore, Liu Bei did not return to Yizhou, but retreated to Baidicheng, just to rest his army in Baidicheng and wait for an opportunity to attack Wu again and seize Jingzhou.

Finally, in the world of Shu and Han, Bai Di has always been an important town. Unfortunately, it backfired. In 223 AD, Liu Bei finally died in Baidicheng, leaving only Zhuge Liang and Li Yan.