Battle of Red Cliffs
When author Luo Guanzhong talks about the Battle of Red Cliffs, he utilizes brutal, violent imagery to underscore the terrible conditions warriors face when they engage in battle. Amidst the chaos, tumult, and violence of war, Guanzhong also describes the beauty of the battlespace, creating an irony: amidst all of the beauty of the natural world, there is tremendous destruction and ugliness.
Cao Cao's Fleet
Guanzhong described Cao Cao's fleet with painstaking detail, creating vivid imagery. Specifically, before the Battle of Red Cliffs, Cao Cao chains his ships from stem to stern to provide stability for his ailing troops. Nevertheless, despite good intentions, his fleet is lit ablaze by people interested in his destruction. The imagery of the fleet first chained stern to stern and then lit ablaze, shows Cao Cao's overwhelming power and the fickleness of that power.
The Five Gates
As Guan Yu flees Cao Cao's camp with his sister-in-law, he is forced to contend with Five Gates. In each of those five gates, he encounters different military leaders who challenge him. The imagery of the gates mirrors the escalating challenges Guan Yu must face. Each gate is a step in his moral and physical journey.
Lu Bu
The description of Lu Bu fighting in the snow is intense and vivid. Guanzhong fights with his red cloak swirling around him, underscoring his physical prowess and acumen with his blade. Guanzhong describes the atmosphere of the fight with painstaking detail, creating a sense of tension and amplifying the harshness and relentlessness of warfare during the 14th century.
