Three Kingdoms: From the Start, I Turn the Tables at Yiling and Leave Lu Xun Reeling

(Part history, part historical fiction + supporting Liu Bei + feel-good power fantasy + ensemble cast) Best read without overthinking it. Du Xi transmigrates into the body of the magistrate of Zhijiang County in Jiangling Commandery. He originally hopes to restore the Han, but Mi Fang defects to Lü Meng from the start, Guan Yu is defeated and flees to Maicheng, and Lü Meng’s army is poised to attack. With no other choice, Du Xi temporarily surrenders to Eastern Wu. Later, when Liu Bei’s army marches east, with disaster imminent just before Lu Xun’s burning of Yiling, Du Xi wails like a ghost in the Wu camp, triggering a panicked rout among the Wu troops. Liu Bei seizes the chance to defeat Lu Xun and win a great victory. After joining the Shu-Han camp, Du Xi first has Cao Zhen’s Tiger and Leopard Cavalry “smoke” their way into defeat at the hands of the Wei army. He then defends Jiangling, governs Jing and Chu, and works with Zhuge Liang to launch a two-pronged northern campaign. Leading the next generation of Shu heroes across the Central Plains, he marches his army straight to Qinghe and Luoyang, restoring the Han dynasty. Lu Xun: “I never should have requisitioned grain from the neighboring commanderies back then. How did I end up with this kid?” Liu Bei: “I was asleep at the time. It all happened so suddenly: the Wu troops started fighting among themselves, so I sent in my men, and somehow we won.” Cao Rui: “I’ve walked on thin ice my whole life.” Zhuge Liang took back his words: “Vast heavens, why are you so cruel to me!”