How the Novel Tells It #
Chapter 49 describes Kongming erecting an altar and performing a wind ritual, then departing when the southeast wind rises, alongside Zhou Yu's and Huang Gai's fire-attack episode.
What the Historical Records Preserve #
Zhou Yu's main biography records Huang Gai proposing fire attack, preparing fuel, and feigning surrender. A fierce wind at ignition spread the fire to Cao Cao's camp and ships. Jiangbiao Zhuan quoted in Pei Songzhi's annotations states more specifically that the southeast wind was strong.
Sanguozhi, Volume 54, Zhou Yu, Lu Su, and Lü Meng Biographies ↗
What Cannot Be Inferred #
The cited passages do not attribute the wind to Zhuge Liang's ritual or magic. A southeast wind does not establish the wind-borrowing ritual as historical, and the annotated wind direction must not be misrepresented as the main text's verbatim account.
How Shiji Sanguo Tells It #
Specific chapters and excerpts will be checked after final-manuscript QA; no content is invented here. Start with the Work Page to understand the book's identity.
Cite This Page
Shiji Sanguo website, “Borrowing the East Wind: Wind Ritual and Fire-Attack Records,” data version 2026-09-29.13, updated 2026-09-29.
https://shijisanguo.com/history-vs-romance/east-wind/
When citing a specific claim, also identify its original source, whether it comes from the main text or a quoted annotation, and your access date. The # beside each section heading links to that passage. This site's synthesis is not the original text of an ancient work.