Ostensibly it was to support his troops. Liu Bei had a massive army, though not as large as Cao Cao's, and the land in the southern part of the province wasn't developed enough to provide food and lodging. To cement their uneasy alliance at the time, Sun Quan offered some of his northern claim.
[He stops to examine some old amber on display that has a bug in it. Neat.]
This alliance happened after the Battle of Red Cliffs. Cao Cao was afraid that Liu Bei and Sun Quan could unite against him and perhaps even conquer his territory in Northern China if they continued to push, and the trade only confirmed his fears.
As we know from history, that is not what exactly happened. Lest you forget, there was bad blood between their kingdoms because Sun Quan had executed Liu Bei's sworn brother, Guan Yu. Any alliance between Shu Han and Wu was destined to fall apart. It was only a matter of when.
no subject
[He stops to examine some old amber on display that has a bug in it. Neat.]
This alliance happened after the Battle of Red Cliffs. Cao Cao was afraid that Liu Bei and Sun Quan could unite against him and perhaps even conquer his territory in Northern China if they continued to push, and the trade only confirmed his fears.
As we know from history, that is not what exactly happened. Lest you forget, there was bad blood between their kingdoms because Sun Quan had executed Liu Bei's sworn brother, Guan Yu. Any alliance between Shu Han and Wu was destined to fall apart. It was only a matter of when.