势如破竹 — “To progress with irresistible momentum”

In the late Three Kingdoms period, Emperor Wu of Jin, Sima Yan, after conquering the Shu Kingdom and seizing power from the Wei Kingdom, prepared to launch an expedition against Eastern Wu to fulfill his wish of unifying all of China. He convened his civil and military officials to discuss the grand plan for eliminating Wu. Most believed that Wu still possessed considerable strength, and eliminating it in one fell swoop might not be easy, suggesting it would be better to wait until sufficient preparations were made.

General Du Yu disagreed with the majority. He submitted a memorial to Emperor Wu, arguing that it was crucial to seize the current opportunity while the Wu Kingdom was weak to eliminate it, otherwise, it would be difficult to defeat once it regained strength. Sima Yan read Du Yu's memorial and sought advice from his most trusted minister, Zhang Hua. Zhang Hua largely agreed with Du Yu's analysis and also urged Sima Yan to attack Wu swiftly to avoid future troubles. Thus, Sima Yan made up his mind and appointed Du Yu as the Grand General for Conquering the South.

In 279 AD, Emperor Wu of Jin, Sima Yan, mobilized over 200,000 troops, divided into six routes advancing by land and water, to attack the Wu Kingdom. Battle drums roared, banners waved, and the warriors were majestic and formidable. The following year, they captured Jiangling, beheaded a general of Wu, and led their army to pursue the retreating forces. The Wu army south of the Yuan and Xiang rivers, hearing the news, were terrified and opened their city gates to surrender.

Sima Yan ordered Du Yu to advance towards Jianye, the capital of Wu, via a shortcut. At this point, some worried about the surging waters of the Yangtze River and suggested it would be better to temporarily withdraw troops and attack in winter. Du Yu firmly opposed retreating. He said, “Now, while morale is high and fighting spirit is strong, achieving victory after victory, the situation is like splitting bamboo (势如破竹) – once the first few sections are split, the rest will yield easily. Attacking the Wu Kingdom in one stroke will not require much more effort!” Under Du Yu's leadership, the Jin army charged straight towards Jianye, the Wu capital, and soon captured Jianye, eliminating the Wu Kingdom.

Emperor Wu of Jin unified the entire country. The story comes from "The Book of Jin: Biography of Du Yu." The idiom "势如破竹" describes a battle that achieves continuous victories without any obstruction.