If you had to pick one battle that changed the course of Chinese history more than any other, the Battle of Red Cliffs would be a strong contender. Fought in the winter of 208-209 CE, it was the moment when the ambitions of one man — Cao Cao, the most powerful warlord of his era — were stopped cold by an unlikely alliance between two much weaker rulers. The consequences rippled outward for centuries, eventually giving rise to the legendary Three Kingdoms period that still dominates Chinese popular culture today.

Cao Cao was on the verge of unifying all of China under his rule. He had defeated numerous rivals, built a massive army, and earned a reputation as both brilliant and ruthless. Everything seemed to be falling into place. And then he met two men on the banks of the Yangtze River: Sun Quan, a young lord from the southeast, and Liu Bei, a warlord with a motley crew of followers and a reputation for being more idealistic than practical.

What happened next became the stuff of legend — a story of strategy, fire, wind, and a famous poem that every Chinese schoolchild learns.