From the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220), there appeared numerous literary works on expeditions, especially rhapsodies the literati recited at banquets, in a competitive atmosphere. This article focuses on Liu Yu's (363-422) victorious northern expeditions against the Southern Yan (398-410) and Later Qin (384-417), at the end of the Eastern Jin dynasty (317-420). His feats are reflected in rhapsodies, particularly Xie Lingyun's (385-433) famous ＂Rhapsody on an Expedition＂, but also in a series of prose accounts, all of which were entitled ＂expedition records＂. A large number of these is preserved in later geographical and cartographical treatises. This article makes three observations. First, in contrast to the emphasis in contemporary research on verse literature, the expedition records should not be regarded only as historical geography, but examined for the rich metaphorical value written into them. Second, the process by which the expedition emerged as a topic of composition for rhapsodies and records should be examined. Rhapsodies were composed to extol Liu Yu's expedition against the state of Qin, but why was there also a sudden surge of ＂expedition records＂? The third observation refers to the problem of citing and editing works extant only in fragments. Using the Annotated Classic of Waterways (Shuijing zhu), this article explores whether and how the materials were adapted and altered as they were incorporated into historical and encyclopedic works. Finally, this article uses the concept of the ＂frame of war＂ to explain how Liu Yu's campaigns to the north were ＂keyed＂ and ＂re-keyed＂ for use in debates over the legitimacy of the regimes in the South and North, evaluating how war moved from the military sphere to the realm of the symbolic.