During the late years of the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC), the rebel leader Xiang Yu led his army across the Zhang River. To demonstrate unwavering resolve, he ordered his men to sink all their boats and break their cooking pots. Each soldier was issued only three days' rations and told there was no retreat; their only path to survival was to advance and fight. After a series of fierce battles, Xiang Yu's forces ultimately defeated the Qin army.
This idiom symbolizes a firm determination to achieve one's goal at any cost, leaving no room for turning back.