Battle of Yan Province
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Yan Province was a battle fought between the warlords Cao Cao
and Lü Bu
for control of Yan Province (covering present-day southwestern Shandong
and eastern Henan
) during the prelude to the Three Kingdoms
period of Chinese history
. The battle lasted for at least one hundred days with an indecisive conclusion.
from Qing Province invaded Yan Province and occupied Dongping
and Rencheng
. Liu Dai
, Inspector of Yan Province, wanted to attack the rebels but Bao Xin
, Chancellor of Jibei, advised him against it. Liu Dai ignored Bao Xin's warning, engaged the rebels in battle, and was eventually defeated and killed.
At that time, Cao Cao
's advisor Chen Gong
urged him to take control of Yan Province and secure it as a base for conquering other territories. Chen Gong volunteered to persuade Liu Dai's followers to join Cao Cao. Bao Xin, who was friendly towards Cao Cao, travelled to Dong Commandery (southwest of present-day Puyang
, Henan
) to invite Cao to be the new Inspector of Yan Province.
Cao Cao then attacked the Yellow Turban rebels at Shouzhang but failed to defeat them. After that, Cao Cao reformed his army, enforced military rules more strictly, and used incentives to encourage his men. He recognized that the rebels did not have a stable flow of supplies, as they relied on plundering to sustain themselves. Hence, Cao Cao launched surprise attacks on the rebels, prevented them from pillaging, and achieving ultimate victory and forcing the rebels to retreat north. Cao Cao pursued the rebels and defeated them again at Jibei (south of present-day Changqing District
, Shandong
). The rebels, numbering more than 300,000, including 100,000 civilians, surrendered to Cao Cao. Cao reorganized the surrendered troops to form the Qingzhou Corps (青州兵), while implementing the tuntian
system for the people to provide for themselves and the military.
In 193, Cao Cao's father Cao Song
was killed by Zhang Kai (張闓), a subordinate of Tao Qian, Governor of Xu Province. In retaliation, Cao Cao launched an attack on Tao Qian, sweeping through Tao's lands and slaughtering thousands of Xu Province's population, including civilians. Tao Qian retreated to Tancheng (郯城), where Cao Cao was unable to conquer the city and retreated after his army was running low on supplies.
The following year, Cao Cao attacked Tao Qian again, conquering many counties in Langya and Donghai commanderies of Xu Province. Just then, Cao Cao's subordinates Zhang Miao
and Chen Gong rebelled against him and aided Lü Bu
in taking over his home base of Yan Province. Cao Cao then decided to abandon his campaign on Tao Qian and turn back to retake Yan Province.
and Cheng Yu
defended the cities of Juancheng, Fan and Dong'e, but this left only two counties with solid defenses, so Cao Cao led his army back. Lü Bu arrived and was unable to take Juancheng by siege so he went west and garrisoned Puyang. Lü Bu re-stationed his forces to the east at Shanyang.
In battle, Lü Bu used his cavalry in the first clash of arms, charging towards Cao Cao's Qingzhou Corps. The Qingzhou Corps fled in terror and Cao's formations were in complete disarray. Cao Cao, seeing the confusion, quickly galloped ahead when a fire broke out, but he fell from his horse and burnt the palm of his left hand. Cao's army halted before they reached camp, because most of Cao's generals had not seen their lord and feared for his safety. Cao Cao then strained himself to rouse his men, ordering that siege weapons be prepared immediately so that they can besiege Lü Bu again.
Zhang Miao followed Lü Bu and left his brother Zhang Chao (張超), Administrator of Guangning, to take care of their family at Yongqiu. Cao Cao laid siege on Yongqiu for several months and eventually captured the city, killing Zhang Chao and his family. Zhang Miao pleaded for assistance from Yuan Shu
but was rejected and killed by his soldiers. At the same time, a locust plague broke out, causing many to starve while some resorted to cannibalism
. Lü Bu had also used up all his provisions, horse feed, and grain supplies so both sides were forced to withdraw.
When Cao Cao later surrounded Lü Bu at Puyang, the influential Tian clan, who were initially on Lü's side, switched allegiance to Cao and allowed his forces to enter the city. Cao Cao set fire to the eastern gate as a sign that he had no intention of reversing course, thereupon he came under attack and was defeated. Some of Lü Bu's horsemen captured Cao Cao but were unaware of his identity. Cao Cao saw a man riding on a yellow horse and lied that the man was him, so Lü Bu's horsemen released him and chased the rider. Cao Cao then dashed through the burning eastern gate and escaped from Puyang.
Within two years, Cao Cao was able to recapture all the cities in Yan Province and defeated Lü Bu at Juye. Lü Bu then fled eastwards to join Liu Bei
, who had taken over Xu Province from Tao Qian.
in 198, when the allied forces of Cao Cao and Liu Bei launched an attack on Lü Bu in Xu Province. Lü Bu was executed on Cao Cao's order after his defeat.
's historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms
as described below.
and Zhang Liao
fought against Cao Cao's generals Yue Jin
and Xiahou Dun
. Lü Bu grew impatient and charged towards them with his "Sky Piercer" ji
in hand. Xiahou Dun and Yue Jin fled; however, Lü Bu kept pressing the attack and Cao Cao was forced to retreat by ten li
and make camp.
The next day, Cao Cao attacked Lü Bu's camp, which was defended by Gao Shun
, Wei Xu
and Hou Cheng
, from four directions and Lü's forces were sustaining heavy losses. Cao Cao marched into the city and engaged Gao Shun in battle. After the fourth watch, as dawn was breaking, Cao Cao abandoned the assault after hearing hearing that Lü Bu was personally leading reinforcements from the west to help Gao Shun. Gao Shun, Wei Xu and Hou Cheng chased the retreating Cao Cao, with Lü Bu taking the lead in the pursuit. Cao Cao then sent Yu Jin
and Yue Jin to block Lü Bu but was unsuccessful. As he headed north, Cao Cao fell into an ambush by Zhang Liao and Zang Ba. Cao Cao sent Lü Qian (呂虔) and Cao Hong
to face the enemy but they were defeated as well. Cao Cao then sought safety in the west but encountered Lü Bu's men again, who were led by Hao Meng
, Cao Xing
, Cheng Lian (成廉) and Song Xian
. Just when Cao Cao was in grave danger, he called for help and Dian Wei
came to his aid. Cao Cao managed to escape back to his camp.
In another attack on Lü Bu's city of Puyang, Cao Cao realized he had fallen into a trap after riding into the city. The trap was set by Chen Gong
, and Cao Cao's evasion routes were sealed. Two enemy forces attacked Cao Cao from the east and west, respectively led by Zhang Liao and Zang Ba. As Cao Cao dashed north, he was blocked by Cao Xing and Hao Meng, so he turned south but encountered Gao Sheng and Hou Cheng. Cao Cao's generals Dian Wei, Li Dian
and Li Yue fought their way through hordes of enemy soldiers in search of their lord. When Cao Cao met up with Dian Wei, he made a dash again towards the north gate, where Lü Bu stood in the open, calling out for Cao Cao. However, Lü Bu mistook another rider for Cao Cao and chased that man, allowing Cao Cao to escape under the protection of Dian Wei and Xiahou Yuan
.
During Cao Cao's next attack on Lü Bu, six of his generals led the battle: Xiahou Dun, Xiahou Yuan, Li Dian, Lü Qian and Yu Jin. Lü Bu came out alone to fight the enemy but was overwhelmed and forced to retreat. However, Lü Bu was betrayed by the influential Tian clan in Puyang, who had switched allegiance to Cao Cao. The Tians closed the city gates, denying Lü Bu entry and forcing him to flee. Chen Gong brought Lü Bu's family out of Puyang through the east gate and met up with Lü Bu later. By then, Cao Cao had recaptured Puyang from Lü Bu.
Meanwhile, Lü Bu took refuge in Dingtao with Zhang Miao
and Zhang Chao. He went out to scout Cao Cao's camp later but withdrew when he feared an ambush after seeing that Cao's camp was located near a forest. Later, Lü Bu decided to force out the enemy lying in ambush by setting fire to the woods, but to his surprise, not a single enemy soldier emerged from the forest. Still hearing the sound of enemy war drums, Lü Bu saw enemy troops coming from the shelter in the stockade and he immediately rode forth to engage them. At that moment, Cao Cao's army, led by Xiahou Dun, Xiahou Yuan, Dian Wei, Xu Chu
, Li Dian and Yue Jin, launched an attack on Lü Bu, inflicting a crushing defeat on him, with two thirds of Lü's troops killed. Lü Bu's general Cheng Lian was also killed by an arrow. The remnants of Lü Bu's forces returned and reported the situation to Chen Gong, after which Chen and Gao Shun gathered Lü Bu's men and abandoned their position at Dingtao. Zhang Chao committed suicide while Zhang Miao fled to join Yuan Shu
. When Lü Bu rejoined his men later, the northeast of Yan Province was back in Cao Cao's hands.
Lü Bu was undaunted, so on Chen Gong's advice, he inquired about serving Yuan Shao
once again. In response, Yuan Shao sent his general Yan Liang
with 50,000 troops to attack Lü Bu. Unable to hold off Yuan Shao, Lü Bu fled to Xu Province to join Liu Bei
, where he was received warmly by Liu.
: Xtreme Legends called the "Battle of Yan Province". In Dynasty Warriors 7
, the battle is part of the "Battle of Xu Province", which has Lü Bu attacking Cao Cao's main camp. It should not be confused with the "Battle of Yan Province", which deals with remnants of the Yellow Turban rebels.
Cao Cao
Cao Cao was a warlord and the penultimate chancellor of the Eastern Han Dynasty who rose to great power during the dynasty's final years. As one of the central figures of the Three Kingdoms period, he laid the foundations for what was to become the state of Cao Wei and was posthumously titled...
and Lü Bu
Lü Bu
Lü Bu was a military general and later a minor warlord during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. According to the Records of Three Kingdoms, Lü Bu was highly-skilled in horse-riding and archery, and was thus nicknamed "Flying General"...
for control of Yan Province (covering present-day southwestern Shandong
Shandong
' is a Province located on the eastern coast of the People's Republic of China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history from the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River and served as a pivotal cultural and religious site for Taoism, Chinese...
and eastern Henan
Henan
Henan , is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the central part of the country. Its one-character abbreviation is "豫" , named after Yuzhou , a Han Dynasty state that included parts of Henan...
) during the prelude to the Three Kingdoms
Three Kingdoms
The Three Kingdoms period was a period in Chinese history, part of an era of disunity called the "Six Dynasties" following immediately the loss of de facto power of the Han Dynasty rulers. In a strict academic sense it refers to the period between the foundation of the state of Wei in 220 and the...
period of Chinese history
History of China
Chinese civilization originated in various regional centers along both the Yellow River and the Yangtze River valleys in the Neolithic era, but the Yellow River is said to be the Cradle of Chinese Civilization. With thousands of years of continuous history, China is one of the world's oldest...
. The battle lasted for at least one hundred days with an indecisive conclusion.
Background
In 192, remnants of the Yellow Turban rebelsYellow Turban Rebellion
The Yellow Turban Rebellion, also translated as Yellow Scarves Rebellion, was a peasant revolt that broke out in 184 AD in China during the reign of Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty...
from Qing Province invaded Yan Province and occupied Dongping
Dongping County
Dongping County is a county in the Southwestern part of Taian Prefecture of Shandong Province, China.In 2007 a remarkable series of well-preserved frescoes dating to the Western Han Period was discovered in a tomb as construction workers were excavating for a planned shopping mall...
and Rencheng
Rencheng District
Rencheng 任城区) is a district of Jining in the Chinese province of Shandong. Rencheng has an area of 881 km² and around 630,000 inhabitants .- External links :*...
. Liu Dai
Liu Dai
Liu Dai , style name Gongshan , was an official of the late Eastern Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. His ancestral home was in Mouping County , Donglai Commandery ....
, Inspector of Yan Province, wanted to attack the rebels but Bao Xin
Bao Xin
Bao Xin was a military general who lived during the late Han Dynasty of China. Initially, he participated in the imperial campaign against the Yellow Turbans along with other regional warlords. After the rise of Dong Zhuo, who usurped the power of the Imperial Court, Bao joined the campaign...
, Chancellor of Jibei, advised him against it. Liu Dai ignored Bao Xin's warning, engaged the rebels in battle, and was eventually defeated and killed.
At that time, Cao Cao
Cao Cao
Cao Cao was a warlord and the penultimate chancellor of the Eastern Han Dynasty who rose to great power during the dynasty's final years. As one of the central figures of the Three Kingdoms period, he laid the foundations for what was to become the state of Cao Wei and was posthumously titled...
's advisor Chen Gong
Chen Gong
Gong Chen was an advisor to the warlord Lü Bu during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. However, he started his career under Cao Cao before defecting to Lü Bu and was executed when the latter was defeated by Cao....
urged him to take control of Yan Province and secure it as a base for conquering other territories. Chen Gong volunteered to persuade Liu Dai's followers to join Cao Cao. Bao Xin, who was friendly towards Cao Cao, travelled to Dong Commandery (southwest of present-day Puyang
Puyang
Puyang is a prefecture-level city in northeastern Henan province, China. Located on the northern shore of the Yellow River, it borders Anyang in the west, Xinxiang in the southwest, and the provinces of Shandong and Hebei in the east and north respectively....
, Henan
Henan
Henan , is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the central part of the country. Its one-character abbreviation is "豫" , named after Yuzhou , a Han Dynasty state that included parts of Henan...
) to invite Cao to be the new Inspector of Yan Province.
Cao Cao then attacked the Yellow Turban rebels at Shouzhang but failed to defeat them. After that, Cao Cao reformed his army, enforced military rules more strictly, and used incentives to encourage his men. He recognized that the rebels did not have a stable flow of supplies, as they relied on plundering to sustain themselves. Hence, Cao Cao launched surprise attacks on the rebels, prevented them from pillaging, and achieving ultimate victory and forcing the rebels to retreat north. Cao Cao pursued the rebels and defeated them again at Jibei (south of present-day Changqing District
Changqing District
Changqing is a district of the Chinese province of Shandong. It is administered by the sub provincial city of Jinan. It has an area of 1,178 km² and has 530,000 inhabitants .- External links :*...
, Shandong
Shandong
' is a Province located on the eastern coast of the People's Republic of China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history from the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River and served as a pivotal cultural and religious site for Taoism, Chinese...
). The rebels, numbering more than 300,000, including 100,000 civilians, surrendered to Cao Cao. Cao reorganized the surrendered troops to form the Qingzhou Corps (青州兵), while implementing the tuntian
Tuntian
The Tuntian or Duntian system was a system of government-encouraged agriculture originated in the Western Han Dynasty period of Chinese history...
system for the people to provide for themselves and the military.
In 193, Cao Cao's father Cao Song
Cao Song
Cao Song was the father of the late Han Dynasty warlord Cao Cao. He was originally surnamed "Xiahou", but changed his surname to "Cao" after becoming the foster son of the eunuch Cao Teng. Cao Song's descendants also adopted "Cao" as their family name.By the year 193, China had been divided into...
was killed by Zhang Kai (張闓), a subordinate of Tao Qian, Governor of Xu Province. In retaliation, Cao Cao launched an attack on Tao Qian, sweeping through Tao's lands and slaughtering thousands of Xu Province's population, including civilians. Tao Qian retreated to Tancheng (郯城), where Cao Cao was unable to conquer the city and retreated after his army was running low on supplies.
The following year, Cao Cao attacked Tao Qian again, conquering many counties in Langya and Donghai commanderies of Xu Province. Just then, Cao Cao's subordinates Zhang Miao
Zhang Miao
Zhang Miao , style name Mengzhuo , was a minister of the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. He served as prefect of Chenliu Commandery. Zhang Miao led an army during the coalition against Dong Zhuo. In the coalition Zhang expressed displeasure at their leader, Yuan Shao, and Yuan sent Cao...
and Chen Gong rebelled against him and aided Lü Bu
Lü Bu
Lü Bu was a military general and later a minor warlord during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. According to the Records of Three Kingdoms, Lü Bu was highly-skilled in horse-riding and archery, and was thus nicknamed "Flying General"...
in taking over his home base of Yan Province. Cao Cao then decided to abandon his campaign on Tao Qian and turn back to retake Yan Province.
The battle
Cao Cao and Lü Bu's forces were locked in a stalemate for at least a hundred days, with Cao on the disadvantageous end. Eventually, Lü Bu abandoned his position because of a famine outbreak. Cao Cao then laid siege to Lü Bu at Juye, Puyang. Cao Cao's advisors Xun YuXun Yu
Xun Yu was a strategist and statesman who served as an advisor to the warlord Cao Cao during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history.-Early life:...
and Cheng Yu
Cheng Yu
Cheng Yu , originally named Cheng Li and changed his name to Yu after dreaming of the sun on top of Mount Tai, was one of the major advisors to the Han Dynasty warlord Cao Cao, and became a high-ranking official of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms era of China...
defended the cities of Juancheng, Fan and Dong'e, but this left only two counties with solid defenses, so Cao Cao led his army back. Lü Bu arrived and was unable to take Juancheng by siege so he went west and garrisoned Puyang. Lü Bu re-stationed his forces to the east at Shanyang.
In battle, Lü Bu used his cavalry in the first clash of arms, charging towards Cao Cao's Qingzhou Corps. The Qingzhou Corps fled in terror and Cao's formations were in complete disarray. Cao Cao, seeing the confusion, quickly galloped ahead when a fire broke out, but he fell from his horse and burnt the palm of his left hand. Cao's army halted before they reached camp, because most of Cao's generals had not seen their lord and feared for his safety. Cao Cao then strained himself to rouse his men, ordering that siege weapons be prepared immediately so that they can besiege Lü Bu again.
Zhang Miao followed Lü Bu and left his brother Zhang Chao (張超), Administrator of Guangning, to take care of their family at Yongqiu. Cao Cao laid siege on Yongqiu for several months and eventually captured the city, killing Zhang Chao and his family. Zhang Miao pleaded for assistance from Yuan Shu
Yuan Shu
Yuan Shu was a warlord during the late Han Dynasty era of Chinese history. He rose to prominence following the collapse of the imperial court in 189. He was said to be a younger cousin of the warlord Yuan Shao, but was actually Yuan Shao's younger half-brother...
but was rejected and killed by his soldiers. At the same time, a locust plague broke out, causing many to starve while some resorted to cannibalism
Cannibalism
Cannibalism is the act or practice of humans eating the flesh of other human beings. It is also called anthropophagy...
. Lü Bu had also used up all his provisions, horse feed, and grain supplies so both sides were forced to withdraw.
When Cao Cao later surrounded Lü Bu at Puyang, the influential Tian clan, who were initially on Lü's side, switched allegiance to Cao and allowed his forces to enter the city. Cao Cao set fire to the eastern gate as a sign that he had no intention of reversing course, thereupon he came under attack and was defeated. Some of Lü Bu's horsemen captured Cao Cao but were unaware of his identity. Cao Cao saw a man riding on a yellow horse and lied that the man was him, so Lü Bu's horsemen released him and chased the rider. Cao Cao then dashed through the burning eastern gate and escaped from Puyang.
Within two years, Cao Cao was able to recapture all the cities in Yan Province and defeated Lü Bu at Juye. Lü Bu then fled eastwards to join Liu Bei
Liu Bei
Liu Bei , also known as Liu Xuande, was a warlord, military general and later the founding emperor of the state of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms era of Chinese history...
, who had taken over Xu Province from Tao Qian.
Aftermath
The Battle of Yan Province led to the subsequent Battle of XiapiBattle of Xiapi
The Battle of Xiapi was a battle fought by the forces of Lü Bu against the allied armies of Cao Cao and Liu Bei in 198 during the prelude to the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history...
in 198, when the allied forces of Cao Cao and Liu Bei launched an attack on Lü Bu in Xu Province. Lü Bu was executed on Cao Cao's order after his defeat.
In fiction
The events of the battle were mentioned in Luo GuanzhongLuo Guanzhong
Luo Ben , better known by his style name Luo Guanzhong , was a Chinese writer of the early Ming Dynasty period of Chinese history. He was also known as Huhai Sanren...
's historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms
Romance of the Three Kingdoms
Romance of the Three Kingdoms, written by Luo Guanzhong in the 14th century, is a Chinese historical novel based on the events in the turbulent years near the end of the Han Dynasty and the Three Kingdoms era of Chinese history, starting in 169 and ending with the reunification of the land in...
as described below.
Cao Cao's initial defeats
In the first engagement, Lü Bu's generals Zang BaZang Ba
Zang Ba was a general during the late Han Dynasty and Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history. He served the warlord Tao Qian initially, followed by Lü Bu and finally Cao Cao and his successors, but for the most part of his career, he remained semi-autonomous over his troops and eastern China...
and Zhang Liao
Zhang Liao
Zhang Liao was a military general serving under the warlord Cao Cao during the late Han Dynasty and early Three Kingdoms era of Chinese history. He participated in many campaigns, including those against Yuan Shao's clan and the Wuhuan tribes...
fought against Cao Cao's generals Yue Jin
Yue Jin
Yue Jin was a military general serving under the warlord Cao Cao during the late Han Dynasty of China. He was noted as much for his short stature as for his valor and ferocity on the battlefield...
and Xiahou Dun
Xiahou Dun
Xiahou Dun was a military general serving under the warlord Cao Cao during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. Cao Cao's original family name was Xiahou, but his father Cao Song was the adopted son of the eunuch Cao Teng, so Xiahou Dun and Cao Cao share blood relations...
. Lü Bu grew impatient and charged towards them with his "Sky Piercer" ji
Ji (halberd)
The ji , the Chinese halberd, was used as a military weapon in one form or another from at least as early as the Shang dynasty until the end of the Qing dynasty. They are still used for training purposes by many Chinese martial arts...
in hand. Xiahou Dun and Yue Jin fled; however, Lü Bu kept pressing the attack and Cao Cao was forced to retreat by ten li
Li (unit)
The li is a traditional Chinese unit of distance, which has varied considerably over time but now has a standardized length of 500 meters or half a kilometer...
and make camp.
The next day, Cao Cao attacked Lü Bu's camp, which was defended by Gao Shun
Gao Shun
Gao Shun was a military general serving under the warlord Lü Bu during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. Although he only had 700 men under his command, he was nicknamed as the "camp crusher " for his destructive charges, and came to be known as Lü's most able commander...
, Wei Xu
Wei Xu
Wei Xu was a military general serving under the warlord Lü Bu during the late Han Dynasty era of Chinese history.-Biography:When Lü Bu wandered the land, Wei closely followed him in the journey, together, they routed the Heishan Bandits, and fended off attacks from Yuan Shu...
and Hou Cheng
Hou Cheng
Hou Cheng was a general serving under the warlord Lü Bu during the late Han Dynasty era of Chinese history. He defected to the warlord Cao Cao during the Battle of Xiapi....
, from four directions and Lü's forces were sustaining heavy losses. Cao Cao marched into the city and engaged Gao Shun in battle. After the fourth watch, as dawn was breaking, Cao Cao abandoned the assault after hearing hearing that Lü Bu was personally leading reinforcements from the west to help Gao Shun. Gao Shun, Wei Xu and Hou Cheng chased the retreating Cao Cao, with Lü Bu taking the lead in the pursuit. Cao Cao then sent Yu Jin
Yu Jin
Yu Jin was a military general serving under the warlord Cao Cao during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. He joined Cao in the early years of the civil wars that led to the collapse of the Han Dynasty...
and Yue Jin to block Lü Bu but was unsuccessful. As he headed north, Cao Cao fell into an ambush by Zhang Liao and Zang Ba. Cao Cao sent Lü Qian (呂虔) and Cao Hong
Cao Hong
Cao Hong was a military general of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms era of Chinese history. He started his career during the late Han Dynasty under the warlord Cao Cao, who was also his cousin.-Early career:...
to face the enemy but they were defeated as well. Cao Cao then sought safety in the west but encountered Lü Bu's men again, who were led by Hao Meng
Hao Meng
Hao Meng was a military general serving under the warlord Lü Bu during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. He rebelled against his lord and was killed by Gao Shun.-In fiction:...
, Cao Xing
Cao Xing
Cao Xing was a military general serving under the warlord Lü Bu during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. Little was documented about Cao Xing in historical records except for an incident described in Wang Can's Records of Heroes ....
, Cheng Lian (成廉) and Song Xian
Song Xian
Song Xian was a military general serving under the warlord Lü Bu during the late Han Dynasty era of Chinese history. In 198, when Cao Cao besieged Lü Bu at the Battle of Xiapi, Song Xian and his colleagues Hou Cheng and Wei Xu kidnapped Lü Bu's chief advisor Chen Gong and defected to Cao Cao's side...
. Just when Cao Cao was in grave danger, he called for help and Dian Wei
Dian Wei
Dian Wei was a military general serving under the warlord Cao Cao during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. Famed for his enormous strength, Dian Wei excelled in wielding dual halberds, each of which was said to weigh 40 jin...
came to his aid. Cao Cao managed to escape back to his camp.
In another attack on Lü Bu's city of Puyang, Cao Cao realized he had fallen into a trap after riding into the city. The trap was set by Chen Gong
Chen Gong
Gong Chen was an advisor to the warlord Lü Bu during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. However, he started his career under Cao Cao before defecting to Lü Bu and was executed when the latter was defeated by Cao....
, and Cao Cao's evasion routes were sealed. Two enemy forces attacked Cao Cao from the east and west, respectively led by Zhang Liao and Zang Ba. As Cao Cao dashed north, he was blocked by Cao Xing and Hao Meng, so he turned south but encountered Gao Sheng and Hou Cheng. Cao Cao's generals Dian Wei, Li Dian
Li Dian
Li Dian was a military general serving under the warlord Cao Cao during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. He participated in the Battle of Guandu between Cao Cao and Yuan Shao...
and Li Yue fought their way through hordes of enemy soldiers in search of their lord. When Cao Cao met up with Dian Wei, he made a dash again towards the north gate, where Lü Bu stood in the open, calling out for Cao Cao. However, Lü Bu mistook another rider for Cao Cao and chased that man, allowing Cao Cao to escape under the protection of Dian Wei and Xiahou Yuan
Xiahou Yuan
Xiahou Yuan was a military general serving under the warlord Cao Cao during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. He was killed in the Battle of Mount Dingjun against Liu Bei's general Huang Zhong in 219, and was given the posthumous title of Marquis Min , literally meaning "sympathetic...
.
Turn of the tide
The following day after Cao Cao's defeat at Puyang, word reached Lü Bu that Cao Cao was killed in a fire during the fifth watch. Lü Bu immediately gathered his troops and proceeded to attack the enemy camp via Maling Road. As he passed through the hills, he heard the sound of war drums from both sides and was ambushed by Cao Cao's soldiers. Only by desperate fighting did Lü Bu manage to get out of the melee and return to Puyang, where he fortified his defenses and became more wary of being lured in ambushes by the enemy.During Cao Cao's next attack on Lü Bu, six of his generals led the battle: Xiahou Dun, Xiahou Yuan, Li Dian, Lü Qian and Yu Jin. Lü Bu came out alone to fight the enemy but was overwhelmed and forced to retreat. However, Lü Bu was betrayed by the influential Tian clan in Puyang, who had switched allegiance to Cao Cao. The Tians closed the city gates, denying Lü Bu entry and forcing him to flee. Chen Gong brought Lü Bu's family out of Puyang through the east gate and met up with Lü Bu later. By then, Cao Cao had recaptured Puyang from Lü Bu.
Meanwhile, Lü Bu took refuge in Dingtao with Zhang Miao
Zhang Miao
Zhang Miao , style name Mengzhuo , was a minister of the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. He served as prefect of Chenliu Commandery. Zhang Miao led an army during the coalition against Dong Zhuo. In the coalition Zhang expressed displeasure at their leader, Yuan Shao, and Yuan sent Cao...
and Zhang Chao. He went out to scout Cao Cao's camp later but withdrew when he feared an ambush after seeing that Cao's camp was located near a forest. Later, Lü Bu decided to force out the enemy lying in ambush by setting fire to the woods, but to his surprise, not a single enemy soldier emerged from the forest. Still hearing the sound of enemy war drums, Lü Bu saw enemy troops coming from the shelter in the stockade and he immediately rode forth to engage them. At that moment, Cao Cao's army, led by Xiahou Dun, Xiahou Yuan, Dian Wei, Xu Chu
Xu Chu
Xu Chu was a warrior who lived during the late Han Dynasty and Three Kingdoms era of Chinese history. He served as a bodyguard to the warlord Cao Cao. Gigantic and strong, yet simple-minded and honest, Xu Chu was referred to as "Dumb Tiger" by his fellow men...
, Li Dian and Yue Jin, launched an attack on Lü Bu, inflicting a crushing defeat on him, with two thirds of Lü's troops killed. Lü Bu's general Cheng Lian was also killed by an arrow. The remnants of Lü Bu's forces returned and reported the situation to Chen Gong, after which Chen and Gao Shun gathered Lü Bu's men and abandoned their position at Dingtao. Zhang Chao committed suicide while Zhang Miao fled to join Yuan Shu
Yuan Shu
Yuan Shu was a warlord during the late Han Dynasty era of Chinese history. He rose to prominence following the collapse of the imperial court in 189. He was said to be a younger cousin of the warlord Yuan Shao, but was actually Yuan Shao's younger half-brother...
. When Lü Bu rejoined his men later, the northeast of Yan Province was back in Cao Cao's hands.
Lü Bu was undaunted, so on Chen Gong's advice, he inquired about serving Yuan Shao
Yuan Shao
Yuan Shao was a warlord during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. He occupied the northern territories of China during the civil war that occurred towards the end of the Han Dynasty and the beginning of the Three Kingdoms era...
once again. In response, Yuan Shao sent his general Yan Liang
Yan Liang
Yan Liang was a military general serving under the warlord Yuan Shao during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. He was slain by Guan Yu at the Battle of Boma.-Biography:...
with 50,000 troops to attack Lü Bu. Unable to hold off Yuan Shao, Lü Bu fled to Xu Province to join Liu Bei
Liu Bei
Liu Bei , also known as Liu Xuande, was a warlord, military general and later the founding emperor of the state of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms era of Chinese history...
, where he was received warmly by Liu.
Modern references
The battle was featured as a stage in Koei's video game Dynasty Warriors 5Dynasty Warriors 5
is a Hack and slash video game set in China and the fifth installment in the Dynasty Warriors series, developed by Omega Force and published by Koei. The game was released on the PlayStation 2 and Xbox. It is based on the Chinese novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms by Luo Guanzhong.-Gameplay:The...
: Xtreme Legends called the "Battle of Yan Province". In Dynasty Warriors 7
Dynasty Warriors 7
is a hack and slash video game and the seventh official installment of the Dynasty Warriors series. It is developed by Omega Force and published by Koei. The game has been confirmed to be PS3 exclusive in Japan. The story is based on Luo Guanzhong's historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms....
, the battle is part of the "Battle of Xu Province", which has Lü Bu attacking Cao Cao's main camp. It should not be confused with the "Battle of Yan Province", which deals with remnants of the Yellow Turban rebels.