Battle of Ye
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Ye of 204 took place 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...

. It was fought between the warlord 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...

 and Yuan Shang
Yuán Shàng
Yuan Shang , style name Xianfu , was a warlord during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. He was the third son of the warlord Yuan Shao, and succeeded his father...

, son and successor of Cao Cao's rival 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...

, in the Yuan clan's headquarters Ye
Ye, China
Ye or Yecheng was an ancient Chinese city located in what is now Linzhang County, Hebei and the neighbouring Anyang County, Henan....

 (in present-day Handan
Handan
Handan is a prefecture-level city located in the southwestern part of Hebei Province of China.- History :Handan was the capital of the State of Zhao during the Warring States period , after the capital moved from Zhongmu. The city was conquered by the State of Qin after the virtual annexation of...

, Hebei
Hebei
' is a province of the People's Republic of China in the North China region. Its one-character abbreviation is "" , named after Ji Province, a Han Dynasty province that included what is now southern Hebei...

). Cao Cao had been allied with Yuan Shang's elder brother Yuan Tan
Yuan Tan
Yuan Tan was the oldest son of the warlord Yuan Shao during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. After Yuan Shao's death, Yuan Tan split with his youngest brother Yuan Shang over the successorship to their father's realm. Yuan Tan sought help from the warlord Cao Cao and defeated Yuan...

, who rebelled in a succession feud, and it was by Yuan Tan's request that Cao Cao laid siege to Ye. The successful siege of the city dislodged Yuan Shang's power from Ji Province (冀州), and Cao Cao would later use the city of Ye as the capital of his military power, then duchy (213-216), and then kingdom (216-220).

Background

Yuan Shao, the powerful warlord of the north, had been decisively defeated by his southern neighbour Cao Cao in the Battle of Guandu
Battle of Guandu
The Battle of Guandu was a military conflict between the warlords Cao Cao and Yuan Shao in 200 during the prelude to the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history. The battle, which concluded with victory for Cao Cao, was a turning point in the war between the two warlords...

 in 200 and died two years later in frustration. Despite the defeat, the Yuan power bloc was by no means eliminated, for Yuan Shao was survived by his three sons Yuan Tan, Yuan Xi
Yuan Xi
Yuan Xi was the second son of the warlord Yuan Shao during the late Han Dynasty era of Chinese history.Yuan was described in Luo Guanzhong's historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms as "intelligent but weak and indecisive", in contrast to his older brother Yuan Tan, who was described as...

, and Yuan Shang; together with their cousin Gao Gan
Gao Gan
Gao Gan was a governor of Bing Province during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. He was a nephew of the warlord Yuan Shao and a cousin of Gao Rou. After the dissolution of the coalition against Dong Zhuo, warlords all across China returned to their respective territories...

, the Yuan family still held on to the provinces of Ji, Qing (青), Bing
Bing (province)
Bing was a province of China during the Han Dynasty, in the approximate area of modern Shanxi and western Hebei. At the end of the Han Dynasty, during a succession dispute among heirs of Yuan Shao , Bing was one of the first provinces to come under control of the warlord Cao Cao...

, and You
Youzhou
Youzhou is a historical place name in northern China. From the reign of Emperor Wu of the Western Han Dynasty in 106 BC to the Five Dynasties period in the 10th century AD, Youzhou generally referred to the prefecture around modern-day Beijing and parts of Hebei Province...

. The Yuan brothers were not on good terms, however - Yuan Tan, the oldest, contested the succession of his younger brother Yuan Shang, who was preemptively made heir by his supporters Shen Pei
Shen Pei
Shen Pei was a minister serving under the warlord Yuan Shao during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. Shen was criticized by Cao Cao's advisor Xun Yu many times as being called "strong of will but without tact". Following the death of Yuan Shao, Shen went on to serve under Yuan Shang....

 and Pang Ji, while the second son Yuan Xi was content with controlling the northernmost You Province and stayed out of his brothers' conflict. In the winter of 202, Cao Cao attacked Yuan Tan's position in Liyang
Battle of Liyang
The Battle of Liyang during the end of Han Dynasty in China was an invasion attempt by the warlord Cao Cao against the brothers Yuan Shang and Yuan Tan, sons of Cao Cao's rival Yuan Shao. The battle in the ninth Chinese month of 202 was the first between the two factions since the death of Yuan...

, and Yuan Shang brought his troops to help his older brother. The two brothers held out for six months, before eventually driven back to Ye, where they successfully struck back and caused Cao Cao to withdraw for the time being.

As soon as Cao Cao started to retreat in mid-203, the brothers' feud took a turn to the worse. Yuan Tan requested more troops and equipment so he could lead an army to pursue Cao Cao's men, but Yuan Shang refused, not wanting his brother to gain control of a bigger army. This act of distrust proved to be the last straw for Yuan Tan, as he rebelled from his younger brother and attacked the city of Ye in anger. Yuan Shang successfully defended Ye again and chased Yuan Tan 300 kilometers away to Nanpi
Nanpi County
Nanpi County is a county of Hebei, China. It is under the administration of Cangzhou City.-Administrative Divisions:Towns:*Nanpi Town , Pingjiakou , Zhaizi , Baoguantun , Wangsi , Wumaying Townships:...

, the seat of Bohai Commandery (渤海郡). Bohai was on the edge of the border with Qing Province, where Yuan Tan still held the title Inspector of that province; but while he could expect some aid from the base of his power, some of his own men rebelled against him, and the position was very insecure. So when Yuan Shang came to attack Nanpi, Yuan Tan fled south to Pingyuan
Pingyuan County, Shandong
Pingyuan County is a county of northwestern Shandong province, People's Republic of China. It is administered by Dezhou City. It has an area of .- History :...

, where he was again besieged. Here he was close to Cao Cao's Yan province, and his advisor Guo Tu
Guo Tu
Guo Tu was an advisor to the warlord Yuan Shao during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. Yuan often sought his advice for civil and military decisions.-Serving Yuan Shao:...

 suggested seeking help from Cao Cao. Guo Tu reasoned that Cao Cao's army would attack Ye, and while Yuan Shang was to return to save his capital, Yuan Tan could expect to take the lands to the north of Ye; and if Cao Cao was to be successful, Yuan Shang's power would be removed and the outstretched Cao Cao would retreat soon after, leaving Yuan Tan to gain control of the north and capable enough to make a stand against Cao Cao. Yuan Tan would not agree at first, but later sent Xin Pi
Xin Pi
Xin Pi, style name Zuozhi , was a minister of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history. He originally served the warlord Yuan Shao during the late Han Dynasty period. He had an older brother, Xin Ping. He switched allegiance to Cao Cao after Yuan's defeat and served as a...

 as an ambassador to seek an alliance with Cao Cao.

Since his withdrawal from Ye, Cao Cao's policy on the Yuan brothers was to let them wear each other out while he dealt with their ally Liu Biao
Liu Biao
Liu Biao , style name Jingsheng , was a warlord and the governor of Jing Province during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. He was a member of the extended family of the Han Dynasty emperors...

 in Jing Province (荊州; covering present-day Hubei
Hubei
' Hupeh) is a province in Central China. The name of the province means "north of the lake", referring to its position north of Lake Dongting...

 and Hunan
Hunan
' is a province of South-Central China, located to the south of the middle reaches of the Yangtze River and south of Lake Dongting...

), and thus he was unsure what to make of the envoy. Cao Cao's advisor Xun Yu
Xun 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:...

, who long advocated settling the north before turning elsewhere, reasoned that Liu Biao was not ambitious enough to be a threat, and it was high time to reap the benefits of the Yuan family feud before the brothers reunite. Cao Cao agreed, but he continued to put Jing Province first. Observing that Cao Cao was doubtful of Yuan Tan's sincerity in an alliance, Xin Pi spoke his mind:

Cao Cao accepted this advice, and Xin Pi thus transferred his allegiance. By the end of the year 203, Cao Cao again led his army across the Yellow River to Liyang and cemented the alliance by marrying his son Cao Zheng (曹整) with Yuan Tan's daughter. Yuan Shang indeed lifted the siege on Pingyang and returned to guard Ye. With Yuan Tan's position safe, Cao Cao returned for the time being.

Laying siege to Ye

In the spring of 204 Cao Cao crossed the Yellow River again and, mindful of the logistical problems for him to operate north of the Yellow River, started several waterworks projects to ease the transportation of supplies. While these works were under way, Yuan Shang apparently thought it safe to renew his attack on Yuan Tan in Pingyuan again, and left his loyal supporter Shen Pei to defend Ye. Some within Yuan Shang's camp found his priorities questionable, so when Cao Cao indeed advanced on Ye some time around the second or third month, the city's defenders under Su You
Su You
Su You was a military general serving under the warlord Yuan Shang during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. He and Shen Pei both were tasked with the defense of Ji Province. As Cao Cao was then closing in on Ji Province, Su was just about to surrender but then fled after realizing...

 intended to rebel and capitulate Ye to Cao Cao. The scheme was discovered, its plotters suppressed by Shen Pei within the city, and Su You fled to Cao Cao.

Now Cao Cao's army was at the gates of Ye. He had mounds erected and tunnels dug to lay siege to the city. Having done this, Cao Cao left the general 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 maintain the siege while he turned west in the fourth month to attack Yin Kai (尹楷), a county magistrate under Yuan Shang who guarded the supply route from Bing Province. After storming Yin Kai's fortress Maocheng (毛城) at the foot of the Taihang Mountains
Taihang Mountains
The Taihang Mountains are a Chinese mountain range running down the eastern edge of the Loess Plateau in Henan, Shanxi and Hebei provinces. The range extends over 400 km from north to south and has an average elevation of 1,500 to 2,000 meters. The principal peak is Xiao Wutaishan...

, Cao Cao's army bypassed the defenses at Ye and defeated Ju Hu
Ju Hu
Ju Hu was the son of Ju Shou, an advisor who served the warlord Yuan Shao during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history.After the Battle of Guandu, Ju Hu was ordered to defend Handan when Cao Cao attacked Ji Province, which was governed by Yuan Shao's son Yuan Shang.In Luo Guanzhong's...

 in Handan
Handan
Handan is a prefecture-level city located in the southwestern part of Hebei Province of China.- History :Handan was the capital of the State of Zhao during the Warring States period , after the capital moved from Zhongmu. The city was conquered by the State of Qin after the virtual annexation of...

, north of Ye. This development brought about more defections from Yuan Shang's county magistrates, and the local Heishan bandit
Heishan bandits
The Heishan bandits or Black Mountain bandits was a bandit confederacy in the Taihang Mountain range during the later years of the Eastern Han Dynasty in China...

 lord Zhang Yan offered his assistance to Cao Cao. By this time Ye was cut off from the south, west, and north, while Yuan Shang was at its east facing Yuan Tan.

Cao Cao's army returned to the siege-lines of Ye in the fifth month. Shen Pei vigorously defended the city throughout the siege; he had dug trenches within the city of Ye to counter Cao Cao's tunnels, and dealt with dissension among his ranks. One of his officers, Feng Li (馮禮) opened a sally port
Sally port
The primary modern meaning for sally port is a secure, controlled entryway, as at a fortification or a prison. The entrance is usually protected in some way, such as with a fixed wall blocking the door which must be circumvented before entering, but which prevents direct enemy fire from a distance...

 to let the enemy in. Shen Pei found out and had boulders dropped into the opening, blocking the gates and killed the roughly 300 soldiers who entered.

Only a few weeks after the siege mounds and tunnels were constructed, Cao Cao changed tactics and ordered them destroyed. In their place, a shallow moat 40 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...

long was dug surrounding the city. At first the moat was shallow enough to be crossed, so Shen Pei laughed when he saw it and paid it no heed. Then, in a single night, Cao Cao dug the trench further, 20 feet wide and 20 feet deep, drawing water from the nearby Zhang River
Zhang River
The Zhang River is a river in China. The Zhang River commences in Shanxi province and flows eastward. It then becomes the border of Hebei and Henan province west of Handan and Anyang.A dam on the Zhang River diverts water into the Red Flag Canal....

 to the west and encompassing the Yanpi Marsh (晏陂澤) to the south and the Huan River
Huan River
Huan River , or Anyang River , is a tributary of the Yellow River in China. Yinxu, the capital of the Yin Dynasty, was built on its banks at the beginning of the 14th century BCE, near present-day Anyang....

 to the east and north. The city became isolated, and by the beginning of autumn it was said that more than half in the city died of starvation.

The arrival and repulsion of Yuan Shang

Some time in the summer Yuan Shang decided to abort his campaign against Yuan Tan and turned back to help defend his headquarters. Yuan Shang sent his Registrar (主簿) Li Fu (李孚) ahead to notify the defenders that relief was coming. To avoid detection by the besiegers, Li Fu brought only three horsemen, broke his staff of authority, and traveled by night. When he reached Cao Cao's camps surrounding the city from the north, he styled himself as a disciplinary officer and went through the camps finding fault with the sentries and punishing them. In this fashion he passed through the eastern camps from the northern camps into the camps on the southern side, where Cao Cao's personal camp was. Turning west from here, he arrested the officers on picket duty, tied them up, then made a dash to the city walls. He called to the defenders above, and they drew him in by rope. The ecstatic defenders sounded the drums in celebration of Li Fu's arrival, and Cao Cao laughed when he was made known of Li Fu's exploits.

Li Fu was to return to relay Ye's situation to Yuan Shang. He realized that he could not use the same trick to get past the siege-lines and so conjured another ploy. He had Shen Pei arrange to have the old and weak sent out in the night to save food. During the night, several thousand people selected were sent away through three different gates, carrying white flag
White flag
White flags have had different meanings throughout history and depending on the locale.-Flag of temporary truce in order to parley :...

s to surrender. Li Fu and his followers blended into the crowd and exited Ye by the northern gate, then escaped the surrounding camps from the northwest. Yuan Shang was glad to see Li Fu back, while Cao Cao clapped his hands and laughed again when he knew Li Fu escaped.

Through the ruckus surrounding Li Fu's infiltration, Cao Cao's men knew that Yuan Shang was leading troops to relief Ye. Some of Cao Cao's officers were concerned that since Yuan Shang was coming home with Yuan Tan at his heels, Yuan Shang's soldiers would theoretically be on "death ground" (死地), where they would fight more fiercely to save themselves according to Sun Tzu
Sun Tzu
Sun Wu , style name Changqing , better known as Sun Tzu or Sunzi , was an ancient Chinese military general, strategist and philosopher who is traditionally believed, and who is most likely, to have authored The Art of War, an influential ancient Chinese book on military strategy...

's The Art of War
The Art of War
The Art of War is an ancient Chinese military treatise that is attributed to Sun Tzu , a high ranking military general and strategist during the late Spring and Autumn period...

. Cao Cao pointed out that he should indeed avoid battle with the reinforcements if Yuan Shang came on the main road from the east; but if Yuan Shang moved across to the northwestern hills, he would have friendly territory (Gao Gan's Bing province) behind him and his army would be easier to deal with. Yuan Shang approached obliquely from the north, to the delight of Cao Cao. When his scouts told him Yuan Shang's army reached Handan, Cao Cao candidly announced to his generals "I already have Ji Province, did you know? You shall see soon."

From the western hills, Yuan Shang turned east to Yangping village (陽平亭), 17 li from Ye. On the bank of the Fu River (滏水) flowing north of the city, the relief army set camp and lit torches to signal the defenders for a coordinated attack, who lit another fire in acknowledgement. Shen Pei made a sortie to the north to rendezvous with Yuan Shang, but Cao Cao defeated both armies, driving Shen Pei back within the walls and Yuan Shang to Quzhang (曲漳), a bend on the Zhang River. Cao Cao then moved to surround Yuan Shang's position, but before the encirclement was completed, an afraid Yuan Shang sent Yin Kui (陰夔) and Chen Lin to negotiate for surrender. Cao Cao refused, and pressed Quzhang harder. One night, Yuan Shang abandoned Quzhang for Lankou (濫口) in the western Qi Hills (祁山), where Cao Cao followed and defeated Yuan Shang once more. Yuan Shang's army was completely scattered, his generals Ma Yan (馬延) and Zhang Yi (張顗) surrendered, and Yuan Shang himself fled far north to Zhongshan Commandery (中山). Cao Cao's men captured his baggages, seals, and other insignia.

End of the siege

Cao Cao had the trophies of his victory against Yuan Shang shown to the defenders of Ye, which greatly lowered their morale, but Shen Pei was adamant. He rallied the troops based on the hope that Yuan Shang's second brother Yuan Xi would soon come to the rescue from You Province, thus they have no reason to worry about Yuan Shang's rout. When Cao Cao rode out to inspect the siege-works, Shen Pei had crossbowmen fire at him; the shots missed narrowly. A few nights later, on September 13 of the Julian calendar, Shen Pei's nephew Shen Rong (審榮) betrayed the city and opened the east gate at night to let in the enemy. As Cao Cao's men breached the city, Shen Pei executed the families of Xin Pi's brother Xin Ping
Xin Ping
Xin Ping , style name Zhongzhi , was a minister serving under the warlord Han Fu during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. Following the death of Han Fu, Xin went on to serve Yuan Shao, acting as an adviser to Yuan Tan, Yuan Shao's oldest son. Once, Xin was invited by Cao Cao to serve...

, whom he considered traitorous and responsible for the downfall of the Yuan clan, then personally joined the defense at the gates. Shen Pei and the remaining defenders were pushed into the city proper, where fighting continued in the streets for a while. Two sources, the "Parallel Annals of the Duke of Shanyang" (山陽公載記) and the "Chronicle of Emperor Xian" (獻帝春秋), claim that Shen Pei hid in a well when all seemed lost, but the compiler Pei Songzhi
Pei Songzhi
Pei Songzhi was commissioned by Emperor Wen of Liu Song to write a commentary on Chen Shou's Records of Three Kingdoms, providing additional detail omitted from the original work. His commentary, completed in 429, became integral to later editions of the Records, making the joint work three times...

 rejects this account. Whatever the circumstance, Shen Pei was captured alive, and the siege finally ended after dragging on for more than half a year.

Aftermath

Shen Pei remained defiant until the very end. He rebuked those who surrendered to Cao Cao and cursed the fact that the crossbow bolts did not hit Cao Cao. Cao Cao became impressed by his fierce loyalty and wanted to spare him, but Xin Pi and the others begged for his execution, so Shen Pei was to be beheaded. On the execution grounds, Shen Pei demanded to be allowed to face north as he died, since his lord Yuan Shang was in that direction.

Cao Cao paid his respects at the tomb of Yuan Shao, where he wept for his friend-turned-enemy. He also offered condolences and pensions for members of Yuan Shao's family at Ye, though Cao Cao's son Cao Pi
Cao Pi
Cao Pi , formally known as Emperor Wen of Wei, was the first emperor of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history. Born in Qiao County, Pei Commandery , he was the second son of the late Han Dynasty warlord Cao Cao.Cao Pi, like his father, was a poet...

 took Yuan Xi's wife Lady Zhen as his own wife in a serious breach of propriety. Politically, Cao Cao employed many of Yuan Shao's former officials, relieved all newly-conquered territories of taxes for one year, and devoted his policies to rebuild country devastated by the three-way war among Cao Cao and the Yuan brothers. All these gained him wide popularity, which, along with the contingents of Bing Province troops sent to settle at Ye, prevented the outbreak of rebellion in favour of the former rulers. Gao Gan, the Inspector of Bing Province, offered his nominal surrender to Cao Cao for the time being. For Cao Cao's successes, an imperial decree named him the Governor of Ji Province, but Cao Cao excused himself from the honour and continued with his old post as Governor of Yan Province.

For the most part, the fall of Ye removed the Yuan clan's power from Ji province. Yuan Tan, who had been taking advantage of the siege of Ye to take territories that belonged to Yuan Shang, defeated Yuan Shang in Zhongshan and drove him further north to You Province. Since Yuan Tan was at least expected to help during the siege, Cao Cao now accused Yuan Tan of acting in bad faith, and cancelled the marriage between their families. Months later, Yuan Tan returned to Nanpi and Cao Cao moved to attack him, killing him in battle
Battle of Nanpi
The Battle of Nanpi happened in the first month of 205, during the period known as the end of the Han Dynasty. The battle spelled the annihilation of Yuan Tan, one of Yuan Shao's sons vying to succeed their father, by their common enemy Cao Cao, one of the serving Three Ducal Ministers...

 in the first month of 205. Yuan Shang and Yuan Xi were unable to reorganize their men in You province after their setbacks and rebellions under their rule, and were decisively defeated along with their allies the Wuhuan
Wuhuan
The Wuhuan were a proto-Mongolic nomadic people who inhabited northern China, in what is now the provinces of Hebei, Liaoning, Shanxi, the municipality of Beijing and the autonomous region of Inner Mongolia....

 in the Battle of White Wolf Mountain
Battle of White Wolf Mountain
The Battle of White Wolf Mountain was a battle fought in 207 during the prelude to the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history. The battle took place in northern China, beyond the frontiers of the ruling Later Han Dynasty. It was fought between the warlord Cao Cao and the nomadic Wuhuan tribes,...

 in 207.

Ye proved to be a useful acquisition for Cao Cao, who took the city as his chief residence soon after its capture. Over the years the city and its surrounding Wei Commandery (魏郡) became the heart of Cao Cao's power, as he initiated several works in and around the city, including the much-celebrated Bronze Bird Terrace (銅雀臺) and the Xuanwu Pond (玄武池), where he trained his navy. In 213 Cao Cao was enfeoffed as the Duke of Wei, named after Ye's commandery, and the name stuck throughout the rise of the Cao family's fortunes, culminating in the state of Cao Wei
Cao Wei
Cao Wei was one of the states that competed for control of China during the Three Kingdoms period. With the capital at Luoyang, the state was established by Cao Pi in 220, based upon the foundations that his father Cao Cao laid...

 that succeeded the Han Dynasty in 221. According to Shui Jing Zhu
Shui Jing Zhu
Shui Jing Zhu is a work on the ancient geography of China. It is an annotated and much expanded version of an older text, the Shui Jing , which has been lost.The annotated version was compiled by Li Daoyuan Shui Jing Zhu is a work on the ancient geography of China. It is an annotated and much...

, Ye was regarded as the Northern Capital during the Wei Dynasty.
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