Battle of Xiaoting
| date | Summer 222 |
|---|---|
| place | Yiling Plain, Yichang , China |
| output | Win Sun Quans |
| Parties to the conflict | |
|---|---|
| Commander | |
| Troop strength | |
| allegedly 750,000 | unknown |
| losses | |
|
all but 1000 |
low |
Sishui Pass - Hulao Pass - Jieqiao - Guandu - Changban - Chibi - Tong Gate - Hefei - Dingjun - Fancheng - Xiaoting - Southern Campaign - Shiting - Jieting - Northern Expeditions - Wu Zhang Plain
The Battle of Xiaoting , also known as the Battle of Yiling , was the only confrontation between Shu and Wu at the time of the Three Kingdoms . It did not result in any tactical advantage or disadvantage for either adversary, and in its aftermath the two powers were reconciled.
motivation
In 219, Wu's army, in a unique coalition with Cao Cao of Wei, recaptured Jing Province, which Sun Quan had given Liu Bei as a base in 208 . The Wu General Lu Meng had succeeded in arresting and executing the legendary Shu General Guan Yu and his son Guan Ping . The campaign was planned by Sima Yi and Lu Xun . Liu Bei was enraged by the death of his sworn brother.
Cao Cao died in 220 and his son Cao Pi forced the Han Emperor Xian to abdicate in his favor shortly afterwards. He founded the Wei Dynasty and from then on called himself Emperor of China . Liu Bei, a member of the imperial family, took this affront bitterly and declared in his name a year later the re-establishment of the imperial house under the name Shu Han . A year later, Sun Quan maintained his independence by proclaiming himself Emperor of Wu . Liu Bei considered this to be an insult to the Han heritage and himself. So he decided to subjugate Sun Quan in a campaign.
preparation
According to Luo Guanzhong's novel History of the Three Kingdoms , Liu Bei led every man in his sphere of influence capable of being used in the war, a number of 750,000 men, which, however, can be regarded as fictitious. A few days before the Shu Army mobilized , Zhang Fei , Liu Bei's second sworn brother, was slain by his own soldiers whom he had treated unfairly while drinking. This act fueled anger in Liu Bei, so he went into battle against Zhuge Liang's advice. Honored General Zhao Yun also refused to take part in the battle and was left with Zhuge Liang.
course
At the beginning, Liu Bei achieved a few victories so that he could advance into the center of Wu. As a result, the supply routes to Cheng Du became longer and longer, which prevented Liu Bei's advance. The Shu army consisted mostly of infantry , so it was superior to the Wu marines in the mountains. In the inner Wu, on the other hand, the land flattened, which placed Wu's cavalry and fleet in a favorable position vis-à-vis the exhausted Shu army.
In the battle of Yiling, Lu Xun was in command of the Wu forces. The Wu Army avoided fighting in the mountains and barricaded themselves in the fortifications in the lowlands. The Shu Army was therefore unable to gain soil on the plain and their supplies were running out. In addition, the hot summer in these latitudes caused problems for the soldiers. Lu Xun camped his army in river valleys and forests where the vegetation favored supplies, while Liu Bei's army was exposed to the heat in the plain.
Lu Xun turned out to be a brilliant strategist. He did not give in to Liu Bei's challenges and teasing and stayed behind the fortifications. Eventually, the heat became so unbearable for Liu Bei's army that Liu Bei, against Ma Liang's advice, relocated his army into the shady forest. There he was ambushed by Lu Xun's archers, who attacked Liu Bei's camp with incendiary arrows. The heat caught fire in the forest and forced Liu Bei to flee quickly. Liu Bei narrowly got away with his life, and fewer than a thousand returned with him to Bai Di Cheng (White Castle).
The battle of Yiling was the undoing of many Shu warriors. Liu Bei himself fell ill from the superhuman exertions of the campaign and died the following year. Ma Liang was trapped in the burning forest and fell.
Result
Wu's supremacy in southeastern China was confirmed by the victory at Yiling. Shu, on the other hand, had lost his emperor and many warriors. Zhuge Liang served as regent of Liu Bei's young son and successor, Liu Shan . In agreement with Wu Minister Zhuge Jin , his brother, he restored the old alliance between the two powers.