Battle of red cliff
Date of War: July 2008-November 2008
Location: Wulin (now northwest of Pu Yin, Hubei)
As a result, Sun Quan and Liu Bei won the allied victory.
Fighting parties
Cao Cao, Liu Bei and Sun Quan
commander
Cao Cao, Zhou Yu, Cheng Pu and Liu Bei
military strength
About 160,000 about 50,000
casualties
Unknown unknown
Battle of red cliff
Battle of Nagsaka-Battle of Wulin-Battle of Gangneung
Battle of Red Cliffs is one of the famous wars in the history of China. In 208 AD (13th year of Jian 'an of Emperor Xian of Han Dynasty), Cao Cao led a land and water army, claiming to be a million, launched the Jingzhou Campaign, and then crusaded against Sun Quan. Sun Quan and Liu Bei formed a coalition, under the command of Zhou Yu, and defeated Cao Jun in Chibi of the Yangtze River (now northwest of chibi city, Hubei, and northeast of Jiayu), thus laying a tripartite confrontation pattern among the three countries. Battle of Red Cliffs was the first large-scale river battle in the Yangtze River basin, and it was also the only war in which Sun, Cao and Liu all sent their main forces to participate.
Enterprising Jingzhou
Cao Cao completed the war of unifying the north after the battle of Guandu in 200 years and the northern expedition to Wuhuan in 2007. After returning to Yecheng (now southwest of Linzhang, Hebei Province) in the first month of the thirteenth year of Jian 'an, he immediately began military and political preparations for fighting in the south. First, drill a Xuanwu pool in Ye to practice the water army; Second, send Zhang Liao, Yu Jin and Le to the vicinity of Bingxu to prepare for the unexpected; Third, Ma Teng and his family moved to Yeh and became actual hostages to reduce the threat from the northwest. Fourth, he dismissed the three officials and placed the prime minister and the ancient scholar, further consolidating his dominant position; Fifthly, Kong Rong, who insulted and turned against himself several times, was eradicated to maintain his authority.
In the autumn of July, Cao Cao personally led an army of more than 100,000 troops south to Jingzhou. In the words of Wang Fuzhi in Reading as a Mirror, it was "taking advantage of Yuan Shao's power to defeat Jing and Wu". In an attempt to eliminate Liu Biao and Sun Quan of Jiangdong in one fell swoop and unify the world. Just as Cao Cao was dying, Liu Biao died in August. In September, the second son, Liu Cong, surrendered to Cao Jun in Xinye (now Henan Province) without fighting. Thousands of Meng Chong and battleships in Jingzhou Water Army were owned by Cao Cao, and the strength of Cao Jun's water war has greatly increased. Liu Bei, who was attached to Liu Biao and stationed troops in Fancheng (now Xiangfan, Hubei), led his troops to withdraw south after hearing the news.
At that time, Jiangling (now Jiangling, Hubei Province) stored a large amount of grain, grass and weapons of Liu Biao, so on the one hand, Liu Bei retreated from Fancheng to Jiangling, on the other hand, he ordered Guan Yu to lead the water army to meet at Jiangling via Hanshui River. In September, Cao Jun rode five thousand troops, including tiger and leopard, chasing Liu Bei, and occupied Jiangling after defeating Liu Beijun in Changbanpo, Dangyang (now northeast of Dangyang, Hubei).
Immediately after Cao Cao arrived in Jiangling, he took measures to settle the state officials and ordered "Jingzhou officials and people, and make a new start".
Jia Xu persuaded Cao Caoxian to use Jingzhou's resources, recuperate the army and the people, and stabilize the new land, but Cao Caoxian ignored his suggestion. Cao Jun's operational deployment is generally as follows: Zhao Yan is the prefect of Zhangling (the county is now in the southeast of Zaoyang, Hubei Province), and the seven armies, including Yu Ban, Zhang He, Zhu Ling, Li Dian, Zhang Liao and Feng Kai, are under unified command of their actions between Hanshui and Huaishui. In Jingzhou, Cao Cao stationed Coss and Xia Houyuan in Jiangling, Cao Hong in Xiangyang, and another naval army from Xiangyang along the Hanshui River to Xiakou. Cao Cao personally led a group along the river with the newly attached Jingzhou people to attack Dongwu.
When Cao Cao went south, Sun Quan sent Lu Su to Jingzhou to mourn Liu Biao, and said that Liu Bei was United with Cao Cao. Lu Su and Liu Bei met in Dangyang, and then Liu Bei used his plan to retreat to the southeast Hanshui River, joined Guan Yu's water army from the east of Hanshui River, and retreated to Xiakou (now Hankou, Wuhan, Hubei Province) with more than 10,000 troops of Liu Biao's eldest son Jiang Xia's satrap Liu Qi, in an attempt to unite Sun Quan against Cao Cao. Liu Bei sent Zhuge Liang with Su to Dongwu to fight against Cao Cao.
When Zhuge Liang arrived in Chaisang (southwest of Jiujiang, Jiangxi), Sun Quan had received a threatening letter from Cao Cao, which said, "Now there are 800 people in the water conservancy army, and Fang and the generals will hunt in Wu." Sun Quan didn't want to be controlled by Cao Cao with "all the land of Wu and hundreds of thousands of people", and he was worried that Sun Liu's joint army could not compete with Cao Cao. Sun Quan's leading faction, represented by Lu Su, and the leading faction, led by Zhang Zhao, also had a heated debate. Zhuge Liang analyzed the advantages and disadvantages of both sides for Sun Quan: "Although the Yuzhou (Liu Bei) army was defeated by Changban, there are still 10,000 soldiers in Guan Yu's water army and no fewer than 10,000 soldiers in Hejiangxia, Liu Qi." He pointed out: (1) Cao Cao's expedition made his foot soldiers tired; (2) northerners "don't learn to fight in water"; (3) The people of Jingzhou have not yet convinced Cao Cao. Zhuge Liang's conclusion is that if Sun and Liu unite, they will win.
Lu Su persuaded Sun Quan by challenging him, and at the same time advised Sun Quan to immediately recall Zhou Yu from Poyang (now northeast of Poyang, Jiangxi). Zhou Yu supported the opinions of Zhuge Liang and Lu Su, and analyzed the weaknesses of Cao Jun successively, pointing out: first, Cao Jun was exhausted; Second, "It's cold now, and the horse has no grass." Third, Ma Chao and Han Sui are still in Kansai, which is Cao Cao's future trouble. Then, the actual strength of Cao Jun was analyzed, and it was pointed out that Cao Jun from the Central Plains was only 150,000 to 60,000, and the 70,000 or 80,000 people who were newly reduced by Liu Biao were not popular with Cao.
Sun Quan strengthened the confidence of United Liu Kang Cao to win, and appointed Zhou Yu and Cheng Pu as the left and right commanders, and Lu Su as a captain of Zanjun. Zhou Yu led 30,000 elite troops to Xiakou along the Yangtze River, and joined more than 20,000 people with Liu Bei's armies to fight against Cao.
[edit]
Defeat Wulin
Zhou Yu's army met Liu Bei at Fankou. Then go against the current, go to Chibi, and meet Cao Jun. Cao Jun's newly compiled and newly attached Jingzhou Water Army were weak in fighting capacity and suffered from plague, which made the first battle unfavorable. Cao Cao had to "lead the army to the north of the river" and lean the warships to the side of Wulin on the north bank. Zhou Yu docked the warship at the Chibi side of the south bank and confronted each other in two phases.
The northern soldiers were not used to life on the ship, so Cao Cao ordered the warships to be chained together with iron chains to reduce the turbulence. Zhou Yu suggested that Huang Gai should use fire attack tactics to defeat Cao Jun: "It is difficult and lasting to fight against many people today. However, the military ships and ships are connected end to end, and they can burn away. " Zhou Yu adopted Huang Gai's suggestion and immediately decided to let Huang Gai approach Cao Cao's warship by pretending to surrender. Huang prepared ten Meng Chong fighting ships, full of firewood and oil, disguised with curtains for external use, and inserted the banner agreed with Cao Cao.
It's the middle of winter, and it's often windy in the north, but according to the meteorological law, after a few days of cold days, it's common to have less warm days, and the wind direction may also become easterly or southerly. It is said that on November 12th, Jiazi Day (2081February 7th), the sky was clear and the wind was warm, the south wind started in the evening, and the wind was urgent at midnight. Huang Gai set out with the prepared ship and sailed for Cao Ship with the wind. When he reached the center of the river, Huang Gai saw the torch with his hand, which made all the soldiers shout in unison: "Come down!" " Cao Jun's officers and men were unprepared. "They all waited and watched, pointing their fingers at the words.". Two miles away from Cao Jun, Huang Gai ordered the firewood to be lit, and at the same time he became angry. The fire was fierce and the ship went like an arrow, burning up the north ship and extending to the camps on the shore. In a moment, "the smoke is burning, and there are many people who burn and drown."
Sun Jun's main fleet on the south bank took the opportunity to roll drums; At the same time, Liu Bei also moved from Shushan to Wulin. The allied forces crossed the Yangtze River and defeated Cao Jun greatly. Seeing that the defeat could not be saved, Cao Cao immediately set himself on fire and led the army to retreat. Zhou Yu and Liu Bei's troops went hand in hand, and Cao Cao retreated in the direction of Jiangling along Huarong Trail (now Jianli North, Hubei Province), and suffered from plague and hunger, and Cao Jun lost most of it. Thanks to Zhang Liao, Xu Zhu and others, we got out of danger. At the gates of Jiangling, Cao Cao returned to the north for fear of instability in the rear, leaving Coss and Xu Huang to guard Jiangling, while Man Chong was stationed in Dangyang.
[edit]
consequence
Before Chibi, Cao Cao's advantages were very great: first, Cao Cao's "commanding princes with the help of the emperor" made it difficult for princes to compete morally; Second, Cao Cao went south with a newly won army, and his spirit was full. Third, Cao Cao's troops were several times that of Sun and Liu. Since Cao Cao has such advantages, Sun Liu's record is even more brilliant. This battle, in which Sun Liujun played an important role in the water war and skillfully attacked with fire, can be regarded as a decisive and famous war example in the history of China. After the Chibi War, Cao Cao returned to the north and never had the opportunity to go south to Jingzhou on such a large scale. Cao Cao Group also lost the possibility of unifying the whole country in a short time.
Zhou Yu and others confronted Coss across the river and sent Gan Ning to attack Yiling (now Yichang, Hubei Province). Coss led his troops into Gan Ning, and Zhou Yu led the army to rescue Cao Renjun. Liu Bei returned to Xiakou and wanted to go back to the Han River and detour behind Coss. The following year, Coss was forced to retreat. Sun Quan continued to form an alliance with Liu Bei to resist Cao Cao. Liu Bei took advantage of the situation to acquire most of Jingzhou, including Wuling (the county is now in Changde, Hunan Province), Changsha, Guiyang (the county is now in Chenxian County, Hunan Province) and Lingling (both in Hunan Province). Later, he won Yizhou in Liu Zhang. Sun Quan's possession of Jiangdong formed a separatist regime of Wei, Shu and Wu.
[edit]
comment
Commenting on Cao Cao's defeat in Chibi, traditional historians emphasize his pride in underestimating his enemy. For example, Zhang Zuoyao's Biography of Cao Cao said, "Cao Cao is extremely excited and easily carried away by victory."
Cao Cao did not take advantage of the victory to completely defeat Liu Bei.
Pei Songzhi, who made a note for the History of the Three Kingdoms, disagreed. He thought: "Cao Cao was both a new peacemaker and a deterrent; Endowed with Liu Biao's tools of water warfare, by taking advantage of Jingchu's advantages, it will be a good opportunity for shock and a great opportunity for outline; If you don't take this opportunity to take Wu, will you be safe? 」
One aspect that traditional comments generally ignore is the epidemic factors. Cao Cao attributed the failure to illness. He wrote to Sun Quan, saying, "The battle of Chibi was worthy of illness, and he burned his boat alone and retired, which made Zhou Yuxi famous. Pei Songzhi's comment on Battle of Red Cliffs said, "As for the defeat of Chibi, there is luck. In fact, the disease is vigorously promoted to damage the sharp peak, and the wind is from the south and used as a burning trend. It's a fact of life, is it human? Li Yousong's article "Discussion on the Relationship between Cao Cao's Defeat of Chibi and Schistosomiasis" points out that the reason for Cao Cao's defeat in Battle of Red Cliffs is "disease"-acute schistosomiasis. The battlefield in Battle of Red Cliffs was precisely the area where schistosomiasis was seriously prevalent at that time, and the time was the infection season of schistosomiasis. Battle of Red Cliffs started in winter, but Cao Jun was migrating and training in autumn. Cao Cao's water army was infected with schistosomiasis before the war in Battle of Red Cliffs, and it took more than a month to get sick, which made it exhausted and vulnerable during the war. However, Liu and Sun's troops have been engaged in production and life in schistosomiasis endemic areas for a long time, and the soldiers have more or less developed certain immunity.
Rafe de Crespigny thinks that the Battle of Wulin is really a small-scale encounter.
[edit]
Legend and romance
When later generations of writers wrote poems, essays and novels on the theme of this war, they often deliberately infiltrated exaggerated and attached elements.
In Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Battle of Red Cliffs is the most important, largest and most concentrated war in the book. From the 42nd session of Liu Yuzhou's defeat in Hanjin Kou, Lu Su came to Xiakou to mourn Liu Biao, followed by the 43rd session of Zhuge Liang's war of words with Confucianism, the 40th session of Zhuge Liang's wisdom to arouse Zhou Yu, the 45th session of Jiang Gan's recruitment of heroes, the 46th session of borrowing an arrow from Kongming with a strange plan, the 47th session of Pang Tong's clever teaching of a series of tricks, and the 48th session of locking the war.
The Romance of the Three Kingdoms vividly describes that Zhou Yu's camp is located in the western hills of Ezhou City, and Sun and Cao Bing are located in Sanjiangkou.
Legends and romances are quite different from history.
[edit]
appendix
[edit]
historical materials
The main first-hand historical data is the History of the Three Kingdoms written by Chen Shou.
There are many contradictions in Wei Shu, Shu Shu and Wu Shu in the History of the Three Kingdoms.
In recent 30 years, archaeological discoveries have begun to supplement official records. 1973 A bronze stirrup was unearthed in the late Eastern Han Dynasty, with a tile inkstone bearing the eighth year of Jian 'an (AD 203), bronze mirrors, ceramics and arrowheads of the Eastern Han Dynasty. 1976, iron rings, nails, bronze mirrors of the Eastern Han Dynasty and other objects on the sunken ship were found in the soil layer more than one meter below Chibi Mountain. In the same year, another hook made of copper, iron and jade was found on Chibi Mountain.
[edit]
The position of Chibi
Over the years, the academic circles have discussed the issue of "Red Cliff" and various theories have been called "New Red Cliff War" by modern media. Generally speaking, there are at least seven kinds of "Red Cliff Theory": Pu Yin Theory, Huangzhou Theory, Zhongxiang Theory, Wuchang Theory, Hanyang Theory, Hanchuan Theory and Jiayu Theory. Judging from the current discussion, the focus of the debate is Pu Yin's theory, Jiayu's theory and Huangzhou's theory, and the other four theories are difficult to establish.
1. Pu Yin said: "The Red Cliff is in the northwest of Pu Yin County, Hubei Province, on the south bank of the Yangtze River," as written in "Notes on the Translation of Ancient Chinese Literature" edited by Yin Falu. "Yuanhe County Map" also said: "Chibi Mountain is 120 miles west of Pu Yin County, with the great river in the north, and its north shore is Wulin, that is, Zhou Yu used Huang Gaice to burn Cao Gong's boat and failed. Hu Sansheng's Zi Zhi Tong Jian and Tan Qixiang's Atlas of Chinese History are also the main points. Of the three statements, Pu Yin is more credible, because in recent years, a large number of artifacts have been excavated in Chibi, Pu Yin. 199 1 The School of Humanities of Hubei University published the Collection of Essays on Chibi in Pu Yin, an ancient battlefield, which agrees with the above viewpoints.
2. Jiayu said: "Ancient Chinese" edited by Wang Li and "Selected Literary Works of China in Past Dynasties" edited by Zhu Dongrun both hold the view that Chibi is in the northeast of Jiayu County, Hubei Province. If we trace back to the source of this theory, there is evidence that the unified annals of the Qing Dynasty quoted from Shui Jing Zhu. "Notes on Water Classics" says: "Chibi Mountain is in the south of Bairen Mountain, and it should be in the northeast of Jiayu County, at the junction with Jiangxia, and go up to Wulin for 200 miles. "This statement was later approved by Yang Shoujing, a famous geographer in the late Qing Dynasty.
3. Huangzhou said: There is another saying that Chibi is in the east of Wuhan today. Du Mu in the Tang Dynasty and Su Shi in the Northern Song Dynasty regarded Chibiji (now Dongpo Chibi) in the northwest of Huanggang (ancient Huangzhou) as Chibi, because the rock wall here was vertical and red, just like a fire. Su Shi's "Qian Chibi Fu" said: "Looking at Xiakou in the west and Wuchang in the east. 」