Battle of Liyang

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Battle of Liyang
Part of the wars at the end of the Han dynasty
Datec. October 202 – June 203
Location
Result Withdrawal of Cao Cao's main army; mutiny of Yuan Tan
Territorial
changes
Cao Cao establishes a bridgehead in Liyang
Belligerents
Cao Cao Yuan Shang
Commanders and leaders
Cao Cao Yuan Shang
Yuan Tan

"Yuan Shao loved those two sons, but neither was proclaimed as his heir. Now they are rivals for power and each has his own party. If we press them hard they will support one another, but if we ease off they will begin to quarrel. The best plan is to turn south against Jing Province and wait for something to happen. When things have changed, we can attack then, and the whole affair may be settled in a single blow." [7] [lower-alpha 1]

Cao Cao accepted the advice and retreated homeward, placing Jia Xin (賈信) in the beachhead fortress of Liyang while presumably leaving the untenable position of Yin'an to his enemies. [6]

When Cao Cao was retreating across the Yellow River, Yuan Tan requested new equipment and additional troops from Yuan Shang so he could catch Cao Cao mid-river. Doubtful of his elder brother's intentions, Yuan Shang granted neither. Yuan Tan's advisors Guo Tu and Xin Ping added fuel to the fire by suggesting it was Shen Pei who made Yuan Shao send Yuan Tan away to be adopted by his uncle, causing a furious Yuan Tan turned his army to attack Yuan Shang and Shen Pei in Ye. Yuan Tan was defeated and fled to Nanpi, while Cao Cao returned to his capital Xu City apparently unmolested. [9]

Aftermath

Despite initial successes, Cao Cao had suffered setbacks, and in the end could only retain the beachhead Liyang after nine months of campaigning. He stayed in Xu City for the next three months, possibly to assert his authority to prevent any disorder that might arise from his extended absence. During his stay there, he issued two proclamations that sought to punish and demote unsuccessful officers, with the reason that ranks and rewards should not be given to those who failed to earn them. [10]

The threat of the Yuan brothers would soon resolve itself, as Guo Jia had reasoned. The Yuan brothers had turned against each other, with Yuan Shang gaining the upper hand in the fraternal conflict. Yuan Tan was eventually driven from Nanpi and took refuge in Pingyuan; besieged there, he turned to Cao Cao for help. The Governor of Jing Province Liu Biao, an old ally of Yuan Shao, had the famed writer Wang Can write a letter each to Yuan Tan and Yuan Shang on his behalf, urging them to fight against their nemesis Cao Cao, not amongst themselves. The letter to Yuan Tan in particular celebrated the Yuan brothers' victory in Ye against a strong enemy, and sternly disapproved of Yuan Tan's reliance on Cao Cao. [11] [6] Still, Liu Biao's remonstrances fell on deaf ears.

Cao Cao was engaged in battle with Liu Biao on their common border when Yuan Tan's ambassador Xin Pi approached him. It turned out that Xin Pi was disillusioned about his lord, and suggested to Cao Cao that this would be the opportunity to destroy both Yuan Shang and Yuan Tan before the two brothers make up and unite their forces. Xun Yu had also made an argument along these lines previously. Cao Cao accepted the advice and ostensibly allied with Yuan Tan. In 204, Cao Cao launched an attack from Liyang and routed Yuan Shang's army from Ye to relieve Yuan Tan, causing Yuan Shang to seek refuge with Yuan Xi. In the year after that, Cao Cao accused Yuan Tan of ill intent and canceled the alliance, and followed that by laying siege to Nanpi. Yuan Tan was killed in that battle. The Yuan clan's hold on China's north was thus broken, though they would hold on until their final destruction in 207.

Notes

  1. Original text as follows: 袁紹愛此二子,莫適立也。有郭圖、逢紀為之謀臣,必交鬥其間,還相離也。急之則相持,緩之而後爭心生。不如南向荊州,若征劉表者,以待其變;變成而後擊之,可一舉定也。 [8]

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References

Battle of Liyang
Traditional Chinese 黎陽之戰
Simplified Chinese 黎阳之战