Battle of Yangping | |||||||
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Part of the wars at the end of the Han dynasty | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
Cao Cao | Zhang Lu | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Cao Cao | Zhang Lu |
Battle of Yangping | |||||||
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Traditional Chinese | 陽平之戰 | ||||||
Simplified Chinese | 阳平之战 | ||||||
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Battle of Yangping Pass | |||||||
Traditional Chinese | 陽平關之戰 | ||||||
Simplified Chinese | 阳平关之战 | ||||||
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The Battle of Yangping,also known as the Battle of Yangping Pass,was fought between the warlords Cao Cao and Zhang Lu from roughly April 215 to January 216 during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. The battle concluded with a victory for Cao Cao.
Sometime between 17 April and 15 May 215,Cao Cao launched a campaign against Zhang Lu in Hanzhong Commandery. When Cao Cao's army arrived at Chencang (陳倉;present-day Chencang District,Baoji,Shaanxi) and was about to pass through Wudu (武都;around present-day Longnan,Gansu),the Di tribes in the area blocked their path,so Cao Cao sent Zhang He,Zhu Ling and others to attack the Di and clear the way. Between 16 May and 14 June 215,Cao Cao's army passed through San Pass (散關) and arrived at Hechi (河池). The Di king,Dou Mao (竇茂),led thousands of tribesmen to resist Cao Cao,but Cao defeated them by the following month and he massacred the Di population. Qu Yan (麴演),Jiang Shi (蔣石) and other generals from Xiping (西平) and Jincheng (金城) commanderies killed Han Sui and sent his head to Cao Cao. [1]
Between 13 August and 10 September 215,Cao Cao's forces reached Yangping Pass (陽平關;in present-day Ningqiang County,Shaanxi) after making a long and arduous journey through mountainous terrain. When his soldiers started complaining,Cao Cao announced that he would remember them for their contributions to encourage them to move on. [2]
Zhang Lu ordered his younger brother Zhang Wei (張衛) and officer Yang Ang (楊昂) to lead troops to defend the pass. Zhang Wei and Yang Ang had defensive structures built in the mountainous areas,spanning over 10 li ,to deter Cao Cao's advances. Cao Cao was unable to overcome the enemy after launching assaults so he withdrew his forces. Zhang Lu's men lowered their defences when they saw Cao Cao retreating. Cao Cao gave secret orders to Xie Biao (解忄剽) and Gao Zuo (高祚) to lead a sneak attack on the enemy at night and they achieved success. Yang Ang was killed in action while Zhang Wei fled under the cover of night.
Zhang Lu retreated to Bazhong (巴中;in present-day eastern Sichuan) when he heard that Yangping Pass had been taken. Cao Cao's army occupied Nanzheng (南鄭;present-day Nanzheng County,Shaanxi),the capital of Hanzhong Commandery,and seized the precious items stored in Zhang Lu's treasuries. [3]
The people in Hanzhong surrendered to Cao Cao,who then renamed the place to "Hanzhong" from its previous name "Hanning" (漢寧). [lower-alpha 1] Cao Cao separated Anyang (安陽) and Xicheng (西城) counties from Hanzhong and placed them under the jurisdiction of Xicheng Commandery (西城郡) and appointed an Administrator (太守) to oversee the commandery. He also partitioned Xi (錫) and Shangyong (上庸) commanderies and appointed Commandants (都尉) to govern those areas. [4]
Between 11 October and 8 November 215,the tribal king Pu Hu (朴胡),Ren Yue (任約) and Du Huo (杜濩),the Marquis of Congyi (賨邑侯),led the people in Bayi (巴夷) and Cong (賨) to submit to Cao Cao. Cao Cao split Ba Commandery (巴郡) into Badong (巴東;"East Ba") and Baxi (巴西;"West Ba") commanderies and appointed Pu Hu and Du Huo as their Administrators respectively. Ren Yue was appointed as the Administrator of Ba Commandery (巴郡太守). All of them also received marquis titles. [5] In October,Emperor Xian also granted Cao Cao the authority to confer titles upon the nobles and officials in the area. [6] [7]
Between 9 December 215 and 6 January 216,Zhang Lu led his followers out of Bazhong and came to surrender to Cao Cao. Cao Cao accepted their surrender and granted marquis titles to Zhang Lu and his five sons. Around the time,Liu Bei had recently seized control of Yi Province (covering present-day Sichuan and Chongqing) from its governor Liu Zhang and occupied Bazhong after Zhang Lu left. Cao Cao ordered Zhang He to lead a force to attack Liu Bei,but Zhang He was defeated by Liu's general Zhang Fei at the Battle of Baxi. [8] [9]
Between 7 January and 5 February 216,Cao Cao left Nanzheng and headed back to Ye (present-day Handan,Hebei),leaving behind Xiahou Yuan to guard Hanzhong. [10]
The battle is featured as a playable stage in Koei's video games Dynasty Warriors 5:Xtreme Legends and Dynasty Warriors 7 as well as Warriors Orochi 3 .
Zhang Liao, courtesy name Wenyuan, was a Chinese military general serving under the warlord Cao Cao in the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. He served briefly in the state of Cao Wei, founded by Cao Cao's successor Cao Pi, in the early Three Kingdoms period before his death. Formerly a subordinate of other warlords such as Ding Yuan, Dong Zhuo and Lü Bu, Zhang Liao joined Cao Cao around 198 after Lü Bu's downfall at the Battle of Xiapi. Since then, he participated in many of Cao Cao's military campaigns, including those against Yuan Shao's heirs and the Wuhuan tribes from 201 to 207. He is best known for his pivotal role in the Battle of Xiaoyao Ford in 214–215, in which he successfully defended Hefei from the forces of the warlord Sun Quan.
Liu Bei, courtesy name Xuande (玄德), was a Chinese warlord in the late Eastern Han dynasty who later became the founding emperor of Shu Han, one of the Three Kingdoms of China. Although he was a distant relative of the Han imperial family, Liu Bei's father died when he was a child and left his family impoverished. To help his mother, he sold shoes and straw mats. When he reached the age of fifteen, his mother sent him to study under Lu Zhi. In his youth, Liu Bei was known as ambitious and charismatic. He gathered a militia army to fight the Yellow Turbans. Liu Bei fought bravely in many battles and grew famous for his exploits. Later, he participated in the coalition against Dong Zhuo, following this joined his childhood friend Gongsun Zan and fought under him against Yuan Shao.
Zhang He, courtesy name Junyi, was a military general serving under the warlord Cao Cao in the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. He continued serving in the state of Cao Wei under its first two rulers, Cao Pi and Cao Rui, during the Three Kingdoms period until his death.
Xu Huang, courtesy name Gongming, was a Chinese military general serving under the warlord Cao Cao in the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. He later served in the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period under the first two rulers, Cao Pi and Cao Rui, before his death at the start of Cao Rui's reign. Xu Huang is best noted for breaking the siege at the Battle of Fancheng in 219 by routing the enemy commander Guan Yu on the field.
Zhang Fei, courtesy name Yide, was a military general serving under the warlord Liu Bei in the late Eastern Han dynasty and early Three Kingdoms period of China. Zhang Fei and Guan Yu, who were among the earliest to join Liu Bei, shared a brotherly relationship with their lord and accompanied him on most of his early exploits. Zhang Fei fought in various battles on Liu Bei's side, including the Red Cliffs campaign (208–209), takeover of Yi Province (212–214), and Hanzhong Campaign (217–218). He was assassinated by his subordinates in 221 after serving for only a few months in the state of Shu Han, which was founded by Liu Bei earlier that year.
Huang Zhong, courtesy name Hansheng, was a Chinese military general serving under the warlord Liu Bei during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. He is best known for his victory at the Battle of Mount Dingjun in 219, in which his force routed that of an enemy general, Xiahou Yuan, who was killed in action during the raid.
Xiahou Yuan, courtesy name Miaocai, was a Chinese military general and politician serving under the warlord Cao Cao in the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. He is known for his exploits in western China in the 210s, during which he defeated Cao Cao's rivals Ma Chao and Han Sui in Liang Province and the surrounding areas, and forced several Di and Qiang tribal peoples into submission. He was killed in action at the Battle of Mount Dingjun while defending Hanzhong Commandery from attacks by a rival warlord Liu Bei. Xiahou Yuan's death was highly dramatised in the 14th-century historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms, in which he was slain by Liu Bei's general Huang Zhong during a surprise raid.
Cao Ren, courtesy name Zixiao, was a military general serving during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China under the warlord Cao Cao, who was also his older second cousin. He continued serving in the state of Cao Wei – founded by Cao Cao's son and successor, Cao Pi – during the Three Kingdoms period. He played a significant part in assisting Cao Cao in the civil wars leading to the end of the Han dynasty. He was appointed as the Grand Marshal (大司馬) when Cao Pi ascended the throne, and was also credited by the latter for the establishment of Wei. However, Cao Ren was also once derided as a mediocre commander by Zhu Huan, a general from Wei's rival state Eastern Wu.
Pang De, courtesy name Lingming, was a Chinese military general who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty. He started his career under the warlord Ma Teng, who was based in Liang Province. In 211, Ma Teng's son Ma Chao, along with a coalition of warlords from Liang Province, started a rebellion against the Han central government, which was controlled by the warlord Cao Cao. After Cao Cao defeated Ma Chao and the coalition at the Battle of Tong Pass, Ma Chao fled to Hanzhong Commandery and took shelter under the warlord Zhang Lu. Pang De accompanied him to Hanzhong. When Ma Chao defected from Zhang Lu's side in order to join the warlord Liu Bei, Pang De remained in Hanzhong and eventually came to serve Cao Cao after Cao Cao defeated Zhang Lu at the Battle of Yangping and took over Hanzhong. In 219, Pang De fought at the Battle of Fancheng under Cao Ren's command against Liu Bei's forces led by Guan Yu. Pang De was captured in battle and eventually executed by Guan Yu when he refused to surrender.
Cao Zhen, courtesy name Zidan, was a military general of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of China. He was an adopted son of Cao Cao, a warlord who rose to power in the late Eastern Han dynasty and laid the foundation for Wei. After Cao Cao's death and the end of the Eastern Han dynasty, Cao Zhen served under Cao Pi and Cao Rui, the first two emperors of Wei. He is best known for leading a successful defence of Wei from the first two of a series of invasions by Wei's rival state, Shu Han, between 228 and 229.
Wang Ping, courtesy name Zijun, was a military general of the state of Shu Han in the Three Kingdoms period of China. Originally a military officer serving under the warlord Cao Cao. In 219, he defected to Cao Cao's rival Liu Bei during the Hanzhong Campaign. Although he was a talented orator, Wang Ping never learned to read because he joined the army at a young age. However, he did not let this disadvantage stop him and had his clerk help him with his reports. Known for his self discipline, he steadily rose through the ranks to become a senior general. During his career, he defeated Zhang He, quelled Wei Yan's alleged rebellion and was the leading commander of the Shu forces during the Battle of Xingshi. The highest position he reached was Senior General Who Guards the North (鎮北大將軍).
Huang Quan, courtesy name Gongheng, was a military general of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of China. He previously served under the warlords Liu Zhang and Liu Bei during the late Eastern Han dynasty and in the state of Shu Han during the early Three Kingdoms period before defecting to Cao Wei. Liu Bei relied heavily on Huang Quan for counsel in both domestic and foreign policy. Under the Wei government, however, Huang Quan was restricted to only internal affairs because even though the Wei emperor Cao Pi appreciated him for his talent, he doubted Huang Quan's allegiance and believed he was still secretly loyal to Liu Bei.
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The Hanzhong Campaign was a military campaign launched by the warlord Liu Bei to seize control of Hanzhong Commandery from his rival, Cao Cao. The campaign took place between November 217 and August 219 during the prelude to the Three Kingdoms period. Although Cao Cao's forces had settled in Hanzhong Commandery two years prior after the Battle of Yangping, they were worn out by an overall Fabian strategy employed by Liu Bei's forces, who used targeted attacks to capture strategic locations from the enemy. One of these attacks resulted in the death of Xiahou Yuan, one of Cao Cao's top generals, delivering a huge blow to the morale of Cao Cao's forces. Due to logistical and other issues, Cao Cao was eventually forced to abandon Hanzhong Commandery and order a retreat in June 219. Liu Bei emerged victorious in the campaign and occupied Hanzhong Commandery, after which he declared himself "King of Hanzhong" in August of that year.
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