Battle of Jieting

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Battle of Jieting
Part of the First Northern Expedition of Shu of the Three Kingdoms
Date 228 Location Jieting, Gansu Result Decisive Wei victory
Combatants
Kingdom of Wei	Kingdom of Shu
Commanders
Zhang He	Ma Su

Wars of the Three Kingdoms
Yellow Turban Rebellion – Campaign against Dong Zhuo – Jieqiao – Wancheng – Xiapi – Yijing – Guandu – Changban – Red Cliffs – Tong Pass – Hefei – Mount Dingjun – Fancheng – Xiaoting – Southern Campaign – Northern Expeditions (Jieting) – Shiting – (Wuzhang Plains)

The Battle of Jieting (街亭之戰) was a battle fought in 228 during the First Northern Expedition led by Zhuge Liang.

Jieting was a crucial region for the securing of supplies, and Zhuge Liang sent generals Ma Su and Wang Ping to guard the region. Ma Su went accompanied by Wang Ping but did not listen to his sound military advice. Relying purely on books of military tactics, he chose to 'take the high ground' and set his base on a hill, ignoring Wang Ping and his advice to set up base in a valley well supplied with water. Due to this tactical mistake, the Wei troops led by Zhang He successfully encircled the hill; with Wang Ping's assistance Ma Su broke out, but the army and the fort were both lost. Though he survived the battle, Ma Su feared punishment and attempted to flee. However, he was soon captured by Shu forces.

[edit] Aftermath

Ma Su was sentenced to death by Zhuge Liang, but he eventually died of sickness in jail before the execution could be carried out. In the Romance of Three Kingdoms, Ma Su was beheaded by a tearful Zhuge Liang, whose continued high appraisal for Ma Su's intelligence made that a very reluctant decision. The scene is considered among the most famous in the novel, and is reenacted in Chinese opera frequently.

A Japanese proverb, "executing Ma Su with tears" (泣いて馬謖を斬る, naite Bashoku wo kiru^?) refers specifically to this incident, meaning "punishing a person for his wrongdoings regardless of relations or his abilities".

Because of the loss of Jieting, the supply situation became dire for Zhuge Liang's army and he had to retreat to his main base at Hanzhong. In the Romance of Three Kingdoms, the loss of Jieting exposed Zhuge Liang's current location, the defenseless Xicheng. Zhuge Liang used the empty fort strategy to ward off the Wei army before his retreat.