Battle of Mount Dingjun

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Part of the wars of the Three Kingdoms

Date	218 - 219
Location	Yangping Pass, Shanxi
Result	Shu victory

Combatants

Cao Wei

Shu Han

Commanders

Xiahou Yuan†

Liu Bei

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 Mount Dingjun (定軍山之戰) took place in year 219, during the Three Kingdoms period of China. The battle was fought between the kingdoms of Wei and Shu. The Shu victory at Mount Dingjun was a major stepping stone to the later conquest of Hanzhong, after which Liu Bei crowned himself King of Hanzhong.

1 The battle
2 In fiction
- 2.1 Romance of the Three Kingdoms
- 2.2 Beijing opera
3 References

[edit] The battle

In 217, Liu Bei led a force upon Hanzhong, which was under the control of Cao Cao. His force met with resistance led by Xiahou Yuan at Yangping Pass (陽平關). The confrontation dragged on for more than a year until one night, Liu Bei set fire to the barbed fence around Xiahou Yuan's camp at the foot of Mount Dingjun. Alarmed by the attack, Xiahou Yuan sent Zhang He to defend the eastern corner of the camp, while he guarded the south. Liu Bei's main force pressed against Zhang He, outmatching the latter. Xiahou Yuan had to dispatch a fraction of his own troops to Zhang He's rescue.

Accompanied by drums, the division led by Huang Zhong then descended upon Xiahou Yuan's dwindling force. The battle became a rout and Xiahou Yuan was killed in battle.

[edit] In fiction

[edit] Romance of the Three Kingdoms

In chapter 71 of the historical novel The Romance of the Three Kingdoms by Luo Guanzhong, Xiahou Yuan has his camp set up on Mount Dingjun, so he can easily see the Shu camp at the bottom of the mountain. At the advice of Fa Zheng, Huang Zhong moved his forces to Mount Tiandang, a nearby mountain with a higher peak. Xiahou Yuan cannot tolerate Shu having the vantage point, and decides to attack Mount Tiandang. Huang Zhong, however, keeps his forces back and will not engage the Wei soldiers.

Later, Fa Zheng sees that Xiahou's forces were dispirited. He then signals Huang Zhong to attack Wei. Xiahou Yuan cannot respond in time and was killed by Huang Zhong, who cleaves Xiahou right beneath the shoulders.

[edit] Beijing opera

The battle is also famously reenacted in the Beijing opera scene, based on the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. It was said that the actor acting as Xiahou Yuan would get a red envelope for his performance during Chinese new year, since it is considered bad fortune to be "killed" on stage at that time of the year. Notably, China's first film, The Battle of Dingjunshan (1905), was a recording of the Beijing opera depicting this battle.