Battle of Bowang

The Battle of Bowang, also known as the Battle of Bowang Slope, was a battle fought between the warlords Cao Cao and Liu Bei in 202 during the prelude to the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history.

1 Background
2 The battle
3 In fiction
4 Cultural references
5 References

Background

Liu Bei originally sought refuge under the northern warlord Yuan Shao after being defeated by Cao Cao in 200 at Xu Province. However, he left Yuan Shao after the latter was defeated by Cao Cao at the Battle of Guandu in late 200, and went to Jing Province (covering present-day Hubei and Hunan) to seek shelter under the governor Liu Biao. Liu Biao initially welcomed Liu Bei and put him in charge of Xinye, but he gradually grew suspicious of Liu Bei as the latter became increasingly influential in Jing Province. As a result, Liu Biao sent Liu Bei to Bowang near Jing Province's northern border to defend against an invasion by Cao Cao.

At the same time, Cao Cao's forces were at war in northern China with Yuan Shao's remnants, led by Yuan's sons Yuan Tan, Yuan Xi and Yuan Shang. To counter Liu Bei's maneuvers, Cao Cao sent his generals Xiahou Dun, Li Dian and Yu Jin to lead an army south to attack Liu Bei.

The battle

During the battle, Liu Bei suddenly set fire to his camp and retreated south. Xiahou Dun gave chase but Li Dian cautioned him, "I suspect that there's an ambush because the bandits (referring to Liu Bei's forces) are retreating for no reason. The paths to the south are narrow and the bushes are thick there. Do not pursue." Xiahou Dun ignored Li Dian's warning and left Li behind to guard the camp while he led the rest of his troops to pursue Liu Bei's retreating army. As predicted by Li Dian, Liu Bei did indeed set an ambush, and Xiahou Dun fell into the trap and was defeated. Li Dian's regiment came to Xiahou Dun's rescue and Liu Bei retreated after seeing Li Dian's reinforcements.

In the battle, Liu Bei's general Zhao Yun captured Xiahou Lan (夏侯蘭), an enemy commander who was from the same hometown as Zhao. Zhao Yun requested for Liu Bei to spare Xiahou Lan's life and recommended Xiahou to be a military judge.

In fiction

The Battle of Bowang was mentioned in chapter 39 of Luo Guanzhong's historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms. In the novel, the battle took place in 208 instead of 202. Besides, credit for the victory went to Liu Bei's advisor Zhuge Liang, whose intelligence was exemplified soon after he came to serve Liu Bei.

In chapter 38, Liu Bei personally paid three visits to the thatched cottage that Zhuge Liang lived in, and succeeded in recruiting Zhuge to be his advisor. Following that, Liu Bei became very close to Zhuge and kept making praises about him. Liu Bei's sworn brothers Guan Yu and Zhang Fei became unhappy because they thought that Zhuge was nothing but a bookworm. Not long later, when Cao Cao sent Xiahou Dun to lead 100,000 troops to attack Liu Bei in Xinye, Zhang Fei sarcastically remarked that Zhuge Liang can go and resist the enemy himself.

Zhuge Liang understood that he was new to Liu Bei's forces and had not made any contributions yet, so Liu Bei's established generals such as Guan Yu and Zhang Fei were likely to disobey his commands. Thus, he asked Liu Bei for his sword and seal, symbols of a commander's authority, and announced that anyone who did not follow orders would be executed. Zhuge then proceeded to describe the battle plan: Guan Yu and Zhang Fei would each lead 1,000 men to wait in ambush on the left and right sides of Bowang respectively, and burn the enemy's supplies when they see fires burning at the south; Guan Ping and Liu Feng were tasked with setting fire to Bowang Slope when the enemy approached; Zhao Yun would lead the vanguard to lure the enemy into the ambush; Liu Bei would lead the backup force. Zhuge also asked Liu Bei to prepare for victory celebrations.

When Xiahou Dun arrived at Bowang, he selected half of his troops to be the vanguard while the rest defended the supplies. Zhao Yun and Liu Bei consecutively came to challenge Xiahou Dun, then feigned defeat and retreated to lure Xiahou to chase them. When Xiahou Dun personally led the pursuit, his deputy Han Hao cautioned him against ambushes, but Xiahou replied, "I see that the enemy is so weak. Even if they set ambushes on ten sides, I have nothing to fear." As Xiahou Dun ventured deeper into the valley, Liu Bei came to engage him again but retreated soon. Xiahou Dun laughed and said to Han Hao, "So this is the ambush you were talking about!", and then advanced towards Xinye.

During the pursuit, Yu Jin and Li Dian arrived in a narrow position, and a worried Li told Yu, "One who underestimates the enemy would certainly encounter defeat. The terrain here is rough, what if the enemy uses fire here?" Yu Jin understood Li Dian's concern and rode ahead to warn Xiahou Dun while Li tried to stop his men from moving further. Xiahou Dun suddenly realized the danger he was in and tried to retreat but Liu Bei's forces lying in ambush had already set fire to his surroundings. Strong winds helped to spread the fire as Xiahou Dun's troops panicked and stumbled on each other as they attempted to flee, while Zhao Yun turned around to attack the enemy. Xiahou Dun escaped by bashing through the flames and smoke.

In the rear, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei's men set fire to Xiahou Dun's supplies as Han Hao and Xiahou Lan attempted to save the supplies. Xiahou Lan was slain by Zhang Fei while Han Hao fled, along with Li Dian and Yu Jin. The following morning, Xiahou Dun gathered his surviving soldiers and retreated back to Xu City.

After the victory, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei changed their attitudes towards Zhuge Liang and treated him with full respect. Meanwhile in Xu City, Xiahou Dun bound himself and met Cao Cao, requesting death as a punishment for his defeat, but Cao Cao forgave him and released him. Cao Cao also rewarded Li Dian and Yu Jin for their foresight.

Cultural references

The battle provided a basis for many skits in the different types of Chinese opera. For example, it was featured in Cantonese opera and zaju (variety plays).

The battle was also featured in many Three Kingdoms-themed video games such as Capcom's Warriors of Fate, Koei's Sangokushi Koumeiden, Sangokushi Sousouden, and Dynasty Warriors 4. The battle is the first stage in Warriors of Fate and Sangokushi Koumeiden.

The ancient battleground of Bowang is now designated a county-level heritage, where a stone monument commemorates the battle. Broken halberds and ashes of grains were discovered there, and were archaeologically determined to be from the late Han Dynasty.

References

Chen Shou. Records of Three Kingdoms.
Luo Guanzhong. Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Chapter 39.
Sima Guang. Zizhi Tongjian.