Battle of Han River

Battle of Han River
Part of wars of the Three Kingdoms
Date 219 CE
Location Hanzhong, Shaanxi, China
Result Liu Bei victory
Belligerents
Liu Bei Cao Cao
Commanders and leaders
Zhao Yun Cao Cao
Strength
3,000-5000
Battle of Han River
Traditional Chinese 漢水之戰
Simplified Chinese 汉水之战

The Battle of Han River was fought between the warlords Liu Bei and Cao Cao in 219 during the prelude to the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history. The battle was the last major engagement in the Hanzhong Campaign, in which Liu Bei emerged victorious and subsequently declared himself King of Hanzhong.

Contents

Background

Cao Cao was defeated by Liu Bei at the Battle of Mount Dingjun earlier in 219 and his general Xiahou Yuan was killed in action. In retaliation, Cao Cao led a large army to attack Liu Bei's camp at the south of the Han River. Liu Bei sent his generals Zhao Yun and Huang Zhong to resist the enemy. Huang Zhong and Zhang Zhu went to destroy the enemy's supplies while Zhao Yun would remain in the camp with Zhang Yi unless they did not return.

The battle

Huang Zhong was supposed to go and burn the supplies of grain Cao Cao had at the North Mountain. Huang Zhong's troops marched in the night, and at sunrise they saw the granary. Just as Huang Zhong's horsemen began starting a fire, Cao Cao's general Zhang He and his troops arrived. When Cao Cao heard of this he sent Xu Huang from the rear, and Huang Zhong was surrounded. Zhang Zhu and some soldiers tried to escape but were intercepted by Wen Ping. They were both surrounded, and when Huang Zhong did not return to camp by noon, Zhao Yun went to look for him.

Zhao Yun told Zhang Yi to guard the camp carefully, and have archers and crossbowmen on both sides on the base. He then dashed to the foot of the North Mountain to find Huang Zhong and saw the latter surrounded. Zhao Yun rescued Huang Zhong, but they quickly surrounded and pursued by the enemy. Zhao Yun fought his way to the main camp, but when he heard that Zhang Zhu was wounded and fell behind he went back to rescue him.

When Zhang Yi heard that Cao Cao's army was in pursuit of Zhao Yun, and was headed towards the main camp he thought they should close the gates and while they make preparation. However, as soon as Zhao Yun returned to camp he ordered all flags and banners removed, all drums silenced, and the gates to be left open completely. He stationed all his archers and crossbowmen in a covered area outside, and he stood in front of the gates. Fearing an ambush, Cao Cao ordered his men to retreat. As his men began to retreat Zhao Yun ordered his men to beat the drums as loudly as they could, and rain arrows down on the retreating enemy.

Zhao Yun, Huang Zhong, and Zhang Zhu closed down on Cao Cao's army. They rushed toward the Han River, and in confusion many were pushed in to the river and drowned. Meanwhile Meng Da and Liu Feng arrived and burned all the enemy supplies at the North Mountain.

Aftermath

Liu Bei came and inspected the battlefield and exclaimed, "Zhao Yun has valor through and through". He ordered a celebration to late that night honoring Zhao Yun. From then on, Liu Bei's army called Zhao Yun "General of Tiger's Might" (虎威將軍).

Modern references

The battle is featured as a playable stage in Koei's video game Dynasty Warriors 5: Xtreme Legends. The player can choose to play as Zhao Yun or Huang Zhong, with both characters following different paths even though they are in the same battleground.

References