The Battle of Dingtao occurred in 194 AD when Cao Cao and his army, having recaptured Yanzhou and Puyang from Lu Bu, attacked the beaten general at Dingtao.
Background[]
In 194 AD, having resupplied his starving troops with hoards of grain captured from the Yellow Turban remnants, Cao Cao embarked on a campaign to recapture Yan Province, which had fallen to Lu Bu during his campaign in Xu Province in 193 AD. Cao Cao recaptured Yanzhou and Puyang before pursuing Lu Bu's army to Dingtao, where he, Zhang Miao, and Zhang Chao had assembled; Gao Shun and other generals were out foraging when Cao Cao arrived.
Battle[]
Cao Cao and his army built a stockade 15 miles from Dingtao, and he set up flags in the wood to deceive Lu Bu, hiding his troops in a long and dry embankment near the camp. Lu Bu's strategist Chen Gong suspected a trap and urged him not to act, but Lu Bu resolved to launch a fire attack on the woods and burn out Cao Cao's ambush. Lu Bu was surprised to find no troops rushing out of the stockade to attack him, and he was then ambushed by all of Cao Cao's generals after a signal bomb exploded. Lu Bu fled into the open country, while his general Cheng Lian was killed by an arrow fired by Yue Jin. Two-thirds of Lu Bu's army were lost, and Chen Gong and Gao Shun decided to abandon Dingtao. Cao Cao's forces then entered Dingtao unopposed, and Zhang Chao burned himself to death, while Zhang Miao fled to Yuan Shu. Cao Cao now controlled the entire northeast, and he tranquilized the people by the time that the year 195 AD set in.
Aftermath[]
Lu Bu initially sought to flee to Yuan Shao, but Yuan's advisor Shen Pei advised Yuan to help crush the "beast" Lu Bu. Yuan Shao sent Yan Liang with 50,000 troops to destroy Lu Bu, so Chen Gong advised Lu Bu to flee to Liu Bei in Xu Province. Liu Bei welcomed Lu Bu into Xuzhou and even attempted to make him the new Governor, but Chen Gong persuaded Liu Bei to desist, reassuring him that there was no need to fear Lu Bu. Lu Bu then took up residence at Xiaopei at Liu Bei's invitation.