The Battle of Guandu was the decisive battle of the war between Cao Cao and Yuan Shao, fought in late 200 AD. Yuan Shao had been persuaded by Liu Bei to attack the imperial capital of Xuchang and overthrow the tyrannical regent, Cao Cao, and Cao Cao's numerically-inferior army of 40,000 troops faced a much larger army of 110,000 troops at Guandu. Cao Cao, however, employed a superior strategy of attacking Yuan Shao's supply bases, which provided much-needed supplies to his massive army. Without supplies, Yuan Shao's army became malnourished and was defeated as the result of surprise attacks by Cao Cao's army. Cao Cao's victory at Guandu left him the master of the Central Plains, and Yuan Shao died two years later.
Background[]
In 199 AD, Yuan Shao defeated Gongsun Zan at the Battle of Jieqiao and became the strongest warlord in northern China. Meanwhile, the Yan Province warlord Cao Cao controlled the Imperial Court at Xuchang, as he held the titles of Regent Marshal and Prime Minister. He defeated a conspiracy led by Dong Cheng to assassinate him, and he sent a large army to punish the Xu Province warlord Liu Bei for siding with the Han loyalists against him. Liu Bei appealed to Yuan Shao for aid in fighting back Cao Cao, but Yuan Shao was unwilling to take action until his favorite son Yuan Shang recovered from scabies. Yuan Shao's inaction led to Xu Province being overwhelmed in 200 AD, and Liu Bei was forced to flee to Ji Province, the home of the Yuan clan. That year, Liu Bei, with the help of Yuan Shao's strategist Ju Shou, was able to convince the warlord to prepare an attack on the imperial capital of Xuchang to depose Cao Cao. Yuan Shao assembled a large army, with Yan Liang leading the advance guard to Baima as the rest of the army marched to Liyang. Yuan Shao's army threatened Governor Liu Yue of Dongjun, who sent an urgent call for aid to Xuchang. Cao Cao then prepared an army of 150,000 troops to fight back against Yuan Shao's army, and he divided his army into thirds, personally leading 50,000 troops to confront Yan Liang at Baima.
Battle[]
Battle of Baima[]
Cao Cao's 50,000 troops took up positions on the hills of Baima, facing Yan Liang's 100,000 veteran troops. He sent out Song Xian to challenge Yan Liang, who slew him after just three bouts. Wei Xu then set out to avenge his longtime comrade, only to have his skull cut in half. Xu Huang was the third man to challenge Yan Liang, but he was forced to flee.
Cheng Yu then suggested that Guan Yu go out to challenge Yan Liang, and Guan Yu confidently declared that he was going to slay Yan Liang, to the chagrin of Zhang Liao, who warned him that joking was not allowed in the army. Guan Yu cut his way through Yuan Shao's troops and cut Yan Liang down before he could fight back, and Cao Cao's army then attacked with full force and routed Yan Liang's troops.
After hearing of Yan Liang's death at the hands of Guan Yu, Yuan Shao ordered that Liu Bei be executed, fearing that they were working in tandem. However, Liu Bei reassured Yuan Shao that he had not seen Guan Yu since Xuzhou and that the warrior may not have even been Guan Yu. Wen Chou then volunteered to avenge Yan Liang, and Yuan Shao gave Wen Chou 100,000 troops to slay Guan Yu, despite Ju Shou's misgivings.
Battle of Yan Ford[]
Wen Chou commanded 70,000 troops in the attack across Yan Ford, while he gave Liu Bei command of his rearguard of 30,000 troops. Cao Cao lured out the enemy by loosing his horses and leaving supply carts in the open, and Yuan Shao's troops scattered to loot the supplies. Just then, Cao Cao had his soldiers charged down two mounds and smite the unsuspecting troops below, and Wen Chou was routed and pursued by Zhang Liao and Xu Huang.
Guan Yu slew the fleeing Wen Chou after three bouts, and Cao Cao ordered a counterattack, during which many of Yuan Shao's retreating soldiers drowned in the Yangtze. Cao Cao's forces then recovered their horses and supplies. Guo Tu and Shen Pei identified Guan Yu as Wen Chou's killer, and Yuan Shao again ordered Liu Bei's execution.
Liu Bei, however, persuaded Yuan Shao that he could convince Guan Yu to defect to their side, and Yuan Shao agreed. However, the army withdrew to a large camp at Wuyang, and the message was never sent.
Departure of the Three Sworn Brothers[]
Guan Yu was instead sent to deal with Gong Du and Liu Pi's Yellow Turban uprising at Runan, where Cao Hong had been defeated several times. The Yellow Turbans peacefully surrendered to Guan Yu after pretending to be defeated in battle, as they supported Liu Bei.
Guan Yu then received a letter from Chen Zhen informing him that Liu Bei was at Guandu, and Guan Yu decided to leave Cao Cao's service, which he did after overcoming several obstacles. Liu Bei and Zhang Fei were then given leave by Yuan Shao to reunite with Guan Yu at Guan Ding's farm, and they resolved on remaining together; Yuan Shao was dissuaded by Guo Tu from sending troops to retrieve Liu Bei.
Guo Tu instead advised Yuan Shao to forge an alliance with Sun Ce against Cao Cao, and a letter was sent. Sun Ce attempted to attack Xuchang, only to be mortally by followers of the slain warlord Xu Gong during the siege.
Battle of Guandu[]
After Sun Ce's death, his brother and successor Sun Quan paid fealty to Cao Cao, who appointed him Governor of Kuaiji. A furious Yuan Shao assembled 700,000 troops and planned to attack Xuchang, so Cao Cao assembled 70,000 troops and marched to meet Yuan Shao in battle at Guandu. Yuan Shao had Ju Shou imprisoned with Tian Feng after they advised against a hasty attack, promising to execute them after his victory.
Yuan Shao's general Shen Pei prepared an ambush of 10,000 crossbowmen, and Gao Lan, Zhang He, Han Meng, and Chunyu Qiong drew up their battle lines. Cao Cao's forces were successfully ambushed and routed, and Shen Pei advised Yuan Shao to send 100,000 troops to attack Cao Cao's camp at Guandu. Yuan Shao had his men build 50 mounds with archery towers, so Cao Cao built hundreds of catapults and used them to destroy the towers. Shen Pei also planned to use a sapper corps to attack Cao Cao's camp, but Cao Cao's forces dug a deeper moat to prevent the sappers from tunneling.
After nine months of siege, Cao Cao considered retreating to Xuchang, but Xun Yu wrote to him from Xuchang and encouraged him to fight. Xu Huang's officer Shi Huan captured Yuan Shao's spy and found out about a supply convoy, and Cao Cao sent Xu Huang, Shi Huan, Zhang Liao, and Xu Chu to ambush the convoy. The convoy's leader Han Meng fled as the convoy was burned, and Zhang He and Gao Lan's units were routed as they attempted to attack the raiders.
Battle of Wuchao[]
Yuan Shao then sent Shen Pei to Yejun to control his army's supplies, and he sent Chunyu Qiong, Gui Yuanjin, Han Juzi, Lu Wei Kuang, and Zhao Rui with 20,000 troops to defend the supply depot at Wuchao. After Shen Pei insulted Xu You and accused his family of corruption, Xu You defected to Cao Cao, and he told him of the supply base. Cao Cao, Zhang Liao, Xu Chu, Xu Huang, and Yu Jin then set out with 5,000 horsemen to attack the supply base as Xun You, Jia Xu, and Cao Hong guarded the main camp, Xu You, Xiahou Dun, and Xiahou Yuan commanded the left camp, and Cao Ren and Li Dian commanded the right camp.
Cao Cao's troops, pretending to be of Jiang Qi, entered the supply base while Chunyu Qiong was drunk and slew Gui Yuanjin and Zhao Rui, and Chunyu Qiong was deprived of his ears, nose, and hands before being sent back to Yuan Shao. Yuan Shao sent 5,000 troops under Zhang He and Gao Lan to attack Cao Cao's camp and 10,000 under Jiang Qi to recover the grain store, but Zhang Liao slew Jiang Qi and routed his men. At the same time, Yuan Shao's force assaulted Cao Cao's main camp, but Xiahou Dun, Cao Ren, and Cao Hong attacked from three sides and routed the attackers.
Yuan Shao then had Chunyu Qiong executed, blaming him for the defeat. Guo Tu then scapegoated Zhang He and Gao Lan for the defeat as well, and they decided to defect to Cao Cao rather than be executed. Zhang He and Gao Lan were then sent with 3,000 troops to attack Yuan Shao's demoralized and hungry army, half of which had been lost.
Cao Cao's counterattack[]
Cao Cao then employed Xun You's plan of spreading rumors that Cao Cao would take Suanzao and attack Yejun before taking Liyang to block Yuan Shao's retreat. Yuan Shao sent his sons Yuan Tan and Yuan Shang with 50,000 troops to rescue Yejun, and Zhang Liao, Xu Chu, Xu Huang, and Yu Jin then pursued Yuan Shao across the river. Yuan Shao abandoned all of his documents, papers, baggage, treasure, and stores, and only 800 horsemen followed him over the stream. 80,000s of Yuan Shao's army were slain, and the river ran red with blood and was full of drowned corpses. Cao Cao then captured Ju Shou, who had been held prisoner by Yuan Shao, but he executed him after he tried to escape to Yuan Shao. Cao Cao then gave orders to attack Ji Province, starting a new campaign.