Red Cliff
The
Battle of Red Cliff, otherwise known as the
Battle of
Chibi, was a decisive battle during the period of the Three
Kingdoms in China. It took place in the winter of 208 between the
allied forces of the southern warlords (Liu Bei and Sun Quan), and
the northern warlord Cao Cao. Liu and Sun successfully frustrated
Cao's effort to conquer the land south of the Yangtze River and
reunify China. Despite being one of the most famous battles of
Chinese history, descriptions of the battle differ widely on
details; in fact, even the place of battle is still fiercely
debated.
By 208, the Duke of Wei, Cao Cao, controlled all of the North China
Plain. He completed a successful campaign against the Wuhuan in the
winter of 207, thus securing his northern frontier. Almost
immediately afterward, his army turned south in the autumn of 208,
aiming to eliminate his main southern rivals swiftly. Meanwhile,
Liu Biao, Governor of Jing province, died in that year and his
successor meekly surrendered.
Liu Bei, then at garrison at Fan (modern Xiangfan), quickly fled
south with a large refugee population following him. He was pursued
by Cao Cao's elite cavalry, and was surrounded at the Battle of
Changban. Liu further fled east to Xiakou, where he liaised with
Sun Quan's emissary Lu Su. Liu's main advisor Zhuge Liang was sent
down the Yangtze to negotiate a mutual front against Cao Cao with
the state of Wu. Zhuge Liang's eloquence and Wu's chief commander,
Zhou Yu's support finally persuaded Sun Quan, to agree on the
alliance against the northerners. Sun Quan sent Zhou Yu, Cheng Pu,
and Lu Su to aid Liu Bei against Cao Cao.
Meanwhile Cao Cao had captured the strategic centre and military
depot of Jiangling, and harbored his massive fleet there. The
combined Sun-Liu force sailed upstream to Red Cliffs, where they
encountered Cao Cao's courier force. After a mild skirmish, both
sides temporarily ceased activity - with Cao camped northern of the
Yangtze River and the allies in the south. Cao Cao boasted a troop
of 150,000 men. This was probably true as there is no evidence to
suggest some other figure. He also had a sizeable cavalry and naval
division. Zhou Yu had around 30,000 marines whilst the exiled Liu
Bei managed around 20,000.
In the historical novel
Romance of the Three Kingdoms Cao
Cao boasted a much larger force of 1 million men, however his true
number (in the novel) was closer to 700,000-800,000 men.