Battle of Red Cliffs explained in detail.

Battle of Red Cliffs is one of the famous wars in the history of China. On July 12th, 2008 (13th year of Jian 'an of Emperor Xian of Han Dynasty), Cao Cao led the land and water army, claiming to be a million, launched the Jingzhou Campaign, and then marched to the east for Sun Quan. Sun Quan and Liu Bei formed a coalition, and under Zhou Yu's command, they defeated Cao Jun in Chibi of the Yangtze River (now northwest of chibi city, Hubei, northeast of Jiayu), thus laying a tripartite confrontation pattern among the three countries. Battle of Red Cliffs was the first large-scale river battle in the Yangtze River basin, and it was also the only time that Sun, Cao and Liu all sent their main forces to participate in the war.

Battle of Red Cliffs can be said to be a series of battles after Cao Cao, the Prime Minister of the Eastern Han Dynasty, went south. It can also refer to the battle of Chibi on the Yangtze River (now northwest of chibi city, Hubei, northeast of Jiayu). This is one of the most famous wars in the history of China, and it is also the most famous one among the "three major battles" in the Three Kingdoms period. It is also the first large-scale river battle in the Yangtze River basin in China history, which indicates that China's military and political center is no longer limited to the Yellow River basin.

In the 13th year of Jian 'an in the Eastern Han Dynasty (AD 208), the allied forces of Sun Quan and Liu Bei fought a decisive battle in Chibi (now Chibi Mountain in the northwest of Puyin City, Hubei Province, and Xichiji Mountain in Wuchang County, Hubei Province) and defeated Cao Cao's army. After Cao Cao defeated Yuan Shao and Wu Huan and basically unified the north, in July of the 13th year of Jian 'an, he sent troops south from Wan (now Nanyang, Henan), first destroyed Liu Biao, and then advanced eastward along the river, defeating Sun Quan and unifying the world. In September, Cao Jun marched into Xinye (now Henan). At this time, Liu Biao was dead and his son Liu Cong surrendered without a fight. Liu Bei, who was attached to Liu Biao and stationed in Fancheng (present-day Hubei), hurriedly led the army and people to withdraw south. Cao Cao incorporated Liu Biao's army, claiming that 800,000 troops were advancing on the Yangtze River. After Liu Bei was defeated in Chang (now Dangyang, Hubei), he sent Zhuge Liang to Chaisang (now southwest of Jiujiang, Jiangxi) on his way back to persuade Sun Quan to form an alliance against Cao. Sun Quan appointed Zhou Yu as the general and Cheng Pu as the deputy, and led 30,000 elite water troops to join forces with Liu Beijun in Fankou (now Ezhou, Hubei). * * * About 50,000 people marched west along the river and joined forces with Jun. In November, Sun Liu confronted Cao Jun in Chibi. Cao Cao connected the warships end to end to drill the water army and wait for an opportunity to attack the war. Zhou Yu adopted the fire attack plan put forward by Huang Gai and asked him to send a letter to Cao Cao to surrender. Cao Cao was trapped. Huang Gai chose a suitable time, led Meng Chong to sail into Junshui Village and set it on fire. Cao Jun's fleet was burned and the fire spread to the camp on the shore. Sun and Liu allied forces took advantage of the situation to attack, and Cao Jun suffered more than half of the casualties. So he led the troops back to the north, leaving the general Coss in the south to stick to Jiangling. The allied forces expanded their victory, and Sun and Liu occupied Jingzhou. In the decisive battle at Chibi, Cao Cao underestimated the enemy's conceit, made mistakes in command and finally lost. Sun Quan and Liu Bei formed an alliance to resist Japan at the critical moment when the strong enemy advanced, and skillfully attacked with fire, eventually defeating the strong with the weak. This battle laid the foundation for the future separation of Wei, Shu and Wu. [ 1][2]

Battle of Red Cliffs-Battle Process

Battle of Red Cliffs Pre-war Situation Map During the formation of the Three Kingdoms, in the 13th year of Jian 'an of Emperor Xian of Han Dynasty, the allied forces of Sun Quan and Liu Bei defeated Cao Cao's army in Chibi of the Yangtze River (now northwest of Puyin, Hubei, northeast of Jiayu), laying a famous decisive battle for the Three Kingdoms.

After Cao Cao basically unified the north, he trained sailors in Xuanwu Pool and took measures against the Guanzhong area where unrest might occur. Then, in July of the 13th year of Jian 'an, in order to unify the north and south, he sent more than 100,000 troops to conquer Jingzhou (now Hubei and Hunan). At that time, Sun Quan had conquered Xiakou (now Wuhan) from Jiangdong, opened the gateway of Jingzhou to the west, annexed Jing and Yizhou (governing Chengdu) and developed northward; Liu Bei, who was attached to Liu Biao in Jingzhou, took Zhuge Liang as his counselor and made a strategy of taking advantage of Jing and Yi, uniting with Sun Quan and marching into the Central Plains, and practiced the water army in Fancheng. Cao Cao adopted the plan of serving the middle, and ordered Xun You to lead the army straight out of Yexian County and Wancheng (now Nanyang, Henan Province) and send Qingqi to attack Xiangyang (now Xiangyang, Hubei Province). In August, Liu Biao died of illness, and Cao Jun slowed down his March and used his military strength to win Jingzhou without fighting. In the name of mourning, Sun Quan sent Lu Su to observe the situation, win over Liu Bei, and unite with Liu Biao's old generals to deal with Cao Cao. On the way, Lu Su learned that Cao Cao had marched into Jingzhou, but he went to Xiangyang day and night. Liu Cong, the second son of Liu Biao, succeeded to Jingzhou as a shepherd, and sent messengers to surrender to Cao Cao and meet with Cao Jun. Liu Bei, who was stepping up preparations to meet the enemy, learned that Cao Jun had passed Wancheng when Liu Cong surrendered.

In September, Cao Cao went to Xinye (now Henan) to accept Liu Cong's surrender and forced him to the hinterland of Jingzhou. In order to avoid the momentum of Jun, Liu Bei, Zhuge Liang, Xu Shu and others led more than 100,000 soldiers and civilians to retreat south in a panic, and retreated to Jiangling (now Jingsha, Hubei), a strategic place, and made Guan Yu lead more than 10,000 sailors to join forces along the Hanshui River and retreat to the river. Liu Bei went to Changban in Dangyang (now Dangyang), met Lu Su, accepted his persuasion, and was willing to lead the army eastward and approach Sun Quan. Cao Cao crossed Xiangyang and was afraid that Liu Beixian would occupy Jiangling. He led 5000 soldiers and traveled more than 300 miles day and night. He chased Liu Bei, defeated him, captured Xu Shu's mother, and forced Xu Shu to return. Zhang Fei led twenty riders, demolished the Changban Bridge, strangled his gun, and frightened Cao Jun. Liu Beifang had to escape from danger and went east to Hanjin (now Zhongxiang), where he happened to meet Guan Yu's fleet. Liu Biao's eldest son, Jiangxia satrap Liu Qi, also led more than 10,000 people to meet them. Liu Beijun went down the Hanshui River to Xiakou, Zhuge Liang went to Chaisang (now southwest of Jiujiang, Jiangxi) to see Sun Quan, and * * * resisted Cao and led his army to Fankou (now Ezhou, Hubei).

Battle of Red Cliffs Map Sun Quan saw Liu Beixin's defeat, but he was awed by the prestige of 800,000, and he hesitated about Liu. Zhuge Liang, Lu Su, Zhou Yu and others brilliantly analyzed the situation, pointing out that there were only more than 200,000 yuan, and there were weaknesses such as restless rear, long luck, acclimatization, and short water war time, which strengthened Sun Quan's determination to resist Cao. Sun Quan ignored the Lord's opposition and sent Zhang Zhao and others to appoint Zhou Yu and Cheng Pu as the left and right governors. Lu Su was praised as the commander of the army, led 30,000 elite sailors, and joined forces with Liu Bei for about 50,000 soldiers, and went up the river and entered Xiakou. After Cao Cao captured Jiangling, he took Wen Pin, the general of Liu Biao, as the satrap of Jiangxia, and still unified his own army to guard Hanchuan (now Jianghan Plain). Liu Zhang, an animal husbandry in Yizhou, also sent troops to supplement Cao Cao's army and began to pay tribute to the court. Cao Cao is proud and underestimates his enemy. He didn't listen to Jia Xu, the counselor, and sent a letter to intimidate Sun Quan, claiming to fight Wu. In winter, the pro-unification army goes hand in hand along the Yangtze River. Sun and Liu joined forces behind the gorge, and then they went back to the river to meet Cao Jun and meet at Chibi. Cao Jun last stand, who lost his prestige, was readmitted and returned to Jingzhou. His fighting capacity was poor and all diseases prevailed, so that he lost the first battle. He hurriedly retreated to the north shore, stationed in Wulin (now Honghu, Hubei) and confronted the allies across the river.

Cao Cao ordered the warships to be connected, which reduced the turbulence and facilitated the boarding of northern soldiers. They want to step up their training and attack by standing by. In view of the long-term disadvantage of being outnumbered, Zhou Yu is determined to find a chance to make a quick decision. According to the weakness of Cao Jun's "serial ship", Huang Gai suggested fire attack, which was well received. Huang Gai immediately sent someone to send Cao Cao a fake surrender letter, and then set off with dozens of ships. The front 10 boat is full of dry firewood soaked in oil, covered with cloth, planted with the flag agreed with Cao Cao, tied with a canoe and headed for Wulin along the southeast wind. When approaching the other side, Cao Jun, who let his guard down, rushed over and watched Huang Gai come down. At this point, Huang Gai ordered the firewood to be lit, and each boat was changed to retreat. Fireboat broke into Cao Jun's fleet in the wind, and suddenly it was ablaze, and the fire quickly spread to the shore camp. The allied forces took advantage of the situation to attack, and Cao Jun suffered heavy casualties. Knowing that the defeat was irreversible, Cao Cao ordered the burning of the remaining ships and led the army to retreat.

The allied forces marched by land in pursuit of Cao Jun. Cao Cao led his troops away from the riverbank, took a shortcut to Jiangling, crossed Huarong Road (now diving in the south of the Yangtze River), met with mud, rode grass and ran away. Cao Cao left Coss guarding Jiangling, while Man Chong stayed in Dangyang and returned to the north. Zhou Yu and others confronted Coss across the river and sent Gan Ning to attack Yiling (now Yichang). Coss divided his troops around Ganning. Zhou Yu led the army to rescue and defeated Cao Jun, then crossed the north bank of Jiangtun and continued to confront Coss. After Liu Bei returned to Xiakou from Jiangling, he returned to Hanshui and went around behind Coss. Coss knew it was difficult to continue the stalemate, and he was forced to retreat the following year.

After Battle of Red Cliffs, Liu Bei won the four counties of Wuling, Changsha, Guiyang and Lingling, and worked as a shepherd in Jingzhou the following year, which laid the foundation for development and entry into Yizhou. Cao Cao learned the lesson of failure, promoted the water army, controlled the Jianghuai area, and confronted Sun Quan. In order to resist Cao, Sun Quan continued to form an alliance with Liu Bei and let him develop in Jingzhou. The tripartite confrontation between the three countries has gradually taken shape.

Battle of Red Cliffs-Sun Liu Alliance

The map of Battle of Red Cliffs is at the Xiakou, and Zhuge Liang recommended himself to follow Lu Su back to Chaisang (now southwest of Jiujiang, Jiangxi) and asked Sun Quan for help. When Zhuge Liang arrived in Chaisang, he first used dichotomy and provocation to lobby Sun Quan. Sun Quan didn't want to be controlled by Cao Cao, but he was worried that Cao Cao was too powerful to match. So Zhuge Liang first explained Liu Bei's military strength: "Although the Yuzhou (Liu Bei) army was defeated by Nagano, today, Guan Yu's water army has 10,000 soldiers, and Liu Qi's rivers and rivers are no less than 10,000 soldiers."

Then analyze Cao Cao's defeat: Cao Cao's expedition was hard and his foot soldiers were tired; Northerners don't learn water warfare; The people of Jingzhou have not persuaded Cao Cao.

Zhuge Liang's conclusion is that Sun and Liu Ruo will win together, and he clearly stated that the battle between Cao and Wu was divided into three parts. Sun Quan immediately agreed to send Zhou Yu and Cheng Pu to help Liu Bei. However, at that time, Cao Cao was very powerful, and Wu Dong, represented by Zhang Zhao, advocated surrender, thinking that Cao Cao was using the name of Han Xiang as an excuse and it was unreasonable to resist. Cao Cao has occupied the Yangtze River, and there is no natural barrier to defend in Jiangdong. Cao Jun is strong in land and water, and Jiangdong has no resistance, so he advised Sun Quan to see Cao Cao. Cao Cao also sent a letter of surrender, which read: "Today, there are 800,000 water conservancy troops, and Fang and others will hunt in Wu." The intimidation is extremely heavy. So at the military meeting, ministers headed by Zhang Zhao suggested surrendering to Cao Cao, and Sun Quan was noncommittal. Lu Su secretly followed Sun Quan when he went to the toilet, pointing out that Zhang Zhao and others were not qualified. He also said that he would welcome Cao Cao himself, but he could also be an official in a county, and then hinted that Cao Cao had no place to accommodate Sun Quan, who was already the master of one party. Sun Quan sighed at Zhang Zhao and others: "I am disappointed" and agreed with Lu Su. Lu Su then suggested the countermeasures of restoring Zhou Yu's business trip to Poyang.

After Zhou Yu came back, he also thought that Cao should be boycotted. He has analyzed Cao Jun's weaknesses, and Zhuge Liang's analysis is roughly the same:

Cao Jun is exhausted and is bound to get sick; The weather is cold and the horse has no grass; Ma Chao and Han Sui are still in Kansai, which is Cao Cao's future trouble; Abandoning pommel horse and not learning to fight in water is not the benefit of the Central Plains people.

Then, the actual strength of Liu Biao was analyzed, and it was pointed out that there were only 150,000 to 60,000 people from the Central Plains, while the newly reduced number of 70,000 to 80,000 people by Liu Biao was not welcomed by Cao. So Sun Quan made up his mind, drew his sword in public, cut off the corner of the table, and said, "Generals and officials dare to speak again and be welcome to practice, just like this!" With Zhou Yu and Lu Su as the commander-in-chief, they helped plan and led 30,000 soldiers including Huang Gai, Han Dang, Ling Tong, Gan Ning, Zhou Tai and Liu Bei to fight against Cao along the river.

In Cao Ying, many people thought that Sun Quan would kill Liu Bei if he didn't dare to resist Cao Cao, and this idea was also reflected in Cao Cao's surrender book. However, Cheng Yu believes that it is only because Sun Quan's name is not enough that he is guilty, and Liu Bei's name is very good. Guan Yu and Zhang Fei are ten thousand enemies. Sun Quan will definitely support Liu Bei and use Liu Bei's name to fight against Cao Cao. Sure enough, Cheng Yu's statement became a fact.

Battle of Red Cliffs-March route

Cao Cao's marching route

Battle of Red Cliffs topographic map attack route

"The History of the Three Kingdoms and Emperor Wudi" records that in autumn and July, Liu represented the south, and in August, he was a pawn. Zi Cong Dai transferred Xiangyang and Liu Bei transferred the model. In September, I surrendered to Xinye and prepared to leave Xiakou. Gong Chang drove straight into Jiangling. ..... From Jiangling, to Baqiu ... From Chibi, it is not good to prepare for it.

"The Story of the Three Kingdoms, Huang Xuchuan" records: Starting from Jingzhou, don't be a model.

"The Story of the Three Kingdoms Cao Chunchuan" records that Liu Bei was chased in Nagano after taking Jingzhou, and his second daughter was dismissed as a trench. Into Jiangling.

Zhao Yan's Biography of the Three Kingdoms records: Taizu took Jingzhou, took it as the prefect, moved the governor to protect the army, and guarded the seven armies of Ban, Zhang Liao, Zhang He, Li Dian and Feng Jie.

It can be seen that Cao Cao attacked from Xuchang on all fronts, basically attacking Jingzhou in a repressive way. It was this situation that frightened Liu Bei and frightened Liu Cong. And Cao Cao's attack route is basically as follows:

Xu-Xinye (Fan)-Xiangyang (guarding Jiangxia)-Dangyang-Jiangling-Baqiu-Chibi.

2. The failed route

"Purple Tongzhi Sword" records that Cao Cao led his troops to walk along Huarong Road, but encountered mud, impassable roads and windy. He knew that soldiers were forced to fill grass on it, but rode too many horses. The soldiers were beaten into the mud and many people died.

Legend of Heroes at the End of Han Dynasty records that Cao Gong suffered a crushing defeat in Chibi and realized osawa's dream. He was lost in the fog.

If the two records are consistent, then "Huarong Road" and "Yunmeng Ozawa" should be one place. Huarong Road in the Three Kingdoms Period was located in Jianghan Plain, south of Qianjiang and north of Jianli. Yunmeng osawa should be understood as including large swamps and sporadic lakes reaching Dongting Lake and Jiangling in the south. However, there is a saying in the biography of the Three Kingdoms and Guo Family: "Taizu levied Jingzhou to return, and Baqiu was infected with the epidemic and burned his ship."

To sum up, we can sum up the whole journey of Cao Cao: Xu-Xinye (Fan)-Xiangyang-Dangyang (pursuit of Nagano)-Jiangling-Baqiu-Chibi (defeat)-Huarong Road (Yunmeng osawa)-Baqiu (burning boats)-Nanjun-Qiaocheng.

Sun Liu United military action line

Liu Bei's Biography of the Three Kingdoms records: "Cao Gong took Jiangling as the army, fearing to follow it first, so he released the trench and ignored the army and went to Xiangyang. I heard that my late master passed away ... and it was in Changsaka, Dangyang ... My late master tended to Han Jin, adapted to the badminton club and was freed. When I met my eldest son Jiangxia, the satrap of Zhong Qi, I went to Xiakou with him ... I sent Zhou Yu and other tens of thousands of water troops to fight Tsao Kung in Chibi with my late Lord, breaking it and burning his ship. My ancestors went hand in hand with Wujun and went straight to Nanjun. "

This record is very detailed:

Xinye-Xiangyang-Dangyang (defeated)-Hanjin-Xiakou (stationed with Zhou Yu)-Chibi (victorious)-Huarong Road-Nanjun.

"Biography of the Three Kingdoms and Zhuge Liang" records: As for Xiakou ... my ancestors supported the army in Chaisang, waiting to see if they could succeed.

According to the Records of the Three Kingdoms and Biography of Zhou Yu, Yu and others were all sent to unite against Tsao Gong. When he met Chibi ... the public army was defeated and led to Jiangbei. Yu and others are on the south bank ... the army was defeated and the Confederate army was protected. Prepare to launch a * * * chase with Yu et al. Tsao Gong left Coss and others to guard Jiangling City and went back to the north.

This route is also relatively clear:

Chaisang-Xiakou-Chibi-Wulin-Jiangling.

The two armies should meet at the gorge or near the estuary.

Battle of Red Cliffs-the geographical dispute

Battle of Red Cliffs on Chibi Mountain in chibi city has been discussing the issue of Chibi for many years, and various theories have been called "New Chibi War" by modern media. For hundreds of years, historians' discussion on the location of the "Chibi" war has been called "New Chibi War" by the media. Generally speaking, there are at least seven kinds of "Red Cliff Theory": Puyin Theory, Huangzhou Theory, Zhongxiang Theory, Wuchang Theory, Hanyang Theory, Hanchuan Theory and Jiayu Theory. From the modern and contemporary point of view, the focus of the debate is between Pu Yin's theory and Jiayu's theory, while historical publications and evidence of discovered cultural relics are more inclined to Pu Yin's theory.

Pu Yin said.

Yin Falu's Notes on the Translation of China's Ancient Literature: "The Red Cliff is in the northwest of Puyin County, Hubei Province, on the south bank of the Yangtze River." "Yuanhe County Records" also said: "Chibi Mountain is 120 miles west of Pu Xian County, facing the great river in the north, and its northern shore is Wulin, that is, Zhou Yu used Huang Gaice to burn Cao Gong's boat." Hu Sansheng's "Zi Tong Zhi Jian" and Tan Qixiang's "Atlas of Chinese History" also adopted this theory. After 1970, a large number of cultural relics of the Eastern Han Dynasty were continuously unearthed in Puyin and Wulin Chibi Mountain on the other side of the Yangtze River, including the bronze stirrup unearthed in 1973 and the tile inkstone engraved with the words "Jian 'an Eight Years" (2003), the sunken ship site in the soil under Chibi Mountain in 1976 and various Han dynasties on Chibi Mountain.

/kloc-the bronze crossbow machine designed by Zhuge Liang in the tomb excavated in 0/987, the five baht money used in the Eastern Han Dynasty and so on. 199 1 The School of Humanities of Hubei University published "Essays on the Ancient Battlefield Puyin Chibi". 1998, Puyin officially changed its name to chibi city.

Jiayu said

Both Ancient Chinese edited by linguist Wang Li and Selected Works of China Literature edited by Zhu Dongrun believe that Chibi lies in the northeast of Jiayu County, Hubei Province. If we trace back to the source of this theory, there is evidence that the Draft of the Unified History of Qing Dynasty was quoted from Zhu. "Notes on Water Classics" said: "Chibi Mountain is in the south of Bairen Mountain, and it should be in the northeast of Jiayu County, at the junction with Jiangxia, and go to Wulin for 200 miles." This statement was later recognized by Yang Shoujing, a famous geographer in the late Qing Dynasty.

Battle of Red Cliffs-Combat Assessment

Cao Cao: Battle of Red Cliffs, a treacherous man in troubled times, was an able minister in governing the country, conceited and underestimating his enemy, and made mistakes in command. Coupled with the weak water army, it was finally defeated. Sun Quan and Liu Bei calmly analyzed the situation in the face of strong enemies, formed an alliance to resist the Japanese war, enhanced the strength of water warfare, and skillfully attacked with fire, thus creating a famous war example in China's military history.

Before Chibi, Cao Cao's advantages were very great: first, Cao Cao's "serving the son of heaven to make him not a minister" (opponents of Cao Cao called it "relying on heaven to make him a vassal"), and it was naturally difficult for other vassals to contend with political correctness; Second, Cao Cao went south with the army he had just won, and his spirit was self-sufficient; Third, Cao Cao's strength is several times that of Sun and Liu. And the defeat of Cao Cao in Chibi, traditional historians emphasize his pride in underestimating his enemy. For example, Zhang Zuoyao's Biography of Cao Cao said: "Cao Cao is extremely excited and easily carried away by victory." Cao Cao didn't take advantage of the victory to completely defeat Liu Bei and missed the fighter plane.

Cao Cao's mistake is:

(1) Ma Chao and Han Sui are still in Kansai, which is Cao Cao's future trouble. The Kansai Army has always been a threat to Cao Cao.

(2) Give up the pommel horse, compete for the boat and compete with wuyue. This is not directed by China; Cao Cao also understands this truth. He hoped to use Jingzhou Water Army against Wu Jun, but he was wrong. The contact war before Battle of Red Cliffs proved everything. This is the reason why Cao Cao wanted to fight ships, and it was only because of this that he was attacked by the enemy. In the final analysis, it is caused by the poor water army. Zhang Liao mentioned in Yu Xin's "Jiangnan Fu": "Zhang Liao is near Chibi, and Wang Jun is under the Eight Hills". Cao Cao's main forces have all gone to Chibi. He hoped to take Jingzhou Water Army as the main force, and then take advantage of the absolute strength to cross the river, but he overestimated Jingzhou Water Army and underestimated Wu Jun and the Yangtze River.

(3) It's cold now, and the horse has no grass; "The Story of the Three Kingdoms, Sun Quanzhuan" records that the soldiers were hungry and most of them died. It can be seen that horses have no forage and people are not much better. Hunger and plague are two major problems that plague Cao Jun. Even if there are many such troops, it is difficult to win.

(4) Driving China scholars to travel far and wide in rivers and lakes, if they are not used to the water and soil, they will be ill. Biography of the Three Kingdoms and Cao Cao: Going to Chibi is not conducive to preparing for war. So there was a great epidemic, many officials died, and they led the troops back. There are Jingzhou and Jiangnan County. Biography of Jiangbiao records: (Cao Cao) Hou Shu and Quan Yue said, "Battle of Red Cliffs was ill, and his boat burned out alone, which made Zhou so famous." Plague has become a key factor in war.