The Battle of Jiangling () was fought between the forces of the

Cao Wei Wei ( Hanzi: 魏; pinyin: ''Wèi'' <

: *''ŋjwei^C'' <

Eastern Wu Wu ( Chinese: 吳; pinyin: ''Wú''; Middle Chinese *''ŋuo'' <

: ''*ŋuɑ''), known in h ...

dynasties in the early

Three Kingdoms The Three Kingdoms () from 220 to 280 AD was the tripartite division of China among the dynastic states of Cao Wei, Shu Han, and Eastern Wu. The Three Kingdoms period was preceded by the Han dynasty#Eastern Han, Eastern Han dynasty and wa ...

period of China. The battle, which took place around present-day

Jiangling County Jiangling () is a county in southern Hubei province, People's Republic of China. Administratively, it is under the jurisdiction of Jingzhou City. History The county name derived from the old name of Jingzhou. Liang dynasty Prince Xiao Yi 蕭繹 ( ...

Hubei Hubei (; ; alternately Hupeh) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, and is part of the Central China region. The name of the province means "north of the lake", referring to its position north of Dongting Lake. The prov ...

, was an integral part of the Wei emperor

Cao Pi Cao Pi () ( – 29 June 226), courtesy name Zihuan, was the first emperor of the state of Cao Wei in the Three Kingdoms period of China. He was the second son of Cao Cao, a warlord who lived in the late Eastern Han dynasty, but the eldest son ...

's three-pronged campaign against the Wu leader

Sun Quan Sun Quan (, Chinese: 孫權) (183 – 21 May 252), courtesy name Zhongmou (), posthumously known as Emperor Da of Wu, was the founder of the Eastern Wu dynasty, one of the Three Kingdoms of China. He inherited control of the warlord regime es ...

. It spanned a period of about six months from October 222 to April 223. Of the three fronts, the most critical Wei attacks were concentrated against the Wu fortress at Jiangling.

Background

When

Liu Bei Liu Bei (, ; ; 161 – 10 June 223), courtesy name Xuande (), was a warlord in the late Eastern Han dynasty who founded the state of Shu Han in the Three Kingdoms period and became its first ruler. Although he was a distant relative of the H ...

attacked

in the

Battle of Xiaoting The Battle of Xiaoting (猇亭之戰), also known as the Battle of Yiling and the Battle of Yiling and Xiaoting, was fought between the state of Shu and the state of Wu, between the years 221 and 222 in the early Three Kingdoms period of China ...

of 221–222, Sun Quan sent his envoys with gifts to relate his wish to submit to Cao Pi, who in 220 ended the

Eastern Han dynasty The Han dynasty (, ; ) was an imperial dynasty of China (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD), established by Liu Bang (Emperor Gao) and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–207 BC) and a warr ...

and established the state of Wei. As such, Sun Quan nominally became a vassal under Wei, but actually operated his Wu regime independently like he used to. Cao Pi's adviser Liu Ye suggested to his lord to attack Sun Quan while the latter was fighting Liu Bei, but Cao Pi rejected the proposal because he needed Sun Quan's submissive posture to solidify his authority as the legitimate founder of a new dynasty. After Sun Quan defeated Liu Bei around October 222 at the Battle of Xiaoting, Cao Pi began to make plans on taking advantage on Sun Quan, despite opposition from Liu Ye. Wei troops were mobilised in late October or November 222, and Cao Pi repeatedly requested Sun Quan to send his firstborn son to Wei as a hostage, prompting Sun Quan to send a humble letter of apology.(秋九月，魏乃命曹休、張遼、臧霸出洞口，曹仁出濡須，曹真、夏侯尚、張郃、徐晃圍南郡。權遣呂範等督五軍，以舟軍拒休等，諸葛瑾、潘璋、楊粲救南郡，朱桓以濡須督拒仁。時揚、越蠻夷多未平集，內難未弭，故權卑辭上書，求自改厲，"若罪在難除，必不見置，當奉還土地民人。) ''Sanguozhi'' vol. 47. However, Sun Quan could not agree on sending his son to Cao Pi, which ended the peace negotiations and started the war.

Cao Xiu Cao Xiu (died 29 September 228?), courtesy name Wenlie, was a Chinese military general of the state of Cao Wei in the Three Kingdoms period of China. A distant younger relative of the warlord Cao Cao, Cao Xiu started his career in the late Easte ...

was ordered by Cao Pi to attack Dongkou and

Cao Ren Cao Ren () (168 – 6 May 223), courtesy name Zixiao, was a military general serving during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China under the warlord Cao Cao, who was also his older second cousin. He continued serving in the state of Cao Wei – f ...

was entrusted to take Ruxu;

Cao Zhen Cao Zhen (died April or May 231), courtesy name Zidan, was a military general of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of China. He was an adopted son of Cao Cao, a warlord who rose to power in the late Eastern Han dynasty and l ...

and

Xiahou Shang Xiahou Shang (died May or June 226),According to the ''Book of Jin'', Xiahou Shang died in the 4th month of the 7th year of the ''Huangchu'' era of Cao Pi's reign. This corresponds to 14 May to 12 June 226 in the proleptic Gregorian calendar. ( ...

were put in charge of taking Jiangling (present-day

Jingzhou Jingzhou () is a prefecture-level city in southern Hubei province, China, located on the banks of the Yangtze River. Its total residential population was 5,231,180 based on the 2020 census, 1,068,291 of whom resided in the built-up (''or metro' ...

City, Hubei), the capital of

Nan Commandery Nan Commandery ( zh, 南郡, "Southern Commandery") was a Chinese commandery that existed from the Warring States period to Tang dynasty. Its territories covered present-day central and western Hubei province, as well as parts of Chongqing. The seat ...

and

Jing Province Jingzhou or Jing Province was one of the Nine Provinces of ancient China referenced in Chinese historical texts such as the ''Tribute of Yu'', '' Erya'' and '' Rites of Zhou''. Jingzhou became an administrative division during the reign of Empe ...

. In November 222, Sun Quan adopted Huangwu (黃武) as the

era name A regnal year is a year of the reign of a sovereign, from the Latin ''regnum'' meaning kingdom, rule. Regnal years considered the date as an ordinal, not a cardinal number. For example, a monarch could have a first year of rule, a second year o ...

of his reign, and formally declared independence from Wei.

The battle

Wei's advancement

When the armies were moving onto Wu, Sun Quan tried to arrange diplomatic agreements between himself and Wei, but they were all rejected. The only other choice was to send an envoy to Liu Bei, which succeeded. The first objective of the Wei forces was to attack and capture Nan Commandery, which would open up the opportunity to capture Jiangling. The forces of Wei were dispatched from possibly

Xiangyang Xiangyang is a prefecture-level city in northwestern Hubei province, China and the second largest city in Hubei by population. It was known as Xiangfan from 1950 to 2010. The Han River runs through Xiangyang's centre and divides the city no ...

and

Fancheng Fancheng is a district of the city of Xiangyang, Hubei, People's Republic of China. History Fancheng, or Fan City, was an ancient city in Hubei, situated on the northern side of the Han River, opposite Xiangyang on the southern side of the r ...

and

Zhang He Zhang He () (died July or August 231), courtesy name Junyi, was a military general serving under the warlord Cao Cao in the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. He continued serving in the state of Cao Wei under its first two rulers, Cao Pi and ...

attacked Jiangling County,(... 召郃與真並朝許宮，遣南與夏侯尚擊江陵。郃別督諸軍渡江，取洲上屯塢。) ''Sanguozhi'' vol. 17. as Cao Pi moved a supporting force from the Wei capital

Luoyang Luoyang is a city located in the confluence area of Luo River (Henan), Luo River and Yellow River in the west of Henan province. Governed as a prefecture-level city, it borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the east, Pingdingshan to the ...

to Wancheng in case of any required backup. At this time, it was very critical and uneasy for the Wu forces, since the commander,

Zhu Ran Zhu Ran (182 – March or April 249), born Shi Ran, courtesy name Yifeng, was a Chinese military general of the state of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period of China. Despite being a childhood friend of Wu's founding emperor, Sun Quan, h ...

was in control of a very low number of troops. Quickly, the Wei forces overran the Wu forces at Nan Commandery, after Zhang He defeated Sun Sheng (孫盛). The Wei forces then made way to assist the main army's siege of Jiangling County.

Siege of Jiangling

The forces led by Zhang He immediately used the south side of the Yangtze below Jiangling County and the north banks to build

pontoon bridges A pontoon bridge (or ponton bridge), also known as a floating bridge, uses floats or shallow-draft boats to support a continuous deck for pedestrian and vehicle travel. The buoyancy of the supports limits the maximum load that they can carry. ...

to cut off supplies from the Wu commander

, whose forces were shut inside the city. Zhu Ran also had to face the task of keeping order within the city. For example, when the city was running low on its water supply, some civilians and soldiers tried to surrender to Wei by opening the gates, but Zhu Ran put an end to the plot. However, the position where the Wei forces set up the pontoon bridges was too exposed to be maintained by the Wei forces. Soon, another batch of Wu reinforcements led by

Zhuge Jin Zhuge Jin (174 – July or August 241), courtesy name Ziyu, was a Chinese military general and politician of the state of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period of China. Born in the late Eastern Han dynasty, Zhuge Jin started his career in ...

and Yang Can (楊粲) arrived.

Pan Zhang Pan Zhang (died 234), courtesy name Wengui, was a military general serving under the warlord Sun Quan during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. He continued serving in the state of Eastern Wu (founded by Sun Quan) during the Three Kingdoms ...

said: "The Wei army's prowess was formidable at the beginning, and the river waters were shallow, so we could not match them at first." Pan Zhang then ordered his men to move to 50 '' li'' upstream from the Wei army's location. They cut down and bundled together large quantities of reeds from the river to make big rafts, and sent them afloat down the river towards the pontoon bridges. The reeds were set on fire, therefore burning down the pontoon bridges to a crisp. The Wu forces then executed a counterattack on the Wei forces. The conflict would go on six months well into April 223 before a plague broke out in the Wei camp, causing the Wei forces to withdraw from the siege in defeat. By early summer 223, Cao Pi had already returned to the capital at Luoyang.

Aftermath

During the time of the withdrawal from Jiangling, the battles at

Dongkou Dongkou County () is a county in the Province of Hunan, China, it is under the administration of Shaoyang City. Located in west-central Hunan, the county is bordered to the northeast by Longhui County, to the northwest by Xupu County and Hongjia ...

and Ruxu also ended in failure for the Wei side and they withdrew as well.

Order of battle

Wei forces

Forces attacking Jiangling County and Nan Commandery: * Senior General of the Upper Army (上軍大將軍)

(與夏侯尚等征孫權，擊牛渚屯，破之。) ''Sanguozhi'' vol. 9. ** Palace Attendant (侍中)

Xin Pi Xin Pi (before 191 - 235), courtesy name Zuozhi, was an official of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of China. Along with his elder brother Xin Ping, he started his career in the late Eastern Han dynasty as an adviser to th ...

** Senior General Who Attacks the South (征南大將軍)

*** Shi Jian (石建)(贼两头并前，官兵一道引去，不时得泄，将军石建、高迁仅得自免。) ''Sanguozhi'' vol. 14. *** Gao Qian (高遷) ** General of the Left (左將軍)

** General of the Right (右將軍)

Xu Huang Xu Huang () (died 227), courtesy name Gongming, was a Chinese military general serving under the warlord Cao Cao in the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. He later served in the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period under the first ...

Supporting forces at Wancheng: * Emperor

** Palace Attendant (侍中) Dong Zhao ** Palace Attendant (侍中) Liu Ye ** General Who Attacks Rebels (討逆將軍)

Wen Ping Wen Ping ( third century), courtesy name Zhongye, was a military general who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty and Three Kingdoms period of China. During his tenure as a general under the warlord Cao Cao, he was credited with defeating ...

Wu forces

Defending forces in Jiangling: * General Who Attacks the North (征北將軍)

(權遣將軍孫盛督萬人備州上，立圍塢，為然外救。) ''Sanguozhi'' vol. 56. ** Prefect of Jiangling (江陵令) Yao Tai (姚泰). On seeing that Jiangling's defenders were outnumbered by Wei forces, and supplies in the fortress were running low, he attempted to collaborate with the enemy. However his plot was discovered and he was killed. ** Jiang Yi (蒋壹). Killed in battle at Nan Commandery. Reinforcements: * General Who Pacifies the North (平北將軍)

(權遣潘璋、楊粲等解而圍不解。) ''Sanguozhi'' vol. 56.(魏將夏侯尚等圍南郡。分前部三萬人作浮橋，渡百里洲上。諸葛瑾、楊粲並會兵赴救，未知所出，而魏兵日渡不絕。) ''Sanguozhi'' vol. 55. * General of the Left (左將軍)

(權將諸葛瑾與尚軍對江，瑾渡入江中渚，而分水軍於江中。) ''Sanguozhi'' vol. 9. * Yang Can (楊粲) * Sun Sheng (孫盛)

Notes

References

* Chen, Shou (3rd century). ''

Records of the Three Kingdoms The ''Records or History of the Three Kingdoms'', also known by its Chinese name as the Sanguo Zhi, is a Chinese historical text which covers the history of the late Eastern Han dynasty (c. 184–220 AD) and the Three Kingdoms period (220– ...

'' (''Sanguozhi''). * * Pei, Songzhi (5th century). ''

Annotations to Records of the Three Kingdoms Annotations to Records of the Three Kingdoms () by Pei Songzhi (372-451) is an annotation completed in the 5th century of the 3rd century historical text ''Records of the Three Kingdoms'', compiled by Chen Shou. After leaving his native land, Pei ...

'' (''Sanguozhi zhu''). * {{Use dmy dates, date=June 2017 Eastern Wu Cao Wei Jiangling 223 220s conflicts