Ma Chao
Ma Chao () (176–222), courtesy name Mengqi, was a Chinese military general and warlord who lived in the late Eastern Han dynasty and early Three Kingdoms period of China. A descendant of the general Ma Yuan, Ma Chao was the eldest son of Ma ...
initiated in an attempt to retake Liang Province after the coalition of Guanxi (west of
Hangu Pass
Hangu Pass or Hanguguan is a pass separating the upper Yellow River and Wei valleys—the cradle of Chinese civilization and seat of its longtime capital Xi'an—from the fertile North China Plain. It lies on the south bank of the Yellow River ...
After the coalition melted down, Ma Chao took the remainder of his army towards Lantian, where he could prepare a stand against Cao Cao. Unexpectedly, Su Bo in
Hejian
Hejian (; alternative romanizations: Ho Dsie Ho-kienfou is a county-level city under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Cangzhou, in the east-central part of Hebei province, China. , the population was ca. 895,000 inhabitants and t ...
rebelled, and Cao Cao decided to lead his main army to quell the uprising, sparing Ma Chao the time to recuperate. Thus, Ma Chao gradually regained his strength, and once again wielded great influence over local non-
Han people
The Han Chinese () or Han people (), are an East Asian ethnic group native to China. They constitute the world's largest ethnic group, making up about 18% of the global population and consisting of various subgroups speaking distinctive var ...
. To resist Cao Cao, Ma Chao had recruited many Qiang and Hu soldiers, and received reinforcements from Zhang Lu of
Hanzhong
Hanzhong (; abbreviation: Han) is a prefecture-level city in the southwest of Shaanxi province, China, bordering the provinces of Sichuan to the south and Gansu to the west.
The founder of the Han dynasty, Liu Bang, was once enfeoffed as th ...
. He had planned to conquer all counties in Longxi (west of Long Ridges), and within a year, all cities except Jicheng (capital of
Tianshui Commandery Tianshui Commandery ( zh, 天水郡), known as Hanyang Commandery ( zh, 漢陽郡) during the Eastern Han dynasty, was a historical commandery of China in eastern Gansu. The modern city of Tianshui receives its name from the commandery.
History
Th ...
) in the area surrendered to the allied force.
The siege
In 213, Ma Chao started to besiege Jicheng, but it proved to be difficult. Even though the Inspector of Liang Province,
Wei Kang
Wei Kang (died 213), courtesy name Yuanjiang, was a Chinese politician who lived in the late Eastern Han dynasty of China.
Early life and career
Wei Kang was from Jingzhao Commandery (京兆郡), which is around present-day Xi'an, Shaanxi. His ...
, faced a large numerical disadvantage, his assistant,
Yang Fu
Yang Fu ( 210s–230s), courtesy name Yishan, was a Chinese politician of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of China. He previously served as a regional official in Liang Province during the late Eastern Han dynasty. In the ...
, greatly encouraged the defenders by taking the lead in protecting the city. Yang Fu recruited around 1,000 scholars and clansmen to place under the command of his cousin, Yang Yue, and he himself acted as Yang Yue's strategist. Yang Fu told Yang Yue to set up the crescent moon formation atop the city wall to counter Ma Chao's siege and wait for reinforcements from the east. However, from the first month to the eighth month, there was no sign that a relief force was on its way, so Wei Kang sent his subordinate, Yan Wen, to sneak out under cover of darkness to get help from
Xiahou Yuan
Xiahou Yuan () (died 219), courtesy name Miaocai, was a Chinese military general and politician serving under the warlord Cao Cao in the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. He is known for his exploits in western China (in parts of present-day G ...
, who was stationed at
Chang'an
Chang'an (; ) is the traditional name of Xi'an. The site had been settled since Neolithic times, during which the Yangshao culture was established in Banpo, in the city's suburbs. Furthermore, in the northern vicinity of modern Xi'an, Qin S ...
.
However, Yan Wen was caught by Ma Chao's soldiers, and Ma Chao tried to use the respected elder to his advantage. The warlord forced the captive to go to the city walls and tell the defenders that no help would come from Chang'an. However, the stubborn old man shouted, "A grand force from the east is coming, keep holding until they arrive!" For this Ma Chao asked Yan Wen whether the latter treasured his very own life, but Yan did not reply. Since Ma Chao had been struggling to breach the city wall for a long time, he wanted to lure the influential Yan Wen to change allegiance, so he gave Yan Wen another chance, asking whether the latter knew anyone inside the city who would welcome the invaders, but the old man still remained silent. Now Ma Chao was irritated and censured the elder venomously, causing Yan Wen to finally stand up and say, "A gentleman serving a lord can die for him but not betray him, yet you desired an old man to conduct evil speeches! Am I a person who would rather live in shame?" Then, a speechless Ma Chao executed Yan Wen in rage.
After witnessing the death of Yan Wen, however, both Wei Kang and the Administrator of Jicheng were terrified, and they hesitated to resist further. Although Yang Fu strongly opposed surrender, Wei Kang opened the city gates and let Ma Chao in. Once Ma Chao got inside the fortress-city, he arrested Yang Yue, and asked Zhang Lu's officer, Yang Ang (), to murder Wei Kang and the Administrator of Jicheng.
Aftermath
At the beginning of the siege, Cao Cao was fighting Sun Quan in Ruxukou, and after he returned to the city of Ye, he was busy launching the establishment of the principality of
li'' outside of Jicheng, where Xiahou was defeated. Such a victory greatly impressed Qianwan, leader of the Di tribe, so the latter allied with Ma Chao, who now named himself General Who Conquers the West and Governor of
Bing Province
Bingzhou, or Bing Province, was a location in ancient China. According to legend, when Yu the Great (c. 2200 BC-2100 BC) tamed the flood, he divided the land of China into the Nine Provinces. Historical texts such as the ''Rites of Zhou'', and "Tr ...
.
By conquering Jicheng, Ma Chao had gained a base from which to command the majority of Liang Province and exert influence around the area. However, Ma Chao's success would not last long, as Yang Fu contacted some former officers of Wei Kang to rebel against Ma Chao simultaneously in the ninth month of 213. At the end, Ma Chao,
Pang De
Pang De () (died 219), courtesy name Lingming, was a Chinese military general who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty. He started his career under the warlord Ma Teng, who was based in Liang Province. In 211, Ma Teng's son Ma Chao, along ...
, and his cousin Ma Dai fled Liang Province and took refuge under Zhang Lu.