Battle of Bowang
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Bowang, also known as the Battle of Bowang Slope, was a battle fought between the warlords Cao Cao
and Liu Bei
in 202 during the prelude to the Three Kingdoms
period of Chinese history
.
after being defeated by Cao Cao in 200 at Xu Province. However, he left Yuan Shao after the latter was defeated by Cao Cao at the Battle of Guandu
in late 200, and went to Jing Province (covering present-day Hubei
and Hunan
) to seek shelter under the governor Liu Biao
. Liu Biao initially welcomed Liu Bei and put him in charge of Xinye
, but he gradually grew suspicious of Liu Bei as the latter became increasingly influential in Jing Province. As a result, Liu Biao sent Liu Bei to Bowang near Jing Province's northern border to defend against an invasion by Cao Cao.
At the same time, Cao Cao's forces were at war in northern China with Yuan Shao's remnants, led by Yuan's sons Yuan Tan
, Yuan Xi
and Yuan Shang
. To counter Liu Bei's maneuvers, Cao Cao sent his generals Xiahou Dun
, Li Dian
and Yu Jin
to lead an army south to attack Liu Bei.
In the battle, Liu Bei's general Zhao Yun
captured Xiahou Lan (夏侯蘭), an enemy commander who was from the same hometown as Zhao. Zhao Yun requested for Liu Bei to spare Xiahou Lan's life and recommended Xiahou to be a military judge.
's historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms
. In the novel, the battle took place in 208 instead of 202. Besides, credit for the victory went to Liu Bei's advisor Zhuge Liang
, whose intelligence was exemplified soon after he came to serve Liu Bei.
In chapter 38, Liu Bei personally paid three visits to the thatched cottage that Zhuge Liang lived in, and succeeded in recruiting Zhuge to be his advisor. Following that, Liu Bei became very close to Zhuge and kept making praises about him. Liu Bei's sworn brothers Guan Yu
and Zhang Fei became unhappy because they thought that Zhuge was nothing but a bookworm. Not long later, when Cao Cao sent Xiahou Dun to lead 100,000 troops to attack Liu Bei in Xinye, Zhang Fei sarcastically remarked that Zhuge Liang can go and resist the enemy himself.
Zhuge Liang understood that he was new to Liu Bei's forces and had not made any contributions yet, so Liu Bei's established generals such as Guan Yu and Zhang Fei were likely to disobey his commands. Thus, he asked Liu Bei for his sword and seal, symbols of a commander's authority, and announced that anyone who did not follow orders would be executed. Zhuge then proceeded to describe the battle plan: Guan Yu and Zhang Fei would each lead 1,000 men to wait in ambush on the left and right sides of Bowang respectively, and burn the enemy's supplies when they see fires burning at the south; Guan Ping
and Liu Feng
were tasked with setting fire to Bowang Slope when the enemy approached; Zhao Yun would lead the vanguard to lure the enemy into the ambush; Liu Bei would lead the backup force. Zhuge also asked Liu Bei to prepare for victory celebrations.
When Xiahou Dun arrived at Bowang, he selected half of his troops to be the vanguard while the rest defended the supplies. Zhao Yun and Liu Bei consecutively came to challenge Xiahou Dun, then feigned defeat and retreated to lure Xiahou to chase them. When Xiahou Dun personally led the pursuit, his deputy Han Hao
cautioned him against ambushes, but Xiahou replied, "I see that the enemy is so weak. Even if they set ambushes on ten sides, I have nothing to fear." As Xiahou Dun ventured deeper into the valley, Liu Bei came to engage him again but retreated soon. Xiahou Dun laughed and said to Han Hao, "So this is the ambush you were talking about!", and then advanced towards Xinye.
During the pursuit, Yu Jin and Li Dian arrived in a narrow position, and a worried Li told Yu, "One who underestimates the enemy would certainly encounter defeat. The terrain here is rough, what if the enemy uses fire here?" Yu Jin understood Li Dian's concern and rode ahead to warn Xiahou Dun while Li tried to stop his men from moving further. Xiahou Dun suddenly realized the danger he was in and tried to retreat but Liu Bei's forces lying in ambush had already set fire to his surroundings. Strong winds helped to spread the fire as Xiahou Dun's troops panicked and stumbled on each other as they attempted to flee, while Zhao Yun turned around to attack the enemy. Xiahou Dun escaped by bashing through the flames and smoke.
In the rear, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei's men set fire to Xiahou Dun's supplies as Han Hao and Xiahou Lan attempted to save the supplies. Xiahou Lan was slain by Zhang Fei while Han Hao fled, along with Li Dian and Yu Jin. The following morning, Xiahou Dun gathered his surviving soldiers and retreated back to Xu City.
After the victory, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei changed their attitudes towards Zhuge Liang and treated him with full respect. Meanwhile in Xu City, Xiahou Dun bound himself and met Cao Cao, requesting death as a punishment for his defeat, but Cao Cao forgave him and released him. Cao Cao also rewarded Li Dian and Yu Jin for their foresight.
. For example, it was featured in Cantonese opera
and zaju
(variety plays).
The battle was also featured in many Three Kingdoms-themed video games such as Capcom
's Warriors of Fate
, Koei's Sangokushi Koumeiden
, Sangokushi Sousouden
, and Dynasty Warriors 4
. The battle is the first stage in Warriors of Fate and Sangokushi Koumeiden.
The ancient battleground of Bowang is now designated a county-level heritage, where a stone monument commemorates the battle. Broken halberds and ashes of grains were discovered there, and were archaeologically determined to be from the late Han Dynasty
.
Cao Cao
Cao Cao was a warlord and the penultimate chancellor of the Eastern Han Dynasty who rose to great power during the dynasty's final years. As one of the central figures of the Three Kingdoms period, he laid the foundations for what was to become the state of Cao Wei and was posthumously titled...
and Liu Bei
Liu Bei
Liu Bei , also known as Liu Xuande, was a warlord, military general and later the founding emperor of the state of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms era of Chinese history...
in 202 during the prelude to the Three Kingdoms
Three Kingdoms
The Three Kingdoms period was a period in Chinese history, part of an era of disunity called the "Six Dynasties" following immediately the loss of de facto power of the Han Dynasty rulers. In a strict academic sense it refers to the period between the foundation of the state of Wei in 220 and the...
period of Chinese history
History of China
Chinese civilization originated in various regional centers along both the Yellow River and the Yangtze River valleys in the Neolithic era, but the Yellow River is said to be the Cradle of Chinese Civilization. With thousands of years of continuous history, China is one of the world's oldest...
.
Background
Liu Bei originally sought refuge under the northern warlord Yuan ShaoYuan Shao
Yuan Shao was a warlord during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. He occupied the northern territories of China during the civil war that occurred towards the end of the Han Dynasty and the beginning of the Three Kingdoms era...
after being defeated by Cao Cao in 200 at Xu Province. However, he left Yuan Shao after the latter was defeated by Cao Cao at the Battle of Guandu
Battle of Guandu
The Battle of Guandu was a military conflict between the warlords Cao Cao and Yuan Shao in 200 during the prelude to the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history. The battle, which concluded with victory for Cao Cao, was a turning point in the war between the two warlords...
in late 200, and went to Jing Province (covering present-day Hubei
Hubei
' Hupeh) is a province in Central China. The name of the province means "north of the lake", referring to its position north of Lake Dongting...
and Hunan
Hunan
' is a province of South-Central China, located to the south of the middle reaches of the Yangtze River and south of Lake Dongting...
) to seek shelter under the governor Liu Biao
Liu Biao
Liu Biao , style name Jingsheng , was a warlord and the governor of Jing Province during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. He was a member of the extended family of the Han Dynasty emperors...
. Liu Biao initially welcomed Liu Bei and put him in charge of Xinye
Xinye County
Xinye is one of the counties of Nanyang that lies in the southwest of Henan province in central China. Its south is Xiangfan city of Hubei province . Itseast is Tanghe county of Nanyang. Its west is county-level city...
, but he gradually grew suspicious of Liu Bei as the latter became increasingly influential in Jing Province. As a result, Liu Biao sent Liu Bei to Bowang near Jing Province's northern border to defend against an invasion by Cao Cao.
At the same time, Cao Cao's forces were at war in northern China with Yuan Shao's remnants, led by Yuan's sons Yuan Tan
Yuan Tan
Yuan Tan was the oldest son of the warlord Yuan Shao during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. After Yuan Shao's death, Yuan Tan split with his youngest brother Yuan Shang over the successorship to their father's realm. Yuan Tan sought help from the warlord Cao Cao and defeated Yuan...
, Yuan Xi
Yuan Xi
Yuan Xi was the second son of the warlord Yuan Shao during the late Han Dynasty era of Chinese history.Yuan was described in Luo Guanzhong's historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms as "intelligent but weak and indecisive", in contrast to his older brother Yuan Tan, who was described as...
and Yuan Shang
Yuán Shàng
Yuan Shang , style name Xianfu , was a warlord during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. He was the third son of the warlord Yuan Shao, and succeeded his father...
. To counter Liu Bei's maneuvers, Cao Cao sent his generals Xiahou Dun
Xiahou Dun
Xiahou Dun was a military general serving under the warlord Cao Cao during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. Cao Cao's original family name was Xiahou, but his father Cao Song was the adopted son of the eunuch Cao Teng, so Xiahou Dun and Cao Cao share blood relations...
, Li Dian
Li Dian
Li Dian was a military general serving under the warlord Cao Cao during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. He participated in the Battle of Guandu between Cao Cao and Yuan Shao...
and Yu Jin
Yu Jin
Yu Jin was a military general serving under the warlord Cao Cao during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. He joined Cao in the early years of the civil wars that led to the collapse of the Han Dynasty...
to lead an army south to attack Liu Bei.
The battle
During the battle, Liu Bei suddenly set fire to his camp and retreated south. Xiahou Dun gave chase but Li Dian cautioned him, "I suspect that there's an ambush because the bandits (referring to Liu Bei's forces) are retreating for no reason. The paths to the south are narrow and the bushes are thick there. Do not pursue." Xiahou Dun ignored Li Dian's warning and left Li behind to guard the camp while he led the rest of his troops to pursue Liu Bei's retreating army. As predicted by Li Dian, Liu Bei did indeed set an ambush, and Xiahou Dun fell into the trap and was defeated. Li Dian's regiment came to Xiahou Dun's rescue and Liu Bei retreated after seeing Li Dian's reinforcements.In the battle, Liu Bei's general Zhao Yun
Zhao Yun
Zhao Yun was a military general who lived during the late Han Dynasty and early Three Kingdoms era of Chinese history. For most of his career, Zhao served the warlord Liu Bei, playing a part in the establishment of state of Shu Han...
captured Xiahou Lan (夏侯蘭), an enemy commander who was from the same hometown as Zhao. Zhao Yun requested for Liu Bei to spare Xiahou Lan's life and recommended Xiahou to be a military judge.
In fiction
The Battle of Bowang was mentioned in chapter 39 of Luo GuanzhongLuo Guanzhong
Luo Ben , better known by his style name Luo Guanzhong , was a Chinese writer of the early Ming Dynasty period of Chinese history. He was also known as Huhai Sanren...
's historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms
Romance of the Three Kingdoms
Romance of the Three Kingdoms, written by Luo Guanzhong in the 14th century, is a Chinese historical novel based on the events in the turbulent years near the end of the Han Dynasty and the Three Kingdoms era of Chinese history, starting in 169 and ending with the reunification of the land in...
. In the novel, the battle took place in 208 instead of 202. Besides, credit for the victory went to Liu Bei's advisor Zhuge Liang
Zhuge Liang
Zhuge Liang was a chancellor of the state of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history. He is often recognised as the greatest and most accomplished strategist of his era....
, whose intelligence was exemplified soon after he came to serve Liu Bei.
In chapter 38, Liu Bei personally paid three visits to the thatched cottage that Zhuge Liang lived in, and succeeded in recruiting Zhuge to be his advisor. Following that, Liu Bei became very close to Zhuge and kept making praises about him. Liu Bei's sworn brothers Guan Yu
Guan Yu
Guan Yu was a general serving under the warlord Liu Bei during the late Eastern Han Dynasty of China. He played a significant role in the civil war that led to the collapse of the Han Dynasty and the establishment of the state of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms period, of which Liu Bei was the...
and Zhang Fei became unhappy because they thought that Zhuge was nothing but a bookworm. Not long later, when Cao Cao sent Xiahou Dun to lead 100,000 troops to attack Liu Bei in Xinye, Zhang Fei sarcastically remarked that Zhuge Liang can go and resist the enemy himself.
Zhuge Liang understood that he was new to Liu Bei's forces and had not made any contributions yet, so Liu Bei's established generals such as Guan Yu and Zhang Fei were likely to disobey his commands. Thus, he asked Liu Bei for his sword and seal, symbols of a commander's authority, and announced that anyone who did not follow orders would be executed. Zhuge then proceeded to describe the battle plan: Guan Yu and Zhang Fei would each lead 1,000 men to wait in ambush on the left and right sides of Bowang respectively, and burn the enemy's supplies when they see fires burning at the south; Guan Ping
Guan Ping
Guan Ping was the oldest son of the military general Guan Yu and older brother of Guan Xing. He served under the warlord Liu Bei during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history...
and Liu Feng
Liu Feng
Liu Feng was an adopted son of the warlord Liu Bei, and served as a general in Liu Bei's army during the late Han Dynasty of China.-Early life:...
were tasked with setting fire to Bowang Slope when the enemy approached; Zhao Yun would lead the vanguard to lure the enemy into the ambush; Liu Bei would lead the backup force. Zhuge also asked Liu Bei to prepare for victory celebrations.
When Xiahou Dun arrived at Bowang, he selected half of his troops to be the vanguard while the rest defended the supplies. Zhao Yun and Liu Bei consecutively came to challenge Xiahou Dun, then feigned defeat and retreated to lure Xiahou to chase them. When Xiahou Dun personally led the pursuit, his deputy Han Hao
Han Hao
Han Hao, style name Yuansi , was a military general serving under the warlord Cao Cao during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history....
cautioned him against ambushes, but Xiahou replied, "I see that the enemy is so weak. Even if they set ambushes on ten sides, I have nothing to fear." As Xiahou Dun ventured deeper into the valley, Liu Bei came to engage him again but retreated soon. Xiahou Dun laughed and said to Han Hao, "So this is the ambush you were talking about!", and then advanced towards Xinye.
During the pursuit, Yu Jin and Li Dian arrived in a narrow position, and a worried Li told Yu, "One who underestimates the enemy would certainly encounter defeat. The terrain here is rough, what if the enemy uses fire here?" Yu Jin understood Li Dian's concern and rode ahead to warn Xiahou Dun while Li tried to stop his men from moving further. Xiahou Dun suddenly realized the danger he was in and tried to retreat but Liu Bei's forces lying in ambush had already set fire to his surroundings. Strong winds helped to spread the fire as Xiahou Dun's troops panicked and stumbled on each other as they attempted to flee, while Zhao Yun turned around to attack the enemy. Xiahou Dun escaped by bashing through the flames and smoke.
In the rear, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei's men set fire to Xiahou Dun's supplies as Han Hao and Xiahou Lan attempted to save the supplies. Xiahou Lan was slain by Zhang Fei while Han Hao fled, along with Li Dian and Yu Jin. The following morning, Xiahou Dun gathered his surviving soldiers and retreated back to Xu City.
After the victory, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei changed their attitudes towards Zhuge Liang and treated him with full respect. Meanwhile in Xu City, Xiahou Dun bound himself and met Cao Cao, requesting death as a punishment for his defeat, but Cao Cao forgave him and released him. Cao Cao also rewarded Li Dian and Yu Jin for their foresight.
Cultural references
The battle provided a basis for many skits in the different types of Chinese operaChinese opera
Chinese opera is a popular form of drama and musical theatre in China with roots going back as far as the third century CE...
. For example, it was featured in Cantonese opera
Cantonese opera
Cantonese opera is one of the major categories in Chinese opera, originating in southern China's Cantonese culture. It is popular in Guangdong, Guangxi, Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore and Malaysia. Like all versions of Chinese opera, it is a traditional Chinese art form, involving music, singing,...
and zaju
Zaju
Zaju was a form of Chinese drama or Chinese opera which provided entertainment through a synthesis of recitations of prose and poetry, dance, singing, and mime, with a certain emphasis on comedy...
(variety plays).
The battle was also featured in many Three Kingdoms-themed video games such as Capcom
Capcom
is a Japanese developer and publisher of video games, known for creating multi-million-selling franchises such as Devil May Cry, Chaos Legion, Street Fighter, Mega Man and Resident Evil. Capcom developed and published Bionic Commando, Lost Planet and Dark Void too, but they are less known. Its...
's Warriors of Fate
Warriors of Fate
Warriors of Fate, known in Japan as , is a side-scrolling beat-'em-up produced by Capcom first released as a coin-operated arcade game in...
, Koei's Sangokushi Koumeiden
Sangokushi Koumeiden
Sangokushi Koumeiden is the second installment in the Sangokushi Eiketsuden tactical role-playing series developed by Koei.-Story:...
, Sangokushi Sousouden
Sangokushi Sousouden
Sangokushi Sousouden is the fifth release in the Eiketsuden tactical role-playing series developed by Koei, and the third to be set during the Three Kingdoms Era.-Story:...
, and Dynasty Warriors 4
Dynasty Warriors 4
is a hack and slash video game and the fourth installment in the popular Dynasty Warriors series. Dynasty Warriors 4 was developed by Omega Force and published by Koei. The game is available on PlayStation 2 and Xbox and is based on a series of books called Romance of the Three Kingdoms, written...
. The battle is the first stage in Warriors of Fate and Sangokushi Koumeiden.
The ancient battleground of Bowang is now designated a county-level heritage, where a stone monument commemorates the battle. Broken halberds and ashes of grains were discovered there, and were archaeologically determined to be from the late Han Dynasty
Han Dynasty
The Han Dynasty was the second imperial dynasty of China, preceded by the Qin Dynasty and succeeded by the Three Kingdoms . It was founded by the rebel leader Liu Bang, known posthumously as Emperor Gaozu of Han. It was briefly interrupted by the Xin Dynasty of the former regent Wang Mang...
.