Battle of Didao
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Didao, also known as the Battle of Taoxi, was fought between the states of Shu Han
and Cao Wei
in 255 during the Three Kingdoms
period of Chinese history
. The battle concluded with a Wei Pyrrhic victory
.
decided to take advantage of the death of Wei regent Sima Shi
by launching another campaign against Wei. The invasion force was one of the largest Jiang Wei had gathered in his Northern Expeditions
, totalling at least 30,000 men, and including commanders such as Xiahou Ba
and Zhang Yi
. It is worth nothing that both Xiahou Ba and Zhang Yi held higher appointments than Jiang Wei in administrating civil affairs, but Jiang Wei was in command instead because it was a military campaign. Xiahou Ba was a blood relative of the Shu imperial family (he was an uncle of Shu emperor Liu Shan
and both of his nieces were married to Liu Shan). Zhang Yi was considered more senior than Jiang Wei and Xiahou Ba as he served Shu's founding emperor Liu Bei
, while Jiang and Xiahou only joined Shu after Liu Bei's death. By August 255, Jiang Wei's army took Baohan (枹罕; located northeast of present-day Linxia County, Gansu
), and advanced toward Didao (狄道; present-day Lintao County
, Gansu).
The newly appointed Wei Inspector of Yong Province, Wang Jing (王經), immediately notified his direct superior, General Who Subdues the West, Chen Tai
, claiming that the enemy appeared to attack simultaneously on three fronts, targeting Mount Qi (祁山), Shiying (石营), and Jincheng (金城; present-day Lanzhou
, Gansu), and suggesting that they should engage the enemy on those fronts. Wang Jing volunteered to lead an army to face the enemy at Shiying, and proposed having another force to defend Mount Qi. Meanwhile, Wei armies in Liang Province should be deployed to Baohan to check the enemy's advance towards Jincheng. Chen Tai was dubious about this initial intelligence since it was highly unlikely that Shu could rally such a huge army for the campaign Wang Jing perceived. Nonetheless, the Shu invasion force was one of the largest so far, and the Wei defenders could not afford to split forces. Furthermore, Wei armies in Liang Province would not be fully utilized if they were deployed elsewhere, since they would be fighting on unfamiliar terrain. Hence, Chen Tai replied to Wang Jing that they must further carefully analyze Jiang Wei's move because it was unlikely that the enemy could afford to split their forces on different fronts, and Wei must concentrate its forces to achieve absolute numerical superiority over the enemy. Wang Jing was ordered to focus on defending Didao and refrain from engaging the enemy, while waiting for the arrival of reinforcements. Chen Tai asked the Wei imperial court for reinforcements, while he led a relief army towards Chencang (陳倉; located east of present-day Baoji
, Shaanxi
).
. Gu Pass was located to the north of present-day Lintao County
, Gansu
, and it was on the western bank of the Tao River, and this was the place Wang Jing had selected to annihilate the invading enemy who were supposed to be tired and short on supplies, and thus had lower morale. In August, 255, both sides clashed on the western bank of the Tao River, and Wei suffered a disastrous defeat: the number of soldiers drowned in the Tao River in their attempts to escape alone totalled more than 10,000, and most of Wang Jing's troops were lost. Wang Jing was forced to lead his remaining 10,000 troops to retreat back to Didao in the south after crossing the Tao River, and regroup behind the safety of the city walls. The battle on the western bank of Tao River (also known as the Battle of Taoxi), also known as the Battle of Gu Pass, was the greatest victory Jiang Wei had achieved in his northern expeditions, and it was also his last.
After the initial victory, Zhang Yi accurately realized the supply problems Shu faced, and suggested to Jiang Wei to withdraw. Jiang Wei, wanting to ride his initial victory to take Didao, angrily turned down the suggestion and besieged Didao. As the news of Wang Jing going out to engage Jiang Wei reached Chen Tai, he immediately and accurately predicted that Wei would suffer a defeat and thus ordered his cavalry to the rescue, and he would lead the infantry himself to follow. Chen Tai also wrote an urgent message to the Wei imperial court for additional reinforcements. When the news of disaster reached the Wei capital, Luoyang
, the imperial court was worried that Chen Tai alone would not be able to salvage the situation. Chang River Regiment Colonel Deng Ai
, who had just arrived in Luoyang, was appointed Acting General Who Pacifies the West, and was sent to assist Chen Tai. As soon as Deng Ai had left Luoyang, Wei regent Sima Zhao
also put his uncle, Grand Commandant Sima Fu
, in charge of Guanzhong
to help coordinate logistics for Wei forces for the war efforts.
would be lost for sure, and concluded it would be better to take more time to gather a much greater army to fight a prolonged war to regain the control of the region instead of wasting resources on a seemingly impossible task that would be destined to fail. Sima Zhao brushed such concerns aside, pointing out that if even Zhuge Liang
could not achieve the goal of taking four commanderies in western Gansu in his Northern Expeditions when he was alive, Jiang Wei would be certainly not able to achieve the same. It would not be easy to immediately take Didao and the invading enemy would soon run out supplies, and thus Chen Tai's request for immediate reinforcements was absolutely correct. As Chen Tai led his force to Shanggui (上邽; present-day Tianshui
, Gansu), other reinforcements included those led by Deng Ai, Hu Fen (胡奮), and Wang Mi (王秘) also arrived. During a military counsel, Deng Ai's opinion was echoed by everyone except Chen Tai, whom Deng attempted to convince by claiming that after the devastating defeat of Wang Jing that caused most of their crack troops in the region to be annihilated, the morale of the enemy was extremely high and the that of their own troops was low, and that reinforcement was gathered in haste after the defeat, so it was difficult to achieve victory over the enemy at this time. It would be wise to sacrifice some local interests in order to save the overall interest - it might be better to leave Wang Jing to fend for himself, and wait until the enemy became tired and less alert, and then launch a counteroffensive.
Chen Tai opposed Deng Ai's proposal that was agreed by everyone else. Chen Tai reasoned that Jiang Wei's advantage was to fight a quick battle because he did not enough supply for a prolonged struggle due to logistic problem. Wang Jing was supposed to avoid readily combating the invading enemy in the first place and wait until the enemy exhausted its supplies, and then counterattack only when he joined forces with the reinforcements. Instead, Wang Jing did exactly what Jiang Wei had hoped and rushed to battle and faced a devastating defeat. Had Jiang Wei rode on his initial victory and continue eastward to take important grain production region of Wei, he would have a chance to disrupt Guanzhong
, which was truly the real threat. In fact, Jiang Wei might even had a chance to take both Yong and Liang provinces if he had gone for them, and gathered support of minorities in the north and northwest. Instead, Jiang Wei had made a grave military blunder in besieging Didao, which would risk running out the limited supply he had. Attempting to take the city was the worst choice because it would take time to make the preparation, while at the mean time, the defenders had their backs against the wall and would fight to the death to defend the city. This would provide the excellent opportunity to repel the invading Shu army because Wei reinforcement enjoyed the geographical advantage for being stationed in the high grounds in the mountains, while it was difficult for Shu forces in the plains at the lower level to attack upward. Finally, Chen Tai reminded his subordinates that the morale of the enemy would not last long once their supply begun to run out, and everyone concurred with Chen Tai's ideas. Chen Tai subsequently divided his force into three fronts and pushed toward western Gansu, bypassing Jiang Wei's force, and reached the mountains to the southeast of Didao.
, while at the same time, Chen Tai's reinforcements bypassed Gaocheng Ridge (高城嶺; located northwest of present-day Weiyuan County
, Gansu
), and took position in the mountains to the southeast of the besieged Didao. After several failed attempts of attacking the mountain ridge, it was obvious to Shu commanders that their hungry soldiers could not dislodge the Wei reinforcements. The reinforcements in the mountains just outside the city wall established the link with the city by means of smoke and drums, and the defenders' morale was greatly boosted. Chen Tai was well aware that despite the numerical advantage and newly boosted morale, the Wei force was not in a position to counterattack. Instead, Chen Tai deployed a clever tactic by releasing the news of a planned counteroffensive in which the Wei force would attack the Shu force from both sides. With supplies running out, Jiang Wei was forced to concede defeat by retreating on September 25, 255 to Zhongti (鐘堤; located south of present-day Lintao County
, Gansu) at the downstream of the Tao River, to the south of Didao. The battle therefore was concluded with a Wei victory. As Wang Jing opened the city gate to welcome Chen Tai, he cordially thanked the latter, revealing that the food left was not enough to last for ten days, and the city would definitely fall if the reinforcements failed to arrive in time. After re-supplying the city and reorganize the defense, Chen Tai and his force returned to Shanggui.
issued an imperial decree in which he ordered the local civilian officials and military officers to devote their sources fully to the relief effort. The military draft and tax levied on the local populace were waived for a year. Cao Mao soon issued another imperial decree in November 255 to further boost the morale and the support of the local populace by granting amnesty to the local family members left behind by those defected to Shu. Merely half a month after his second decree, Cao Mao issued a third decree, in which he ordered Chen Tai and Deng Ai to commit all of their forces to fish out all of the remaining cadavers of Wei soldiers in the Tao River
, and bury them with other killed in the battle. It was more than hundred days after the end of the battle, and the devastation was so great that many of the battle dead had yet to be properly buried.
For his brilliant achievement, Chen Tai was recalled to Luoyang to be promoted to Imperial Secretariat, and the position of General Who Subdues the West was succeeded by Sima Wang
. Deng Ai was no longer in an acting appointment, but now officially General Who Pacifies the West (安西将军), and he was put in charge of both Yong and Liang provinces. Wang Jing, who was the cause of the initial Wei defeat and subsequent devastation, was reassigned to another position in the capital and the vacant position of Inspector of Yong he left behind was filled by Deng Ai's subordinate Zhuge Xu (諸葛緒).
Shu forces
. Unfortunately, the weak Shu could not support the large scale logistic needed to sustain the long term siege and consequently, Jiang Wei was forced to admit defeat by retreating as in the previous expeditions. For Wei, despite suffering heavy losses, the enemy was nonetheless beaten back, and it would be a matter of time before Wei could fully recover, albeit it would take longer than usual. The battle clearly revealed the strength of the opposing states and it would be Wei and its successor that would eventually unify China once again.
Shu Han
Shu Han was one of the three states competing for control of China during the Three Kingdoms period, after the fall of the Han Dynasty. The state was based on areas around Sichuan, which was then known as Shu...
and Cao Wei
Cao Wei
Cao Wei was one of the states that competed for control of China during the Three Kingdoms period. With the capital at Luoyang, the state was established by Cao Pi in 220, based upon the foundations that his father Cao Cao laid...
in 255 during 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...
. The battle concluded with a Wei Pyrrhic victory
Pyrrhic victory
A Pyrrhic victory is a victory with such a devastating cost to the victor that it carries the implication that another such victory will ultimately cause defeat.-Origin:...
.
Prelude
In July 255, Shu general Jiang WeiJiang Wei
Jiang Wei was a military general and regent of the state of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms era of Chinese history. He originally served Shu's rival state, Cao Wei, as a middle-level military officer, but defected to the Shu strategist Zhuge Liang, leaving his mother in Wei. After that, Jiang...
decided to take advantage of the death of Wei regent Sima Shi
Sima Shi
Sima Shi , style name Ziyuan , was a military general and regent of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms era of Chinese history. In 249, he assisted his father Sima Yi in overthrowing the emperor Cao Fang's regent Cao Shuang, allowing the Sima family to become paramount authority in the state, and he...
by launching another campaign against Wei. The invasion force was one of the largest Jiang Wei had gathered in his Northern Expeditions
Jiang Wei's Northern Expeditions
Jiang Wei's Northern Expeditions refer to a series of nine military campaigns launched by Shu Han general Jiang Wei against the rival state of Cao Wei from 247 to 262 during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history. Each expedition was aborted eventually due to inadequate food supplies or...
, totalling at least 30,000 men, and including commanders such as Xiahou Ba
Xiahou Ba
Xiahou Ba , style name Zhongquan , was a military general of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms era of Chinese history...
and Zhang Yi
Zhang Yi (Bogong)
Zhang Yi , style name Bogong, was a general of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms era of Chinese history. Originally from Wuyang and a descendant of Zhang Liang, he became Liu Bei's commander after Liu Bei had captured Yizhou...
. It is worth nothing that both Xiahou Ba and Zhang Yi held higher appointments than Jiang Wei in administrating civil affairs, but Jiang Wei was in command instead because it was a military campaign. Xiahou Ba was a blood relative of the Shu imperial family (he was an uncle of Shu emperor Liu Shan
Liu Shan
Liu Shan, , was the second and last emperor of the state of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms era of Chinese history. As he ascended the throne at the young age of 16, Liu Shan was entrusted to the care of the Chancellor Zhuge Liang and Imperial Secretariat Li Yan...
and both of his nieces were married to Liu Shan). Zhang Yi was considered more senior than Jiang Wei and Xiahou Ba as he served Shu's founding emperor 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...
, while Jiang and Xiahou only joined Shu after Liu Bei's death. By August 255, Jiang Wei's army took Baohan (枹罕; located northeast of present-day Linxia County, Gansu
Gansu
' is a province located in the northwest of the People's Republic of China.It lies between the Tibetan and Huangtu plateaus, and borders Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and Ningxia to the north, Xinjiang and Qinghai to the west, Sichuan to the south, and Shaanxi to the east...
), and advanced toward Didao (狄道; present-day Lintao County
Lintao County
Lintao County is administratively under the control of Dingxi, Gansu province. In ancient times, Lintao was centered around present day Min County.-Geography:...
, Gansu).
The newly appointed Wei Inspector of Yong Province, Wang Jing (王經), immediately notified his direct superior, General Who Subdues the West, Chen Tai
Chen Tai
Chen Tai , style name Xuanbo , was a military general and politician of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history. He was the son of Chen Qun. Chen Tai was very knowledgeable in the art of war, and so led his men as if they were his own children...
, claiming that the enemy appeared to attack simultaneously on three fronts, targeting Mount Qi (祁山), Shiying (石营), and Jincheng (金城; present-day Lanzhou
Lanzhou
Lanzhou is the capital and largest city of Gansu Province in Northwest China. A prefecture-level city, it is a key regional transportation hub, allowing areas further west to maintain railroad connections to the eastern half of the country....
, Gansu), and suggesting that they should engage the enemy on those fronts. Wang Jing volunteered to lead an army to face the enemy at Shiying, and proposed having another force to defend Mount Qi. Meanwhile, Wei armies in Liang Province should be deployed to Baohan to check the enemy's advance towards Jincheng. Chen Tai was dubious about this initial intelligence since it was highly unlikely that Shu could rally such a huge army for the campaign Wang Jing perceived. Nonetheless, the Shu invasion force was one of the largest so far, and the Wei defenders could not afford to split forces. Furthermore, Wei armies in Liang Province would not be fully utilized if they were deployed elsewhere, since they would be fighting on unfamiliar terrain. Hence, Chen Tai replied to Wang Jing that they must further carefully analyze Jiang Wei's move because it was unlikely that the enemy could afford to split their forces on different fronts, and Wei must concentrate its forces to achieve absolute numerical superiority over the enemy. Wang Jing was ordered to focus on defending Didao and refrain from engaging the enemy, while waiting for the arrival of reinforcements. Chen Tai asked the Wei imperial court for reinforcements, while he led a relief army towards Chencang (陳倉; located east of present-day Baoji
Baoji
Baoji is a prefecture-level city in Shaanxi province, China.-Geography:The prefecture-level city of Baoji has a population of 3,716,731 according to the 2010 Chinese census, inhabiting an area of . The city itself has a population of approximately 800,000. Surrounded on three sides by hills,...
, Shaanxi
Shaanxi
' is a province in the central part of Mainland China, and it includes portions of the Loess Plateau on the middle reaches of the Yellow River in addition to the Qinling Mountains across the southern part of this province...
).
Wei defeat at Gu Pass
Wang Jing, with virtually no military experience, had gravely underestimated the enemy and erroneously believed that the enemy would be tired after the prolonged march, and it would be better not to provide the enemy any chance to rest and regroup, but to defeat them early in a preemptive strike. Wang Jing was confident that he would have a decisive victory because his enjoyed the numerical superiority over the enemy, and unlike his enemy whose supply line was overstretched, his own force on the defensive had no logistic problems. Therefore, Wang Jing ignored Chen Tai's order to remain in Didao, and instead led his force ventured out to Gu Pass (故關) on the upstream of the Tao RiverTao River
Tao River is a right tributary of China's Yellow River. It starts in Xiqing Mountains near the Gansu-Qinghai border, flows eastward across Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, and then northward more or less along the border between Dingxi Prefecture-level City in the east and Gannan and Linxia...
. Gu Pass was located to the north of present-day Lintao County
Lintao County
Lintao County is administratively under the control of Dingxi, Gansu province. In ancient times, Lintao was centered around present day Min County.-Geography:...
, Gansu
Gansu
' is a province located in the northwest of the People's Republic of China.It lies between the Tibetan and Huangtu plateaus, and borders Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and Ningxia to the north, Xinjiang and Qinghai to the west, Sichuan to the south, and Shaanxi to the east...
, and it was on the western bank of the Tao River, and this was the place Wang Jing had selected to annihilate the invading enemy who were supposed to be tired and short on supplies, and thus had lower morale. In August, 255, both sides clashed on the western bank of the Tao River, and Wei suffered a disastrous defeat: the number of soldiers drowned in the Tao River in their attempts to escape alone totalled more than 10,000, and most of Wang Jing's troops were lost. Wang Jing was forced to lead his remaining 10,000 troops to retreat back to Didao in the south after crossing the Tao River, and regroup behind the safety of the city walls. The battle on the western bank of Tao River (also known as the Battle of Taoxi), also known as the Battle of Gu Pass, was the greatest victory Jiang Wei had achieved in his northern expeditions, and it was also his last.
After the initial victory, Zhang Yi accurately realized the supply problems Shu faced, and suggested to Jiang Wei to withdraw. Jiang Wei, wanting to ride his initial victory to take Didao, angrily turned down the suggestion and besieged Didao. As the news of Wang Jing going out to engage Jiang Wei reached Chen Tai, he immediately and accurately predicted that Wei would suffer a defeat and thus ordered his cavalry to the rescue, and he would lead the infantry himself to follow. Chen Tai also wrote an urgent message to the Wei imperial court for additional reinforcements. When the news of disaster reached the Wei capital, Luoyang
Luoyang
Luoyang is a prefecture-level city in western Henan province of Central China. It borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the east, Pingdingshan to the southeast, Nanyang to the south, Sanmenxia to the west, Jiyuan to the north, and Jiaozuo to the northeast.Situated on the central plain of...
, the imperial court was worried that Chen Tai alone would not be able to salvage the situation. Chang River Regiment Colonel Deng Ai
Deng Ai
Deng Ai was a military general of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms era of Chinese history. It was said that whenever he saw a hill or wide valley, he would immediately size up the best places to store grain and position troops. His talent was recognized by Sima Yi, who recommended him to take up...
, who had just arrived in Luoyang, was appointed Acting General Who Pacifies the West, and was sent to assist Chen Tai. As soon as Deng Ai had left Luoyang, Wei regent Sima Zhao
Sima Zhao
Sima Zhao was a military general, politician and regent of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history...
also put his uncle, Grand Commandant Sima Fu
Sima Fu
Sima Fu was a politician of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history.-Biography:Sima Fu was a younger brother of Sima Yi, and for this reason he served the state of Cao Wei. It was said that although he did not have the extraordinary abilities of his older brother, he was well...
, in charge of Guanzhong
Guanzhong
Guanzhong , or Guanzhong Plain, is a historical region of China corresponding to the lower valley of the Wei River. It is called Guanzhong or 'within the passes' to distinguish it from 'Guandong' or 'east of the pass', that is, the North China Plain. The North China Plain is bordered on the west by...
to help coordinate logistics for Wei forces for the war efforts.
Wei strategies to counter Shu
When the news of the siege of Didao reached Chen Tai initially, he believed that the city would not fall that easily, but the reinforcement he sent was definitely not enough, thus he asked the Wei imperial court for more. Most officials in the court, however, was worried that after the disastrous defeat Wang Jing would not last until the reinforcement arrived, and the enemy would have the absolute geographical advantage after taking the walled city. They further predicted the four commanderies in western GansuGansu
' is a province located in the northwest of the People's Republic of China.It lies between the Tibetan and Huangtu plateaus, and borders Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and Ningxia to the north, Xinjiang and Qinghai to the west, Sichuan to the south, and Shaanxi to the east...
would be lost for sure, and concluded it would be better to take more time to gather a much greater army to fight a prolonged war to regain the control of the region instead of wasting resources on a seemingly impossible task that would be destined to fail. Sima Zhao brushed such concerns aside, pointing out that if even 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....
could not achieve the goal of taking four commanderies in western Gansu in his Northern Expeditions when he was alive, Jiang Wei would be certainly not able to achieve the same. It would not be easy to immediately take Didao and the invading enemy would soon run out supplies, and thus Chen Tai's request for immediate reinforcements was absolutely correct. As Chen Tai led his force to Shanggui (上邽; present-day Tianshui
Tianshui
Tianshui is the second largest city in Gansu province in northwest China. Its population is approximately 3,500,000.Tianshui lies along the route of the ancient Northern Silk Road at the Wei River, through which much of trade occurred between China and the west...
, Gansu), other reinforcements included those led by Deng Ai, Hu Fen (胡奮), and Wang Mi (王秘) also arrived. During a military counsel, Deng Ai's opinion was echoed by everyone except Chen Tai, whom Deng attempted to convince by claiming that after the devastating defeat of Wang Jing that caused most of their crack troops in the region to be annihilated, the morale of the enemy was extremely high and the that of their own troops was low, and that reinforcement was gathered in haste after the defeat, so it was difficult to achieve victory over the enemy at this time. It would be wise to sacrifice some local interests in order to save the overall interest - it might be better to leave Wang Jing to fend for himself, and wait until the enemy became tired and less alert, and then launch a counteroffensive.
Chen Tai opposed Deng Ai's proposal that was agreed by everyone else. Chen Tai reasoned that Jiang Wei's advantage was to fight a quick battle because he did not enough supply for a prolonged struggle due to logistic problem. Wang Jing was supposed to avoid readily combating the invading enemy in the first place and wait until the enemy exhausted its supplies, and then counterattack only when he joined forces with the reinforcements. Instead, Wang Jing did exactly what Jiang Wei had hoped and rushed to battle and faced a devastating defeat. Had Jiang Wei rode on his initial victory and continue eastward to take important grain production region of Wei, he would have a chance to disrupt Guanzhong
Guanzhong
Guanzhong , or Guanzhong Plain, is a historical region of China corresponding to the lower valley of the Wei River. It is called Guanzhong or 'within the passes' to distinguish it from 'Guandong' or 'east of the pass', that is, the North China Plain. The North China Plain is bordered on the west by...
, which was truly the real threat. In fact, Jiang Wei might even had a chance to take both Yong and Liang provinces if he had gone for them, and gathered support of minorities in the north and northwest. Instead, Jiang Wei had made a grave military blunder in besieging Didao, which would risk running out the limited supply he had. Attempting to take the city was the worst choice because it would take time to make the preparation, while at the mean time, the defenders had their backs against the wall and would fight to the death to defend the city. This would provide the excellent opportunity to repel the invading Shu army because Wei reinforcement enjoyed the geographical advantage for being stationed in the high grounds in the mountains, while it was difficult for Shu forces in the plains at the lower level to attack upward. Finally, Chen Tai reminded his subordinates that the morale of the enemy would not last long once their supply begun to run out, and everyone concurred with Chen Tai's ideas. Chen Tai subsequently divided his force into three fronts and pushed toward western Gansu, bypassing Jiang Wei's force, and reached the mountains to the southeast of Didao.
Arrival of reinforcements at Didao
As the siege of Didao continued, the supply problem begun to take its toll on the overstretched Shu force, and there were more bad news for Jiang Wei. The news of Wei reinforcements arrived from Jincheng on the upstream of the Tao RiverTao River
Tao River is a right tributary of China's Yellow River. It starts in Xiqing Mountains near the Gansu-Qinghai border, flows eastward across Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, and then northward more or less along the border between Dingxi Prefecture-level City in the east and Gannan and Linxia...
, while at the same time, Chen Tai's reinforcements bypassed Gaocheng Ridge (高城嶺; located northwest of present-day Weiyuan County
Weiyuan County, Gansu
Weiyuan County is an administrative district in Gansu, the People's Republic of China. It is one of 58 counties of Gansu. It is part of the Dingxi prefecture, with the city of the same name being the prefecture seat...
, Gansu
Gansu
' is a province located in the northwest of the People's Republic of China.It lies between the Tibetan and Huangtu plateaus, and borders Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and Ningxia to the north, Xinjiang and Qinghai to the west, Sichuan to the south, and Shaanxi to the east...
), and took position in the mountains to the southeast of the besieged Didao. After several failed attempts of attacking the mountain ridge, it was obvious to Shu commanders that their hungry soldiers could not dislodge the Wei reinforcements. The reinforcements in the mountains just outside the city wall established the link with the city by means of smoke and drums, and the defenders' morale was greatly boosted. Chen Tai was well aware that despite the numerical advantage and newly boosted morale, the Wei force was not in a position to counterattack. Instead, Chen Tai deployed a clever tactic by releasing the news of a planned counteroffensive in which the Wei force would attack the Shu force from both sides. With supplies running out, Jiang Wei was forced to concede defeat by retreating on September 25, 255 to Zhongti (鐘堤; located south of present-day Lintao County
Lintao County
Lintao County is administratively under the control of Dingxi, Gansu province. In ancient times, Lintao was centered around present day Min County.-Geography:...
, Gansu) at the downstream of the Tao River, to the south of Didao. The battle therefore was concluded with a Wei victory. As Wang Jing opened the city gate to welcome Chen Tai, he cordially thanked the latter, revealing that the food left was not enough to last for ten days, and the city would definitely fall if the reinforcements failed to arrive in time. After re-supplying the city and reorganize the defense, Chen Tai and his force returned to Shanggui.
Aftermath
Although successfully repelling the invading Shu army led by Jiang Wei, Wei had suffered a terrible loss. In October 255, the Wei emperor Cao MaoCao Mao
Cao Mao , formally known as the Duke of Gaogui, was the fourth emperor of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history. He was a grandson of Cao Wei's first emperor Cao Pi. Described as intelligent and studious, Cao Mao made repeated attempts to seize back state power...
issued an imperial decree in which he ordered the local civilian officials and military officers to devote their sources fully to the relief effort. The military draft and tax levied on the local populace were waived for a year. Cao Mao soon issued another imperial decree in November 255 to further boost the morale and the support of the local populace by granting amnesty to the local family members left behind by those defected to Shu. Merely half a month after his second decree, Cao Mao issued a third decree, in which he ordered Chen Tai and Deng Ai to commit all of their forces to fish out all of the remaining cadavers of Wei soldiers in the Tao River
Tao River
Tao River is a right tributary of China's Yellow River. It starts in Xiqing Mountains near the Gansu-Qinghai border, flows eastward across Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, and then northward more or less along the border between Dingxi Prefecture-level City in the east and Gannan and Linxia...
, and bury them with other killed in the battle. It was more than hundred days after the end of the battle, and the devastation was so great that many of the battle dead had yet to be properly buried.
For his brilliant achievement, Chen Tai was recalled to Luoyang to be promoted to Imperial Secretariat, and the position of General Who Subdues the West was succeeded by Sima Wang
Sima Wang
Sima Wang was a military general of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history. He served the Jin Dynasty after the end of the Three Kingdoms period...
. Deng Ai was no longer in an acting appointment, but now officially General Who Pacifies the West (安西将军), and he was put in charge of both Yong and Liang provinces. Wang Jing, who was the cause of the initial Wei defeat and subsequent devastation, was reassigned to another position in the capital and the vacant position of Inspector of Yong he left behind was filled by Deng Ai's subordinate Zhuge Xu (諸葛緒).
Order of battle
Wei forces- General Who Subdues the West (征西將軍) Chen TaiChen TaiChen Tai , style name Xuanbo , was a military general and politician of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history. He was the son of Chen Qun. Chen Tai was very knowledgeable in the art of war, and so led his men as if they were his own children...
- Acting General Who Pacifies the West (代安西將軍) Deng AiDeng AiDeng Ai was a military general of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms era of Chinese history. It was said that whenever he saw a hill or wide valley, he would immediately size up the best places to store grain and position troops. His talent was recognized by Sima Yi, who recommended him to take up...
- Inspector of Yong State (雍州刺史) Wang Jing (王經)
- General Hu Fen (胡奮)
- General Wang Mi (王秘)
- Acting General Who Pacifies the West (代安西將軍) Deng Ai
Shu forces
- General of the Guards (衛將軍) Jiang WeiJiang WeiJiang Wei was a military general and regent of the state of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms era of Chinese history. He originally served Shu's rival state, Cao Wei, as a middle-level military officer, but defected to the Shu strategist Zhuge Liang, leaving his mother in Wei. After that, Jiang...
- General of Chariots and Cavalry (車騎將軍) Xiahou BaXiahou BaXiahou Ba , style name Zhongquan , was a military general of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms era of Chinese history...
- Senior General Who Subdues the West (征西大將軍) Zhang YiZhang Yi (Bogong)Zhang Yi , style name Bogong, was a general of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms era of Chinese history. Originally from Wuyang and a descendant of Zhang Liang, he became Liu Bei's commander after Liu Bei had captured Yizhou...
- General of Chariots and Cavalry (車騎將軍) Xiahou Ba
Analysis
Although forced to retreat, this battle was actually one of the greatest success Jiang Wei had achieved in his Northern ExpeditionsJiang Wei's Northern Expeditions
Jiang Wei's Northern Expeditions refer to a series of nine military campaigns launched by Shu Han general Jiang Wei against the rival state of Cao Wei from 247 to 262 during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history. Each expedition was aborted eventually due to inadequate food supplies or...
. Unfortunately, the weak Shu could not support the large scale logistic needed to sustain the long term siege and consequently, Jiang Wei was forced to admit defeat by retreating as in the previous expeditions. For Wei, despite suffering heavy losses, the enemy was nonetheless beaten back, and it would be a matter of time before Wei could fully recover, albeit it would take longer than usual. The battle clearly revealed the strength of the opposing states and it would be Wei and its successor that would eventually unify China once again.