Novel scene
The Northern Army Chains Its Warships 鎖戰船北軍用武
About this event
"The Northern Army Chains Its Warships" is the latter scene of the title of Chapter 48 of the Romance, "Feasting on the Yangtze, Cao Cao Composes a Poem; Chaining the Warships Together, the Northern Army Displays Its Prowess," and is part of the Battle of Red Cliffs. Cao Cao, having linked his ships with iron chains according to Pang Tong's chained-ships plan, drills his navy, and Jiao Chu and Zhang Nan sally out against the southern naval camp and are killed. The Romance places this on the day after the banquet on the Yangtze on the 15th day of the 11th month, in the winter of the 13th year of Jian'an. Romance, Ch. 48 §8 · 18–29
Chen Shou's text has neither the chains nor this drill. Records of Wu 9 records only that Huang Gai said that the ships of Cao Cao's army were joined bow to stern and could be burned. Records, Wu 9 §15
In the Romance
In Chapter 48 of the Romance, on the day after the banquet on the Yangtze, the naval commanders Mao Jie and Yu Jin report that all the ships, large and small, have been paired and linked with iron chains. Cao Cao divides his naval and land forces under flags of five colors and issues his orders, and seeing that even in the northwest wind the ships do not rock, as steady as level ground, while the northern troops wield spears and swords on board, he considers it a sure way to victory. Romance, Ch. 48 §18–20
When Cheng Yu says that since the ships are all chained together they will be hard to move out of the way of a fire attack, Cao Cao laughs, saying that in the depth of winter there are only west and north winds, so if the enemy on the southern bank used fire they would only burn their own troops. Romance, Ch. 48 §21–22
Jiao Chu and Zhang Nan, former generals under Yuan Shao, saying they will show that northern troops too can handle boats, advance on the naval camp south of the river with twenty small boats. Jiao Chu dies by Han Dang's spear and Zhang Nan by the sword of Zhou Tai, who leaps across onto his boat, and Wen Pin, who comes out to meet them, is also pushed back by Han Dang and Zhou Tai and withdraws. Romance, Ch. 48 §23–30
Zhou Yu, watching the warships north of the river from a hilltop, laughs when he sees the yellow flag in the middle of Cao Cao's camp snap in the wind, but when the corner of a flag brushes his face, something suddenly occurs to him; he gives a great cry, spits blood and collapses. Romance, Ch. 48 §31–32
Where the Romance differs
Linking the ships: In Chapters 47 and 48 of the Romance, Cao Cao, on hearing Pang Tong's chained-ships plan, has blacksmiths make iron rings and great nails and links his ships with iron chains. The Biography of Zhou Yu in the Records says only that Huang Gai saw that the ships of Cao Cao's army were joined bow to stern, and records neither the chains nor Pang Tong's plan. Romance, Ch. 47 §32–33Romance, Ch. 48 §18Records, Wu 9 §15Records, Shu 7 §1–12
Jiao Chu and Zhang Nan: In Chapter 48 of the Romance, the two are killed at Red Cliffs by Han Dang and Zhou Tai. In Records of Wei 1 and 6, the two were generals of Yuan Xi who in the 10th year of Jian'an (205) attacked Yuan Xi and Yuan Shang, drove them off to the Wuhuan, surrendered to Cao Cao and were made marquises; the events at Red Cliffs are not recorded. Romance, Ch. 48 §23 · 28–29Records, Wei 1 §88Records, Wei 6 §68
Written by 3KDEX (not yet reviewed) — The tags at the end of each paragraph link to the exact passage in the Records volume or Romance chapter it is based on.