Battle of Yangping 陽平關之戰

According to the Annals of Emperor Wu, in the 3rd month of the 20th year of Jian'an (215) Cao Cao went west to attack Zhang Lu and reached Chencang, and when he was about to enter Di territory from Wudu, the Di blocked the road, so he first sent Zhang He, Zhu Ling and others to defeat them. In the 4th month he went out from Chencang through San Pass and reached Hechi; in the 5th month he attacked and massacred the followers of the Di king Dou Mao, who relied on the rugged terrain and would not submit; and in the 7th month he reached Yangping. The Biography of Zhang He says that Zhang He led 5,000 infantry ahead to open the road, and Xiahou Yuan, leading the generals of Liang Province, joined Cao Cao at Xiuting. Records, Wei 1 §146Records, Wei 17 §46Records, Wei 9 §23

The Biography of Zhang Lu records that Zhang Lu wanted to surrender with Hanzhong, but his younger brother Zhang Wei would not agree and held the pass firmly with several tens of thousands of men. According to the Annals of Emperor Wu, Zhang Wei, the general Yang Ang and others, relying on Yangping Pass, built walls across the mountains for more than ten li, and Cao Cao, unable to take them by attack, led his army away. The Biography of Liu Ye says that because the mountains of Hanzhong were steep and hard to climb and provisions were running short, Cao Cao, calling it nothing but a land of sorcery, wanted to hurry home, but Liu Ye, who was overseeing the rear armies, reported that Zhang Lu could be beaten and that, with the supply route cut, the army could not get out intact even if it withdrew, and urged an attack. Records, Wei 8 §66Records, Wei 1 §147Records, Wei 14 §94

According to the Annals of Emperor Wu, the enemy, seeing the main army withdraw, relaxed their guard and dispersed, and Cao Cao secretly sent Xie Biao, Gao Zuo and others to use the rugged terrain to raid them at night, winning a great victory and beheading the general Yang Ren. When he then attacked Zhang Wei, Zhang Wei and the others fled by night, and Zhang Lu's forces collapsed and he fled to Bazhong. The Biography of Liu Ye records that the army advanced and shot many crossbow bolts at Zhang Lu's camp, whereupon Zhang Lu fled and Hanzhong was pacified. Records, Wei 1 §147Records, Wei 14 §95

According to the Biography of Zhang Lu, when Yangping fell, Zhang Lu wanted to surrender, but Yan Pu told him that if he went now under pressure his merit would count for little, and that he should go to Bazhong and hold out before submitting. As Zhang Lu fled to the southern mountains, he told his attendants, who wanted to burn the storehouses, that the treasures and storehouses belonged to the state, and he sealed them and left; Cao Cao, on entering Nanzheng, praised him greatly for this. In the 11th month, when Zhang Lu came out bringing his whole family, Cao Cao made him General Who Guards the South and Marquis of Langzhong, and enfeoffed his five sons, Yan Pu and others as full marquises. Pang De also surrendered at this time along with the others. Records, Wei 8 §67–68Records, Wei 1 §152Records, Wei 18 §69

Liu Ye urged him to attack Shu on the momentum of taking Hanzhong, saying that if he delayed even a little, Zhuge Liang would become chief minister and Guan Yu and Zhang Fei generals, and Shu could no longer be attacked. The Annals of Emperor Wu record that in the 12th month Cao Cao returned from Nanzheng, leaving Xiahou Yuan to garrison Hanzhong. Records, Wei 14 §95–96Records, Wei 1 §153