Battle
Battle of Mount Qi 祁山之戰
About this event
The Battle of Mount Qi was the battle in the 9th year of Jianxing (231; 5th year of Taihe in Wei) in which Zhuge Liang of Shu again besieged Mount Qi and faced Sima Yi and Zhang He of Wei, the fourth campaign of Zhuge Liang's Northern Expeditions. Zhuge Liang for the first time used wooden oxen to carry provisions, but in the 6th month, summer, his provisions ran out and he withdrew, and Zhang He of Wei, who pursued him, was struck by an arrow and died. Li Ping (Li Yan), in charge of transporting provisions, called Zhuge Liang back when the long rains cut the supply line, then tried to shift the blame and was dismissed. Records, Shu 3 §12Records, Shu 5 §37Records, Shu 10 §46–47
Chen Shou recorded this battle in the Biography of the Later Sovereign in Records of Shu 3 and the Biography of Zhuge Liang in Records of Shu 5, the biographies of Li Yan and Wang Ping in Records of Shu 10 and 13, the Annals of Emperor Ming in Records of Wei 3, the Biography of Zhang He in Records of Wei 17, and the biography of Qian Zhao in Records of Wei 26. The Romance depicts this battle from the scene in Chapter 100 in which Zhuge Liang contests battle formations with Sima Yi through Chapter 101, "Rushing to Jiange, Zhang He Falls into a Trap." Records, Shu 3 §12Records, Shu 5 §37Records, Shu 10 §46–47Records, Shu 13 §37Records, Wei 3 §21–22Records, Wei 17 §55Records, Wei 26 §59Romance, Ch. 100 §33–44Romance, Ch. 101 §5–49
Course of events in the Records
In the 2nd month, spring, of the 9th year of Jianxing (231), Zhuge Liang again sent out his army, besieged Mount Qi and for the first time used wooden oxen to carry provisions. Before this, saying that he would send out the army the following year, Zhuge Liang had Li Yan act in the affairs of the Chancellor's office as Central Protector, and Li Yan, who changed his name to Ping, urged on and supervised the transport of provisions. Records, Shu 3 §12Records, Shu 5 §37Records, Shu 10 §45–46
In Wei, the Grand Marshal Cao Zhen died in the 3rd month of that year, and when Zhuge Liang raided Tianshui, Emperor Ming had the General-in-Chief Sima Yi resist him. The Biography of Zhang He records that by edict Zhang He was sent west to Lueyang in command of the generals. Sima Yi and Zhang He went to the relief of Mount Qi. Records, Wei 3 §21Records, Wei 17 §55Records, Shu 3 §12
Zhuge Liang also joined hands with the Xianbei in the north. The biography of Qian Zhao records that while at Mount Qi Zhuge Liang sent envoys to ally with Kebineng, and that Kebineng came to Shicheng in the former Beidi Commandery, acting as head and tail with Zhuge Liang. When there was no grain in Longyou, Guo Huai of Wei won over the Qiang and Hu with authority and kindness and had every household contribute grain, so that the army's provisions were sufficient. Records, Wei 26 §59 · 68
According to the biography of Wang Ping, when Zhuge Liang besieged Mount Qi, Wang Ping separately held the southern siege lines; Sima Yi attacked Zhuge Liang and Zhang He attacked Wang Ping, but Wang Ping held firm and did not move, and Zhang He could not prevail. Records, Shu 13 §37
When the long rains between summer and autumn broke the transport of provisions, Li Ping sent the Military Adviser Hu Zhong (狐忠) and the Supervisor of the Army Cheng Fan to convey his intentions and call Zhuge Liang back. The Biography of the Later Sovereign says that in the 6th month, summer, Zhuge Liang withdrew his army when his provisions ran out, and Zhang He pursued him as far as Qingfeng, fought him and was killed by an arrow; the Biography of Zhang He records that when Zhuge Liang went back to hold Mount Qi, Zhang He pursued him as far as Mumen, fought him and died when a flying arrow struck his right knee. The Biography of Zhuge Liang also says that he fought Zhang He and shot him dead. Records, Shu 10 §46Records, Shu 3 §12Records, Wei 17 §55Records, Shu 5 §37
The Annals of Emperor Ming record that in the 7th month, autumn, because Zhuge Liang had retreated and fled, fiefs and ranks were bestowed and raised. When the army withdrew, Li Ping feigned surprise and asked why it had come back when provisions were plentiful, and memorialized the Later Sovereign that the army's retreat was a feint to lure the enemy into battle. When Zhuge Liang produced all the letters and documents Li Ping had written in his own hand from first to last, Li Ping was at a loss for words and begged forgiveness for his crime, and in the 8th month, autumn, he was dismissed and moved to Zitong Commandery. Emperor Ming of Wei divided Zhang He's fief and enfeoffed his four sons as marquises. Records, Wei 3 §22Records, Shu 10 §46–47Records, Shu 3 §12Records, Wei 17 §55
In the Romance
In Chapter 100 of the Romance, Zhuge Liang, having defeated Cao Zhen, faces Sima Yi on the bank of the Wei River, recognizes the Hunyuan Yiqi formation Sima Yi has deployed, and deploys the Eight Trigrams formation. Dai Ling, Zhang Hu and Yue Chen, who charge in through the Gate of Life, lose their way inside the formation and are all brought in bound; Zhuge Liang strips them of their clothes, smears their faces with ink and sends them back. Then, under a pincer attack by Guan Xing and Jiang Wei, Sima Yi loses six or seven men in ten and holds fast south of the Wei River. Romance, Ch. 100 §33–44
When Zhuge Liang has Gou An (苟安) beaten for delaying the escort of provisions by ten days, Gou An surrenders to Wei and spreads a false rumor in Chengdu that Zhuge Liang intends to proclaim himself emperor, and Zhuge Liang, summoned by the Later Sovereign, withdraws while increasing the number of cooking stoves. In Chapter 101, setting out again for Mount Qi in the 2nd month, spring, of the 9th year of Jianxing, Zhuge Liang takes Lucheng and reaps the wheat of Longshang, and, disguising himself like a divine being with three identical four-wheeled carriages and soldiers bearing Seven Stars banners, shuts Sima Yi up in Shanggui. Romance, Ch. 100 §45–51Romance, Ch. 101 §5–6 · 11–22
Sima Yi, attacking Lucheng with Guo Huai, is badly defeated by an ambush in the wheat fields, and the 200,000 troops of Yong and Liang provinces brought by Sun Li are routed by the Shu soldiers, who stay on to fight even though their term of rotation has ended. But when Li Yan sends a false letter saying that Eastern Wu is invading, Zhuge Liang decides to withdraw and has Yang Yi and Ma Zhong place crossbowmen in ambush on the Mumen Road at Jiange. Wei Yan and Guan Xing take turns pretending to lose and lure Zhang He onto the Mumen Road, where Zhang He and more than a hundred of his subordinate officers are trapped by stones and timber and shot dead with crossbows. Romance, Ch. 101 §24–29 · 33–49
Back in Hanzhong, Zhuge Liang brings to light that Li Yan had called him back with a false letter to cover up his crime of failing to supply provisions, and Li Yan, his life spared at the entreaty of Fei Yi and Jiang Wan, is made a commoner and moved to Zitong Commandery. Romance, Ch. 101 §53–55
Where the Romance differs
How Sima Yi came to take the field: In Chapter 100 of the Romance, Cao Zhen, ill in bed, reads Zhuge Liang's letter and dies of unbearable rage, and the ruler of Wei urges Sima Yi to give battle. The Annals of Emperor Ming in the Records record only that the Grand Marshal Cao Zhen died in the 3rd month, and that when Zhuge Liang raided Tianshui the General-in-Chief Sima Yi was ordered to resist him. Romance, Ch. 100 §29–32Records, Wei 3 §21
The Wei attack: In Chapter 100 of the Romance, Sima Yi contests battle formations with Zhuge Liang, and Dai Ling, Zhang Hu and Yue Chen are captured and he is badly defeated. In the biography of Wang Ping in the Records, Sima Yi attacked Zhuge Liang and Zhang He attacked Wang Ping at the southern siege lines, but Wang Ping held firm and Zhang He could not prevail. Romance, Ch. 100 §36–44Records, Shu 13 §37
Li Yan's deceit: In Chapter 101 of the Romance, Li Yan calls Zhuge Liang back with a false letter saying that Eastern Wu is invading. In the biography of Li Yan in the Records, when the long rains broke the transport of provisions, Li Ping (Li Yan) sent men to call Zhuge Liang back, and when the army withdrew he feigned surprise, asking why it had come back when provisions were plentiful. Romance, Ch. 101 §37–38 · 54Records, Shu 10 §46
Zhang He's death: In Chapter 101 of the Romance, Zhang He, pursuing the retreating Shu army, is trapped on the Mumen Road and shot dead with crossbows together with more than a hundred subordinate officers. In the Biography of Zhang He in the Records, he pursued as far as Mumen, fought and died when a flying arrow struck his right knee, and the Biography of the Later Sovereign records that he was struck by an arrow while fighting at Qingfeng. Romance, Ch. 101 §47–49Records, Wei 17 §55Records, Shu 3 §12
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.
Belligerents
| Item | A | B |
|---|---|---|
| Factions | Wei | Shu, Xianbei |
| Commanders | Sima Yi, Zhang He | Kebineng, Wang Ping, Zhuge Liang |
Factions, commanders, strength and casualties are checked against the source texts (3KDEX). Strength and casualties show only figures stated in the sources. Source: Shu 3 §12
Sub-events and Romance scenes (2)
- Zhang He Falls into the Trap at Jiange 231
- Zhuge Liang Shames Sima Yi in Battle Formation Romance ch. 100