Battle
Battle of Baxi 巴西之戰
About this event
The Battle of Baxi was the battle in which, when Zhang He, left in Hanzhong after Cao Cao defeated Zhang Lu, came down into Baxi intending to move its people to Hanzhong, Liu Bei's general Zhang Fei blocked and defeated him at Dangqu. Zhang He advanced to Dangqu, Mengtou and Dangshi and faced Zhang Fei for more than fifty days, but Zhang Fei led more than 10,000 picked troops by another road to intercept him and fought him on narrow mountain paths, where Zhang He's front and rear could not help each other, and his army collapsed. Zhang He abandoned his horse, climbed the mountains and went back to Nanzheng with only a dozen or so men, and the land of Ba was secured. Records, Shu 6 §19
Chen Shou recorded this battle in most detail in the Biography of Zhang Fei in Records of Shu 6, and also included it in the Biography of the First Sovereign in Records of Shu 2 and the Biography of Zhang He in Records of Wei 17. The Biography of the First Sovereign calls the place of battle Wakou. The Romance depicts it at the end of Chapter 69 and the beginning of Chapter 70 as the story of Zhang Fei feigning drunkenness to lure out Zhang He and taking Wakou Pass. Records, Shu 6 §19Records, Shu 2 §36Records, Wei 17 §47Romance, Ch. 69 §45–48Romance, Ch. 70 §1–22
Course of events in the Records
The Biography of the First Sovereign records in its entry for the 20th year of Jian'an (215) that the First Sovereign gave Huang Quan troops to welcome Zhang Lu, but Zhang Lu had already surrendered to Lord Cao, and that when Lord Cao stationed Xiahou Yuan and Zhang He in Hanzhong, they repeatedly violated the borders of Ba and plundered. The Annals of Emperor Wu say that when Liu Bei took Bazhong after Zhang Lu surrendered in the 11th month of that year, Cao Cao sent Zhang He to attack him, and the Biography of Zhang He says that Zhang He, separately commanding several armies, made the two commanderies of Badong and Baxi submit and moved their people to Hanzhong. Records, Shu 2 §35–36Records, Wei 1 §152Records, Wei 17 §47
According to the Biography of Zhang Fei, Zhang He, separately leading several armies, came down into Baxi intending to move its people to Hanzhong, and advanced to Dangqu, Mengtou and Dangshi, facing Zhang Fei for more than fifty days. Zhang Fei led more than 10,000 picked troops by another road to intercept Zhang He's army and fought it; the mountain paths were so narrow that the front and rear of Zhang He's army could not help each other, and Zhang Fei finally defeated Zhang He. Zhang He abandoned his horse, climbed the mountains, retreated by a byway with only a dozen or so of his men and went back to Nanzheng, and thus the land of Ba was secured. Records, Shu 6 §19
The Biography of the First Sovereign records that the First Sovereign had Zhang Fei advance to Dangqu, where he fought and defeated Zhang He and others at Wakou, and that when Zhang He withdrew his troops and went back to Nanzheng, the First Sovereign also returned to Chengdu. The Biography of Zhang He says that Zhang He advanced to Dangqu, was blocked by Zhang Fei and fell back to Nanzheng, and was afterwards appointed General Who Sweeps Away Bandits. Records, Shu 2 §36Records, Wei 17 §47
In the Romance
In Chapter 69 of the Romance, when Cao Hong arrived in Hanzhong and had Zhang He and Xiahou Yuan hold the strategic points, Zhang Fei was guarding Baxi with Lei Tong. When Cao Hong, wary of Guan Lu's prophecy, fell back to Nanzheng, Zhang He, saying that he regarded Zhang Fei as no more than a child, wrote a military pledge and set out to attack Baxi. Romance, Ch. 69 §45–48
In Chapter 70, Zhang He divided his 30,000 troops into three camps at Dangqu, Mengtou and Dangshi and attacked Baxi with half of them, but was defeated by the pincer attack of Zhang Fei and Lei Tong before Langzhong and fell back to Mount Dangqu, where he held firm. When Zhang He would not come down for more than fifty days, Zhang Fei got drunk every day and hurled abuse in front of the mountain. Romance, Ch. 70 §1–5
Zhuge Liang, saying this was a ruse to lure out Zhang He, had fifty jars of Chengdu's fine wine sent to the front with Wei Yan, and when Zhang Fei drank wine under his tent and watched wrestling, Zhang He raided his camp at night. What Zhang He speared was a straw dummy, and when Wei Yan and Lei Tong drove off the relief troops from the two other camps and seized the camps, Zhang He fled to Wakou Pass. Romance, Ch. 70 §6–11
When Cao Hong refused to send help, Zhang He feigned defeat and killed Lei Tong, but Zhang Fei, with Wei Yan, turned the ruse against him and burned his ambushers. Guided by people going back to Hanzhong, Zhang Fei crossed a byway over Mount Zitong to strike Wakou Pass from the rear, and Zhang He abandoned his horse, climbed into the mountains and fled to Nanzheng with only a dozen or so men. Romance, Ch. 70 §12–21
Where the Romance differs
Timing of the battle: In Chapters 69 and 70 of the Romance, this battle took place when Zhang He wrote a military pledge and set out after Cao Hong had come to Hanzhong. In the Biography of Zhang Fei in the Records, it happened when Lord Cao, having defeated Zhang Lu, left Xiahou Yuan and Zhang He in Hanchuan, and the Annals of Emperor Wu record that after Zhang Lu surrendered in the 11th month of the 20th year of Jian'an (215), Cao Cao sent Zhang He to attack Bazhong. Romance, Ch. 69 §45–48Records, Shu 6 §19Records, Wei 1 §152
How Zhang He was routed: In Chapter 70 of the Romance, Zhang Fei feigned drunkenness to lure Zhang He out at night, and then, guided by the people, struck Wakou Pass from the rear. In the Biography of Zhang Fei in the Records, Zhang Fei intercepted Zhang He's army by another road with more than 10,000 picked troops and defeated it on narrow mountain paths where its front and rear could not help each other. Romance, Ch. 70 §5–11 · 17–20Records, Shu 6 §19
Lei Tong: In Chapter 70 of the Romance, Lei Tong, fighting alongside Zhang Fei, fell into Zhang He's ambush and was killed. In the Biography of the First Sovereign in the Records, Lei Tong entered Wudu with Wu Lan in the 23rd year of Jian'an (218) and was wiped out by Lord Cao's army. Romance, Ch. 70 §13Records, Shu 2 §37
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 | Shu | Wei |
| Commanders | Zhang Fei | Zhang He |
| Strength | 飛率精卒萬餘人 |
Factions, commanders, strength and casualties are checked against the source texts (3KDEX). Strength and casualties show only figures stated in the sources. Source: Shu 6 §19