Battle
Battle of Houguan 侯官之戰
About this event
The Battle of Houguan was the fighting in which, after Sun Ce reached Kuaiji Commandery in the 1st year of Jian'an (196), Sun Ce's Commandant of the Southern Region, He Qi, subdued Shang Sheng, Chief of Houguan, who had raised troops on behalf of Wang Lang, the Administrator of Kuaiji who had fled to Dongye, and the bandit leaders Zhang Ya and Zhan Qiang who came after him. When Han Yan, sent first, was defeated by Shang Sheng, He Qi took over the duties of Commandant; Shang Sheng asked to surrender, but Zhang Ya and Zhan Qiang killed him. He Qi set Zhang Ya and his son-in-law He Xiong against each other, then heavily defeated Zhang Ya in a single battle, and Zhan Qiang's followers came out and surrendered. Records, Wu 15 §3–6
Chen Shou recorded this battle in the biography of He Qi in the Biographies of He, Quan, Lü, Zhou and Zhongli, Records of Wu 15. The battle does not appear in the Romance. Records, Wu 15 §3–6
Course of events in the Records
He Qi was a man of Shanyin County in Kuaiji Commandery. While acting as Chief of Shan County, he beheaded Si Cong, the head of a great clan of the county to whom the Shanyue adhered, and crushed the attack of his more than a thousand followers, so that his prestige shook the Shanyue. In the 1st year of Jian'an (196), when Sun Ce reached Kuaiji Commandery, he nominated He Qi as Filial and Incorrupt. At this time the Administrator of Kuaiji, Wang Lang, having been defeated by Sun Ce, had crossed the sea and fled to Dongye. Records, Wu 15 §2–3Records, Wei 13 §45
When Shang Sheng, Chief of Houguan, raised troops on Wang Lang's behalf, Sun Ce had Han Yan, Chief of Yongning, concurrently serve as Commandant of the Southern Region and attack Shang Sheng, and made He Qi Chief of Yongning. When Han Yan was defeated by Shang Sheng, He Qi took over the duties of Commandant in Han Yan's place. Records, Wu 15 §3
Shang Sheng, fearing He Qi's prestige, sent an envoy to ask for a covenant, and when He Qi explained to him where fortune and misfortune lay, he sent up his seal and ribbon, left his official residence and asked to surrender. But the bandit leaders Zhang Ya and Zhan Qiang did not want Shang Sheng to surrender, so together they killed him, and Zhang Ya styled himself Supreme General and Zhan Qiang Administrator of Kuaiji. As the bandits were strong and his troops few, He Qi halted his army and rested his soldiers. Records, Wu 15 §4
When Zhang Ya fell out with his son-in-law He Xiong in a struggle for power, He Qi had men of the Yue take advantage of the situation to set the two against each other. Once the two, suspicious of each other, came to rely on their troops and plot against each other, He Qi advanced, heavily defeated Zhang Ya in a single battle, and Zhan Qiang's followers, trembling with fear, also came out and surrendered, and Houguan was pacified. Later, in the Rebellions in Jian'an, Hanxing and Nanping, disorder broke out again in those three places, and He Qi advanced to Jian'an and set up a commandant's headquarters; the biography of He Qi says that this year was the 8th year of Jian'an (203). Records, Wu 15 §4–6
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 | Sun Ce faction | Wang Lang faction |
| Commanders | He Qi |
Factions, commanders, strength and casualties are checked against the source texts (3KDEX). Strength and casualties show only figures stated in the sources.