Battle
Battle of Cangting 倉亭之戰
About this event
The Battle of Cangting was the fight in the 4th month of summer in the 6th year of Jian'an (201) in which Cao Cao, having defeated Yuan Shao at Guandu, displayed his strength along the Yellow River and attacked and defeated Yuan Shao's troops at Cangting. Yuan Shao went back, gathered his scattered troops again and attacked and pacified the commanderies and counties that had rebelled, and Cao Cao returned to Xu in the 9th month. After his army's defeat at Guandu, Yuan Shao fell ill and vomited blood, and died in the 5th month of summer the next year. Records, Wei 1 §73 · 76
Chen Shou recorded this fight in a single line of the Annals of Emperor Wu in Records of Wei 1. The Romance depicts it in Chapter 31, "Cao Cao defeats Benchu at Cangting; Xuande relies on Liu Biao in Jing Province," as a fight in which Cheng Yu's ten-sided ambush crushes Yuan Shao's great army. Records, Wei 1 §73Romance, Ch. 31 §12–20
Course of events in the Records
In the winter of the 5th year of Jian'an (200), Yuan Shao and Yuan Tan, routed at Guandu, abandoned their troops and fled across the Yellow River, and many in the commanderies of Ji Province surrendered their cities to Cao Cao. The Biography of Yuan Shao records that when many cities of Ji Province rebelled, Yuan Shao attacked and pacified them again. Records, Wei 1 §70–71Records, Wei 6 §58
In the 4th month of summer in the 6th year of Jian'an (201), Cao Cao displayed his strength along the Yellow River and attacked and defeated Yuan Shao's troops at Cangting. Yuan Shao went back, gathered his scattered troops again and attacked and pacified the commanderies and counties that had rebelled, and Cao Cao returned to Xu in the 9th month. Chen Shou's text records nothing more about the troops, generals or course of the fight at Cangting. Records, Wei 1 §73
The Annals of Emperor Wu go on to record that before Yuan Shao's defeat he had Liu Bei raid Runan, where the Runan bandit Gong Du and others rose in support; when Cai Yang, sent by Cao Cao, was defeated by Gong Du, Cao Cao marched south against Liu Bei in person, and Liu Bei fled to Liu Biao while Gong Du and the others scattered. After his army's defeat at Guandu, Yuan Shao fell ill and vomited blood, and died in the 5th month of summer in the 7th year of Jian'an (202); the Biography of Yuan Shao records that he died of grief. Records, Wei 1 §73 · 76Records, Wei 6 §58
In the Romance
In Chapter 31 of the Romance, Yuan Shao, beaten at Guandu, reaches the north bank at Liyang with some 800 riders, is welcomed by Jiang Yiqu and gathers his scattered followers again. Hearing his routed soldiers weep that if only he had listened to Tian Feng, he repents, but on hearing Feng Ji's slander he sends an envoy to have Tian Feng in prison put to death. When Yuan Shao returns to Ji Province, Yuan Xi, Yuan Tan and his nephew Gao Gan each come with 50,000 or 60,000 troops to help in the fight. Romance, Ch. 31 §1–9
Cao Cao camps by the river and hears from old men nearly a hundred years old that in the time of Emperor Huan, Yin Kui had said that in fifty years a True Man would arise between Liang and Pei. When Yuan Shao gathers 200,000 or 300,000 troops from four provinces and sets up camp at Cangting, the two armies face each other, and Yuan Shao's third son, Yuan Shang, comes out wielding two swords and shoots dead with an arrow Shi Huan, a lieutenant of Xu Huang, who is pursuing him. Romance, Ch. 31 §10–14
When Cheng Yu proposes the stratagem of the ten-sided ambush, Cao Cao pulls his troops back to the river and lays five units in ambush on each flank. Xu Chu feigns a night raid on the enemy camp and then flees, luring Yuan Shao all the way to the river, and while Cao Cao's troops, with nowhere further to go, turn and fight, the forces of Xiahou Yuan and Gao Lan, Yue Jin and Yu Jin, Li Dian and Xu Huang, Zhang Liao and Zhang He, and Cao Hong and Xiahou Dun fall on him in turn. Yuan Xi and Gao Gan are wounded by arrows and almost all the troops and horses die, and Yuan Shao, clasping his three sons and wailing, vomits blood. Romance, Ch. 31 §15–19
Yuan Shao sends Yuan Tan back to Qing Province with Xin Ping and Guo Tu, Yuan Xi to You Province and Gao Gan to Bing Province to put their troops in order, and nurses his illness in Ji Province with Yuan Shang. Cao Cao puts off attacking Ji Province, saying he will wait for the autumn harvest since the grain is still in the fields, and then turns his troops back on receiving Xun Yu's letter saying that Liu Bei is eyeing Xuchang from Runan. Romance, Ch. 31 §20–22
Where the Romance differs
Scale and course of the fight: In Chapter 31 of the Romance, Yuan Shao comes out with 200,000 or 300,000 troops from four provinces, his three sons and his nephew, and Cao Cao crushes him with Cheng Yu's ten-sided ambush. The Annals of Emperor Wu in the Records say only that Cao Cao displayed his strength along the Yellow River and defeated Yuan Shao's army at Cangting; there is nothing about troop numbers, generals or ambushes. Romance, Ch. 31 §12–19Records, Wei 1 §73
Shi Huan's death: In Chapter 31 of the Romance, Shi Huan, a lieutenant of Xu Huang, dies at Cangting when hit in the left eye by an arrow Yuan Shang shoots while turning back. The Biographies of the Xiahou and Cao Clans in the Records record that Shi Huan, together with Han Hao, was renowned for loyalty and courage, rose to Central Commander of the Army in charge of the palace troops, and was enfeoffed as a full marquis. Romance, Ch. 31 §14Records, Wei 9 §12
Yin Kui's prophecy: In Chapter 31 of the Romance, old men met by the river before the fight at Cangting tell of Yin Kui's fifty-year prophecy. In the Annals of Emperor Wu in the Records, Chen Shou records this prophecy after the fight at Guandu and concludes that exactly fifty years had passed, and with Cao Cao's defeat of Yuan Shao, no one in the realm could stand against him. Romance, Ch. 31 §10–11Records, Wei 1 §72
Yuan Shao's illness: In Chapter 31 of the Romance, after his defeat at Cangting Yuan Shao clasps his sons, wails, and vomits blood. The Annals of Emperor Wu in the Records record that Yuan Shao fell ill and vomited blood after his army's defeat at Guandu. Romance, Ch. 31 §19Records, Wei 1 §76
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 | Yuan Shao faction | Wei |
| Commanders | Yuan Shao(袁紹) | Cao Cao |
Factions, commanders, strength and casualties are checked against the source texts (3KDEX). Strength and casualties show only figures stated in the sources. Source: Wei 1 §73