Battle of White Wolf Mountain 白狼山之戰

The Wuhuan of the Three Commanderies had taken advantage of the chaos in the realm to break into You Province and carry off and hold more than a hundred thousand households of Han people. Yuan Shao set up their chieftains as Chanyu and married them to girls of his household whom he adopted as his own daughters, and Tadun, Chanyu of Liaoxi, was especially strong and was treated generously by Yuan Shao. The Yuan Shang brothers took refuge with Tadun and repeatedly came inside the frontier to do harm, and Cao Cao, intending to attack them, dug the Pinglu Canal from the Hutuo to the Gu River and the Quanzhou Canal from the mouth of the Ju River to the Lu River, giving access to the sea. Records, Wei 1 §96Records, Wei 30 §9–10

When Cao Cao was about to attack the Wuhuan of the Three Commanderies in the north, his generals said that Yuan Shang was merely a fugitive captive, that the barbarians were greedy and would not let themselves be used by Yuan Shang, and that if he went deep into their lands Liu Bei would persuade Liu Biao to make a surprise attack on Xu. Only Guo Jia urged the campaign, saying that the barbarians, trusting in their remoteness, would make no preparations, and that Liu Biao was a man who only sat and talked and would not be able to use Liu Bei. On reaching Yi County, Guo Jia said that in war speed is what counts, and that they should leave the baggage train behind and press on along the road with light troops. Records, Wei 1 §98Records, Wei 14 §38–40

In the 5th month of summer Cao Cao reached Wuzhong, but in the 7th month of autumn there were great floods and the coastal road was impassable. Tian Chou said that the road from Pinggang, the old seat of Beiping Commandery, through Lulong to Liucheng had been cut off for nearly two hundred years, but that a narrow track remained, and that if they secretly turned the army back and crossed the perilous ground of Baitan from the Lulong pass, they could take Tadun's head without a battle. Cao Cao deceived the enemy scouts by setting up a sign by the road at the water's edge saying that, as it was the height of summer and the roads were impassable, he would wait for autumn and winter before advancing again. Records, Wei 1 §98Records, Wei 11 §44–46

Cao Cao took Tian Chou as his guide and went out through the Lulong Pass. Beyond the frontier the road was cut off, so they cut through hills and filled in valleys for more than five hundred li, passed Baitan and Pinggang, crossed the court of the Xianbei and headed east toward Liucheng, and the enemy only became aware of them when they were two hundred li away. Yuan Shang and Yuan Xi, together with Tadun, Louban, Chanyu of Liaoxi, Nengchen Dizhi, Chanyu of Youbeiping, and others, met them with tens of thousands of horsemen. Records, Wei 1 §99Records, Wei 11 §47

In the 8th month Cao Cao climbed Mount Bailang and suddenly met the enemy, who were very numerous. With the carts and baggage behind and few men in armor, everyone around him was afraid, but Cao Cao climbed to a height, saw that the enemy's ranks were not in order, and attacked with Zhang Liao in the van. The biography of Zhang Liao records that Zhang Liao urged battle with such fervor that Cao Cao gave him the command banner he held in his hand, and that Zhang Liao crushed the enemy and beheaded Tadun. The biography of Cao Chun records that horsemen of Cao Chun's unit captured Tadun. The enemy collapsed completely, Tadun and the renowned kings beneath him were beheaded, and more than 200,000 Hu and Han people surrendered. Records, Wei 1 §99–100Records, Wei 17 §6Records, Wei 9 §46

The Biographies of the Wuhuan, Xianbei and Eastern Yi record this expedition as an event of the 11th year of Jian'an. According to them, Cao Cao advanced secretly by byways and the enemy only became aware of him when he was a hundred-odd li away; Yuan Shang and Tadun met him in battle at Fancheng, and Cao Cao, seeing from a height that the enemy's formation was wavering slightly, attacked and cut off Tadun's head on the field. Records, Wei 30 §11

Supuwan, Chanyu of Liaodong, and others fled to Liaodong together with Yuan Shang and Yuan Xi. Cao Cao did not attack them, saying that Gongsun Kang would behead them and send their heads, and when he returned from Liucheng in the 9th month, Gongsun Kang sent the heads of Yuan Shang, Yuan Xi, Supuwan and the others. Cao Cao explained that Gongsun Kang had always feared Yuan Shang and the others, so that if pressed they would join forces, and if left alone they would plot against each other. Guo Jia fell gravely ill on the way back from Liucheng and died at thirty-eight, and in the 11th month, when Cao Cao reached the Yi River, the acting Chanyu of the Wuhuan of Dai and Shang Commanderies came to congratulate him. Records, Wei 1 §100–102Records, Wei 14 §41