Battle
Battle of Fengqiu 封丘之戰
About this event
The Battle of Fengqiu was the battle in the spring of the 4th year of Chuping (193) in which Cao Cao defeated Yuan Shu, who had entered Chenliu and camped at Fengqiu, and drove him all the way to Jiujiang. With his supply route cut by Liu Biao, Governor of Jing Province, Yuan Shu entered Chenliu with the help of the remnants of the Heishan bandits and of Yufuluo of the Xiongnu and others, but he was badly defeated at Kuangting, held Fengqiu, and then fled by way of Xiangyi and Ningling to Jiujiang. Records, Wei 1 §25
Chen Shou recorded this battle in the Annals of Emperor Wu (Records of Wei 1), and in the biography of Yuan Shu in the Biographies of Dong Zhuo, the Two Yuans and Liu Biao (Records of Wei 6) he wrote that Cao Cao, together with Yuan Shao, badly defeated Yuan Shu's army. The battle does not appear in the Romance. Records, Wei 1 §25Records, Wei 6 §73
Course of events in the Records
Yuan Shu, having fallen out with Yuan Shao and being on bad terms with Liu Biao as well, allied with Gongsun Zan to the north, while Yuan Shao allied with Liu Biao to the south. When Yuan Shu asked Gongsun Zan for help, Gongsun Zan stationed Liu Bei, Shan Jing and Tao Qian at Gaotang, Pingyuan and Fagan to put pressure on Yuan Shao, and Cao Cao, together with Yuan Shao, defeated them all. Records, Wei 6 §73Records, Wei 1 §24
In the spring of the 4th year of Chuping (193) Cao Cao was stationed at Juancheng. When Liu Biao, Governor of Jing Province, cut Yuan Shu's supply route, Yuan Shu led his troops into Chenliu and camped at Fengqiu, aided by the remnants of the Heishan bandits, Yufuluo and others. Yuan Shu stationed his general Liu Xiang at Kuangting, and when Cao Cao attacked Liu Xiang, Yuan Shu came to his rescue and fought, and Cao Cao badly defeated him. Records, Wei 1 §25
Yuan Shu fell back to hold Fengqiu, and Cao Cao then surrounded it. Before the encirclement was complete, Yuan Shu fled to Xiangyi, and Cao Cao pursued him to Taishou and broke open the channels to flood the city. When Yuan Shu fled to Ningling, Cao Cao pursued him again, and Yuan Shu fled to Jiujiang; that summer Cao Cao brought his army back to Dingtao. The biography of Yuan Shu records that Yuan Shu fled to Jiujiang with his remaining troops, killed Chen Wen, the Inspector of Yang Province, and governed the province. Records, Wei 1 §25Records, Wei 6 §73
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, Yuan Shao faction | Heishan Bandits, Xiongnu, Yuan Shu faction |
| Commanders | Cao Cao | Yuan Shu |
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 §25