Battle
Battle of Yangzhou 揚州之戰
About this event
The Battle of Yangzhou was the battle in which Yuan Shu took Yang Province at a time when the brothers Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu were contending with each other. Badly defeated after entering Chenliu in the spring of the 4th year of Chuping (193), Yuan Shu fled to Jiujiang, killed Chen Wen, the Inspector of Yang Province, and governed the province. Zhou Ang, whom Yuan Shao had made Administrator of Jiujiang, was defeated at Yinling by Sun Ben, sent by Yuan Shu, and Wu Jing, whom Yuan Shu had made acting Administrator of Danyang, attacked the former administrator Zhou Xin and took the commandery. Records, Wei 1 §25Records, Wei 6 §73Records, Wu 6 §25Records, Wu 5 §3
Chen Shou recorded these events in the biography of Yuan Shu in the Biographies of Dong Zhuo, the Two Yuans and Liu Biao (Records of Wei 6), and also divided them among the biography of Sun Ben in the Biographies of the Imperial Clansmen (Records of Wu 6), the passage on Wu Jing in the Biographies of the Consorts (Records of Wu 5), and the Biographies of Sun Jian and Sun Ce (Records of Wu 1). The Romance does not depict this battle, saying only in Chapter 15 that Liu Yao, formerly Inspector of Yang Province stationed at Shouchun, had been driven out by Yuan Shu, crossed the river and come to Qu'e. Records, Wei 6 §73Records, Wu 6 §25Records, Wu 5 §3Records, Wu 1 §28Romance, Ch. 15 §20
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, at odds with Gongsun Zan, allied with Liu Biao to the south. The biography of Yuan Shu records that the brothers were divided in their loyalties, forsaking those near at hand to make friends with those far away. According to the biography of Gongsun Zan, before this, when Yuan Shu had stationed Sun Jian at Yangcheng to hold off Dong Zhuo, Yuan Shao had Zhou Ang seize the position, and Gongsun Yue, sent by Yuan Shu, was killed by a stray arrow while attacking Zhou Ang together with Sun Jian. Records, Wei 6 §73Records, Wei 8 §12
In the spring of the 4th year of Chuping (193), when Liu Biao cut Yuan Shu's supply route, Yuan Shu entered Chenliu and camped at Fengqiu. When Cao Cao badly defeated Yuan Shu and surrounded Fengqiu, Yuan Shu fled by way of Xiangyi and Ningling to Jiujiang. The biography of Yuan Shu records that Yuan Shu fled to Jiujiang with his remaining troops, killed Chen Wen, the Inspector of Yang Province, governed the province, and made Zhang Xun, Qiao Rui and others his grand generals. Records, Wei 1 §25Records, Wei 6 §73–74
After Sun Jian's death, Sun Ben, who led his remaining troops, attached himself to Yuan Shu when Yuan Shu moved to Shouchun. Yuan Shu's cousin Yuan Shao had made Zhou Ang of Kuaiji Administrator of Jiujiang, and since Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu were not in accord, Yuan Shu sent Sun Ben to crush Zhou Ang at Yinling. Yuan Shu petitioned to make Sun Ben acting Inspector of Yu Province, and Sun Ben, transferred to Chief Commandant of Danyang, campaigned against and pacified the Shanyue. Records, Wu 6 §25–26
Wu Jing, who had won merit following Sun Jian, attacked the former administrator Zhou Xin when Yuan Shu petitioned to make him acting Administrator of Danyang, and at last took the commandery. Sun Ce, together with Sun He (孫河) and Lü Fan, attached himself to Wu Jing. Records, Wu 5 §3
Later Liu Yao became Inspector of Yang Province, but since the provincial seat of Shouchun was already held by Yuan Shu, he crossed the Yangtze and made Qu'e his seat. When Liu Yao arrived, he pressed and drove out Wu Jing in Danyang and Sun Ben, the Chief Commandant of Danyang, and the two fell back to Liyang. Liu Yao stationed his generals at the Hengjiang Ford and the Dangli Inlet to hold off Yuan Shu, and Yuan Shu made his former subordinate Hui Qu Inspector of Yang Province and had Wu Jing and Sun Ben attack them, but year after year they could not win. Records, Wu 1 §28
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 Shu faction | Yuan Shao faction |
| Commanders | Yuan Shu, Sun Ben |
Factions, commanders, strength and casualties are checked against the source texts (3KDEX). Strength and casualties show only figures stated in the sources.