Battle of Xiaoting The Battle of Xiaoting , also known as the Battle of Yiling and the Battle of Yiling and Xiaoting , was fought between the kingdom of Wu and the state of Shu Han in 222 CE during the early Three Kingdoms period . The battle was most significant for the decisive Wu victory , which halted the Shu invasion and preceded the death of Shu ' s emperor Liu Bei in Baidicheng . Background . Guan Yu ' s death and the fall of Jing Province . In 219 , Sun Quan ' s general Lü Meng invaded and annexed Liu Bei ' s territory in Jing Province . Guan Yu , the general appointed by Liu Bei to defend Jing Province , was captured after his defeat and executed . Liu Bei was enraged by the sudden attack because Sun Quan was formerly his ally , and also due to his close relationship with Guan Yu . In 220 , Cao Pi forced Emperor Xian to abdicate in his favour , effectively ending the Han Dynasty and establishing the state of Cao Wei . A year later , Liu Bei declared himself " Emperor of Shu Han " in Yi Province ( covering present - day Sichuan and Chongqing ) . Sun Quan had not declared himself emperor yet then , but his state ( a kingdom ) , was known as Wu . In 221 , Liu Bei planned to attack Wu to retake Jing Province and avenge Guan Yu . However , many of his subjects , including Zhao Yun , opposed his decision , but Liu Bei ignored them . Zhang Fei ' s death . As Liu Bei mobilised his troops in preparation for the attack on Wu , another of his generals , Zhang Fei , was assassinated by his subordinates Fan Qiang and Zhang Da . Zhang Fei was growing impatient with the preparations for war , so he imposed strict deadlines on Fan Qiang and Zhang Da , but his subordinates failed to meet the time limit . Zhang Fei disparaged them before warning them that they would be executed under military law if they foundered again . Out of fear , Fan Qiang and Zhang Da killed Zhang Fei while he was asleep , cut off his head , and defected to Wu . Liu Bei was overwhelmed with grief over the loss of two of his generals who had accompanied since the beginning of his military exploits . Zhang Fei ' s death hardened his decision to attack Wu for revenge . Again , many of Liu Bei ' s subjects , including Zhao Yun and Qin Mi , attempted to dissuade their lord from attacking Wu but Liu dismissed their advice . Eventually , Liu Bei departed from his capital Chengdu with a large army and advanced towards Jing Province on both land and water ( along the Yangtze River ) . He left his Zhuge Liang and crown prince Liu Shan to defend Chengdu . The battle . First stage . Wu defeats . Initially , Wu forces underestimated the enemy ' s tenacity due to their superiority in numbers . As the advancing Shu army captured regions including Zigui , Wu County , Mount Ba and Mount Xing , Wu forces that set out from their fortifications to engage the enemy were nearly all annihilated . The initial defeat made Sun Quan decide to adopt Lu Xun ' s strategy and appoint the latter as Grand Viceroy ( the " de facto " commander - in - chief of Sun Quan ' s forces ) . Wu forces realised that the Shu troops were better versed in warfare in mountainous terrain as they were mostly ground troops . Thus , they decided to abandon their defences at certain territories and retreat to vital positions and defend them instead . After that , they would hold on to those positions and wait for an opportunity to launch a counterattack . Retreat and stalemates . In January , Shu naval forces led by Wu Ban and Chen Shi captured Yiling . Liu Bei built his headquarters in Zigui but did not stay there for long as his forces continued to make progress and push further into the heartland of Wu . In February , the Shu vanguard broke through enemy lines at Yidao and defeated the Wu defenders in engagement outside the city . The Wu general Sun Huan , who was guarding Yidao , retreated with his remaining troops into the city and held on to their positions until a stalemate was reached . Meanwhile , the main Shu force led by Liu Bei reached Xiaoting and was unable to push any further as Wu forces led by Lu Xun held on firmly to their positions . With no further retreat by Wu forces , both sides reached at stalemate at Xiaoting . Falling morale of the Shu army . As Shu troops ventured further into Wu territory , their supply lines from Chengdu lengthened and supplies took longer to arrive . They also became gradually weary and tired from battle . The terrain became flatter and the Shu infantry lost its advantage in mountainous terrain . Liu Bei deployed his troops in over 50 camps along the 350 km line from Wuxia to Yiling on the southern bank of the Yangtze River . His vanguard army was isolated 150 km away at Yidao . Wu forces thought that it was the best time to launch their counterattack but Lu Xun ordered them to hold on . By March , most of the Wu forces have evacuated from mountainous terrain and held up in their fortifications on flat terrain . Summer soon arrived and the sweltering heat killed several plants and shrubs . Liu Bei ' s forces camped at Yiling were directly next to a forest so the heat became even more unbearable . Some Shu soldiers were affected by heatstroke . By then , the Shu army ' s morale had fallen significantly as compared to at the start of the campaign , as the troops were now weary and suffering from the intense heat . Liu Bei planned an ambush which turned out to be a failure . He deployed 8 , 000 elite troops to lie in ambush in nearby valleys and sent Wu Ban to lead a weaker force to challenge and lure Wu forces out of their fortifications into the ambush . However , Lu Xun saw through Liu Bei ' s ruse and ordered his troops to ignore taunts from the enemy . It was said that he even ordered his troops to put wax into their ears . The failure of the ambush caused the Shu army ' s morale to plummet even lower . Second stage . Burning of the camps . Shu troops were suffering from the summer heat as the stalemate , which began in March , continued to progress . Liu Bei decided to shift his camp into the nearby forest for shade and shelter from the heat even though his adviser Ma Liang opposed his decision . In July , Lu Xun knew that the time was ripe for the counterattack . He ordered saboteurs to encircle Liu Bei ' s camp by travelling on water with the navy . Once they were behind Liu Bei ' s camp at Yiling , the saboteurs set the camp on fire . The woods gradually became a fiery inferno within hours as wildfires fuelled by dead plants and dry air erupted everywhere . As Shu soldiers rushed towards the Yangtze River for water to put out the fires , Wu archers lying in ambush shot them down . Shu forces attempted a counterattack , but Wu forces led by Pan Zhang broke through the lines they reformed and made retaliation impossible . Shu retreat . The Shu navy fared slightly better by barely managing an orderly retreat . Cheng Ji , a Shu official , personally led a group of men to cover the navy as it withdrew . Wu marine forces caught up with the rear guard of the Shu navy and engaged in battle . Cheng Ji and his men were surrounded by the Wu vanguard force but they managed to hold on by sinking the smaller enemy boats . However , they were eventually outnumbered when the bulk of the Wu navy arrived and were all killed . Shu forces lost over 40 of their original 50 camps on the 350 km line to a rockslide at the Ma ' an Hills . Liu Bei attempted to reform and regroup his remaining forces at the hills to make a last stand . However , his troops were split up before they could regroup as one . The Wu general Zhu Ran led an army of 5 , 000 to disrupt the lines and prevent Liu Bei from reforming . Lu Xun personally led an attack on Shu forces together with Xu Sheng and Han Dang , and succeeded in preventing Liu Bei from making his last stand . The entire Shu army was nearly wiped out at the Ma ' an Hills . Liu Bei ' s escape and death . The remaining camps of the Shu army were set ablaze by retreating Shu soldiers to hinder Wu forces ' pursuit . Meanwhile , the isolated Shu vanguard force at Yidao was also completely destroyed by Wu forces . Huang Quan managed to escape together with his deputy Pang Lin and 318 horsemen to the northern bank of the Yangtze River , where they were cut off from the rest of the Shu army , and eventually they decided to surrender to Wei . Liu Bei fled to Zigui with Wu forces hot on his heels and the demoralised Shu troops were unable to hold their ground and kept retreating . During the withdrawal , Wang Fu , the Shu official in charge of Jing Province , was killed in the ensuing battle , but his death bought time for Liu Bei to continue retreating . Xiang Chong , who was stationed at Jing Province , managed to regroup the surviving Shu troops and lead them on an orderly retreat without them suffering any further great losses . Xiang Chong also led Liu Bei safely to Yufu ( present - day Fengjie County , Chongqing ) and managed to repel any further attacks by pursuing enemy forces . Liu Bei was impressed with Xiang Chong and promoted him to the rank of Viceroy . Eventually , reinforcements from Jiangzhou led by Zhao Yun arrived and a stalemate was reached before Wu forces retreated on their own accord , thus ending their counterattack . Of all the Shu commanders who participated in the battle , most of them were killed and only the naval commanders Wu Ban and Chen Shi managed to return safely . Liu Bei died a year later in the spring of 223 at Baidicheng from dysentery . He was succeeded by his crown prince Liu Shan , with the Zhuge Liang and the general Li Yan serving as regents . Aftermath . The Battle of Xiaoting sealed the fate of Shu as a large portion of its armed forces were destroyed in the battle . Ever since then , Shu ' s military was not as powerful as it once was . After Liu Bei ' s death , Shu was ruled by the chancellor - regent Zhuge Liang on behalf of the new emperor Liu Shan . Zhuge Liang sought to make peace with Wu and restore their alliance . This was achieved in 223 . On the other hand , the Battle of Xiaoting allowed Wu to establish its control over Jing Province after the victory . Lu Xun rose to fame for his role in the battle , and his victory marked the beginning of an illustrious career that led to his appointment as chancellor of Wu more than 20 years after the battle . Order of battle . Wuling tribe . Shamoke , a tribal king allied with Shu . Size of armies . Liu Bei personally led the bulk of Shu ' s army out for the campaign , with his force amounting to more than 100 , 000 . He was supported by his allies , the tribes along the five creeks further south of Jing Province , amongst them , the strongest was the Wuling tribal king Shamoke , who commanded warriors numbering tens of thousands ; while the forces of Wu was anticipating a probable invasion from the state of Wei , and had the army split : the Wu forces in Xiaoting amounted to about 50 , 000 . In fiction . The events before , during , and after the Battle of Xiaoting are mentioned in chapters 81 - 84 of the historical novel " Romance of the Three Kingdoms " ( " Sanguo Yanyi " ) by Luo Guanzhong , in which some fictitious stories were included , and actual events largely exaggerated , for dramatic effect . The following are some notable events related to the battle , as described in the novel : Opposition to Liu Bei ' s decision to go to war . Liu Bei planned to go to war with Sun Quan to avenge Guan Yu and retake Jing Province , but his decision was opposed by many of his subjects . The first person who attempted to dissuade Liu Bei was Zhao Yun , but Liu ignored Zhao and gave orders to prepare for war . Following that , several officials came to see the Zhuge Liang and urge him to stop Liu Bei , so Zhuge brought them along to meet Liu and advise him against his decision , but Liu Bei refused to accept their advice . Just as Liu Bei was preparing for war , Qin Mi opposed his decision to attack Sun Quan , and Liu Bei was so angry that he wanted to have Qin executed , but Zhuge Liang intervened and Qin was spared . Zhuge Liang then submitted a memorial to Liu Bei , explaining why they should not go to war with Sun Quan , but Liu Bei threw the memorial to the ground after reading and exclaimed , " My decision is final . There is no need to advise me against my decision anymore ! " Historicity . The historical text " Sanguozhi " did not mention anything about Zhuge Liang opposing Liu Bei ' s decision to go to war with Sun Quan . However , it did state that Zhao Yun and Qin Mi attempted to dissuade Liu Bei . The " Yun Biezhuan " mentioned that Zhao Yun advised Liu Bei against attacking Sun Quan , but Liu ignored him and proceeded with his campaign . Qin Mi ' s biography in the " Sanguozhi " stated that Liu Bei had Qin thrown into prison when the latter urged him not to attack Sun Quan on the grounds that the circumstances were unfavourable to them . Qin Mi was released from prison later . Huang Zhong ' s death . The Shu general Huang Zhong participated in the campaign against Sun Quan even though he was already over 70 years old at that time , but he was still fit and strong nonetheless . He slew Pan Zhang ' s subordinate Shi Ji ( 史蹟 ) and defeated Pan in an engagement on the first day . On the second day , while pursuing the retreating Pan Zhang , he fell into an ambush and was surrounded by Sun Quan ' s generals Zhou Tai , Han Dang , Ling Tong and Pan . He was hit by an arrow fired by Ma Zhong . Guan Xing and Zhang Bao saved him , but he died from his wound that night in camp . Liu Bei mourned his death . Since the Battle of Xiaoting historically took place between 221 - 222 , by the novel ' s account , Huang Zhong ' s year of death should be around that time . Historicity . Huang Zhong ' s biography in the " Sanguozhi " stated that Huang Zhong died in 220 , a year after the Hanzhong Campaign ended . His cause of death was not specified . Guan Xing killing Pan Zhang . In one of the early engagements , Guan Xing encountered the Wu general Pan Zhang , who captured his father Guan Yu in an ambush during the Battle of Maicheng . In his eagerness to avenge his father , Guan Xing pursued Pan Zhang into a valley but lost his way inside . Night fell and Guan Xing wandered around for hours until he found a small house inhabited by an old man , and he requested for food and lodging for the night . Inside the house , Guan Xing saw his father ' s portrait on the wall . Later that night , Pan Zhang also found his way to the house and asked to stay there . Guan Xing saw Pan Zhang and shouted at him . Just as Pan Zhang was about to walk out of the door , he encountered Guan Yu ' s ghost and was petrified . Guan Xing caught up with Pan Zhang , killed him , dug out his heart and placed it on the altar as a sacrifice to his father ' s spirit . Historicity . Pan Zhang ' s biography in the " Sanguozhi " stated that he died in 234 — more than 10 years after the Battle of Xiaoting . His cause of death was not specified though . Besides , Guan Yu ' s biography mentioned that Guan Xing served as a civil official in Shu after reaching adulthood ( around the age of 19 ) and died a few years later while in office . Gan Ning ' s death . The Wu general Gan Ning was down with dysentery around the time of the Battle of Xiaoting , but he still participated in the battle regardless of his illness . He was resting when he heard that enemy forces were approaching , so he quickly mounted his horse and prepared for battle . He encountered a group of barbarian warriors led by Liu Bei ' s ally , the tribal king Shamoke . He saw that the enemy force was too large and decided to withdraw without fighting . While retreating on horseback , Gan Ning was hit in the head by an arrow fired by Shamoke . He fled , with the arrow still embedded in his head , reached Fuchi ( 富池 ; in present - day Yangxin County , Hubei ) , sat down under a big tree and died . Dozens of crows on the tree flew around Gan Ning ' s body . When Sun Quan heard of Gan Ning ' s death , he was deeply saddened and ordered Gan Ning to be buried with full honours . Historicity . No details were given on Gan Ning ' s cause and time of death in his biography in the " Sanguozhi " . Gan Ning ' s death was briefly stated as follows : When Gan Ning died , Sun Quan deeply lamented his death . Zhao Yun killing Zhu Ran . Liu Bei retreated under the protection of Guan Xing and Zhang Bao after his camps were set on fire by the Wu forces , and he was pursued by the enemy while withdrawing . At a critical moment , Zhao Yun showed up and blocked the attacks from the Wu soldiers . Zhao Yun encountered the Wu general Zhu Ran during the battle and he killed Zhu and covered Liu Bei as the latter headed towards Baidicheng . Historicity . The " Yun Biezhuan " stated that Zhao Yun did not participate in the Battle of Xiaoting . Zhao Yun previously urged Liu Bei not to go to war with Sun Quan ( see the section above ) but Liu ignored his advice and proceeded with the campaign . Liu Bei ordered Zhao Yun to remain behind and put him in charge of Jiangzhou ( 江州 ; within present - day Chongqing ) . When Zhao Yun learnt that Liu Bei had been defeated by Wu forces at Zigui ( 秭歸 ) , he led a force to Yong ' an ( 永安 ; within present - day Chongqing ) to help Liu Bei , but the Wu forces had already retreated . Zhu Ran ' s biography in the " Sanguozhi " stated that he died in 249 at the age of 68 ( by East Asian age reckoning ) , about 27 years after the Battle of Xiaoting . Besides , Zhu Ran outlived Zhao Yun , who historically died in 229 . Lady Sun ' s death . News of Liu Bei ' s defeat in the battle reached his ex - wife Lady Sun , who had returned to Sun Quan ' s territory in Wu . After hearing rumours that Liu Bei had been killed in battle , Lady Sun ventured out to the bank of the Yangtze River , where she faced the west and cried before drowning herself in the river . Historicity . Nothing was recorded in history about what happened to Lady Sun after she left Liu Bei and returned to Sun Quan ' s territory . Modern references . The battle is featured as a playable stage in Koei ' s video game series " Dynasty Warriors " , in which it is known as the " Battle of Yi Ling " .