Battle of Yijing
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Yijing was a battle that took place in northern China between 198 and 199 during the prelude to the Three Kingdoms
period of Chinese history
. It was fought between Gongsun Zan
, a warlord known as the "White Horse General", and Yuan Shao
, a scion of the esteemed Yuan clan and former leader of the coalition
against Dong Zhuo
.
Gongsun Zan, after recent military defeats in addition to a famine in his lands, decided to secure his supplies. He built a capital city called Yijing where he built many large towers on top of mounds where he and his generals lived. There were ten moats around the city and the towers had iron doors with huge grain supplies for Gongsun Zan to use to live out the civil wars of his country. In doing so, Gongsun Zan let his armies away from his fortress fight for themselves thinking they would see the only option they had was to fight hard. Instead, the soldiers killed their generals and surrendered or died easily while fighting.
to request help from the Heishan bandits
in the Taihang Mountains
. Gongsun Zan's idea was to break through the siege with his cavalry and group with the Heishan bandits, then attack Ji Province (冀州) and cut off Yuan Shao's line of retreat, forcing him to abandon the siege. However, Guan Jing
advised against the plan, saying that the defenders were only willing to fight to protect their families in the fortress, and could not be relied on to defend the fortress if Gongsun Zan left the city. Gongsun Zan then took Guan Jing's suggestion to withstand the siege until the time when Yuan Shao would be forced to retreat.
In the spring of 199, Gongsun Xu and Zhang Yan brought relief to Yijing with 100,000 men. Before they arrived, Gongsun Zan had sent a message to his son telling him to lay an ambush of 5,000 elite cavalry on low ground north of the city. They were then to signal Gongsun Zan to charge out of the city with his troops, planning to surround Yuan Shao's troops. However, Yuan Shao's troops caught the messenger and laid their own troops in ambush. Yuan Shao's forces then signaled Gongsun Zan, routing his unit and forcing him back into the city. Yuan Shao's troops followed up their success by digging tunnels under the city and then supporting them with beams which they later torched. The tunnel went into the center of the city and its collapse caused Gongsun Zan's towers to crumble as well. Realizing his doom, Gongsun Zan killed his sisters and wives and committed suicide by self-immolation
. Yuan Shao's men climbed into the citadel and cut off Gongsun Zan's head, which was sent to Xuchang
to report Yuan Shao's victory to the imperial court.
Feeling that his advice had doomed his lord, Guan Jing charged his horse into Yuan Shao's army to his death, with the intention to follow his lord. Gongsun Xu and Tian Kai
were also killed in the battle, and Zhang Yan's bandits were temporarily dispersed.
Three Kingdoms
The Three Kingdoms period was a period in Chinese history, part of an era of disunity called the "Six Dynasties" following immediately the loss of de facto power of the Han Dynasty rulers. In a strict academic sense it refers to the period between the foundation of the state of Wei in 220 and the...
period of Chinese history
History of China
Chinese civilization originated in various regional centers along both the Yellow River and the Yangtze River valleys in the Neolithic era, but the Yellow River is said to be the Cradle of Chinese Civilization. With thousands of years of continuous history, China is one of the world's oldest...
. It was fought between Gongsun Zan
Gongsun Zan
Gongsun Zan , style name Bogui , a native of Liaoxi , was a warlord during the late Han Dynasty era of Chinese history.-Biography:...
, a warlord known as the "White Horse General", and Yuan Shao
Yuan Shao
Yuan Shao was a warlord during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. He occupied the northern territories of China during the civil war that occurred towards the end of the Han Dynasty and the beginning of the Three Kingdoms era...
, a scion of the esteemed Yuan clan and former leader of the coalition
Campaign against Dong Zhuo
The Campaign against Dong Zhuo was a punitive expedition initiated by a coalition of regional officials and warlords against Dong Zhuo, Chancellor of State, in 190 during the late Han Dynasty of Chinese history...
against Dong Zhuo
Dong Zhuo
Dong Zhuo was a politician and warlord during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. He seized control of the capital city Luoyang in 189 when it was in a state of turmoil following the death of Emperor Ling and a clash between the eunuch faction and some court officials led by...
.
Background
The two warlords had been fighting for dominion over northern China for some time, but eventually Yuan Shao gained the upper hand. However, Gongsun Zan still had a large army which could cause trouble if not finished off.Gongsun Zan, after recent military defeats in addition to a famine in his lands, decided to secure his supplies. He built a capital city called Yijing where he built many large towers on top of mounds where he and his generals lived. There were ten moats around the city and the towers had iron doors with huge grain supplies for Gongsun Zan to use to live out the civil wars of his country. In doing so, Gongsun Zan let his armies away from his fortress fight for themselves thinking they would see the only option they had was to fight hard. Instead, the soldiers killed their generals and surrendered or died easily while fighting.
Battle
In time Yuan Shao's army reached the gates of Yijing, but the city withstood several attacks from Yuan's army for years until 198. Gongsun Zan sent his son Gongsun XuGongsun Xu
Gongsun Xu was the son of Gongsun Zan, a warlord during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history.-Biography:As the Han Dynasty central government's power collapsed, the warlords Gongsun Zan and Yuan Shao fought for control of northern China. After years of destructive war, Gongsun Zan grew...
to request help from the Heishan bandits
Heishan bandits
The Heishan bandits or Black Mountain bandits was a bandit confederacy in the Taihang Mountain range during the later years of the Eastern Han Dynasty in China...
in the Taihang Mountains
Taihang Mountains
The Taihang Mountains are a Chinese mountain range running down the eastern edge of the Loess Plateau in Henan, Shanxi and Hebei provinces. The range extends over 400 km from north to south and has an average elevation of 1,500 to 2,000 meters. The principal peak is Xiao Wutaishan...
. Gongsun Zan's idea was to break through the siege with his cavalry and group with the Heishan bandits, then attack Ji Province (冀州) and cut off Yuan Shao's line of retreat, forcing him to abandon the siege. However, Guan Jing
Guan Jing
Guan Jing , style name Shiqi , was a military general serving under the warlord Gongsun Zan during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. In 199, Gongsun Zan, being hopelessly besieged in the Battle of Yijing by Yuan Shao's army, committed suicide by self-immolation...
advised against the plan, saying that the defenders were only willing to fight to protect their families in the fortress, and could not be relied on to defend the fortress if Gongsun Zan left the city. Gongsun Zan then took Guan Jing's suggestion to withstand the siege until the time when Yuan Shao would be forced to retreat.
In the spring of 199, Gongsun Xu and Zhang Yan brought relief to Yijing with 100,000 men. Before they arrived, Gongsun Zan had sent a message to his son telling him to lay an ambush of 5,000 elite cavalry on low ground north of the city. They were then to signal Gongsun Zan to charge out of the city with his troops, planning to surround Yuan Shao's troops. However, Yuan Shao's troops caught the messenger and laid their own troops in ambush. Yuan Shao's forces then signaled Gongsun Zan, routing his unit and forcing him back into the city. Yuan Shao's troops followed up their success by digging tunnels under the city and then supporting them with beams which they later torched. The tunnel went into the center of the city and its collapse caused Gongsun Zan's towers to crumble as well. Realizing his doom, Gongsun Zan killed his sisters and wives and committed suicide by self-immolation
Self-immolation
Self-immolation refers to setting oneself on fire, often as a form of protest or for the purposes of martyrdom or suicide. It has centuries-long traditions in some cultures, while in modern times it has become a type of radical political protest...
. Yuan Shao's men climbed into the citadel and cut off Gongsun Zan's head, which was sent to Xuchang
Xuchang
Xuchang is a prefecture-level city in central Henan province in Central China. It borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the northwest, Kaifeng to the northeast, Zhoukou to the east, Luohe to the southeast, and Pingdingshan to the southwest....
to report Yuan Shao's victory to the imperial court.
Feeling that his advice had doomed his lord, Guan Jing charged his horse into Yuan Shao's army to his death, with the intention to follow his lord. Gongsun Xu and Tian Kai
Tian Kai
Tian Kai was an official serving as the Inspector of Qing province under the warlord Gongsun Zan during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history....
were also killed in the battle, and Zhang Yan's bandits were temporarily dispersed.