Battle of Yijing

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Battle of Yijing

Part of the wars of the Three Kingdoms

Date	198 - March 199
Location	Yijing, Hebei, China
Result	Yuan Shao victory

Belligerents

Yuan Shao

Gongsun Zan
Heishan bandits

Commanders

Yuan Shao

Gongsun Zan†
Zhang Yan

v • d • e

Three Kingdoms

Yellow Turbans – Dong Zhuo (Xingyang) – Jieqiao – Xiangyang – Yan Province – Sun Ce – Wancheng – Xiapi – Yijing – Guandu – Bowang – Xiakou – Changban – Red Cliffs – Tong Pass – Jicheng – Licheng – Yi Province – Hefei – Ruxukou – Mt. Dingjun – Han River – Fancheng – Jing Province – Xiaoting – Southern Campaign – Northern Expeditions – Shiting – Xingshi – Jiang's Expeditions (Didao) – Fall of Shu – Fall of Wu

The Battle of Yijing (易京之戰) took part shortly before the fall of the Han Empire in China, which began the era known as the Three Kingdoms. It was fought between rival warlords Gongsun Zan, renowned as the White Horse General because of his cavalry, and Yuan Shao, a scion of the esteemed Yuan clan and former head of the coalition against Dong Zhuo.

[edit] Background

The two warlords had been fighting for dominion over the north 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 mounds around the city and the towers had iron doors with huge grain supplies for 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.

[edit] Battle

In time Yuan Shao's army reached the gates of Yijing, but the city withstood several attacks from the Yuan army for years till 198. Gongsun Zan sent his son Gongsun Xu 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'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 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. The Yuan forces then signaled Zan, routing his unit and forcing him back into the city. Yuan'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 Zan's towers to crumble as well. Realizing his doom, Gongsun Zan killed his sisters and wifes 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 the Yuan 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.