Battle of Xingshi facts for kids

The Battle of Xingshi was a big fight between two states, Cao Wei and Shu Han, in the year 244. This happened during the Three Kingdoms period in ancient China. The battle took place at Mount Xingshi, which is now part of a nature reserve in Shaanxi province.

The leader of Wei, Cao Shuang, wanted to conquer Shu Han. He thought it would be an easy win and make him more famous. But his plan failed completely.

Why the Battle Happened

Cao Shuang was a powerful leader in the Wei state. He believed he could easily win against Shu Han. He thought this because Shu's main army had moved away from Hanzhong, an important area.

Cao Shuang and his friends thought their army was much bigger. They believed they could take Hanzhong before Shu could send more soldiers. Even if they didn't completely defeat Shu, taking Hanzhong would make Cao Shuang look very strong.

Years before, a general named Wei Yan had built many strong forts in the Hanzhong area. These forts were in key spots on the roads leading into Hanzhong. He put skilled soldiers in them. These forts were still active and helped Shu's army later on.

The Difficult Journey

The roads through the mountains to Hanzhong were very tough. There were three main paths through the Qin Mountains. Cao Shuang chose the shortest one, called Tangluo Trail. This turned out to be a big mistake.

Even though it was short, this path was in terrible condition. It also had a very long section with no water. Because of this, the Wei army had huge problems getting supplies. Many of their animals carrying supplies died of thirst.

Cao Shuang had to force thousands of people to carry supplies. Many of these people also died. This made the soldiers very unhappy with Cao Shuang. People back home in Wei were also upset.

The Battle Begins

In April 244, Cao Shuang and his generals, Xiahou Xuan and Guo Huai, started their march. They headed towards Hanzhong using the difficult Tangluo Trail. Their main goal was to capture Yangping Pass, a key fort.

Wang Ping was in charge of defending Hanzhong for Shu Han. He had less than 30,000 soldiers, much fewer than Wei. Some of his officers wanted to defend other cities, but Wang Ping disagreed. He knew that if Wei got past Yangping Pass, it would be a disaster.

Wang Ping decided to stop the enemy by using the rough mountain terrain. He ordered General Liu Min to go to Mount Xingshi. Liu Min put up many flags over a long distance. This made it look like Shu had a much bigger army than it did.

Wang Ping then led his own army behind Liu Min. He wanted to stop Wei from attacking from another valley. Just as Wang Ping thought, by May 244, the Wei army was stopped at Mount Xingshi. Their supplies were running out, and most of their transport animals were dead.

Meanwhile, Shu's top general, Fei Yi, was on his way from Chengdu with more soldiers. Shu Han was ready to fight back against the struggling Wei army.

Wei's Retreat

One of Cao Shuang's officers, Yang Wei, saw how dangerous the situation was. He begged Cao Shuang to give up and retreat right away. But Cao Shuang's friends, Deng Yang and Li Sheng, disagreed. They didn't know much about war.

Yang Wei was furious. He said Deng Yang and Li Sheng were risking the lives of thousands of soldiers and the future of their state. He even said they should be executed. Cao Shuang was not happy with this argument.

The wise old leader Sima Yi, who had warned against this war from the start, also wrote to Xiahou Xuan. He told Xiahou Xuan about the danger. He reminded him that even Cao Cao, a great leader, almost lost everything fighting for Hanzhong years ago.

Sima Yi warned that Shu controlled Mount Xingshi, blocking Wei's path. If another Shu army cut off Wei's escape route, Cao Shuang and Xiahou Xuan would be trapped. After reading Sima Yi's letter, Xiahou Xuan finally understood the danger. He convinced Cao Shuang to order a retreat, though Cao Shuang was still unwilling.

Guo Huai, who led Wei's first attack group, had also realized the danger. He pulled his troops back early to avoid being completely defeated. Because of this, he was rewarded by the Wei government.

Shu's Counterattack and Wei's Escape

Fei Yi didn't let Cao Shuang's army retreat easily. He led his soldiers to attack the Wei troops from the side, blocking their way back. Shu forces set up defenses in places where they had a huge advantage over Wei. These were three ridges in the Luo Valley.

Cao Shuang's soldiers fought hard to escape. In the end, Cao Shuang and his officers barely made it back to Guanzhong. Almost all the animals Cao Shuang had brought for transport either died or were lost. The local people were very angry with him. The area around Guanzhong became empty and ruined. After this failure, people made fun of Cao Shuang and Xiahou Xuan.

What Happened Next

For his great victory, Fei Yi was given the special title "Marquis of Chengxiang." He stayed in Hanzhong for a while before returning to the capital, Chengdu, in September 244.

On the other hand, Cao Shuang lost a lot of respect and popularity. This battle helped lead to his downfall later in a power struggle against Sima Yi. After this big defeat, the Wei state waited twenty years before trying to conquer Shu Han again.

Who Fought in the Battle