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The Battle of Mount Dingjun was fought between the warlords Liu Bei and Cao Cao in February 219 during the prelude to the Three Kingdoms stretch of Chinese history. [1] Liu Bei's victory in the battle marked a major milestone in his Hanzhong Campaign and allowed him to kill the commander of the Wei's forces, Xiahou Yuan and later taking Hanzhong Commandery.
Xiahou Yuan was known for the swift movements of his units in battle, and he often took his enemies by surprise. There was a saying in Cao Cao's army to describe this: "Xiahou Yuan, the Colonel Who Arranges the Army, travels 500 li in three days and 1,000 li in six days."
Xiahou Yuan then planned to attack Han Sui with surprise while he was stationed in Xianqin, hoping to capture him. However, Han Sui escaped. Xiahou Yuan ordered his forces to begin pursuit, chasing him into Lueyang. At the time, Xiahou Yuan was 15,000 meters away from Han Sui and many encouraged the continuation of the pursuit.
In response, Xiahou Yuan and Zhang He led their forces out in an attempt to take control of higher ground, and they made camp at Zouma Valley (走馬谷). During the night, Liu Bei followed Huang Quan's plan and set fire to the enemy camp fences. Xiahou Yuan led a force to defend the southern flank while sending Zhang He to guard the eastern side.
In Xingyang, Cao Cao engaged Lü Bu, as predicted, and while Xiahou Dun was duelling with Lü, Dong Zhuo's generals Li Jue and Guo Si attacked from both flanks and surrounded Cao Cao. Cao Cao ordered Xiahou Yuan and Cao Ren to hold them off, but Cao Cao's forces were eventually overwhelmed and retreated.
In 212 Cao Cao left Xiahou Yuan behind to continue the northwestern campaign while he returned east to attack Sun Quan across the Huai River. The invasion force reached the banks of the Changjiang but failed to break the enemy defenses. Cao Cao returned to Ye City in 213. [46] In 215 Cao Cao eliminated Zhang Lu and occupied Hanzhong Commandery ...
The battle became a rout and Xiahou Yuan was killed in action. The victory at Mount Dingjun was a major stepping stone to the conquest of Hanzhong. Huang Zhong was promoted to General Who Attacks the West (征西將軍) for his contributions in the Hanzhong Campaign.
Not knowing the city had already fallen, Xiahou Yuan's unit ran into that of Ma Chao's 200 li outside of Jicheng, where Xiahou was defeated. Such a victory greatly impressed Qianwan , leader of the Di tribe , so the latter allied with Ma Chao, who now named himself General Who Conquers the West and Governor of Bing Province .