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Battle of Ye

Battle of Ye
Part of the wars at the end of the Han dynasty
Date Spring of 204 to September 13, 204
Location In and around Ye (in present-day Handan, Hebei)
Result Cao Cao victory
Belligerents
Cao Cao Yuan Shang
Commanders and leaders
Cao Cao
Cao Hong 		Yuan Shang
Shen Pei
Strength
Said to outnumber Ye defenders Unknown number of Ye defenders;
10,000+ reinforcements under Yuan Shang
Casualties and losses
At least 300 More than half starved in the city
Battle of Ye
Traditional Chinese 鄴之戰
Simplified Chinese 邺之战
Battle of Yecheng
Traditional Chinese 鄴城之戰
Simplified Chinese 邺城之战

The Battle of Ye or Battle of Yecheng took place in 204 in the late Eastern Han dynasty. It was fought between the warlord Cao Cao and Yuan Shang, son and successor of Cao Cao's rival Yuan Shao, in the Yuan clan's headquarters Ye (in present-day Handan, Hebei). Cao Cao had been allied with Yuan Shang's elder brother Yuan Tan, who rebelled in a succession feud, and it was by Yuan Tan's request that Cao Cao laid siege to Ye. The successful siege of the city dislodged Yuan Shang's power from Ji Province (冀州), and Cao Cao would later use the city of Ye as a major base of his military power.

Yuan Shao, the powerful warlord of the north, had been decisively defeated by his southern neighbour Cao Cao in the Battle of Guandu in 200 and died two years later in frustration. Despite the defeat, the Yuan power bloc was by no means eliminated, for Yuan Shao was survived by his three sons Yuan Tan, Yuan Xi, and Yuan Shang; together with their cousin Gao Gan, the Yuan family still held on to the provinces of Ji, Qing (青), Bing, and You. The Yuan brothers were not on good terms, however - Yuan Tan, the oldest, contested the succession of his younger brother Yuan Shang, who was preemptively made heir by his supporters Shen Pei and Pang Ji, while the second son Yuan Xi was content with controlling the northernmost You Province and stayed out of his brothers' conflict. In the winter of 202, Cao Cao attacked Yuan Tan's position in Liyang, and Yuan Shang brought his troops to help his older brother. The two brothers held out for six months, before eventually driven back to Ye, where they successfully struck back and caused Cao Cao to withdraw for the time being.

As soon as Cao Cao started to retreat in mid-203, the brothers' feud took a turn to the worse. Yuan Tan requested more troops and equipment so he could lead an army to pursue Cao Cao's men, but Yuan Shang refused, not wanting his brother to gain control of a bigger army. This act of distrust proved to be the last straw for Yuan Tan, as he rebelled from his younger brother and attacked the city of Ye in anger. Yuan Shang successfully defended Ye again and chased Yuan Tan 300 kilometers away to Nanpi, the seat of Bohai Commandery (渤海郡). Bohai was on the edge of the border with Qing Province, where Yuan Tan still held the title Inspector of that province; but while he could expect some aid from the base of his power, some of his own men rebelled against him, and the position was very insecure. So when Yuan Shang came to attack Nanpi, Yuan Tan fled south to Pingyuan, where he was again besieged. Here he was close to Cao Cao's Yan province, and his advisor Guo Tu suggested seeking help from Cao Cao. Guo Tu reasoned that Cao Cao's army would attack Ye, and while Yuan Shang was to return to save his capital, Yuan Tan could expect to take the lands to the north of Ye; and if Cao Cao was to be successful, Yuan Shang's power would be removed and the outstretched Cao Cao would retreat soon after, leaving Yuan Tan to gain control of the north and capable enough to make a stand against Cao Cao. Yuan Tan would not agree at first, but later sent Xin Pi as an ambassador to seek an alliance with Cao Cao.


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