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Battle of Guandu
Map of the battle. Also shown are the movements during the battles of Boma and Yan Ford. Flanking attempts are not shown. Note that the Yellow River has changed course over the centuries and the places depicted are no longer at the same locations relative to the river.The Battle of Guandu was a battle during the prelude to the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history that took place at the Yellow River in 200.It was a crucial victory for the warlord Cao Cao (155-220) who defended his territories against his rival warlord Yuan Shao (154-202). The battle was a turning point in the war between Cao Cao and Yuan Shao, and marked the beginning of Cao Cao's gradual reunification of northern China, which made the establishment of the Cao Wei state possible.Background From 196 onwards, it became increasingly obvious that an armed confrontation between the warlords Cao Cao and Yuan Shao was inevitable. Yuan Shao was in control of the lands north of the Yellow River, namely the Hebei region, and had large and powerful armies under his command. Cao Cao controlled most of the lands south of the Yellow River and had the Emperor Xian with him in the new capital city of Xu. The warlords saw each other as the barrier to their individual ambitions to conquer and rule China. Thus, it seemed that a trial of strength between the two warlords was inevitable.Some years before the battle, Yuan Shao's advisors Ju Shou and Tian Feng had foreseen that Cao Cao would become a threat to their lord in his ambition to dominate China. They advised Yuan Shao to start a campaign against Cao Cao when the latter was still building up his forces, but Yuan Shao ignored their advice as Cao Cao was still superficially his ally. Tension between Cao Cao and Yuan Shao started to build up since Cao Cao received Emperor Xian from Luoyang, a move that Yuan Shao had considered but not acted upon, much to his regret.

Description

Battle of Guandu
Map of the battle. Also shown are the movements during the battles of Boma and Yan Ford. Flanking attempts are not shown. Note that the Yellow River has changed course over the centuries and the places depicted are no longer at the same locations relative to the river.The Battle of Guandu was a battle during the prelude to the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history that took place at the Yellow River in 200.It was a crucial victory for the warlord Cao Cao (155-220) who defended his territories against his rival warlord Yuan Shao (154-202). The battle was a turning point in the war between Cao Cao and Yuan Shao, and marked the beginning of Cao Cao's gradual reunification of northern China, which made the establishment of the Cao Wei state possible.Background From 196 onwards, it became increasingly obvious that an armed confrontation between the warlords Cao Cao and Yuan Shao was inevitable. Yuan Shao was in control of the lands north of the Yellow River, namely the Hebei region, and had large and powerful armies under his command. Cao Cao controlled most of the lands south of the Yellow River and had the Emperor Xian with him in the new capital city of Xu. The warlords saw each other as the barrier to their individual ambitions to conquer and rule China. Thus, it seemed that a trial of strength between the two warlords was inevitable.Some years before the battle, Yuan Shao's advisors Ju Shou and Tian Feng had foreseen that Cao Cao would become a threat to their lord in his ambition to dominate China. They advised Yuan Shao to start a campaign against Cao Cao when the latter was still building up his forces, but Yuan Shao ignored their advice as Cao Cao was still superficially his ally. Tension between Cao Cao and Yuan Shao started to build up since Cao Cao received Emperor Xian from Luoyang, a move that Yuan Shao had considered but not acted upon, much to his regret.