Three Kingdoms baby Cao Cao is the best

Battle of Xiaoyao Ford

When Cao Cao retreated after being defeated by Sun Quan and Liu Bei at the Battle of Red Cliffs in 208/209, he left behind Zhang Liao, Yue Jin and Li Dian with about 7,000 soldiers to guard Hefei from possible attacks by Sun Quan. In around 214, before Cao Cao went on a campaign against the warlord Zhang Lu in Hanzhong, he instructed Xue Tito pass a sealed letter to the three generals at Hefei. He wrote, "Open when the enemy comes" on the envelope. Later that year, Sun Quan led about 100,000 troops to attack Hefei, so they opened the letter. It read, "If Sun Quan comes, Generals Zhang and Li will go out to fight the enemy while General Yue will defend the fortress. Xue Ti will stay out of the battle." They were confused after reading the letter. Zhang Liao told Yue Jin and Li Dian, "Our lord is away on a campaign. By the time his reinforcements reach here, we're already done for. So he is actually instructing us to take advantage of the situation – when the enemy has just arrived and is not fully gathered yet – to attack them and devastate their morale so that we can calm our men and strengthen our defences. Victory or defeat, it all depends on this battle. Why are the two of you still hesitating?" The three generals then worked together and recruited over 800 "die-hard" soldiers that night and prepared for battle the following day.

At dawn, Zhang Liao donned his armour, carried a ji, and led his men to attack the enemy formation. He killed tens of enemy soldiers and two officers, shouted his own name, and broke through the barriers until he reached Sun Quan's command post. Sun Quan was shocked and his subordinates were all unsure of what to do. He then went to the top of a knoll, armed himself with a long ji, and stood there. He did not dare to move when Zhang Liao challenged him to come down and fight him. When Sun Quan saw that Zhang Liao did not have many soldiers left with him, he ordered his forces to surround Zhang and his men. However, Zhang Liao fought fiercely and succeeded in breaking out of the encirclement with a few of his men. His remaining men, who were still trapped by the enemy, shouted, "General, are you abandoning us?" Zhang Liao then turned back and fought his way into the encirclement and succeeded in rescuing his remaining men. Sun Quan and his forces were all stunned by Zhang Liao's valour and did not dare to stand in his way. The skirmish lasted from dawn to the afternoon, and the morale of Sun Quan's army had fallen significantly. Zhang Liao returned to Hefei fortress and strengthened his defences.

Sun Quan was unable to conquer Hefei after several days so he withdrew his forces. While Sun Quan was retreating, Zhang Liao suddenly launched a surprise attack and inflicted a crushing defeat on the enemy at Xiaoyao Ford. He was close to capturing Sun Quan a few times during the battle. Cao Cao was very impressed with Zhang Liao and promoted him to "General Who Attacks the East"

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