Battle of Dongkou

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Battle of Dongkou

The Battle of Dongkou was a naval battle fought from October 222 to January 223 between Cao Wei and Eastern Wu along the Yangtze near present-day Liyang, Jiangsu. It ended with a Wu victory at Dongkou and a retreat by the Wei army; the broader campaign was effectively a stalemate.

Context

- After Liu Bei was defeated at Xiaoting by Sun Quan, Sun Quan briefly allied with Wei, but the arrangement was unpopular in Wu. Sun Quan declared independence in November 222.
- In October 222, Cao Pi ordered several offensives: Cao Xiu, Zhang Liao, and Zang Ba against Dongkou; Cao Ren against Ruxu; and Cao Zhen, Xiahou Shang, Zhang He, and Xu Huang against Nan Commandery. Wu defenses were led by Lü Fan at Dongkou, with relief forces under Zhuge Jin, Pan Zhang, and Yang Can, and Zhu Huan defending Ruxu.

The battle

- Wei initially broke through Wu lines, but Lü Fan’s fleet was struck by a storm, hurting Wei’s efforts.
- Sun Quan feared Zhang Liao’s presence, a formidable Wei general. Lü Fan, Xu Sheng, and Sun Shao resisted at Dongkou, while Zang Ba was sent to Xuling but failed to make progress.
- Despite early Wei gains, reinforcements and morale boosts for Wu turned the tide. Cao Xiu and the Wei forces at Dongkou were eventually repelled, and the Wei withdrew to Luoyang.

Aftermath

- The Wei defeat at Dongkou allowed Sun Quan to press on in 223, destroying the Wei commandery at Qichun. This success helped bolster Sun Quan’s power, and he would later declare himself emperor of Eastern Wu.
- Zhang Liao participated in the campaign but died later in 223 due to illness. In the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, a fictional version claims he was killed at Dongkou.