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Battle of Chibi
Chibi in Dynasty Warriors 8
Date Winter 208
Location Chibi, Yangtze River via Jiangxia County (allegedly near modern Chibi City in Hubei)
Result Sun-Liu Alliance victory, Cao Cao is repelled and is dealt heavy losses.
Forces
Cao Cao's Forces Allied Forces
Commanders
Cao Cao Sun Quan
Liu Bei

The Battle of Chibi (赤壁の戦い, rōmaji: Sekiheki no Tatakai) also known as "Battle of the Red Cliffs" (or literally "Battle of the Red Wall") is a defining battle near the end of the Han Dynasty. On royal orders, Cao Cao led an expedition to the south and conquered a majority of Jing Province. He had Liu Bei on the run at Changban, yet Liu Bei escaped from his foe to the east and arranged a formal alliance with Sun Quan. After some debate, Sun Quan accepted the decision to fight back with Liu Bei. Led by the talented strategist, Zhou Yu, the combined navies clashed with Cao Cao's imposing fleet.

The battle features a one-sided rivalry between Zhou Yu and Zhuge Liang, Cao Cao vying for the Two Qiaos, and the call for the southeastern winds. The allied army defeats Cao Cao, who retreats and retreated. The battle's foundations for the Three Kingdoms period are laid. The real-life red-colored engraving of the hanzi/kanji for "Red Wall/Cliffs" is located on a cliff-side in modern-day Chibi City, Hubei.

Role in Games[]

Dynasty Warriors[]

The Dynasty Warriors series emphasizes the importance of the fire attack over most tactics in battles. The series features Chi Bi as a background for Wu characters, with Zhou Yu as the key strategist. In some versions, Cao Cao's escape is replaced by the battle of Chi Bi. Zhuge Liang prays for the southern winds to blow, and players are often asked to assist Huang Gai with his plot for the boats.

Pang Tong is an optional element for the fire attack, but is not present in the third title. The strategy for Wei's forces is to stop any element of the fire attack, often by targeting Zhou Yu, Huang Gai, and Zhuge Liang. Once the allied forces fail to carry out their plans, the remaining army charges in desperation to foil Cao Cao.

In Dynasty Warriors 6, Huang Gai still bombards Cao Cao's ships, but the fires are weaker and may be extinguished shortly within the battle. Players must be patient and endurance against the overwhelming numbers to succeed in the battle.

In the fourth installment of Dynasty Warriors, Huang Gai's ship is shown sailing across the river into the central pontoon bridge, a slight carryover from the original novel. Where the fire attack spreads depends on the chaining of the ships, with Cao Cao's forces suffering fewer losses if the chain ploy is foiled, whereas if Zhuge Liang's wind prayer is foiled, Jia Xu will eventually set the allied forces' ships ablaze in trade. Liu Bei's forces in the field varies with each title, but they usually play second fiddle to Wu's strategies. In the Battle of Chang Jiang, which recycles the eastern portion of the Chi Bi map, players must safeguard the supply captains heading for their ship while fending off Dong Zhuo, who has allied with the Nanman to pillage the ship. If eleven or more supply captains are routed, the battle is lost.

Extra scenarios surrounding the time frame of the battle have been made throughout the series, such as a fictional confrontation with Dong Zhuo against his rogue adoptive son Lu Bu and a challenge from the latter's Dynasty Tactics counterpart in Dynasty Warriors 3: Xtreme Legends.

Zhou Yu and Huang Gai's Legend Modes in Dynasty Warriors 4: Xtreme Legends surround events involving the battle with influences from the novel. In Wei's version, Cao Cao orders a charge, but Huang Gai's fire attack and sudden appearance force the Wei forces into the defensive. Once reinforcements arrive, Cao Cao orders an attack, with Defeating either Zhuge Liang or Sun Quan ending the battle. In Wu's version, Huang Gai must be escorted to the task area to set the ships ablaze, and Defeating Cao Cao or capturing all the altars ends the stage.

The stage appears in Shu's story mode as "Showdown in Chibi" where Shu forces fight the Wu forces instead. Seeing the river's strong current was impeding Shu's movement, Zhuge Liang will request allied troops to take altars scattered around the map. Once an altar is taken, Zhuge Liang will appear in the altar to pray. When his prayer is done, the river's current will die down, giving new access to the Shu army. Once two out of the three altars are taken, Lu Xun will order an ambush near the Shu main camp, but Zhuge Liang replies with his own ambush troops. Defeating Sun Quan ends the battle. The treasure trove of this area is guarded by Water Margin's Qiong Ying.

The last version of the stage is one of Wei's final stages, known as "Retaliation at Chibi". Here, Cao Pi must face both Sun Quan and Liu Bei, and the first defeat in the area is mentioned. Proving his own superiority, Cao Pi orders that three task areas through the map be seized for the engineers. If an engineer reaches a task area, he will set fire to one portion of the map. As the Wei forces begin moving, Liu Bei and Sun Quan order a surprise charge, and the Wei troops need to defeat the enemy officers to proceed. Defeating both Sun Quan and Liu Bei will end with Wei's undisputed rule over the land. The treasure trove for this version of the map is guarded by the Western Han Dynasty's Xiao He.

Lu Bu and his independent army interrupt the battle entirely during his story in Dynasty Warriors 6. Since he sides with neither army for the conflict, he can choose to interrupt the fire attack or allow it to take place to make it easier for his forces. If he targets and defeats the leaders for each army, Zhou Yu and Dian Wei will become enraged with Lu Bu. The Wu and Wei armies will then temporarily ally with one another to bring an end to Lu Bu.

Dynasty Warriors 7 is a battle that follows the player's role in driving off Wu officers and rescuing Cao Cao from a fire attack. The game splits into two parts, with Wei's version starting with the player controlling Xu Zhu, who moves out from Cao's flagship to drive off the Wu officers. Zhou Yu raises bridges to buy time for the fire attack, but the attack succeeds and the main camp goes up in flames. Cao Cao retreats west, needing protection as allied officers flee due to the fire attack.

Wu's side begins with the player using Zhou Yu to hold off Cao Cao's massive assault until preparations for the fire attack are complete. Gan Ning attempts to cut one of the enemy ships loose, but Zhang Liao is defeated. Cao Cao's navy launches a second wave attack led by Zhang He, and the player uses Huang Gai to defeat Cao Cao.

Shu's perspective is first seen through the eyes of Zhao Yun, who orders a sneak behind Cao Cao's fleet to strike the enemy from behind. Liu Qi controls the boat, and they set forth to set the plan in motion. Guan Yu's view sees the pursuit of Cao Cao resume, with Zhang Liao trying to weave Guan Yu's spirit by reminding him of his debt. Guan Ping decides to head south to keep pressure on Cao Cao attack, while Guan Yu heads west. Cao Ren uses a rockslide to delay Guan Ping indefinitely, but his father manages to get to Cao Cao. With the Wei ruler at his mercy, Guan Yu lets him go, but Zhuge Liang assures the God of War that he accounted for that.

For the Xtreme Legends expansion, the early portion titled the Prayer Ceremony Defense takes place in Xiao Qiao's perspective. Here, she must safe guard Zhuge Liang until the South Eastern winds begin to blow.

In Dynasty Warriors 8, the battle begins with Wei's side, led by Cao Cao, facing infiltrators from Wu led by Lu Su. Huang Gai attacks Cao Cao's ships, initiating a fire attack. Cai Mao betrays Wei, blocking their escape path. Taishi Ci, Han Dang, Gan Ning, and Lu Su block the Wei troop's way. They are ambushed by Liu Bei and Sun Shangxiang, but Cao Cao and his generals defeat them.

In the alternate path, Guo Jia, Dian Wei, and Xu Shu help Cao Cao overcome the situation. They liquidate the diversionary attack force led by Lu Su and alert the Wei forces to Pang Tong's presence. After Pang Tong's defeat, Huang Gai and Han Dang attack the ship Pang Tong was on, but the Wei forces stop the fire before it spreads. Cai Mao defects to the Wu forces, but Guo Jia helps him realize he was deceived.

Wu's side of the battle starts with repelling reinforcements led by Sima Yi. Xiahou Dun leads a raiding party, while Sun Shangxiang and Lu Su protect Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang. They attack the altar, but Cao Cao and Xu Zhu escape. If the player finds Xu Shu after the fire attack, he will join Liu Bei and play crucial roles at Chengdu and Fan Castle.

The battle also serves as the final battle in Jin's what-if route, involving Sima Shi fighting the remnants of Shu and Wu in a decisive battle.

Dynasty Warriors 9 sees Chibi as a full-fledged city and port across the Changjiang from the city and port of Wulin due to the game's open-world design. In Chapter 6 of Story Mode, the joint forces of Sun Quan and Liu Bei have their armies and navy stationed at Chibi, while Cao Cao has his stationed across the Changjiang in Wulin. Each side needs to make several pre-battle preparations before the battle can officially get underway.

For the Allied Forces:

  • Convince Cao Cao's spies in Cai He and Cai Zhong that Huang Gai wishes to defect to the Wei forces by attacking him with them witnessing the clash, offering sympathies to Huang Gai and an invite to Cao Cao's forces.
  • Send a messenger serving as a spy for Cao Cao's officer Jiang Gan with a missive carrying fake info that marks Cai Mao and Zhang Yun as being undercover informants for the Allies, leading to them being executed for treason.
  • Have several boats swim out to draw the attention of Cao Cao's archers on the riverbanks outside Wulin to fire on them and provide the Allies with plenty of arrows to supply their own archers for the upcoming battle, thus stationing numerous archer squads along the riverbanks and in small boats just offshore.
  • Pang Tong suggests sending some wine to the enemy forces to get them drunk. Combined with seasickness, they will be in no position to fight, forcing Cao Cao to take precautionary measures to help alleviate it.
  • With the defection ploy having succeeded, Huang Gai requests extra oil to ensure the fire attack is more powerful when he carries it out. Buy some from the nearest merchant or trader and give it to him down in Chibi to ensure the plan is a rousing success.

For Cao Cao's Forces:

  • Xu Zhu decides the troops need some training for their naval battle with the Allies and goes to fight some hooligans nearby, finding Gan Ning hiding amongst them. Once the hooligans or Gan Ning is defeated, they give up.
  • Medicine is needed to help deal with the seasickness that Cao Cao's troops are suffering from. After getting some from a doctor in a nearby village and bringing it back to the men, an undercover Pang Tong suggests chaining the ships together to help further alleviate the seasickness.
  • Scouts carrying vital intel on the Allies' movements have not returned yet, indicating they might be in trouble. Finding them engaged by Zhu Ran, Zhou Cang, Xu Sheng, and several Allied troops, the scouts are rescued and provide some much needed information about the Allies' plan to give Cao Cao's forces an advantage when engaging them.
  • Thanks to the scouts' reconnaissance, a letter is sent incognito behind enemy lines to Huang Gai, encouraging him to defect to Wei after they heard he was attacked by his own allies in the Wu-Shu alliance.

After taking out Cao Pi, Zhenji, Jia Xu, and other Wei officers on their side of the river, the Allied Forces call out Cao Cao. He advances from Wulin to Chibi, but falls into the Allies' trap as Huang Gai, cackling maniacally before abandoning ship, rams his fire ship into the flagship of Cao Cao's navy stationed at Wulin, setting off a chain reaction that sees Cao Cao's entire navy go up in flames. Cao Cao is forced to flee Wulin and retreat back to Jiangling and Xiangyang before returning in humiliated defeat to Xuchang to rebuild his forces.

In Wei's side, despite fewer pre-battle preparations compared to the Allies, the chaining of ships will at least prevent the Cao Cao troops from becoming seasick, and it is possible to trace Huang Gai's betrayal, though it will not prevent the overall fire attack, but will weaken its effect and cause Wu's troops to momentarily panic once they realize Cao Cao saw through their plan and managed to break most of it up before the main fire attack was unleashed.

In Cao Pi's personal DLC, Lu Xun battles the Wei forces at Chibi due to its psychological advantage. Calming the nerves of his men, Cao Pi is able to foil Lu Xun's attempts to use fire as with his predecessors and manages to kill Zhu Ran while Lu Xun's forces are scattered across Wu.

Warriors Orochi[]

In the final battle of Wu Gaiden, Sun Jian and his children defeat Orochi. Their allies, Ieyasu Tokugawa and Sakon Shima, assemble a navy to cripple their foe at Chi Bi. Sakon suggests using a fire attack and blows up the bridge connecting the armies on the eastern side to isolate Orochi forces. Lu Xun rides in on the western shore to assist, while Masamune Date attacks the plot and charges straight in the east. The Escape from Chi Bi map serves as Shu's fourth Gaiden stage for chasing Goemon Ishikawa, who stole Liu Bei's treasure from Wei Yan.

Chi Bi becomes the stage for Wu's final battle with the resurrected Orochi and his forces in the sequel. Sun Jian's navy attack turns the tables, and the Wu army has their boats on fire at the start of the battle. Motochika Chōsokabe and Da Ji cast fire spells on the Orochi boats, and Keiji Maeda barges in to protect Orochi.

In the dream stage, players are given the default team of mystics to join forces with Da Ji, Orochi, and San Zang. Taigong Wang orders the central boat to be blown apart, and Da Ji retreats after her wounds heal.

Warriors Orochi 3 does not feature Chibi as a battlefield in the main story. However, it becomes the backdrop of several DLC stages which include Lu Bu's revenge against Nezha, Aya lecturing two mystics on human love, and Keiji challenging several heroes for their theme song.

In the original timeline, Cao Ren and Xiahou Ba went into the area in the hopes of freeing some of Kiyomori's puppets, but they failed in their mission and became puppets themselves. In Ultimate, the two re-imagine the previous battle except with their current selves and Katsuie Shibata's aid. Although they are stronger, they are still unable to break the puppets from their trance, and the objective instead changes to escape the area to keep themselves from being turned into puppets.

In Warriors Orochi 4, following their retreat from Fan Castle, the Coalition stumbles across Pang Tong, Lu Su and Hanbei, who are being attacked by Ares' army. Together, they make their escape while stalling the enemy's pursuit using various strategies. After their successful escape, Susano'o formally joins the Coalition.

The revelation of Odin and Ares' betrayal force the fatigued Coalition to retreat and they once again arrive at Chibi with the combined Ares-Asgardian forces in pursuit. As the Coalition forces hurry toward the escape point, Hideyoshi's army stays behind to buy time for the others. The Coalition manages to break through the enemy's blockade in a desperate assault, but Hideyoshi just barely escapes with his life after The God of Destruction appears and ambushes his army.

Dynasty Tactics[]

Kessen[]

Similar to the Dynasty Warriors series, the battle takes place after the escape from Chang Ban and Liu Bei will form an alliance with Sun Quan in Kessen II. Zhuge Liang purposes to call forth the winds, but Wu is skeptical, as for decades no high winds have ever blown during this time of year. Despite their doubts, they agree to the strategist's plan. Cao Cao confidently presses on with his overwhelming numbers and Heaven's favor.

In Shu's version of the battle, the player will be given only one strategy to choose: wait for Zhuge Liang to summon the wind. The player must carefully maneuver their troops to stall for time while avoiding being surrounded and overwhelmed. While Zhuge Liang summons the wind, the Mandate of Heaven will try to prevent him from succeeding. Liu Bei will protect him and defeat the avatar sent by the Mandate. His victory allows the winds to start blowing. Once the winds are summoned, Zhuge Liang will use a fire spell and set Cao Cao's fleets aflame. Wei's army experiences a massive morale drop and it is easier to route them at this point.

Wei's version of the encounter offers three strategies; Zhang Liao advocates for an all-out offensive, Xun Yu will suggest to chain the boats together to gain army stability while Himiko will advocate attacking Zhuge Liang. Should the player use the third strategy, they will be able to prevent the fire attack. The second will allow armies to fight in a larger field, making it an excellent set up for fire magic. In both versions of the stage, Lady Sun Li will appear as reinforcements for Shu.

Historical Information[]

Cao Cao defeated Yuan Shao and took Hebei in 208. Liu Bei fled to Jiangling, prompting suspicion that he would attack the city. Cao Cao defeated him at Changban and sent a message to Sun Quan, boasting a command of 800,000 men and threatening military action if Wu did not surrender. Zhou Yu, a strategist, believed Cao Cao had about 220,000 men and convinced Sun Quan to ally with Liu Bei. Cao Cao could corner Liu Bei and Liu Qi at Jiangxia County or assault Sun Quan's headquarters at Chaisang District. Zhou Yu also pointed out that Sun Quan would have nothing to lose when fighting Cao Cao or if Zhou Yu was defeated. Cao Cao's army was mostly fresh talents and not yet accustomed to working with each other. Huang Gai offered to defect to Cao Cao, chaining up his ships to create a stable fighting-ground. Cao Cao's ships were lit on fire, and he retreated to Xuchang to prepare for another campaign against Sun Quan. Cao Cao was gambling on his prior successes and planning a retreat route with notable foresight.

Romance of the Three Kingdoms[]

TBA

See Also[]

Gallery[]

Trivia[]

  • Via the aforementioned engraved hanzi/kanji, it is a small easter egg modeled after the carvings on the cliff-sides of modern day Hubei. Its location often varies from game-to-game as an ananchorism (and is likely removed in Dynasty Warriors 6-onwards):
    • Dynasty Warriors: Already part of the background on all versions of the stage (dawn, dusk and midnight) and also is seen during Zhou Yu's ending, out on the sea much like the real-life counterpart. However, the red hanzi/kanji are colored white instead unlike the real life version of the engraving. In Zhou Yu's ending, the markings are also written in a more modern format as opposed to in the style akin to calligraphy.
    • Dynasty Warriors 2: Seen in the intro cutscene of the start of the battle itself, and which is located south side of the map a bit to the east. This version closely mirrors its real-life counterpart in terms of the overall coloring and its tone (as well as being located at the southeastern bank), but is seen at a cliff-side on land as opposed to out in the sea as the tide is anything but high enough. Can be mainly viewed in bow mode when the player looks upward at the section, though the overall quality of the engraving is rather shoddy at best.
      • This however, DOES NOT apply to its DLC version reused in Dynasty Warriors 7, as it has apparently been removed.
    • Dynasty Warriors 3: On the Wu forces' side of the map in the very south around the east. The markings can be seen along the cliff sides behind the southern commander's ship (the one containing the peon-entry point), much like the previous installment. This version however, is technically seen out on sea as opposed to being on a land-based cliff, along with the cliffs being a clear silver-ish color.
    • Dynasty Warriors 4: On the side of Cao Cao's forces via the most northern entry point of the map, where the markings are just behind the said entry point. Another example where the engraved-cliff is seen on land, and this is the only instance where the carving is seen on the north side of the stage instead of the south. This version is also seen just past a peon-entry point, making it almost physically impossible to reach without finding a way to go out of bounds with bow mode being the only best way to view the engraving (though playing with two players severely limits the rendering capabilities due to split-screen). The engraving is also darkly colored into the cliff-sides compared to other installments, with the top center circle of the spiraling flame symbol having a darkened nudge in it.
      • Though when one goes out of bounds through the boundary exit glitch by the gate on a horse, it's possible to get a significantly better/closer look at the engraving. However, outside of using the mountain-side/riverside boundary glitch, only the western-side of the entry point den has a cliff that is programmed to be scaled on foot. When the mountain boundary itself is scaled however, the section with the engraving will cause the player to slide off unless they keep jumping to scale upward.
      • In the PSP Dynasty Warriors game, one of the random battle-portions that reuse a portion of the central-northern version of the original fourth-installment-map still has this engraving, albeit the graphical limitations of the PSP along with needing to adjust the viewing angle with the bow attack mode make it much harder to see due to also having a physical wooden fence in the way.
      • Likewise, with an out-of-bounds glitch, it is also possible to reach and view the engraving in daylight on the Battle of Xia Kou version of the Chi Bi stage.
    • Dynasty Warriors 5: Seen right at Zhuge Liang's altar on the southwestern side of the map on the cliffs behind the said altar (via on its right side). Once again, it is seen on land instead of out at sea. This is the only version of the carving that is not placed very-near or within a peon-entry point, and also the brightest-colored version likely due to the candle-fires at the altar; again, this version is also not placed at the southeastern bank. This version is also seen in the intro cutscene when it shows the altar. Like in the previous installment, the top center circle of the spiraling flame symbol once again has a darkened nudge in it.
      • This version can also be accessed closely via using the boundary exit glitch, though the surface just below the text will slide the player down unless they are mounted on a horse.
      • Via Dynasty Warriors Vol. 2; much like the previous PSP game, this element is intact whenever the altar portion of the fifth-installment-map is entered. However, the graphical limitations cause the carved text to often flicker between the various polygonal axes, and is more colored peach-orange instead. Despite the removal of bow mode in the game, the carving can still be viewed more clearly.
      • However, the engraving is completely removed in the Warriors Orochi versions of the stage.
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