Koei Wiki
Register
Advertisement
Battle of Yiling
Yiling in Dynasty Warriors 8
Date 208
July 221 ~ July 222
Location Yiling and Xiaoting, Jing Province (near present-day Yichang and Yidu, Hubei)
Result Wu Victory (208)
Wu victory; Liu Bei retreats to Baidi Castle. (222)
Forces
Wei (208)
Shu (222)
Wu
Commanders
Cao Ren (208)
Liu Bei (222)
Gan Ning (208)
Lu Xun (222)

The Battle of Xiaoting (猇亭の戦い, rōmaji: Ōtei no Tatakai), also known as the Battle of Yiling (夷陵の戦い, rōmaji: Iryō no Tatakai), is a battle fought between Wei and Wu, shortly after Cao Cao's massive defeat at Chibi. Gan Ning quickly took Yiling from the Wei forces, but was besieged by Cao Ren as a result. Zhou Yu and Lu Meng successfully rescued the stranded general, and Cao Ren fled back to Nanjun. This battle is occasionally merged with the main battle at Nanjun.

Later, Liu Bei, enraged by the deaths of Guan Yu, Zhang Fei and the loss of Jing Province launched a punitive expedition against Wu. Young Lu Xun, with the help of Ling Tong and Zhu Ran, lead Wu to a decisive victory thanks to his genius fire attack. The decisive battle here halted Liu Bei's invasion of Wu and eventually led to his death after fleeing to Baidi Castle.

Romance of the Three Kingdoms in particular in Chapter 84 adds an element where Zhuge Liang crafted a maze that lead to an unguarded-section of Baidi Castle known as the Eight Array Map (八陣圖, Chinese: Bāzhèntú; onyomi: Hachijinzu), with its other name being the Stone Sentinel Maze or the Stone Soldiers Eight Array (石兵八陣, Chinese: Shíbīng Bāzhèn; onyomi: Sekihei Hachijin) in the Asian scripts. It was a maze formed based on the concept of the Eight Trigrams, formed by various rocks and boulders.

The particular maze at Yiling was stationed at Fish Entrails Bay (魚腹浦, Chinese: Yúfùpǔ; rōmaji: Gyofukuho), which was stationed around the south of the Yangtze River; as a result, the maze would be submerged by water whenever the Yangtze's tides rise in the summer while the maze would be revealed in its entirety when the tides recede in the autumn. Lu Xun happened to come across it by chance when pursuing Liu Bei after the fire attack's success. A middle aged gentleman named Huang Chengyan (Zhuge Liang's father-in-law) would eventually lead Lu Xun out of the maze after he would get severely lost.

In real life, ruins of the supposed maze in question exist at the modern day Fish Entrails Bay near Baidi Castle.

Role in Games[]

Dynasty Warriors[]

The Dynasty Warriors series emphasizes the devastating effects of Wu's fire attack and the importance of the Stone Sentinel Maze. In all games, Wu uses a fire attack against Shu, which can be preventable in some games. After the attack, the Shu forces retreat back to the Stone Sentinel Maze, where Zhuge Liang appears when the Shu forces successfully pull back to the camp for a turn-around.

The Stone Sentinel Maze is the key to winning the battle in some games depending on the forces and installment. The second installment of the stage features rainy weather, while the third installment has a landmark called Ma An Gate, which can be opened when Huang Zhong is defeated. The maze is rendered as a 5-by-4 grid, with pathways divided by stone-idol statues.

In the fourth installment, the stage is part of the Yi Ling series with Campaign for Jing and Unification of Jing. In the Wu Forces scenario, players must cause the fire attack by destroying some watchtowers to force Liu Bei to retreat into Bai Di Castle, sealing the eastern gate needed to access it. The maze is rendered as a 5-by-4 grid, with pathways divided by stone-idol statues which will rise and fall as you move through the maze. Upon exiting the maze, Zhuge Liang arrives with a fleet to defend Liu Bei and raid the Wu Forces' camp. If the fire attack fails, boats will still appear but the maze will remain closed off.

In the Shu Forces scenario, Zhuge Liang relays a message to a generic troop, revealing Zhu Ran and his task force units to be walking into the camp to set the place on fire and force Liu Bei to retreat. Once the fire attack succeeds, Zhou Tai and the Two Qiaos will appear as reinforcements. It is easier to navigate the maze in the Shu scenario, as the path is preset. As in the Wu scenario, Zhuge Liang and his fleet will arrive if the fire attack succeeds, but the boats won't appear if the fire attack fails, so you have to enter the Wu camp via Ma An Gate. Zhou Tai and the Two Qiaos will still appear upon approaching the camp.

In the fourth expansion of Dynasty Warriors, Lu Xun's Legend Mode focuses on surpassing Zhuge Liang's wit for the eradication of Shu at Yu Fu Bay. The map of the Stone Sentinel Maze is custom-made and has traits similar to the original version. To progress, Lu Xun must backtrack cautiously and defeat guards impeding his path within the maze. Huang Cheng Yan guides Lu Xun to the real exit, which only applies to Lu Xun's Legend Mode.

The maze in the first PSP game is a 4-by-3 grid with a number of one-way routes that may or may not contain mountains that can lower morale and inflict damage without a Ranger in one's party of deployed officers. In the second expansion, the maze is rendered as a cave, with corridor-like pathways formed with tall stone walls. Zhuge Liang appears to finish the player off during the Wu Forces scenario, but Lu Xun begins making his way through the maze at some point in the battle.

In the third expansion, Yiling appears twice in Wu's scenario. The first time it appears is at Nanjun, where Gan Ning's forces are stranded and fighting Xu Huang. Lu Meng's appearance determines whether he survives Fan Castle.

In the Shu's version of the stage, Liu Bei runs off alone and goes missing. Zhao Yun fights off multiple ambushes by Wu forces in search of Liu Bei, while Guan Xing and Zhang Bao lead Shu's forces south towards the Wu main camp. After Lu Xun is defeated, Zhuge Liang arrives with reinforcements and orders the Shu forces to march on the Wu camp. Gan Ning, Ling Tong, and Zhou Tai arrive as the Shu forces capture the Wu garrisons.

The eighth game's expansion later gives two new, revised scenarios of the battle. In Wu's part, Lu Xun is joined by his predecessors, Zhou Yu, Lu Su, and Lu Meng. The Wu soldiers immediately defeat the Shu forces surrounding the allied camp, before moving on to the fire strategy. As Lu Xun and Zhu Ran advance north, to the center of Shu's army, while Lu Meng and Zhou Tai divert the enemy's attention to the south. From that point on, the Wu army begins their hunt for Liu Bei. At the battle's conclusion, Liu Bei escapes with Zhao Yun's aid. The timing of Zhao Yun's defeat may also result in the unlocking of the Defense of Jiangling.

In Shu's scenario, Fa Zheng will appear at the entrance of the Stone Sentinel Maze, and he will immediately move out to warn Liu Bei of the fire attack. Within the maze are the ones responsible for Guan Yu and Zhang Fei's death, while the exit is guarded by Ding Feng. Soon the Wu forces begin sending out fire attack units, and they immediately target the center of Shu's army. After being warned, Liu Bei begins pulling out his forces. On Fa Zheng's advice the Shu army allows the Wu army to initiate a fire attack, and then goad the enemy into attacking by stating Liu Bei's death. Zhu Ran then moves out to execute the fire, while the Shu forces withdraw and hide in order to ambush the enemy. As planned, Sun Quan moves out as soon as word reaches out of Liu Bei's death, allowing Liu Bei to ambush the Wu forces. Once the ambush is sprung, the Shu forces enter Sun Quan's camp and defeat him.

Warriors Orochi[]

During Orochi's story mode, Orochi and Sun Quan spot Cao Cao's army at this location. The latter's army still consists of a majority of his loyal officers. The serpent army invades from the upper right hand corner while Cao Cao's army stands firm in the center. Moments after the short exchange between the commanders, the Orochi army fires with their cannons. The Wei forces, whom have never seen the destructive weapons of war before, panic and start to break formation. A composed Cao Cao attempts to recover from the situation by issuing an organized retreat into the Stone Sentinel Maze. To capitalize on the brief moment of weakness, Sun Quan orders the Orochi forces to hunt down the escaping officers.

Once his remaining troops flee inside the maze, Cao Cao plans a fire attack to counter the cannons. His plot cannot be prevented by the player, although a quick and mighty character can execute the officer leading the engineers in the north-western garrison. With the fire spelling confusion on the Orochi forces and the cannons dispelled, Cao Cao then orders a counter offensive. The player's team then has to calm the Orochi officers in the front line garrisons or they will be annihilated without even putting up a fight. Once the nearest generals to the main camp have been defeated, Cao Cao's location becomes hidden in the maze. The player then has to defeat the sorcerers hiding him before he flees to the lower left hand base on the map. Pinned at last, he and a few of his guards put a final offensive.

In Warriors Orochi, Cao Pi and Mitsunari band together to deal with the disgruntled Xiahou Dun and Xiahou Yuan. They are assisted by reinforcements from the Orochi army, Sun Shang Xiang and Ina. Again, the Orochi forces arm themselves in the north-eastern corner of the map. Cao Pi and company heading from the east, the ladies invade from the west, and Mitsunari defends the main camp. The Xiahou cousins take their position in the center with Pang Tong as their strategist. Victory must be claimed by defeating the three figures spearheading the revolution.

Pang Tong orders a pincer by ordering Xiahou Dun to attack Cao Pi's path and Xiahou Yuan to attack from the west. He plans to send an engineer team to create a straight bridge to the Orochi forces' main camp. If interrupted, he attempts to flee into the Stone Sentinel Maze and launches an ambush on those who pursue. Meanwhile the Xiahou cousins realize the plan has failed and order an all-out attack on the main camp to compensate for their weakened morale. Both cousins need to be defeated twice for their submission while the player's team need only defeat Pang Tong once. After witnessing Cao Pi's worth firsthand, the trio then join Wei after their defeats.

If their plan succeeds, the player will need to deal with the invigorated rebel army as they relentlessly charge for Mitsunari's position. This may prove to burdensome in early levels as it is difficult to simultaneously guard Cao Pi and the main camp. The aftermath is still the same regardless of the player's choice. After the battle, Xiahou Dun, Xiahou Yuan, and Pang Tong joins Wei.

A replica of the Stone Sentinel Maze also appears in Kawanakajima. In Orochi's Story Mode, the Takeda army uses the maze in conjunction with a fire attack to weaken players.

In the third game, the battle with Kiyomori there first ends in a complete disaster; Ma Dai and Pang De have died in their efforts to protect Ma Chao. Suddenly, the young Xiliang warrior returns to the past thanks to Kaguya to stop the tragedies he originally faced. Ma Chao first turns back and begins moving to assist Ma Dai, who receives surprise reinforcements from Pang De. On his way, they run into Kunoichi, who is possessed by Kiyomori, and successfully defeat her, and bring her back to her senses. As the battle rages on, Ma Dai immediately urges their forces to assist Huang Zhong at the entrance to Stone Sentinel Maze, only to find the exit locked from the inside. This eventually leads to the Coalition's inability to save Huang Zhong. Despite this, they manage to defeat both Kiyomori and Yukimura, ending the battle.

The redux version allows Ma Chao to rescue Huang Zhong from his death after taking mobile catapults from the demon army's storehouse at Tedorigawa.

Shortly before the rise of the Hydra, Ina went to Yiling to train, but was cut off from her allies by a demon army. Guo Jia, Guo Huai, and Xingcai come to her aid by impeding the demons surrounding the vicinity.

Ultimate shows a recap on the original battle prior to Kaguya's intervention. It first shows Huang Zhong, Ma Dai, Ma Chao, and Xu Shu leading the remnants of Shu through the Demon forces at Yiling. Huang Zhong and Ma Dai ultimately choose to stay behind, guarding the entrance of the Stone Sentinel Maze and the southeastern garrison respectively while Ma Chao and Xu Shu leave for Odawara Castle. Midway, however, Ma Chao orders Xu Shu to go on without him as he senses something bad at Yiling, and wishes to return there.

Historical Information[]

Romance of the Three Kingdoms[]

After Guan Yu's death at Mai Castle and the loss of Jingzhou, Liu Bei became incensed and ordered preparations to attack Sun Quan. Zhuge Liang reported that Sun Quan attempted to redirect blame to Cao Cao, who buried Guan Yu's head with military honors. Liu Bei's anger weakened, and many retainers believed that an attack on Wu would benefit Wei. Zhang Fei, who was heartbroken by his sworn brother's death, criticized Liu Bei for failing to honor the oath at the Peach Garden, which convinced Liu Bei to march on Wu.

Zhang Fei returned to his army, but his uncontrollable grief and rage caused him to punish two officers for a minor offense. The two officers proceeded to assassinate Zhang Fei and flee to Wu, intensifying Liu Bei's grief and rage further.

Zhang Bao and Guan Xing defeated Sun Huan and Zhu Ran, but were caught in an ambush and forced to retreat. Huang Zhong, a young general, feigned retreat and was killed by an arrow shot by Ma Zhong. Liu Bei personally led his troops out, defeating Zhou Tai and Han Dang. Gan Ning, suffering from illness, attempted to lead troops to aid his allies but was killed by Shamoke.

Fu Shiren and Mi Fang became fearful for their lives in Wu, assassinating Ma Zhong and presenting his head. Liu Bei ordered Guan Xing to execute them before presenting their heads to Guan Yu's altar. Sun Quan offered to return Lady Sun and Liu Bei's lost portions of Jingzhou in exchange for the renewal of their alliance, but Liu Bei rejected the offer. Sun Quan then sent a messenger to Cao Pi, who prepared a navy but did not mobilize troops.

Sun Quan decided to appoint Lu Xun as Commander-in-Chief after the deaths of Lu Meng, Lu Su, and Zhou Yu. Lu Xun's planning helped defeat Guan Yu, and he was appointed by Liu Bei, who initially laughed at the news. However, Ma Liang warned Liu Bei that it was only through Lu Xun's scheming that Guan Yu was killed.

Liu Bei ordered a full advance in honor of Guan Yu, but Lu Xun remained on the defensive, remonstrating the veteran Han Dang for nearly abandoning his position. As the Wu forces refused to move, Liu Bei ordered his troops to withdraw into a forested area for shade, leaving an ambush behind and having old and sickly troops act as a rear guard to lure the Wu forces out. The Shu army established a line two hundred miles long.

As the Shu troops set camps up, Ma Liang showed concerns over the divisions and requested Liu Bei to send a draft back to Zhuge Liang. Cao Pi, who had heard about Liu Bei's camp placements, secretly prepared his troops to advance on Wu once their forces would pursue their defeated prey. Lu Xun allowed engagement, ordering Chunyu Dan to lead an attack at a camp defended by Fu Tong.

Chunyu Dan's attack failed and he was repulsed, but Lu Xun only meant this attack as a way to test the Shu Forces. He then launched his real attack, ordering Zhu Ran, Han Dang, and Zhou Tai to advance, the plan being to launch a fire attack on the Shu army, burning alternating camps so as to divide the Shu forces and preventing them from aiding one another.

The fire attack was a success, Liu Bei's forces were decimated, and many of his allies and retainers would either die or be forced to surrender. Zhu Ran pursued Liu Bei, but was killed by Zhao Yun, who had arrived to rescue Liu Bei. Lu Xun attempted to chase Liu Bei into Baidicheng, but entered Zhuge Liang's maze and was unable to find his way through. He decided to pull his troops back, predicting an enemy attack on Ruxukou, Nanjun, and Dongkou.

Liu Bei eventually died out of severe grief due to the massive losses at Yiling, leaving his son in the hands of Zhuge Liang. After Liu Bei's death, Wu and Shu eventually reformed their alliance and made joint attacks on Wei.

Gallery[]

Trivia[]

  • There are a number of inconsistencies with the formations of the maze across the Musou Warriors games; in second, third, fourth, fifth and seventh installments, the entrance to the maze is often elevated via an upward-sloped path to either one of the two entrances; this contradicts its description from the original Romance of the Three Kingdoms where it was built in such a way where the Changjiang/Yangtze River was able to flood it completely during the summer (as its location in Yufu Bay was just south of the said river). Both the sixth and eighth installment versions of the maze are one of the few that involve the maze having paths that are inclined downwards that better match its descriptive logic.
    • Other inconsistencies apply to the number of pathways within the maze itself; via its concepts being based on the Eight Trigrams (Bagua/Hakke in Chinese and Japanese, respectively), the Dynasty Warriors 3 version of the maze seems to be somewhat accurate as the number of path-sections in the maze (9 total via a 3-by-3 grid) match the diagram itself, though the mountain-notches that divide the roads in the Dynasty Warriors 2 version (and DLC version in 7) count up to 9 instead of the paths (the same somewhat applies to both the Dynasty Warriors PSP and Dynasty Warriors Advance versions of the map that also go on a 4-by-4 grid).
    • The Dynasty Warriors 4 version of the maze however, has the most notches via the aforementioned 5-by-4 grid, while the Dynasty Warriors 5 version at the Baidi Castle stage has 12 notches on a 4-by-3 grid with 2 western notches extra (making it the one of the least-evened-out versions of the maze) along with it being formatted akin to a cave.
    • However, the Dynasty Warriors 6 version, the maze has a section that more accurately represents the Eight Trigrams diagram within its most central section (via various angled pathways that each lead into the center directly).
Sword This battle article is a stub. You can help the wiki by expanding it.
Advertisement