Battle of Ruxukou

Infobox Military Conflict
conflict=Battle of Ruxukou
partof=the wars of the Three Kingdoms


caption=
date=217
place=Yang Province
casus=
territory=
result=Indecisive, Cao Cao retreats
combatant1=Sun Quan
combatant2=Cao Cao
commander1=Sun Quan
commander2=Cao Cao
strength1=estimated 73,000
strength2=estimated 400,000
casualties1=
casualties2=The Battle of Ruxukou (濡須口之戰) also known as the Battle of Ruxu (濡須之戰) was fought between the warlords Sun Quan and Cao Cao in 217, during the prelude to the Three Kingdoms era in China. Sun Quan had attempted to attack Hefei in 215 but failed due to a sudden plague and the staunch defense of Zhang Liao. Cao Cao began plotting a counter-attack against Sun Quan and personally led his navy to Ruxu in an attempt to make gains south of the Yangtze River.

Battle

Sun Quan stationed his army at Ruxu and named his trusted subordinate Lü Meng as his effective second-in-command. Sun Quan himself took little part in the battle, leaving tactical decisions entirely to Lü. During the battle, Sun Quan's officer, Dong Xi, drowned when his boat capsized during a storm. Still, despite his superior numbers and the death of Dong Xi, Cao Cao was unable to make any advances against Sun Quan, as Sun's officers Xu Sheng, Sun Jiao, and Ling Tong maintained a steady line of defense.

The tide of battle turned heavily in Sun Quan's favor when Gan Ning, one of Sun's commanders, led a hundred-man unit into Cao Cao's main camp under cover of nightfall and laid waste to the camp, throwing Cao's armies into confusion. Gan Ning and his unit left without any casualties, and the demoralized armies of Cao Cao withdrew from the battle.

Notes

* This is the second time Cao Cao and Sun Quan fight at Ruxu, in the first Battle of Ruxu in 213 Cao Cao defeats Sun Quan.

Combatants

Sun Quan's forces:
*Sun Quan
*Lü Meng
*Jiang Qin
*Xu Sheng
*Zhou Tai
*Gan Ning
*Sun Jiao
*Ling Tong
*Dong Xi (drowned)
*Xu Xiong

Cao Cao's forces:
*Cao Cao
*Xiahou Dun
*Cao Ren
*Zhang Liao
*"Twenty-nine armies"

Modern references

In "Dynasty Warriors 5: Xtreme Legends" there is a stage dedicated to this battle. If the player is on Sun Quan's side, they can use Gan Ning's night raids to win the battle. In earlier versions of the game, this battle is merged with the Battle of Hefei.

ources

* [http://kongming.net/novel/sgz/ganning.php Sanguozhi biography of Gan Ning]
*de Crespigny, Rafe "Generals of the South"