Battle of Hefei (253)

The battle

In the spring of 253, Wu's Grand Tutor, Zhuge Ke, returned from Dongxing (東興) to the capital Jianye (建業; present-day Nanjing, Jiangsu). Ignoring the advice of several court officials, in the third lunar month, Zhuge Ke led a 200,000 strong army to attack the state of Wei in the north. By the fourth month, Zhuge Ke's force had reached south of the Huai River, and started attacking Wei's fortress Xincheng (新城; literally: "new city"), Hefei in the following month. Zhuge Ke's forces besieged Xincheng and launched fierce attacks on the fortress. At that time Xincheng was defended by Zhang Te along with his subordinates Liú Zhěng(刘整) and Zhèng Xiàng(郑像). The Wei forces defending Xincheng, numbering only 3,000, managed to hold off Zhuge Ke's army for more than a month while inflicting heavy casualties on them.

Zhang Te said to the Wu army, "I've no intention of fighting now. However, according to the law of Wei, when I'm under attack for more than 100 days and reinforcements do not arrive, even if I surrender, my family will be spared from punishment. Since I first started resisting the enemy, it has been more than 90 days. This city originally had a population of more than 4,000, and now more than half of them have died in battle. Even when the city falls, if someone does not wish to surrender, I'll speak to him and explain the possible implications of his choice. Tomorrow morning I'll send a list of names, you can first take my official seal as a token of trust." Having said that, Zhang Te tossed his official seal to Zhuge Ke. Zhuge Ke believed Zhang Te and did not take the seal.

That night, Zhang Te ordered his men to tear down houses and fences, and use the wood to reinforce damaged parts of the fortress' walls. The next morning, Zhang Te announced to the enemy, "I will only die in battle!", and firmly refused to surrender. The Wu soldiers were furious and attacked the fortress but were unable to breach the walls.

At that time, the weather was extremely hot and the Wu troops were growing weary. A plague broke out and killed many Wu soldiers as well as caused more than half of the Wu army to fall ill. Zhuge Ke grew impatient and vented his frustration on his subordinates, causing much unhappiness among his men. He even dismissed his subordinate, Zhu Yi, the son of famous Zhu Huan. Later, Wei's Grand Commandant, Sima Fu, led 200,000 relief troops to Xincheng, and attacked and defeated the exhausted Wu army. In the seventh month, Zhuge Ke had no choice but to order a withdrawal and the siege on Xincheng was lifted.

Aftermath

In the seventh month [August 12 – September 9], Zhuge Ke withdrew from Xincheng. Many of the sick and wounded soldiers died along the road, and many were taken prisoner by Sima Fu's pursuing army. Zhuge Ke is said to have shown no concern for them.

At Xunyang, he halted and made plans to create an agricultural colony. Emperor Sun Liang sent several edicts recalling Zhuge Ke and his army to the capital. Slowly, Zhuge Ke sent the soldiers home. After this, popular opinion turned sharply against Zhuge Ke, as the resentment of the widowed, orphaned, and maimed far outweighing the goodwill he had earned with his economic reforms in 252.

Fifteen years later Wu once again attacked Hefei when Sun Hao sent Ding Feng there in 268. However neither army saw any significant action, and the campaign ended after Ding Feng exchanged some letters with Shi Bao, the general sent by Sima Yan to defend Hefei.

In popular culture

The battle is featured as a playable stage in Koei's video game series Dynasty Warriors. In Dynasty Warriors 7, playable under the new Jin dynasty story, the battle is known as the "Battle of New Hefei Castle", and is not to be confused with another stage (Battle of Hefei Castle), which refers to the Battle of Hefei (234) and appears along with the former battle in the succeeding installment. In the game, however, Sima Shi, Sima Zhao, and Zhuge Dan also appear on the Wei side, despite they are considered Jin officers.