At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, there were constant warlord wars in the Central Plains and the northern land, there were originally more than a dozen small forces divided, and in the later period, only Cao Cao and Yuan Shao were left, and the Battle of Guandu occurred in 199 AD, which was an inevitable war between Cao Cao and Yuan Shao, and the two sides fought along the Yellow River, the purpose of which was to compete for hegemony in the Central Plains and the north.
At the Battle of Guandu, Cao Cao fought very hard, because Yuan Shao's strength was stronger than Cao Cao's, although Cao Cao even beheaded Yuan Shao's generals Yan Liang and Wen Ugly, but in the later stages, it became a war of attrition between the two sides, because Xu You defected, he suggested to Cao Cao to capture Yuan Shao's grain storage area Wuchao, Cao Cao resolutely took the advice, burned Wuchao, Yuan Shao's army collapsed, and Cao Cao won the victory.
Battle of Guandu
After unifying the entire Central Plains and the north, Cao Cao began to carry out a unified war against Liu Biao and Sun Quan in the Yangtze River Valley, the Battle of Chibi occurred in 208 AD, a war broke out between Cao Cao and the combined forces of Sun Quan and Liu Bei, before the Battle of Chibi, Cao Cao originally wanted to attack Liu Biao in Jingzhou, but Liu Biao died, and his son Liu Chun succeeded to the throne, surrendered to Cao Cao, and Cao Cao easily took the seven counties of Jingzhou.
In the Battle of Chibi, Cao Cao took a wrong move under the good situation, using his least skilled water army to engage the water army that Sun Liu's combined forces were best at, Zhou Yu used Huang Gai's fire attack and deception to burn Cao Cao's warships, Cao Cao was defeated and retreated to the north, and then Sun Liu's combined forces captured Nan County and the southern four counties of Jingzhou, and Sun Quan and Liu Bei won the war.
Battle of Chibi
The Battle of Hanzhong was a battle between Cao Cao and Liu Bei for Hanzhong Commandery, which took place in 217 AD, because Cao Cao attacked Zhang Lu in 215 and took Hanzhong, which was the northern gateway of Yizhou, directly threatening Liu Bei's Yizhou, so Liu Bei took the lead in launching the Battle of Hanzhong in an attempt to use the full strength of Yizhou to capture Hanzhong.
In the early stages of the Battle of Hanzhong, Liu Bei had been making poor progress and losing his troops, and in the first month of 219, Liu Bei changed his strategy to lure Xiahou Yuan into battle by occupying the high ground of Dingjun Mountain, and finally used the plot to kill Xiahou Yuan by Huang Zhong, who was the supreme military commander of Cao Wei's Guanxi region, and his death caused the Wei army to be upset, and in the later period, even if Cao Cao personally arrived in Hanzhong, he was powerless, and Liu Bei won the war.
Battle of Hanzhong
The Battle of Yiling, after Sun Quan secretly attacked the three counties of Jingzhou belonging to Shu Han and killed Liu Bei's general Guan Yu, Liu Bei launched the Battle of Yiling in order to take revenge, the most important thing was to retake jingzhou, a strategic place, the battle of Yiling was a war between Liu Bei and Sun Quan for Jingzhou, which occurred in 221 AD, two months after Liu Bei claimed the title of emperor.
In the early stage of the Battle of Yiling, Liu Bei marched smoothly, from Zigui all the way to Yiling (present-day Yichang, Hubei), was used by Lu Xun to use the dangerous terrain to block Yiling, unable to attack for a long time, the two sides formed a confrontation, during which Liu Bei made two mistakes, one abandoned the water army, the second was to camp in the mountains, Lu Xun took advantage of Liu Bei's mistakes, and attacked Liu Bei's army with fire, Liu Bei was defeated, and almost the entire army was destroyed.
Battle of Yiling
First, from the perspective of the scale of the war
In the Battle of Guandu, The strength of Yuan Shao's side was 100,000 infantry and 10,000 cavalry, a total of 110,000 people, and after the war, Yuan Shao fled back to the north with only 800 cavalry, and the rest of the personnel were all lost.
Cao Cao's side of the military history book does not record, in terms of Cao Cao's strength at that time, he came up with 100,000 troops is not difficult, Cao Cao as early as 192 to collect 300,000 surrendered Qingzhou Yellow Turban Army, from which to extract elites to form Qingzhou soldiers, coupled with Cao Cao's development in the past 7 years, it is not difficult to put together 100,000.
However, Cao Cao could not use all his forces to fight Yuan Shao, he also had to guard against Liu Biao, Liu Bei and Sun Ce and Sun Quan in the Yangtze River Valley, as well as warlords such as Ma Chao and Han Sui in the Kansai region, plus Xu Du, who was guarding the Xu capital where Emperor Xian of Han was located, the maximum number of troops who could deploy along the Yellow River was 40,000 to 50,000 people, which was also an estimate of cao Cao's side participating in the Battle of Guandu.
In this way, the total number of troops invested by both sides in the Battle of Guandu was 150,000.
Yuan Shao had 110,000 troops at the Battle of Guandu
In the Battle of Chibi, the combined forces of Sun Quan and Liu Bei totaled 50,000 people, of which Zhou Yu and Cheng Pu each led 15,000 people, and Liu Bei and Liu Qi totaled 20,000 people.
The strength of Cao Cao's side is not recorded, during the Battle of Chibi, Cao's army was divided into two roads, one way was zhao yudu, Zhang Liao, Zhang Gao, Li Dian, Zhu Ling, Lu Zhao, Feng Kai seven people and horses from Xiangfan via Hanshui south, according to the later 30,000 people of the seventh army, even if Zhao Yu's army had 30,000 people, this road actually did not participate in the Battle of Chibi, Cao Cao failed.
The other way was led by Cao Cao himself, starting from Jiangling City in Nan County, the Battle of Chibi was cao Cao's participation in this road, Zhou Yu once analyzed that the total number of all the armies in Cao Cao's central plains was about 150,000 to 160,000, plus the army of Liu Biao in Jingzhou was 70,000 to 80,000, but this was only the total strength under Cao Cao's control, and it was impossible to participate in the battle.
In terms of Cao Cao's personality, Cao Cao's army on this road should be half of Cao Cao's headquarters and Jingzhou's army, of which the Jingzhou army is mainly a water army, at most 30,000 to 40,000, Cao Cao's headquarters is almost 30,000 to 40,000 people, together is 60,000 to 80,000 people, plus Cao Ren Shounan County should also have 10,000 troops, so Cao Cao's army on this road should be about 70,000 people, if you add Zhao Yu's one, the total is 100,000.
At the Battle of Chibi, Zhou Yu and Liu Bei combined 50,000 troops
Therefore, the total number of troops invested by both sides in the Battle of Chibi was 150,000 people, which was equivalent to the Battle of Guandu.
In the Battle of Hanzhong, Liu Bei used all the troops of Yizhou, a total of about 100,000 people, this is the army of Yizhou, Liu Bei only brought about 20,000 people when he entered Sichuan, Liu Zhang's Yizhou soldiers totaled about 70,000 to 80,000 people, adding up to just 100,000 people, plus later Zhuge Liang, Zhang Fei and other troops brought into Yizhou, a total of 120,000, Liu Bei always had to defend the rear of the battle, and the army participating in the Battle of Hanzhong was about 100,000 people.
The original main general of Cao Cao's side has always been Xiahou Yuan, Xiahou Yuan's town of Hanzhong, part of the Headquarters of the Cao Army, at least 20,000 to 30,000 people, part of Zhang Lu's army, it is almost the same number, the total is 40,000 to 60,000 people, an average of 50,000 people, this is the initial Cao Army's strength, because Xiahou Yuan and others are guarding according to danger, so although Liu Bei's soldiers did not take advantage.
Later Liu Bei changed his strategy and used a trick to booby trap Xiahou Yuan, a month later Cao Cao led his army into Hanzhong, Cao Cao brought at least 50,000 troops, and then Cao Cao fought with Liu Bei and confronted each other for several months, and finally Cao Cao retreated and abandoned Hanzhong because of the huge supply consumption, and the total strength of Cao Cao's army in the Battle of Hanzhong was also about 100,000 people.
At the Battle of Hanzhong, Cao Cao invested about 100,000 troops
In this way, the total number of troops invested by both sides in the Battle of Hanzhong was about 200,000 people.
In the Battle of Yiling, liu bei's army was 40,000 people, and then the barbarian army of 10,000 people in Gaza Moke, a total of 50,000 people participated in the battle, which was Liu Bei's total strength. The army allocated by Sun Quan to Lu Xun was almost the same number, also 50,000 people, and the total strength of the two sides in the Battle of Yiling was about 100,000 people.
Judging from the scale of the war, the Battle of Hanzhong was the largest.
Second, from the perspective of the duration of the war
The Battle of Guandu began in June 199 and ended in October 200, lasting 1 year and 4 months.
The Battle of Chibi began in December 208 when Cao Cao sent troops, and in just one month, Cao Cao was defeated at Chibi, Cao Cao first fled to Nan Commandery and then north, and then sun Liu's combined forces attacked Cao Ren of Nan Commandery in a year, counting that the Battle of Chibi lasted for 1 year and 1 month.
The Battle of Hanzhong lasted the longest
The Battle of Hanzhong began in 217 and ended in May 219, lasting nearly two years. The Battle of Yiling began in July 221 and ended in August 222, lasting 1 year and 1 month.
In terms of duration, the Battle of Hanzhong lasted the longest.
Third, from the perspective of the influence of war
The victory in the Battle of Guandu determined the hegemony of the Central Plains and the North, Cao Cao rose in this battle, and Yuan Shao withdrew from the stage of history, because of Cao Cao's victory in the Battle of Guandu, it also determined the fate of the whole world, that is, Cao Cao had the strength to unify the world.
The impact of the Battle of Chibi on both sides is not the same, Sun Quan and Liu Bei won, stopping Cao Cao's pace of unifying the world, and it was complete, if the Battle of Chibi Cao cao won, Cao Cao's unification of the world would be a foregone conclusion, the rest of the forces could not stop Cao Cao, the significance of the Battle of Chibi was to prevent Cao Cao from unifying the world and keeping the world divided.
Map of the Battle of Chibi
The impact of the Battle of Hanzhong on both sides is also different, Hanzhong for Liu Bei, is the northern gateway of Yizhou, must be captured, without Hanzhong, the security of Yizhou has no barrier, Hanzhong for Cao Cao, is a chicken rib, Cao Cao if he wants to unify the world and destroy Shu Han, must seize Hanzhong, but after the Battle of Chibi Cao has no strength and ambition to seize the world, the Battle of Hanzhong also has a certain impact on the situation under the world, which is a sign of the rise of Shu Han.
The Battle of Yiling is a war between Sun Quan and Liu Bei for Jingzhou, it is a local war, if Liu Bei wins, the situation will return to the way Guan Yu town was when defending Jingzhou, if Sun Quan wins, it will remain the same, in fact, the Battle of Yiling will not be launched, it is already the three kingdoms, it is impossible to change again, no matter who wins, it is three points of the world.
Map of the situation after the Battle of Chibi
From the perspective of influence on history, the Battle of Chibi has the greatest influence, because it changed history and allowed the world to maintain a state of division, which also created the later three divisions of the world, inheriting the past and the future.
If we talk about the first battle of the Three Kingdoms, we should still look at the influence, not the scale and long time, so the Battle of Chibi is the first battle of the Three Kingdoms.