Sun Quan's Hefei campaign

Sun Quan’s Hefei campaign is a failed attempt to exploit Cao Cao’s divided attention that briefly succeeds in seizing an important supply center before Zhang Liao’s counterattack scatters the attackers. Its course ties territorial bargaining in Jingzhou to control of Hefei’s grain routes, and ends with Sun Quan withdrawing to Ruxu while Cao Cao turns south to meet him.

Strategic Background

After Xuande’s forces gain ground in the west, he fears that Cao Cao will next move against him. Kong Ming proposes a diversion: return part of Jingzhou to Sun Quan in the hope that Wu will use the concession as a reason to attack Hefei, where Cao Cao’s army is stationed against a possible Wu offensive. The territorial offer thus serves not only as a settlement between Xuande and Sun Quan, but also as a way to redirect Cao Cao’s attention away from western Shu.

Sun Quan accepts the proposal despite scepticism among some of his advisers. Lu Su goes to take possession of the ceded territory, while Sun Quan, Ling Tong, and other commanders set out for Hefei. The campaign is consequently launched through a bargain: Xuande relinquishes land to encourage a military move that may relieve pressure on his own position.

The Advance and Capture of Huan

Sun Quan’s forces first capture the border town of Hezhou, then proceed toward Huan, where Cao Cao’s provisions are stored. Huan matters because it is a major rice-growing area and supplies Cao Cao’s troops at Hefei. Its capture therefore threatens the logistics sustaining the garrison, turning the advance into more than a direct assault on a defended city.

The seizure is achieved by surprise. That evening, however, a victory banquet exposes a serious division within the allied force. Ling Tong cannot bear to see Gan Ning praised: Gan Ning had killed Ling Tong’s father, and the two men rise armed and ready to fight. Lü Meng intervenes, and Sun Quan reprimands them; Ling Tong takes the reprimand badly. The quarrel does not overturn the victory, but it reveals how personal enmity persists inside the command even during a campaign whose larger purpose depends on cooperation.

Zhang Liao’s Counterattack

At Hefei, Cao Cao’s officers debate whether to leave the city and fight or stay behind its walls. A message from Cao Cao appears to support both possibilities, but Zhang Liao ultimately decides to attack. The plan includes destroying the Xiaoshi bridge, a key route across which Sun Quan may need to escape.

The initial attack by Sun Quan’s men succeeds. Then Zhang Liao strikes before Sun Quan understands the danger. Ling Tong, with only about three hundred riders, cannot hold off the approaching force of two thousand enemy cavalry. He urges Sun Quan to cross the Xiaoshi bridge at once, but the far end has already been destroyed. Sun Quan turns back, rides thirty paces to build momentum, and then charges forward; his horse clears the gap and lands on the opposite bank.

Ling Tong loses all three hundred of his men but survives. Across the field the fighting is devastating, and Zhang Liao’s name becomes a lasting threat used to frighten children in Wu. This episode marks the reversal of the campaign: the force that had taken Huan is now struggling to get its ruler and surviving troops out of danger.

Withdrawal and Renewed Stakes

Sun Quan and the survivors return to their camp, pack up, and make for the port at Ruxu to plan a fresh assault by land and sea. The retreat is therefore not presented as a final abandonment of the campaign; it is a withdrawal to regroup and find reinforcements after the defeat at Hefei.

Zhang Liao, concerned that another attack will follow, writes to Cao Cao for assistance. Cao Cao must choose between pressing on toward western Shu and going south to support Zhang Liao before attacking Wu. His advisers recommend the southern course, judging western Shu too strongly defended at that moment. Cao Cao summons his troops and marches toward Ruxu to confront Sun Quan. The episode closes with the opponents moving toward a renewed encounter, not with the larger conflict resolved.