The prolonged struggle between Sun Quan and Huang Zu – spanning nearly a decade – culminates in 208 CE with the decisive Third Jiangxia Campaign, a pivotal episode that blends historical record, strategic innovation, and personal drama.
This campaign not only avenges Sun Jian’s death at Huang Zu’s hands in 191 CE, but also secures Sun Quan’s western flank, paving the way for the looming confrontation with Cao Cao at Red Cliffs.
The first two campaigns (203 & 207 CE)
Following his consolidation of power in Jiangdong after Sun Ce’s death (200 CE), Sun Quan launched two expeditions against Huang Zu, the stubborn governor of Jiangxia under Liu Biao.
- In 203 CE, Sun Quan captured some outposts but failed to take Xiakou (modern Wuhan).
- In 207 CE, he again advanced, achieving minor victories but still unable to eliminate Huang Zu’s forces.
Meanwhile, Cao Cao exploited the chaos: in 206 CE, he dispatched Zhang Liao to strike northern Jiangxia, capturing Pingchun, Meng County, Dai County, and Xiyang – effectively slicing off the northern tier of Huang Zu’s domain. This move foreshadowed Cao Cao’s broader southward ambitions.
Historically, these campaigns reflect Sun Quan’s gradual westward expansion and the fragmentation of Liu Biao’s Jing Province, setting the stage for the 208 showdown.
Ling Tong and Dong Xi break the river blockade
In spring 208 CE, Sun Quan launched his third and final assault, appointing Ling Tong and Dong Xi as vanguard commanders, with Zhou Yu overseeing the operation and Lü Meng, Gan Ning, and others in support.
Ling Tong, leading only dozens of elite guards far ahead of the main fleet, encountered Zhang Shuo, one of Huang Zu’s top naval officers, on the You River. In a swift engagement, Ling Tong killed Zhang Shuo and captured his entire force – a stunning opening victory.
Panicked, Huang Zu ordered two massive warships to be anchored at Miankou (the mouth of the Mian River, a tributary of the Yangtze), lashed to riverside boulders with thick ropes, and manned by over 1,000 crossbowmen to block the waterway.
Undeterred, Ling Tong and Dong Xi each selected 100 heavily armored soldiers, boarded assault boats, and charged through arrow fire. Dong Xi personally severed the mooring ropes, causing the warships to drift apart with the current. The blockade collapsed, and Sun Quan’s fleet surged forward.
This daring riverine tactic is corroborated by the Sanguozhi, which praises Dong Xi’s bravery and confirms the use of armored “death squads” – a hallmark of Eastern Wu’s naval doctrine.
Collapse of Huang Zu’s Defense: Lü Meng’s Triumph and the Fall of Xiakou
With the river open, Huang Zu sent General Chen Jiu to intercept Sun Quan’s fleet. But Lü Meng, leading the vanguard, personally slew Chen Jiu in combat, shattering the last organized resistance.
Sun Quan then advanced with combined land and naval forces, laying siege to Xiakou. Upon hearing of Chen Jiu’s death, Huang Zu abandoned the city, fleeing alone. He was soon overtaken and beheaded by Feng Ze, a cavalryman under Sun Quan.
The city fell swiftly. Su Fei, the Jiangxia commander, was captured. Sun Quan, in a display of ritual vengeance, ordered two boxes prepared – one for Huang Zu’s head, another for Su Fei’s.
Gan Ning’s Plea
Learning of his impending execution, Su Fei sent word to his old friend Gan Ning, who had once served under him before defecting to Sun Quan.
At Sun Quan’s victory banquet, Gan Ning rose, knelt before his lord, and wept bitterly, saying:
“Had I not met Su Fei, I would have perished in obscurity. Though he now stands guilty, I beg you – spare his life!”
When Sun Quan hesitated, fearing Su Fei might flee, Gan Ning declared:
“If he runs, I offer my own head in his place.”
Deeply moved, Sun Quan pardoned Su Fei – a moment immortalized in the Romance as a testament to personal loyalty transcending political expediency.
While the Records of the Three Kingdoms (Sanguozhi) confirms Gan Ning’s intercession and Su Fei’s pardon, it omits the dramatic blood-tears scene – a classic example of Luo Guanzhong’s emotional amplification in the novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms.
Strategic Aftermath
Despite his victory, Sun Quan did not occupy Xiakou. Recognizing its vulnerability – deep in Jing Province, far from Jiangdong’s core – he instead sacked the city and withdrew.
However, he annexed western Jiangxia, including Qichun, Xiaozhi, E County, and Zhu County, significantly expanding Wu’s western frontier. This not only avenged Sun Jian’s death but also positioned Sun Quan to contest Jing Province – a direct prelude to the Red Cliffs Campaign later that same year.
Historians note that this campaign weakened Liu Biao’s regime just months before his death (summer 208), creating the power vacuum that allowed Liu Bei and Sun Quan to form their alliance against Cao Cao.
Legacy of the Jiangxia Campaign
The 208 Jiangxia Campaign exemplifies:
- Eastern Wu’s naval superiority,
- The fusion of personal vendetta and statecraft,
- And the fragility of regional warlords like Huang Zu in the face of rising powers.
It is both a conclusion – to a 17-year blood feud – and a beginning – of the tripartite era’s defining conflict.
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