The Battle of Red Cliffs (赤壁之战) was fought in the winter of 208 CE on the Yangtze River. Cao Cao, having taken Jing Province and driven Liu Bei south, massed a large army and fleet to cross the river and subdue Sun Quan’s territory. Zhou Yu commanded the allied forces of Sun Quan and Liu Bei and decided to attack Cao Cao’s fleet with fire.
The campaign
Cao Cao’s army was weakened by disease and the strain of long supply lines. His fleet was chained together for stability. Zhou Yu and Huang Gai (in history and Romance) used a feigned surrender and fire ships to set the fleet ablaze. The fire spread; Cao Cao’s forces were thrown into chaos and suffered heavy losses.
Retreat and consequences
Cao Cao withdrew north. He retained the north and parts of Jing, but the south remained beyond his reach. Sun Quan secured his hold on the lower and middle Yangtze; Liu Bei was granted territory in Jing and later moved west into Yi Province. The Battle of Red Cliffs is thus regarded as the turning point that established the Three Kingdoms: Cao Wei in the north, Shu Han in the west, and Eastern Wu in the south.