| Siege of Dencheng | |||||||
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| Forces | |||||||
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| Cao Cao's Forces | Huan Man's Forces Vagabonds | ||||||
| Commanders | |||||||
| Cao Cao Cao Ren Cao Hong |
Huan Man† Sha Moke Zhang Kai Li Tiao | ||||||
The Siege of Den Castle was a battle between the forces of Cao Cao, the Prince of Wei, and the You Province warlord Huan Man, who challenged his might. Cao Cao's cousin Cao Ren commanded the force of 350,000 Wei Army troops who besieged Huan Man's army of 160,000 troops in Dencheng, You Province.
Background[]
Cao Cao, with Xu Zhu, Xiahou Dun, and Dian Wei behind him.
The warlord Cao Cao had superiority over the regions in the Northern Plains, shared with Yuan Shao, controlling millions of people. Huan Man, a You Province warlord, was another powerful warlord, who was loved by his people. Cao Cao believed him to be dangerous, so he ordered mobilization of all young males from ages sixteen to twenty so that he could embark on a campaign against him. At first, he requested an alliance and a trade agreement with Huan Man, but he refused. Cao Cao promptly dispatched Cao Ren and Cao Hong to seize Dencheng, the capital of Huan Man's empire. Huan Man raised a call for volunteers, and was joined by 160,000 troops, including vagabonds from various provinces. Huan Man's forces included Sha Moke, Li Tiao, and Zhang Kai, three Yellow Turbans.
Battle[]
Cao Ren led a force of 150,000 troops to assault the main gates of Den Castle, taking the garrison by surprise. Cao Hong and 100,000 troops assaulted the south gate, and Yu Jin and 100,000 troops attacked the north gate. Huan Man's forces, on the other hand, were well-supplied, even though they had fewer soldiers. Their ballistae inflicted heavy losses on the Wei siege engineers, and Yue Jin's attack on the east gate with a small scouting party was defeated. Cao Ren's main force suffered heavy losses from the Huan Man Army, but they constructed siege engines such as catapults, siege towers, and battering rams. They were easily destroyed, but in the long run, the Huan Man Army was losing; Cao Cao had more troops to spare, while Huan Man's reinforcements were cut off. Liu Bei considered assisting Huan Man, but he would not let Cao Cao's hostage for him, Guan Yu, be executed. Lu Bu also considered aiding him, but he took Xia Pi instead. Huan Man's troops' average diet was a bowl of rice with ten pieces of chicken; by three months later, it was half-a-bowl of rice, and no chicken. Their rations were falling, and many of Huan Man's troops deserted. Huan Man's own sentries opened the castle gates, and the Wei troops advanced in, cutting all who resisted them down. Huan Man was killed by Xiahou Dun, and Cao Cao's Forces burnt down the castle, and the threat of Huan Man was erased.