Ancient “Red Cliff” battlefield: a historical-geographic study

Abstract

The famous battle of Chibi, or “battle of Red Cliff”, took place in 208 CE, the 13^th year of the Jian’an period of the Eastern Han dynasty. This paper holds that the whole battle consisted of three inseparable stages, namely the initial clash at Chibi, the chase battle to Wulin, and Cao Cao’s disorganized escape along Huarong Road. The Red Cliff battlefield thus extended across a distance of more than 300 li (150km). Even if the Chibi where the initial military engagement took place (that is, Chiji Hill, southwest of Wuchang in modern Wuhan City) has already disappeared, it should be restored to its proper historical position. The chase battle along the Yangzi River came to an end at Wulin, across the river is Chibi Hill in today’s Chibi City. Although this Chibi is not the Chibi where the initial combat took place, it nonetheless forms an integral part of the ancient Chibi battlefield as a whole. The Huarong Road along which Cao Cao escaped runs through the middle of today’s Jianghan Plain. Finally, the text aims to show that Chibi (Red Nose) Hill in modern Huangzhou City has nothing to do with the Chibi of the “battle of Red Cliff.”