Han Ji

In mid-February, Yuan Shao's main force arrived at Guandu.

Two hundred thousand men stretched out along the north bank of the Yellow River, their camps extending for miles. The tents were grayish-brown, resembling rows of earthen mounds from a distance. Smoke rose from each camp, dispersed by the river breeze, drifting everywhere.

Yuan Shao's main tent was set up on a high ground three miles north of Guandu. The ground had been compacted, and a large banner with the character "Yuan" was planted in front of the tent, rustling loudly in the wind. Felt blankets were laid inside the tent, and charcoal braziers were burning in the four corners.

Yuan Shao sat behind his desk, with a map hanging behind him, from the Yellow River to the Huai River, from the Taihang Mountains to the sea, all drawn on a piece of sheepskin.

Ju Shou, Tian Feng, Shen Pei, and Guo Tu stood on the left. Zhang He, Gao Lan, Han Meng, and Chunyu Qiong stood on the right.

"Guandu." Yuan Shao pointed to a black dot on the map. "Liu Bei's main force is on the south bank of the river."

Ju Shou stepped forward. "The scouts report that Liu Bei has been camped at Guandu for over a month. The main camp is set up on an earthen slope on the south bank of the river, with steep slopes on three sides and a gentle slope on the other. Three trenches have been dug on the gentle slope, and archers are hidden behind each trench."

Yuan Shao asked, "How many men did he bring?"

Ju Shou said, "The current forces at Guandu are reported to number around 80,000. With the troops of Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, and Ma Chao providing support and guerrilla warfare around the area, the total number is even greater than that."

Yuan Shao said, "I have 200,000 men, he has 80,000. We can fight."

Tian Feng said, "My lord, we have twice the number of soldiers, but the terrain is unfavorable. The slope on the south bank of Guandu is higher than the north bank, so we will have to attack uphill. Their trenches are dug on the gentle slope, so we can't push the shield carts up. A frontal assault would result in heavy casualties."

Yuan Shao asked, "What are you trying to say?"

Tian Feng said, "It would be better to first establish a solid camp. Dig trenches, build watchtowers, and fortify the camp. We won't rush to attack; let's wear him down first. His supply lines come from Guanzhong, which are more than twice as long as ours. If we can hold out for several months, he won't be able to hold on."

Yuan Shao didn't speak, but turned to look at Ju Shou.

Ju Shou said, "Tian Feng is right. Liu Bei chose Guandu because he wanted to use the terrain to his advantage for defense. If we attack head-on, we will suffer heavy casualties and the results will be poor. It's better to besiege him. When his food supplies run out, he will have to retreat on his own. Then we can attack him."

Yuan Shao stood up, walked to the tent entrance, and looked south. Across the Yellow River, he could see a row of black dots on the earthen slope on the opposite bank; those were the watchtowers of Liu Bei's camp.

"Set up camp," Yuan Shao said.

Two hundred thousand troops began large-scale construction on the north bank of Guandu.

The first step was to dig trenches. Yuan Shao mobilized laborers from several surrounding counties, along with auxiliary soldiers, bringing the total to over ten thousand men working simultaneously. Shovels were driven into the soil, pried up, and tossed aside.

A trench was dug around the perimeter of the camp, two zhang wide and one zhang and five chi deep. The excavated soil was piled up behind the trench and rammed into an earthen wall. The earthen wall was one person high and three chi thick, with a crenellation every fifty paces.

The second step was to erect the fence. Thick logs were felled from the forests in the mountains to the north, the branches and leaves were trimmed, one end was sharpened, and then driven into the earthen wall. The logs were about the thickness of a bowl and driven three feet deep into the ground. A layer of soil was then piled up behind the fence and compacted.

The third step was to build the arrow towers. The frames of the arrow towers were assembled using mortise and tenon joints, and wooden planks were nailed to the outside. Each arrow tower was four zhang (approximately 10 meters) high, and ten archers could stand on top of it. The arrow towers were arranged in a row along the earthen wall, one every hundred paces.

Zhang He was in charge of the construction of the vanguard camp. He stood on a mound of earth, his hand on the hilt of his sword, watching the laborers and auxiliary soldiers work. He didn't talk much, occasionally pointing and saying, "Add two more layers of earth here," or "Move that arrow tower ten paces to the left." His lieutenant would write it down and run to relay the order.

By the tenth day, Yuan Shao's camp was almost complete. The earthen walls were in a straight line, the arrow towers were erected, and the moats were dug neatly. From the outside, the entire camp looked like a temporary city.

Zhang He returned to the main tent after inspecting the vanguard. Yuan Shao was talking to Ju Shou.

"My lord, the arrow towers at the front camp are all set up. We can test a volley of arrows tomorrow," Zhang He said.

Yuan Shao said, "Alright. Release a round of them tomorrow and see his reaction."

Zhang He clasped his hands in a fist salute.

South bank. Liu Bei's main camp.

Liu Bei stood atop the watchtower, gazing at Yuan Shao's camp on the opposite bank. Yuan Shao's camp stretched as far as the eye could see, extending northwards from the Yellow River. Earthen walls, palisades, and watchtowers were clearly visible layer by layer. Smoke rose from the camp, the greyish-white smoke dissipating in the wind.

Jia Xu stood beside him. "Yuan Shao is building fortifications. He's not preparing for an attack; he's preparing for a long siege."

Liu Bei said, "How can he build it so quickly? He can build a city in ten days."

Jia Xu said, "He has many men. He has conscripted laborers from Ji Province, Qing Province, and Bing Province. He wants to trap us here and kill us."

Liu Bei turned his head. "How are our camps?"

Jia Xu said, "Our camp is on a gentle slope, higher than his. He is in a lower position, while we occupy a higher one, so the terrain is advantageous to us. However, he has more men. Encirclement is disadvantageous to us."

Liu Bei descended from the watchtower. Zhang Fei squatted by the moat, wiping his spear with an oilcloth. The shaft gleamed from the polishing, reflecting the firelight.

Liu Bei walked over. "Yide, how about guarding the front camp?"

Zhang Fei stood up. "Don't worry, brother. Leave the front camp to me; I'll slaughter as many of them as they come."

Liu Bei said, "He might come, but we don't necessarily have to attack. He might besiege us. If the siege goes on for too long, our supplies will be a big problem." Zhang Fei clutched the cloth he used to wipe his spear. "Then I'll go fight him."

Liu Bei said, "No rush. There's no rush now." He turned and walked towards the main tent.

After both sides established their positions, they began a standoff.

Yuan Shao sent several hundred men to the front camp every day to challenge them, calling them cowards who dared not fight. Someone even loudly read a proclamation, of unknown authorship, recounting the story of Liu Bei's mother weaving mats and selling shoes, and accusing him of being a false imperial uncle who had usurped the prefectures. Zhang Fei heard this twice, his fists clenched so tightly they cracked, but Liu Bei had given prior orders forbidding anyone from going into battle on their own.

Zhang Fei went back to Liu Bei and offered him three hundred men to sneak in and burn down a few arrow towers. Liu Bei did not agree.

"You can burn down a few of their arrow towers now, but they can rebuild them tomorrow. Have you forgotten the ambush you suffered in the Battle of the Wei River?"

Zhang Fei remained silent.

Liu Bei managed to quell Zhang Fei's temper. But he didn't sit idly by. He ordered his men to build earthen ramparts and reinforce the arrow emplacements at the front camp, and also sent men to water the bundles of grass that were originally used for cover on the gentle slope, in case Yuan Shao suddenly used fire arrows one day.

Zhao Yun's cavalry were divided into small squads, patrolling back and forth along the riverbank daily to prevent Yuan Shao from sneaking across from the flank. Guan Yu led a group to search for water behind the camp. Guandu was located on high ground, and water could only be found after digging to a certain depth. They dug for several days and finally found two wells behind the camp. The well water was yellowish, but it was drinkable after boiling.

In mid-March, Yuan Shao launched a probing attack.

He sent three thousand men to cross the river at dusk and sneak up the gentle slope from the east. They carried wooden ladders, intending to reach the front camp's trench under cover of darkness and set them up. However, they were discovered by Zhang Fei's night watchmen when they were only a hundred paces away from the trench.

The rockets were fired, first burning the ladders they were carrying on their shoulders. Then, crossbowmen rose from the earthen wall behind the trench and fired a volley. Most of the men scattered before they even reached the earthen wall at the edge of the trench, leaving behind dozens of corpses and several ladders still burning.

The next morning, Zhang Fei had the ladders, which were half-burned, dragged back to be used as firewood.