| Battle of Ye |
|---|
| Part of the wars at the end of the Han dynasty |
| Date | Spring of 204 to September 13, 204 |
|---|
| Location | |
|---|
| Result |
Cao Cao victory |
|---|
|
| Belligerents |
|---|
|
Cao Cao |
Yuan Shang |
| Commanders and leaders |
|---|
Cao Cao
Cao Hong |
Yuan Shang
Shen Pei |
| Strength |
|---|
|
Said to outnumber Ye defenders |
Unknown number of Ye defenders;
10,000+ reinforcements under Yuan Shang |
| Casualties and losses |
|---|
|
At least 300 |
More than half starved in the city |
Cao Cao's unification of northern China |
|---|
|
The Battle of Ye or Battle of Yecheng took place in 204 in the late Eastern Han dynasty. It was fought between the warlord Cao Cao and Yuan Shang, son and successor of Cao Cao's rival Yuan Shao, in the Yuan clan's headquarters Ye (in present-day Handan, Hebei). Cao Cao had been allied with Yuan Shang's elder brother Yuan Tan, who rebelled in a succession feud, and it was by Yuan Tan's request that Cao Cao laid siege to Ye. The successful siege of the city dislodged Yuan Shang's power from Ji Province, and Cao Cao would later use the city of Ye as a major base of his military power.