The Battle of Red Cliffs: A Pivotal Naval Engagement and the Brilliant Use of Fire as a Weapon

 Introduction

The Battle of Red Cliffs, a monumental naval engagement that took place in the winter of 208-209 AD, marked a significant turning point in the Three Kingdoms period of China. The alliance of Sun Quan and Liu Bei triumphed against the seemingly insurmountable forces of the warlord Cao Cao, thanks in large part to their cunning strategies and the inventive use of fire as a weapon. In this blog post, we will delve into the details of this epic battle, highlighting the factors that contributed to the underdogs' stunning victory and the lasting impact it had on the course of Chinese history.

The Stage is Set

As the Han Dynasty waned, China found itself embroiled in a power struggle among various warlords. Cao Cao, the de facto ruler of the Han Dynasty, sought to unite the empire under his rule. With a formidable force of over 200,000 soldiers, Cao Cao seemed poised to achieve his ambition. However, two warlords, Sun Quan of Eastern Wu and Liu Bei of Shu Han, joined forces to resist Cao Cao's advance, setting the stage for the legendary Battle of Red Cliffs.

The Ingenious Plan

Outnumbered and facing a well-supplied enemy, the alliance of Sun Quan and Liu Bei knew that unconventional tactics would be necessary for victory. Sun Quan's brilliant strategist, Zhou Yu, devised a plan to exploit Cao Cao's navy's unfamiliarity with the local terrain and their lack of experience in naval warfare.

Zhou Yu proposed the use of fire as a weapon, an idea that would become central to the battle. The allies prepared a fleet of fire ships - vessels loaded with kindling, oil, and other flammable materials, designed to be set ablaze and sent crashing into the enemy fleet.

The Tide Turns

As the battle commenced, the winds favored the allies, blowing from the southeast and carrying the fire ships towards Cao Cao's fleet. The fire ships wreaked havoc, igniting the closely-packed warships and spreading panic among the enemy forces.

In the midst of the chaos, Sun Quan and Liu Bei's forces launched a well-coordinated assault on both land and sea. Cao Cao's soldiers, disoriented by the fires and struggling with the unfamiliar conditions of naval combat, found themselves overwhelmed by the ferocity of the allied forces.

The Aftermath and Lasting Impact

The Battle of Red Cliffs ended in a crushing defeat for Cao Cao, who was forced to retreat with the remnants of his once-mighty army. The victory bolstered the alliance between Sun Quan and Liu Bei, enabling them to consolidate their power and establish the kingdoms of Eastern Wu and Shu Han, respectively.

The Battle of Red Cliffs is still remembered today as a prime example of strategic ingenuity, the effective use of fire as a weapon, and the importance of adapting to changing circumstances in warfare. It serves as an enduring reminder that even the most powerful forces can be overcome by the cunning and determination of a smaller, more agile adversary.

Ban Chao Drummers

Bam Chao statue in Kashgar
Source: wikimedia commons

Today after longer break about drummers that bring the first victory for famous Chinese general Ban Chao.

"Ban Chao (32-102 CE) (...) was an important general of the early Later Han period (25-220 CE). He was a son of Ban Biao and a younger brother of Ban Gu,  both historians that compiled the official dynastic history of the Former Han period (206 BCE-8 CE), the Hanshu. Their family came from Anling (near modern Xianyang, Shaanxi) and moved to the capital Luoyang (...), where they lived as scribes for various state institutions. Ban Chao was a senior scribe of the magistrate of Lantai  but he had to leave this post because of some minor offense he committed." Source: ChinaKnowledge.de

9th century BC

Dido purchases Land for the Foundation of Carthage
Source: wikimedia commons

In IX century BC important changes in civilization had happened. In Europe, Etruscan Civilization was born in Italy. In Africa, Carthage was founded by Dido. United under Aramu Urartu rise in power and frightened mighty kingdom of Assyria. In America, Olmecs start building pyramids. Let's take a closer look region by region:

Asia:

• China ruled by Zhou dynasty with no luck to significant rulers - however worth mention is Gonghe Regency, a rare example of harmonized rule by two dukes - Duke of Zhou and Duke of Shao. Since Gonghe Regency (841 BC) start also consecutive annual dating of Chinese history (based on Sima Quian "Record of Grand Historian") 
• Assyria - Shalmaneser II had an important role in extending of Assyrian empire by the campaign against Israel (842 BC), Tibareni in Cappadocia (836 BC). He didn't succeed to conquer Damascus - which was finally done by his grandson Adad-nirari III. In parallel new enemy rising - Urartu.

Henri Grace a Dieu

Henry Grace à Dieu by Anonymous
Source: wikimedia commons

13th June 1514, Woolwich Dockyards, London. King Henry VIII flagship, Henri Grace a Dieu, was launched and became the most advanced, biggest (50m long) and heavily armed (43 cannons) warship carrack in the world at that time. "Great Harry" (as nicknamed) was first ship build in Woolwich Dockyard. First Royal dockyards were built at Portsmouth during Henry VII reign with the main purpose to build trade ships. Henry VIII had different priorities - threats from France and Spain make it essential to building warships. Woolwich and Deptford are located close to London, at Thames river.

"(...) there was a threat of war from England's Catholic neighbours, France and Spain. Portsmouth was a long way from the Armouries in the Tower of London, where all ships were equipped with cannon and artillery. To make the building of warships more convenient, Henry decided to build two dockyards on the Thames in 1513. These would be close to London where it was easier to get arms, supplies for building the ships and a ready labour force. Henry chose Woolwich and Deptford as his sites as they were also conveniently near his Palace at Greenwich, which meant that he could watch the shipbuilding in progress." Source: The Royal Dockyards of Deptford and Woolwich 

Wheellock pistol and new era of assasination

Assassination by pistol (not related to Robert Packington)
Source: publicdomainreview.org

It was a misty morning on November 13th, 1536. Robert Packington passing streets in Tudor era London to attend  Mass in Mercers Chapel. Robert was a prominent merchant, member of parliament, Thomas Cromwell associate who carried messages between him and evangelical activist in Europe.

"Packington's route took him past the Great Conduit, a square building in the middle of Cheapside containing the fountain that provided the nearby houses with their water supply. As he crossed the thoroughfare, only a few metres from his destination, a single shot rang out and he fell dead upon the instant." Source: The hunt for the Tudor hitman by Derek Wilson, BBC History Magazine 6/2013

The Sicilian Vespers

Peter III (second from left in upper boat) invading Sicily
Source: wikimedia commons

King Peter III of Aragon coronation as Peter I was result of Sicilian uprise against French despot Charles of Anjou. French rules in Sicily were very unpopular so when during vespers of Easter Monday, March 30th, 1282 at the Church of the Holy Spirit group of French soldiers join Italian crowd during local wedding. His misbehave cause anger eruption in local people. Angry crowd kill him and other soldiers. This bloody event start uprising that end with numerous killed French soldiers and Sicilian inhabitants.
This event gave Peter opportunity to invade Sicily to claim his rights to throne, which happened on February 2nd, 1283
Peter's wife Constance, heir of Holy Roman Emperor Frederick Barbarossa. That's make additional threads for papacy already frightened by powers of German emperors. To counterweight it pope Martin IV support French king and therefore also Charles as Sicily ruler. However Martin don't know that Peter had built his fleet with strong financial support from East Roman Emperor Michael Paleologos. Martin dream was to unite west and east church but wasn't aware about plans of his ally Charles who plan to used fleet build using pope money to conquer Constantinople although officially build for next Crusade against Islam.

Mysterious Voynich manuscript decoded?

Page from Voynich Manuscript
Source: wikimedia commons

Last week I spot in Amazon webshop  BBC Focus Magazine available for subscription and start trial period. Inside first issue I've found interesting article about latest attempt to decode mysterious Voynich manuscript.
The name of this manuscript comes from name of a Polish revolutionary, later British antiquarian and bibliophile Wilfrid M. Voynich. He found and bought this book on 1912 at the Villa Mondragone in Italy.

"Its 240 parchment pages are filled with an intricate script and page after page of colored illustrations showing plants, patterns of stars and groupings of squat, naked nymphs. Since its purchase in Italy in 1912 by Polish-American book collector Wilfred Voynich, the book has been an enigma." Source: The mystery of the Voynich Manuscript, BBC Focus Magazine 5/2014

Wilfrid Voynich claim that book must be Roger Bacon work which than have series of notable owner through ages: