Battle of Yiling
222 CE · Yiling, Hubei, China
The Battle of Yiling was fought in 222 CE in Yiling, Hubei, China between Eastern Wu vs Shu Han; decisive Wu victory; Liu Bei's camps were burned and he died the following year.
Battle of Yiling: quick facts
- Date
- 222 CE
- Location
- Yiling, Hubei, China
- Belligerents
- Eastern Wu vs Shu Han
- Commanders
- Lu Xun vs Liu Bei
- Result
- decisive Wu victory; Liu Bei's camps were burned and he died the following year.
- Era
- ⛩️ East Asia
- Quiz difficulty
- hard
What happened at the Battle of Yiling?
The Battle of Yiling, also known as the Battle of Xiaoting, was fought when Liu Bei of Shu Han launched a massive invasion of Eastern Wu to avenge the death of his sworn brother Guan Yu and recapture the province of Jing. The young Wu commander Lu Xun patiently held his positions for months, then launched a devastating fire attack that swept through Liu Bei's forest camps along the Yangtze gorges. The destruction of Liu Bei's army ended any hope of Shu Han dominance and cemented the Three Kingdoms balance of power.
Did you know?
Liu Bei's invasion at Yiling was motivated by the death of his sworn brother Guan Yu. In Chinese culture, the sworn brotherhood of Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei remains one of the most famous friendships in literature.
Sources and further reading
- Battle of Yiling on Wikipedia for the full account, historiography and primary sources.
- How BattleGuess compiles and checks battle facts: see the About page.
Entry last reviewed 26 September 2026.