About the Battle of Jieting
The Battle of Jieting was fought in 228 (6th year of Jianxing (Shu Han)) at Jieting, Yong Province. Zhuge Liang's first northern campaign. Entrusted with the key position of Jieting, Ma Su disobeys orders and camps on the hilltop; Zhang He cuts off his water and routs him. The campaign collapses, and Zhuge Liang weeps as he has Ma Su executed.
- Year
- 2286th year of Jianxing (Shu Han)
- Place
- Jieting, Yong Province
- Era
- Three Kingdoms period
The two armies
Shu army Commander-in-chiefMa Su 51,0003 units 
Wei army Commander-in-chiefZhang He 80,0003 units Troop strengthTotal of the units shown in 3D
Fought 51,000
Fought 80,000
Shu armyBy troop strength
-
Zhuge Liang 諸葛亮 30,000 - Ma Su 馬謖 Commander-in-chief 20,000
- Wang Ping 王平 1,000
Wei armyBy troop strength
- Zhang He 張郃 Commander-in-chief 50,000
- Wei Encirclement 魏軍包囲隊 20,000
- Guo Huai 郭淮 10,000
Portraits are public-domain images from Wikimedia Commons (some are later imagined depictions).
How the battle unfoldedTimes follow the 3D clock
- Jianxing 6, springCh. 1
CampaignThe Memorial on Going to War
In the spring of the 6th year of Jianxing, Zhuge Liang presented his memorial on going to war to the emperor Liu Shan and raised the army of the northern campaign. He sent Zhao Yun into the Xie valley as a decoy and led the main body himself toward Qishan. The three commanderies of Tianshui, Nan'an and Anding rose against Wei, and the Guanzhong region trembled.
- 2nd monthCh. 2
JietingWho Shall Hold the Key?
Emperor Ming of Wei went to Chang'an in person and sent Zhang He west with 50,000 men. The key to stopping him was Jieting. The generals urged Wei Yan or Wu Yi, but Zhuge Liang chose his army adviser Ma Su, with whom he had long debated the art of war. "Hold the road; do not go up the hill." Such was Zhuge Liang's order.
- Jieting, day 1Ch. 3
HilltopDisobeying Orders
Arriving at Jieting, Ma Su looked at Nanshan rising beside the road and declared: "Hold the high ground and look down on the low, and our momentum will split bamboo." He camped on the summit. His deputy Wang Ping warned him again and again: "There is no water on the hill; surrounded, we are finished." Unheeded, he built a separate camp on the road at the foot with barely a thousand men.
- Day 2Ch. 4
WaterZhang He Cuts the Water
Zhang He, crossing the Long Mountains, rejoiced to find the Shu army on the hilltop. The Wei army ringed the hill many lines deep, seized the river at its foot and cut the path to water. Under a blazing sun the Shu soldiers suffered agonies of thirst, and when Ma Su ordered a charge they would not move. As two days became three, the camp began to crumble from within.
- Day 4Ch. 5
CollapseNanshan Falls
When Zhang He launched the general assault, the parched Shu army broke completely. Ma Su abandoned his men and fled, and the soldiers coming down the hill were cut down by the Wei. Only Wang Ping held firm, having his thousand men beat their drums, and checked Zhang He, who feared an ambush. Gathering the scattered fugitives, Wang Ping withdrew in good order.
- 3rd monthCh. 6
RetreatThe Campaign Collapses
With Jieting lost, the Shu army at Qishan would have its line of retreat cut. Zhuge Liang had no choice but to order a general withdrawal, moving more than a thousand households of Xi County to Hanzhong as he went. The three commanderies that had risen fell back into Wei hands, and the early advantage was lost in a single night.
- HanzhongCh. 7
TearsWeeping, He Executes Ma Su
Back in Hanzhong, Zhuge Liang had Ma Su executed by law for violating orders. He wept at the death of his favourite pupil, and demoted himself three grades from Chancellor to General of the Right. Wang Ping was promoted to army adviser for his service. "Weeping as he executed Ma Su" survives to this day as a byword for upholding the law over private feeling.
In Ultra detailBattle Pass
The same scene in the standard quality and in Ultra detail. Drag the line to compare, and switch between "Wide" and "Close-up". Ultra detail adds rugged mountains, forests and rocks in 3D, rippling seas and rivers, rows in the fields and soldiers as figures. Chapter 1 of every battle can be watched in Ultra detail without the Battle Pass.
FAQ
What was the Battle of Jieting?
Zhuge Liang's first northern campaign. Entrusted with the key position of Jieting, Ma Su disobeys orders and camps on the hilltop; Zhang He cuts off his water and routs him. The campaign collapses, and Zhuge Liang weeps as he has Ma Su executed.
When and where did the Battle of Jieting take place?
It took place in 228 at Jieting, Yong Province (6th year of Jianxing (Shu Han)).
Who fought in the Battle of Jieting?
Ma Su of the Shu army, Zhang He of the Wei army were among the commanders.
Can I watch the Battle of Jieting in 3D?
Yes. This page plays a free three-minute 3D animated overview showing the deployments, the movements of each army and how the battle was decided.
Update history of this battle
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