During the Three Kingdoms era in China, the kingdom of Shu-Han launched several northern expeditions to destroy their rival kingdom of Wei, to the north. The Shu-Han chancellor and primary general, Zhuge Liang (depicted here by actor Takeshi Kaneshiro), led this campaign against Wei either in late 228 or 229.
Some years later, when the regent of Shu, Zhuge Liang, deployed for his second campaign against the rival state of Wei, the Wei marshal, Cao Zhen, correctly predicted Zhuge's route of advancement, and recommended Hao Zhao to build fortifications for Chencang, assuring the young emperor, Cao Rui, of the defense. However, Hao Zhao was only assigned 1,000 men for the building project. This time, Zhuge Liang brought with him a selection of siege weapons, and 100,000 troops. He determined to march through Chencang, in order to establish a foothold for further military actions. When the attackers reached the fortress-city, the defense was apparently not completed as Cao Zhen had not sent additional forces to settle in.
Encasing the lone fortress from all sides, Zhuge Liang sent Jin Xiang, a friend of Hao Zhao, to convince the latter to betray Wei, but faced stern refusal. Hao Zhao announced he would die defending the citadel, and asked the besiegers to attack. Yet, the Shu regent again sent his lobbyist to soften the defender. "Our armies are enormous while you only have a tiny force, what good is it to perish for nothing?" said Jin Xiang. This time, however, Hao Zhao fitted an arrow and replied "What I said earlier remains solid. As I know you, my arrow doesn't." Upon hearing this, the attack began.
Zhuge Liang's first attempt was to carry out an escalade tactic through the use of siege ladders, but Hao Zhao countered with fire arrows, burning the platforms and parching the men upon them. While the ladders were still aflame, the enemies' battering rams had arrived the city gate; Hao Zhao hurriedly chained some great stones and rolled them down, smashing the rams.
Zhuge Liang then drew back and rethought on his tactic, and decided to create more possible attack points. Therefore, the besiegers started to fill the moats and prepared their siege towers. With the entrenchments removed, the siege engines moved upon the walls while foot-soldiers climbed the walls like ants. However, Zhuge Liang was outwitted by Hao Zhao, who had already built interior walls inside the original walls before the attackers finished filling the trenches. As long as the siege towers could not pass the first walls, the soldiers, descending from the towers and overcoming the outer walls, could not climb the second inner walls.
Suffering another defeat, Zhuge Liang attempted an architectural approach. It is recorded that Zhuge Liang wanted to create some underground passages for his armies to enter the city directly. That is a much more perilous approach compared to the prevailing mining tactic, because defenders can counter-tunnel to cut into the attackers' works and topple them prematurely, killing anyone affected by the collapse, and that is just what Hao Zhao did.
The struggle had been continuing non-stop for 20-odd days and nights, with Zhuge Liang becoming increasingly aggressive. News about Wei relief forces being led by Zhang He reached the camp of Zhuge Liang, who retreated before the main reinforcement reached Chencang.
Source: A Brief History of Wei, by Yu Huan
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