Battle of Liyang

Battle of Liyang
Part of the wars at the end of the Han dynasty
Datec. October 202 – June 203
Location
Result Withdrawal of Cao Cao's main army; mutiny of Yuan Tan
Territorial
changes
Cao Cao establishes a bridgehead in Liyang
Belligerents
Cao Cao Yuan Shang
Commanders and leaders
Cao Cao Yuan Shang
Yuan Tan
Battle of Liyang
Traditional Chinese黎陽之戰
Simplified Chinese黎阳之战
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinLíyáng Zhī Zhàn

The Battle of Liyang, fought between October 202 and June 203 in the late Eastern Han dynasty, was an invasion attempt by the warlord Cao Cao against the brothers Yuan Shang and Yuan Tan, the sons of Cao's rival Yuan Shao. The battle in October 202 was the first between the two factions since the death of Yuan Shao four months earlier. Although it ended in Cao Cao's withdrawal, events in this battle brought tensions between the Yuan brothers to the surface as Yuan Tan mutinied against his younger brother Yuan Shang after Cao Cao's temporary exit from the scene.