Records of True Faith, Volume 31

A uniform dam

Water diverted to the right

A clever tactic

Yuan Chongzu, the Regional Governor of the province, intended to repair the outer city walls and dam the Fei River The Fei River was a strategically vital waterway in modern-day Anhui province, famous for several major battles in Chinese history. to strengthen his defensive position. Both the civil and military officials argued: "In the past, when Foli original: 佛狸 (Foli). The childhood name of Emperor Taiwu of Northern Wei (reigned 423–452 CE); here the name is used as a shorthand for the Northern Wei invaders. invaded, the soldiers in the city were several times more numerous than we are now. Even then, the outer city was considered too difficult to defend, so the troops retreated to hold the inner city. Furthermore, while the Fei River exists naturally, no one has ever tried to dam it. We fear this will be a labor of great effort with no benefit."

Chongzu replied: "If we abandon the outer city, the barbarians will surely seize it. If they then repair the watchtowers on the outside and build a long siege-wall on the inside, we will be captured where we sit. Defending the outer walls and building this dam is a strategy I have planned carefully."

He then proceeded to:
Dammed ○ the ○ Fei ○ River ○ to ○ the ○ city's ○ northwest ○ and ○ to ○ the ○ north ○ of ○ the ○ dam ○ he ○ built ○ a ○ small ○ fort ○ which ○ was ○ surrounded ○ by ○ a ○ deep ○ moat ○ and ○ manned ○ by ○ several ○ thousand ○ men. ○ He ○ said: ○ "When ○ the ○ barbarians ○ see ○ how ○ small ○ the ○ fort ○ is, ○ they ○ will ○ assume ○ it ○ can ○ be ○ taken ○ in ○ one ○ move. ○ They ○ will ○ surely ○ exhaust ○ their ○ strength ○ to ○ attack ○ it, ○ plotting ○ to ○ break ○ the ○ dam. ○ I ○ will ○ then ○ release ○ the ○ water ○ to ○ sweep ○ them ○ away, ○ and ○ they ○ will ○ all ○ become ○ floating ○ corpses."

The Wei forces indeed attacked the small fort. Chongzu, wearing a white gauze hat A symbol of calm and composed leadership, indicating he was not wearing a military helmet in the face of the enemy. and riding in a sedan chair sedan chair original: 肩輿 (jianyu). A shoulder-carried chair used by high-ranking officials., ascended the city walls. He ordered the dam to be breached, releasing the water. The men and horses of the Wei forces drowned by the thousands.