why did this happen?
Cao Cao wanted to reunite the sundered Han empire and this place was of vital importance.
Battle of Red Cliffs
The Yangtze River in the area of Jing Province was key to the success of this strategy. If Cao Cao was to have any hope of reuniting the sundered Han empire, he had to achieve naval control of the middle Yangtze and command the strategic naval base at Jiangling as a means of access to the southern region . Two warlords controlled the regions of the Yangtze that were key to Cao Cao's success: Liu Biao, the Governor of Jing Province, controlled the area west of the mouth of the Han River (roughly encompassing the area around the city of Xiakou and all territory south of that region), and Sun Quan, who controlled the river east of the Han and
where did the battle of red cliffs take place The precise location of the Red Cliffs battlefield has long been the subject of both popular and academic debates, but has never been conclusively established. what is this battle? It unfolded in three stages: an initial skirmish at Red Cliffs followed by a retreat to the Wulinbattlefields on the northwestern bank of the Yangtze, a decisive naval engagement, and Cao Cao's disastrous retreat along Huarong Road.
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Battle of Red Cliffs [SEP] Background
Upon his return in 208, he was appointed Chancellor, a position that granted him absolute authority over the entire imperial government . Shortly afterwards, in the autumn of 208, his army began a southern campaign (; ). The Yangtze River in the area of Jing Province was key to the success of this strategy. If Cao Cao was to have any hope of reuniting the sundered Han empire, he had to achieve naval control of the middle Yangtze and command the strategic naval base at Jiangling as a means of access to the southern region . Two warlords controlled the regions of the Yangtze that were key to Cao Cao's success: Liu Biao, the Governor of Jing Province, controlled the area west of the mouth of the Han River (roughly encompassing the area around the city of Xiakou and all territory south of that region), and Sun Quan, who controlled the river east of the Han and the southeastern territories abutting it .