How a clever bluff and a fake surrender saved a fortress from 200,000 soldiers
In 253, a massive Eastern Wu army besieged a tiny Wei fortress at Hefei. With only 3,000 defenders against 200,000 attackers, the Wei general Zhang Te orchestrated a brilliant psychological deception, buying enough time for reinforcements to arrive and turning a certain defeat into a humiliating retreat for the Wu.
The conflict began in April 253 when the Wu regent Zhuge Ke launched an ambitious campaign against the state of Cao Wei. Despite warnings from his officials, he marched 200,000 troops toward the fortress of Xincheng. By the following month, the Wu forces had surrounded the city, which was defended by a mere 3,000 men under the command of Zhang Te, Liu Zheng, and Zheng Xiang. The siege lasted over a month, with the defenders suffering heavy casualties while holding their ground against relentless assaults.
Facing an impossible situation, Zhang Te employed a masterful ruse. He claimed to Zhuge Ke that he was ready to surrender, citing Wei laws that allowed soldiers to yield if reinforcements failed to arrive after 100 days. He even tossed his tally to the regent as a token of his sincerity. Trusting this promise, Zhuge Ke halted his attacks. However, Zhang Te used the reprieve to tear down local structures, using the timber to reinforce the damaged walls of the fortress. The next morning, he declared his intent to fight to the death, leaving the Wu forces furious but unable to breach the newly fortified defenses.
The tide turned as the summer heat intensified, triggering a plague that incapacitated over half of the Wu army. Zhuge Ke’s impatience and poor leadership further demoralized his troops. The situation became untenable when the Wei general Sima Fu arrived with 200,000 reinforcements. Between 12 August and 9 September 253, the siege was lifted, and the retreating Wu army suffered massive losses. The failure destroyed Zhuge Ke’s reputation, leading to widespread public resentment and his eventual assassination in a coup later that year.
Source: Battle of Hefei (253)
