Victory in battle, it is said, can only materialize if the three favorable factors of time, place, and people meet simultaneously. In Chinese history, there have been several battles in which defeat was inevitable, but suddenly, from nowhere, powerful winds arose that changed the course of history. Particularly in decisive battles with a vast disparity of power, because of the sudden intervention of powerful directed winds, the trajectory of the fight was altered, and new dynasties were born out of it.
Battle of Pengcheng: Powerful winds rescued Liu Bang from certain destruction at the last minute
In the decisive Battle of Pengcheng (205 B.C.) between the kingdoms of Chu and Han, Liu Bang had more than 500,000 troops, while Xiang Yu had only 30,000 soldiers. However, Xiang Yu’s troops were battle-hardened, brave, and skilled fighters. They annihilated 200,000 Han troops. Xiang Yu had won many battles before and had never lost a battle. With his military and tactical abilities at that time, taking Liu Bang’s head would have been like picking fruit out of a bag.
However, just when Liu Bang’s army was about to be wiped out and could no longer hold the lines, according to Historical Records: The Chronicles of Xiang Yu, a storm gathered and blew toward the Chu army from the northwest. A blizzard of flying sand and stones flew into the Chu ranks in no time, and the sky suddenly fell into darkness. The Chu army was in chaos.
The sudden intervention of the powerful storm that gathered at that critical moment turned the tide of battle and allowed Liu Bang to escape. Eventually, Liu Bang regrouped and defeated Xiang Yu, the foundation of the Han Dynasty that lasted for 400 years.
Battle of Chibi: A mighty southeasterly wind laid the foundation for the Three Kingdoms
The Battle of Chibi, also known as the Battle of Red Cliffs (A.D. 208-209), was a decisive naval battle at the end of the Han dynasty. Cao Cao led a fearsome army of 830,000 troops to face off against Sun-Liu’s 50,000 allied troops with the confidence of winning the world.
It was recorded in the Chronicles of the Three Kingdoms: Jiang Biao Biography that an unseasonal south-easterly wind suddenly churned up in the middle of winter against the northwest wind that usually blew in Jiangdong at that time of year. This sealed the fate of the battle, which was used to destroy Cao Cao’s warships.
Cao Cao had chained his ships from stern to stern, which enabled the allied troops to dispatch warships converted into “fire ships” by filling them with bundles of kindling, dry feed, and oil. As the “fire ships” approached the river’s midpoint, the sailors set them on fire before they took to small boats for safety. The uncrewed fire ships carried by the southeasterly wind sped toward Cao Cao’s fleet and set it ablaze.
This decisive battle was won with the particular assistance of the powerful southeasterly over a vast power disparity. That victory of the Sun-Liu allied forces changed the course of history and laid the foundation for the Three Kingdoms era.
Battle of Lake Poyang: Zhu Yuanzhang, overwhelmingly outnumbered, saved by the storm
At the end of the Yuan Dynasty, the Battle of Lake Poyang (August-October 1363) ended with the help of a strong wind.
In the last years of the Yuan Dynasty, Chen Youliang proclaimed himself king, known as the Emperor of the Han Dynasty. He had the most powerful army at that time. However, not far from his territory, the second-strongest army belonged to Zhu Yuanzhang. As the old saying goes: “There is no room for snoring on the side of the couch,” so in August 1363, Chen Youliang commanded an army of 600,000 troops to defeat Zhu Yuanzhang, who had only 200,000 soldiers.
Chen Youliang’s menacing warships were more than 10 feet tall and stretched for several miles, while Zhu Yuanzhang’s warships were much smaller. So Chen Youliang’s warships attacked the Ming ships at their lower level with artillery stones from his tall ships. Zhu Yuanzhang’s ship was stricken during the battle, and he was almost captured.
On the fourth day of the battle, Zhu Yuanzhang realized that he could not hold on any longer. He knew he could attack with fire and not just sit back and wait for death. However, he was in no position to attack as there was no wind to assist with his battle plans.
According to the History of the Ming Dynasty, a strong wind suddenly began to churn up that very afternoon, and the wind blew toward Chen Youliang’s army. Zhu Yuanzhang seized this golden opportunity and used the mighty wind to send burning ships into the opposing fleet, destroying more than 20 Chen Youliang army warships. Zhu Yuanzhang finally defeated Chen Youliang’s troops, which were overwhelmingly more numerous and substantial, and won the decisive victory.
For Chen Youliang, his original intention was for the war to be won gradually, at his own pace. Still, with the help of the mighty wind, the high tide of fate suddenly turned against him, which determined the battle’s outcome, and the Ming Dynasty was born.
These are events recorded in official Chinese history. On the unpredictable stage of history, propitious and out–of–the–blue winds of destiny, more powerful than armies, blew and brought about unimaginable results, which may have been Heaven’s will.
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