Battle of Zhuolu
The Battle of Zhuolu (simplified Chinese: 涿鹿之战; traditional Chinese: 涿鹿之戰) was the second battle in the history of China as recorded in the Records of the Grand Historian, fought between the Yanhuang tribes led by the legendary Yellow Emperor and the Jiuli tribes led by Chiyou. The battle was fought in Zhuolu, near the present-day border of Hebei and Shanxi.
Battle of Zhuolu | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
Yanhuang tribe | Jiuli tribes | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Yellow Emperor Flame Emperor Yuwang | Chiyou † | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
8,000–15,000 | 72–81 tribes, roughly estimated around 15,000–26,000 | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
~1,200–3,000 | Nearly entire invading force; 3,000 in the initial battle, 7,000+ in the retreat |
The victory for the Yellow Emperor here is often credited as history, although almost everything from that time period is considered legendary. Traditional Chinese historiography places the battle in the 26th century BC, although the Xia–Shang–Zhou Chronology Project has suggested the traditional dates to be at least some two centuries too early for the most remote recorded periods.