Mt. Qi

	Battle of Mt. Qi
Date	Spring ~ Autumn 231
Location	Mt. Qi, Yong Province (a mountain in modern Gansu, Qishanbao)
Result	Wei victory; Zhang He is slain
Forces
Wei	Shu
Commanders
Sima Yi	Zhuge Liang

The Battle of Mount Qi (祁山の戦い, rōmaji: Kizan no Tatakai) refers to the series of conflicts surrounding the mountain, a strategic point during Zhuge Liang's Northern Campaigns against Wei. When Zhuge Liang first tried to take the mountain, he ordered Ma Su to lead the expedition that resulted in the defeat at Jieting. Two years later, Zhuge Liang then led the Shu army personally to claim the mountain. Although the accounts and details of the battle vary, the conflict ultimately resulted in Zhang He's death at the Mumen Path (木門道, Mokumondō; lit. Wood Gate Path) during an issued pursuit on the retreating Shu Forces.

A famous portion of this battle was the fictional account of the Shangfang Yu (上方谷, Shōhōkoku; lit. Upper Way Valley), where Wei Yan worked with others to trap Sima Yi and his sons in a fire attack that was in motion for roughly around 3 years as planned by Zhuge Liang. However, a miraculous rainfall managed to save the Sima family's lives and lead the way for their escape, foiling Zhuge Liang's long-worked plan to be able to directly finish off Sima Yi himself (and likely was a contributor to Zhuge Liang's increasing stress towards his eventual illness).

Role in Games[]

Dynasty Warriors[]

In Dynasty Warriors 4: Xtreme Legends, players face two legend modes at Mount Qi. The first involves Zhang He, baited by Wei Yan, who chases after him and is attacked by archers. The second scenario focuses on Sima Yi, lured by Wei Yan at Shang Fang Yu. Sima Yi faces more intimidating odds, including bombardiers, archers, and landmines. If the strategist defends, Zhuge Liang realizes the plan has failed, leading to Wei Yan attacking Sima Yi and opening gates blocking the western section of the valley.

The battle returns as a Legend Mode in Dynasty Warriors 5: Xtreme Legends, allowing players to fight as the Shu side with Zhuge Liang, Wei Yan, and Jiang Wei. Players must dodge messengers and wait for reinforcements along the southwest and center path. If they stray from the plan or get spotted, the Prime Minister issues a retreat due to lack of supplies.

In Dynasty Warriors 8, players are given the opportunity to side with Wei, following Sima Yi's advice and rescuing Xiahou Ba, Fei Yao, and Dai Ling from ambush units. Zhuge Liang withdraws from the southwestern camp, and Xu Zhu defends, giving time to defeat the remaining Shu forces.

An animal battle also appears, involving Deng Ai and Jin forces surrounded by Wu forces at the summit garrison. The battle features Sun Jian and Huang Gai as potential reinforcements for the Wu forces, and allied engineers and reinforcements help defend the camp.

Warriors Orochi[]

Mount Qi is one of the dream stages featured in Warriors Orochi 2. It has three heroes who uniquely follow the warriors' path -Kenshin, Guan Yu, Xu Huang- rescue Yoshitsune and his stranded allies from Kiyomori's army. With He Jin as their leader, the trio save the young warrior. Yoshitsune bids them to help his comrades while he leaves to seek aid. Kenshin rallies Ieyasu, Ina is saved by Guan Yu, and Xu Huang raises Ranmaru's morale. As the warriors route their foes, allies praise them as "Gods of War" while the Orochi forces fear their approach. Their bravery intrigues both Lu Bu and Keiji to break formation and challenge the three warriors. In spite of these setbacks, Kiyomori orders his men to intensify their charge. Yoshitsune returns to bring Shingen, Xiahou Dun, and Lu Meng as ally reinforcements.

Historical Information[]

Zhang He, a skilled leader, was ordered by Cao Rui to confront Zhuge Liang, a powerful enemy. Despite the Wei soldiers' concerns about Zhang He's late arrival, he remained unfazed, anticipating a retreat from the enemy. During Shu's Fourth Northern Campaign, Zhang He ordered Mount Qi to be surrounded, and the Wei army countered with Zhang He's leadership. Wang Ping's troops defeated the Wei army, and Zhang He was ordered to withdraw. Sima Yi, a Wei general, ordered Zhang He to pursue, but Zhang He was ambushed and killed. The Book of Jin claims that Zhang He then met with Sima Yi's remaining army, who promptly repelled their enemies. The Wei forces received a promotion boost after the battle, but it's unclear if this was due to their supposed victory or the lack of supplies and rainy weather.

Romance of the Three Kingdoms[]

In chapter 101 of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Shu commander Zhuge Liang sends Wei Yan to the Wei base, but his true intentions are discovered. Furious, Sima Yi sends Zhang He, who retreated and eventually finds a trap. Zhang He and his men are killed by arrows, and Sima Yi is horrified.