Conduct of a Battle

The last phase of the battle was the aftermath. The immediate postcombat situation was hardly different from warfare in comparable periods anywhere. Slaughter seems rarely to have been indiscriminate and in some cases the losing side was allowed to surrender. Due to the unreliability of soldiers in the early phases, this was very common. During Cao Cao's campaign against the Qingzhou Yellow Turbans in Yanzhou: "During winter, [Cao Cao] accepted the surrender of 300,000 soldiers, more than a million men and women, and many figures of boldness and spirit; which was together renamed the Qingzhou Army". In certain cases profuse bloodletting was sanctioned by the commanders. Such was the case during the Battle of Red Cliffs when the prime objective of the allied forces was to destroy Cao Cao's army. The looting of enemy camp of valuables, grain and other commodities was also a common occurrence. But this represented a lapse in discipline and could open the door to a possible enemy counter-attack or jeopardise an otherwise successful rout.