🏹 Story 31: Yuan Shao Misses a Good Opportunity

1. Guo Jia Advises Cao Cao to Attack Liu Bei First

 

While Cao Cao was discussing matters, his strategist Guo Jia entered. Cao Cao asked, "I want to lead troops to attack Liu Bei, but I'm worried Yuan Shao will attack us. What should I do?"

 

Guo Jia said, "Yuan Shao is too slow-witted and suspicious, and his advisors are jealous of each other. He's not a threat. Liu Bei has just assembled a new army, and they don't fully obey him yet. Prime Minister, you should lead your troops east to attack him; one battle will be enough to pacify him." Cao Cao was delighted and said, "That suits me perfectly!" So, Cao Cao prepared an army of 200,000 and divided it into five routes to attack Liu Bei.

 

 

2. Yuan Shao Misses a Golden Opportunity Due to His Son's Illness

 

Liu Bei ordered Sun Qian to go to Hebei to seek Yuan Shao's help. Yuan Shao's strategist Tian Feng took Sun Qian to see Yuan Shao and presented him with a letter.

 

 

Tian Feng advised, "Now that Cao Cao is attacking Liu Bei, Xuchang (Cao Cao's base) must be vulnerable. If we attack there with a righteous army, we can protect the emperor on a grand scale and save the people on a smaller scale. This is a rare opportunity! Please decide, my lord!" Yuan Shao replied, "I know this is the best opportunity, but I'm uneasy, worried it might be detrimental to me."

 

Tian Feng asked, "What's bothering you?"

 

Yuan Shao said, "Of my five sons, this one is the most special. If anything happens to him, I have no reason to live." (Yuan Shao's son was ill, and he was reluctant to send troops because of his worry for his son.)

 

Yuan Shao ultimately decided not to send troops. He told Sun Qian, "Go back and tell Liu Bei the reason. If things aren't going well there, he can come to me, and I will naturally help him."

 

Tian Feng angrily pounded the ground with his cane, shouting, "Such a good opportunity, and we've missed it because of a child's illness! Everything is ruined! What a pity!" He stamped his foot, sighed, and walked out.

 

3. Zhang Fei's "Raid on the Camp" Strategy

Sun Qian, seeing that Yuan Shao refused to send troops, had no choice but to rush back to Xiaopei that very night to see Liu Bei and tell him what had happened. Liu Bei was greatly alarmed: "What should we do?"

Zhang Fei said, "Brother, don't worry. Cao Cao's army has come from afar and must be exhausted. While they've just arrived, let's raid their camp and defeat Cao Cao!"

Liu Bei said, "I always thought you were just a brave man, but I didn't expect you to be so cunning when you captured Liu Dai last time. Your idea now is also in accordance with military strategy." Liu Bei then followed his advice and divided his troops to raid Cao Cao's camp.

 

4. Zhang Fei Falls into the Trap, Army Surrenders

 

Zhang Fei, confident in his plan, led a light cavalry charge ahead, launching a surprise attack on Cao Cao's camp.

 

He saw that the camp was sparsely populated and in disarray. Suddenly, flames erupted from all sides, and shouts of battle filled the air! Zhang Fei realized he had fallen into a trap and hurriedly rushed out of the camp.

 

Cao Cao's generals attacked from eight directions: Zhang Liao to the east, Xu Chu to the west, Yu Jin to the south, Li Dian to the north, Xu Huang to the southeast, Yue Jin to the southwest, Xiahou Dun to the northeast, and Xiahou Yuan to the northwest.

 

Zhang Fei charged left and right, blocking the front and protecting the rear. However, the soldiers he led were originally Cao Cao's subordinates; seeing the dire situation, they all surrendered to Cao Cao.