😈 Story 40: The End of Yuan Xi and Yuan Shang

Meanwhile, Yuan Xi and Yuan Shang fled to Liaodong with several thousand cavalry. Gongsun Kang, the governor of Liaodong, was discussing this matter with his subordinates.

 

Gongsun Kang's younger brother, Gongsun Gong, said, "When Yuan Shao was alive, he always wanted to annex Liaodong. Now that Yuan Xi and Yuan Shang have been defeated and have nowhere to escape, their coming here to seek refuge is like a cuckoo trying to steal a magpie's nest (a metaphor for wanting to seize territory). If we take them in, they will surely turn against us later. It would be better if we tricked them into entering the city, killed them, and presented their heads to Cao Cao. Cao Cao will surely treat us well."

 

Gongsun Kang said, "I'm afraid Cao Cao will bring troops to attack Liaodong. It would be better to keep these two brothers and let them help us." Gongsun Gong said, "We can send someone to inquire first. If Cao Cao's army is going to attack, keep them; if Cao Cao makes no move, kill them and send them to Cao Cao." Gongsun Kang listened and sent people to inquire.

 

Yuan Xi and Yuan Shang arrived in Liaodong, where they secretly discussed, "Liaodong has tens of thousands of troops, enough for us to fight Cao Cao. We should temporarily submit to him, and later kill Gongsun Kang, seize his territory, and rebuild our strength to fight back against the Central Plains, thus reclaiming Hebei." After agreeing on their plan, they went to see Gongsun Kang. Gongsun Kang let them stay in an inn, but pretended to be ill and didn't see them immediately.

 

A few days later, a scout returned and reported, "Cao Cao's army is stationed in Yizhou and has no intention of attacking Liaodong." Gongsun Kang was overjoyed. He had soldiers armed with swords and axes lying in ambush behind the wall before letting Yuan Xi and Yuan Shang in for an audience.

 

After the formalities, Gongsun Kang invited them to sit down. It was very cold, and Yuan Shang noticed there were no cushions on the bed, so he said to Gongsun Kang, "Please lay down a cushion." Gongsun Kang's eyes widened, and he said, "You two are about to embark on a long journey! What need is there for a cushion?" Yuan Shang was greatly surprised. Gongsun Kang shouted, "Men, what are you doing?!" The soldiers who had been lying in ambush rushed out and beheaded the two brothers right there on the table. Gongsun Kang put the heads in a wooden box and sent it to Yizhou to see Cao Cao.

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Gongsun Kang was hesitant about whether to heed Cao Cao's advice to kill Yuan Xi and Yuan Shang, or to follow their suggestion to fight Cao Cao. At this point, Yuan Xi and Yuan Shang should have maintained a respectful attitude, but they harbored ulterior motives. Therefore, their cooperation failed. Furthermore, the Yuan family failed to persuade Gongsun Kang effectively, due to past reasons: the Yuan family had previously seized land from the Gongsun family.