Learn the Ten of the Thirty-Six Strategies of the Three Kingdoms: Profit and Temptation - Ding Fei Cow and Horse Save Cao Cao

After Cao Hong was defeated by Ma Chao and lost Tongguan, Cao Cao led his follow-up troops to the front of TongguanGuan. In the first confrontation between Cao Cao and Ma Chao, Cao's army was defeated. Ma Chao commanded Pang De, Ma Dai, and others, and went straight into Cao Cao's army to personally capture Cao Cao. Ma Chao's fierce attack forced Cao Cao to "cut his beard and abandon his robe" and flee in a daze. In a critical moment, fortunately, Cao Hong arrived, so he saved Cao Cao's life. After Cao Cao fled back to the camp, he issued an order to hold the fence and not to fight, while plotting to defeat Ma Chao and Han Sui. He ordered Xu Huang to lead 4,000 elite troops to attack Tongguan Houlu Hexi, while he himself supervised the crossing of Weishui. Then, two-way attack, destroying Ma and Han in one fell swoop. After Ma Chao learned of Cao Jun's intentions, he advocated seizing the north bank of the Wei River to prevent Cao Bing from crossing the river. Han Sui advocated following the tactic of "half a soldier crossing can be attacked" in the art of war, Chen Bing was on the south bank, and when the Cao army crossed to the halfway point, he took the opportunity to attack. He believed that this move was enough to cause Cao Cao's army to die in the Wei River. In this way, Ma Chao adopted Han Sui's suggestion. When some of Cao's elite troops crossed to the north bank, cao cao personally led more than a hundred escorts to sit on the south bank and watch the large army cross the river, Ma Chao suddenly led his army to kill and rushed to a place only a hundred steps away from Cao Cao. At the critical juncture of Cao Cao's life and death, Cao Cao's Tiger Guard general Xu Chu lifted Cao Cao up and rushed to the river. As soon as he picked up Cao Cao, he jumped on the boat that was more than a mile away from the shore, and paddled toward the center of the river, and Cao Cao lay at Xu Chu's feet, extremely embarrassed. After Ma Chao rushed to the riverside, he saw that Cao Chuan had reached the center of the river, so he bent his bow and took an arrow, ordered his generals to shoot at Cao Chuan along the river, and asked in an instant, the arrows were like rain, and dozens of people on the boat and the guards on the boat fell in response; Xu Chu raised his saddle with his left hand to cover the arrows like flying locusts, guarding Cao Cao; while holding the rudder between his legs, he made the boat hold the boat with his right hand. Cao Cao and Xu Chu were in danger, and just as he was struggling desperately, the arrows suddenly became less and less. Therefore, Xu Chu took the opportunity to quickly row the boat to the north shore, so that Cao Cao could escape again. It turned out that Ding Fei of Weinan County at that time was on the top of the South Mountain, and he saw that Ma Chao's pursuit and killing made Cao Cao have the risk of life at all times. So he opened the gate and drove out all the cattle and horses. For a time, the mountains were full of cattle and horses, and the Western Liang soldiers turned back to fight for cattle and horses, and had no intention of chasing Cao Cao, who fled wildly, and Cao Cao also turned the danger into ruin. After Cao Cao came ashore, he laughed at the generals who had come to see and greet An, saying, "I was almost trapped by these hair thieves today!" He asked who had saved him with the clever trick of "enticing the enemy with cattle and horses"? Someone told him that it was Ling Dingfei of Weinan County. When Ding Fei entered the meeting, Cao Cao said gratefully, "If it were not for your good intentions, I would have been captured by thieves." Therefore, he immediately promoted Ding Fei to the rank of lieutenant of the military academy.

[Commentary]

Ding Fei's indulgence of cattle and horses to lure the enemy is actually a strategy of luring him with profit, and interests will change people's goals, and the desire for profit will make many people lose their way. There are many ways to induce, but it should be clear that small profits should be made large, otherwise the gains will not be worth the losses, and it will be meaningless.