Teacher Yi Zhongtian once said that Yuan Shao and Liu Biao were beautiful straw bags, and there were also disparaging descriptions of Yuan Shao in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. For example, before the Battle of Guandu, Cao Cao rebelled against his own Liu Bei, and Tian Feng suggested that Yuan Shao take the opportunity to send troops to attack Xu Du, and as a result, Yuan Shao actually resigned with "his son is ill", and Tian Feng was angry and scolded. So is this really true or false?
Historical records
Death by surgery, preparing to kill Shi Che, and leading the army to Tun Pei. Shosuke rides Zoyuki. Taizu sent Liu Dai and Wang Zhongzhi to attack him, but he did not fight. Five years after Jian'an, Taizu marched from the east. Tian Feng said that after Shao attacked Taizu, Shao resigned to the disease of the son, and did not allow it, and Feng raised his staff to hit the ground: "The husband suffered a chance of encounter, and lost his knowledge with the illness of the baby, sorry!" "Taizu Zhi, break the preparation; prepare ben Shao." - Chronicle of the Three Kingdoms, Chronicle of Emperor Wu
The Chronicle of the Three Kingdoms records that Liu Bei killed Che and took charge of Xuzhou, and Yuan Shao sent cavalry to help Liu Bei. Cao Cao first sent Liu Dai and Wang Zhong to recruit Liu Bei, but was defeated by Liu Bei. Cao Cao personally led an army to march against Liu Bei, and then Tian Feng persuaded Yuan Shao to sneak into Cao Cao's rear, Yuan Shao used his son's illness as an excuse to resign, and Tian Feng angrily hit the ground with his crutches and complained.
To be afraid is to be prepared. Tian Feng said to Shao Yue: "Those who compete with the public for the world, Cao Cao also." Cao Now attacked Liu Bei in the east, and the army company could not be relieved, and after the army attacked him now, it could be determined. The soldiers moved in a few moves, and so did the time. "Shao resigned to the disease of the child, and did not get it." Feng Raised His Staff hit the ground and said, "Oh, it's over!" Husbands suffered a few hardships, and lost their knowledge with infant disease, sorry! ——" The Book of the Later Han Dynasty, The Biography of Yuan Shao Liu Biao
The Book of the Later Han Dynasty is basically the same as the Romance of the Three Kingdoms (the Book of later Han was written later than the Romance of the Three Kingdoms), but the dialogue between Tian Feng and Yuan Shao is recorded in detail. Then Yuan Shao's excuse of rejecting Tian Feng was the same, and the child was sick. It seems that the "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" was not made up out of thin air this time, but had a historical basis, so did Yuan Shao really not send troops to attack Cao Cao because his child was ill?
Mr. Lu Simian's views
The Biography of Yuan Shao says: When Cao Cao attacked Liu Bei, Tian Feng persuaded Yuan Shao to attack his rear, and Yuan Shao said that his son was ill and did not listen. "Raise your staff and strike the ground: 'The husband suffers the opportunity of misfortune, and the sickness of the infant loses his meeting, and it is a pity!' This is also an afterthought. ——Lü Simian, "History of the Three Kingdoms"
Mr. Lü Simian believed that Yuan Shao rejected Tian Feng's suggestion to sneak up on Cao Cao on the grounds that his son was ill, and this record was an afterthought! His reasons are as follows:
First, Cao Cao was a man who was good at using troops, and the rear would never be empty and unprepared; moreover, Cao Cao also had a considerable number of troops at that time, and the rear would never be empty and unprepared.
Second, Yuan Shao's base was in Hebei, and to attack Xuchang, he would first have to cross the Yellow River, and after crossing the Yellow River, there were still hundreds of miles to go, which could not be reached in ten days and eight days. If he said that light troops attacked, it would be useless and in vain to lose troops.
Third, Liu Bei's initial army was limited, and he might not be able to contain Cao Cao for a long time. Both Cao Cao and Yuan Shao understood this. Cao Cao's decision to go on a crusade was also for this reason.
After reading Mr. Lu Simian's analysis, I suddenly had a feeling of sudden enlightenment. If Yuan Shao is really a straw bag and an incompetent person, there may be a situation where he misses the fighter plane because of his son's illness, but Yuan Shao can dominate the land of the four continents in Hebei and carry 100,000 armor, how can it be a straw bag? Just because Yuan Shao ultimately failed, we can't say that Yuan Shao is nothing.
Moreover, a big battle like the Battle of Guandu, from preparation to marching, every move is very cautious and requires time to prepare. Cao Cao's attack on Xuzhou was in the first month of the fifth year of Jian'an, and in February Yuan Shao's army had already entered Liyang on the north bank of the Yellow River, so it was speculated that at the time of Cao Cao's attack on Liu Bei, Yuan Shao was marching to the front line, and 100,000 troops and horses were moving, and a month's time was normal. How did you throw the pot on your son?
Therefore, the evaluation of a historical figure should be objective and comprehensive, have their own independent judgment, can not follow the crowd, can not be because of a matter, a record to draw conclusions. In this regard, Mr. Lu Simian once had a very good opinion:
Of course, we cannot know all about the environment of the ancients, nor will we know all about them, so we must not fully understand what the ancients did, nor will we not be completely unaware. Therefore, it is not absolutely impossible to explain ancient events and criticize the ancients, but it is necessary to be very cautious and limited to the possible range.
Keeping this range, there is very little we can say. However, in these few words, there is a little truth in the facts. Its meaning is much deeper than that of hypothetical assumptions such as interpretation that satisfy people's feelings. Satisfying feelings is certainly a kind of happiness, but understanding the truth of the facts and satisfying the desire to learn is not a kind of happiness?
References: Notes on Pei Songzhi in romance of the Three Kingdoms, And Lu Simian in History of the Three Kingdoms