In the Three Kingdoms, when it comes to the surname Xiahou, it is really unknown to everyone. Xiahou Yuan and Xiahou Huan, who had been following Cao Cao since he began his army, could be said to be the founding fathers of Cao Wei. Unfortunately, however, Xiahou Huan died of illness before Cao Wei was established, and Xiahou Yuan was also beheaded by Huang Zhong, who was old and strong, in the Battle of Dingjun Mountain. But the strange thing is that such a figure who followed Cao Cao to fight the world should be very famous, but after he was killed, Liu Bei believed that this person's threat was even worse than his aide-de-camp Zhang Gao. Why is that?
In fact, before this, we still have to talk about Xiahou Yuan as a person. In the chaotic world, Cao Cao, as a budding tyrant, although he has always taken good care of those cold disciples, what he trusts most is actually his family. In addition to several brothers of the Cao family, the Xiahou family was also Cao Cao's relatives, and even Xiahou Yuan's wife was the sister of Cao Cao's wife. This relationship, in the ancient society dominated by blood, can be described as unbreakable. It was precisely because of this that Xiahou Yuan was even willing to stand up for Cao Cao, who had broken the law, and made himself imprisoned. After the uprising, Xiahou Yuan naturally became Cao Cao's confidant.
However, Cao Cao has always had the name of a wise man, even if his relatives, if they do not have the ability, they will not let him intervene in the military. However, Xiahou Yuan was different, and in the military, like his brother, he was deeply valued by Cao Cao. In the middle and late period of the Yanyi, Xiahou Yuan was even able to take sole power, and as the commander-in-chief of Xiliang, he was responsible for defending against attacks from the Shu state. It should be known that this kind of honor is not something that anyone can have, after his death, the successor is Sima Yi, and on the other side, the same official position as him is Zhang Liao of Hefei. This comparison naturally proves that Xiahou Yuan is not a person who relies on connections to join the army.
Moreover, before Xiahou Yuan became the commander-in-chief of the west, he made the best expression with his battle achievements. Before Cao Cao completely controlled Xiliang, he would have to fight with the local people. And who controlled Xiliang at that time? Of course, it is Ma Chao, one of the five tiger generals. This battle was Xiahou Yuan's most famous battle, making him famous in Xiliang, and even enemies such as the Xiongnu did not dare to fight him. In this battle, Xiahou Yuan successively adopted a number of strategies, first with Cao Cao to instigate Han Sui on the other side, promising him to retain the power of Xiliang and let him betray Ma Chao, and then to unite with the local natives and use gold, silver and treasure to tempt them to attack Xiliang's logistics troops.
After doing these things, he even took Zhang Gao with him and led five thousand people, and he should go head-to-head with Ma Chao. It is recorded in the history books that at that time, Ma Chao was tripped up by Han Sui's back, and there was no way to send troops to attack Cao Cao, so he broke with Han Sui and planned to kill Han Sui. As a result, Xiahou Yuan, who learned the news, used Han Sui as bait and waited for Ma Chao to enter the camp before coming forward to surround him. At the end of the fight, Ma Chao's personal soldiers were almost completely annihilated, and only Ma Dai and Pound De and others broke through and fled. This battle left the Western Liang army without the will to fight, and in the end the entire Western Liang region was Cao Cao's pocket. It is precisely for this reason that he was also recorded in later generations as: "Tiger Step Pass Right", which has a high prestige in Xiliang.
Therefore, after pacifying Xiliang, in order to resist the attack of the Shu state from the south, there was also a guarantee for the stability of the rear of Xiliang. Xiahou Yuan was naturally elected as the supreme commander of the western region, responsible for major military matters. However, the reason why he was considered inferior to his aide-de-camp Zhang Guo was that he was too reckless.
In the Book of Wei, it is said: "In the beginning, although Yuan was victorious, Taizu often commanded that "when there is weakness, it is not only courageous." We will be brave and wise. But Zhi Ren Yong, a horse against the ear ''''
Cao Cao and he had also been friends for decades, and naturally they were clear about his shortcomings, and they had reminded him many times, and even told him clearly that if he only knew Yong, he was just a puppet.
But knowing that Xiahou Yuan did not listen, his merits were earned by this courage. It can be said that although he has this consciousness, he thinks that he is brave and can also win, so there is no need to be too cautious. In fact, it was also true that after Xiahou Yuanzhen guarded Hanzhong, he confronted the Shu kingdom. And during this time, he often stood with the army of the Shu state and did not fall behind.
So much so that in the seventieth episode of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Zhuge Liang commented on him: "'Fucking does not trust others, but those who rely solely on yuan, with yuan have generals. ''
He thought that Xiahou Yuan was a rare general, even Huang Zhong, in the head-to-head confrontation, it might be difficult to win.
However, Xiahou Yuan's personality was eventually used by Fa Zheng, and he took it down by means of a surprise attack. People with clear weaknesses, although strong, are the best to deal with. Even if he was praised by Cao Cao and Zhuge Liang, Xiahou Yuan was still too reckless. In terms of stability, it is difficult to compare with Zhang Gao. So much so that after his death,
The Romance of the Three Kingdoms also commented on him: "Xuan De yue:" "Although Xiahou Yuan is the commander-in-chief, he is a brave fuer, An and Zhang Guo? If you cut off Zhang Hao, you will be able to defeat Xiahou Yuan ten times. ''
It was believed that although Xiahou Yuan was a general, he only knew Chong, and the threat was not at all as good as Zhang Gao. Although poor Xiahou Yuan was one of the best generals in the Three Kingdoms, he could be said to be one of the best generals in the Three Kingdoms, and his ability alone could rank high in Cao Wei, but he was ruined in his own character. Recklessness and lack of concessions were the biggest reason why he couldn't surpass Zhang Gao.