The strategy of "two tigers competing for food" and the strategy of "driving away tigers and swallowing wolves" are famous strategies of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, which were successively proposed by Xun Yu, an important think tank of Cao Cao, to eliminate the forces of Liu Bei and Lü Bu who were entrenched in Xuzhou. The strategy of "two tigers competing for food" and the strategy of "driving away tigers and swallowing wolves" are described very brilliantly in the novel, however, in real history, is there really a "two tigers competing for food" strategy and a "driving away tigers and swallowing wolves"? What is the basis for planning such a strategy? We will discuss this this time.
Regarding the strategy of "two tigers competing for food" and the strategy of "driving away tigers and swallowing wolves", the original text of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms is as follows:
"Xun Yuyue: '... Now that Xu Du has been newly determined, it is not possible to create a secondary use of troops. Yu has a plan, known as the two tigers competing for food. Although Liu Bei now led Xuzhou, he was not commanded. Ming Gong could ask the edict to be appointed as the pastor of Xuzhou, because of the secret and a book, to teach lü Bu to kill. If things are accomplished, they will be supplemented by fierce warriors, and they will gradually be able to figure out; if things do not succeed, Lü Bu will kill and prepare: this is the strategy of the two tigers to compete for food. ’”
However, under Liu Bei's resolution, the "two tigers competing for food" strategy was not successful. Therefore, there is another strategy of "driving away the tiger and swallowing the wolf", the original text is as follows:
"'There is another plan, a strategy called the strategy of driving the tiger and swallowing the wolf.'" Yu Yue: "But you can secretly ask Yuan Shu about it, and report that Liu Bei has a secret table and wants to skip Nan County." When the art is heard, it will be angry and attacked; Gong Nai Ming commanded Liu Bei to beg Yuan Shu. When the two sides are merged, Lü Bu will have a different heart: this plan to drive the tiger and swallow the wolf is also. ’”
Next, I will sort out the corresponding real historical events according to the above description.
First, the time of the incident
The "two tigers competing for food" was aimed at Liu Bei in Xuzhou and Lü Bu in Xuzhou. According to the Chronicle of Emperor Wu of the Three Kingdoms: "(Xingping) in the spring of the second year (i.e. 195 AD)... Taizu resumed the attack, pulled out the Pottery, and divided the troops into Pingzhu Counties. (Lü) Bu dong ben Liu Bei...", here, it is pointed out that Cao Cao, after returning to the base of Yanzhou in Xuzhou, began to negotiate with Lü Bu who secretly attacked Yanzhou, and finally drove Lü Bu out of Yanzhou in 195. The Biography of Lü Bu of the Three Kingdoms also has corresponding records, that is, "During the second year of (Xingping), Taizu Nai did his best to recover the cities and break through the cloth in Juye. Bu Dong ben Liu Bei. According to the Records of Emperor Wu of the Three Kingdoms, in the first year of Xingping (194 AD), "Tao Qian died and Liu Bei took his place", that is, in 194 AD, Liu Bei entered Xuzhou. Therefore, in terms of time, there is indeed the fact that Liu Bei's forces and Lü Bu's forces have been concentrated in Xuzhou successively. In addition, regarding the relationship between Liu Bei and Lü Bu, Pei Songzhi's notes in the Biography of Lü Bu of the Three Kingdoms cite a passage in the "Hero's Record" that expresses that there may be a contradiction between Liu Bei and Lü Bu, the original text is as follows: "Bu sees Bei, is very respectful, and is said to be prepared: 'I am with Qing and the people of the same border area. Bu saw that Kwantung had raised an army and wanted to attack Dong Zhuo. Cloth kills Zhuo Dong out, and all the Kwantung generals who have no Ambu want to kill Boo. 'Please sit on the bed of the woman in the tent, and make the woman worship, drink wine and eat, and be a brother in the name of the brother.' It is not uncommon to see that the language of cloth is impermanent, and the outside is not spoken of inside. Although the history involves the delicate relationship between Liu Bei, who had already entered Xuzhou, and Lü Bu, who had rushed east, the incident at which Cao Cao taught Liu Bei to kill Lü Bu at this time is not recorded in history.
The strategy of "driving away the tiger and swallowing the wolf" involved Yuan Shu attacking Liu Bei and Lü Bu taking the opportunity to sneak into Xuzhou, and the "Biography of the Ancestor of the Three Kingdoms" says: "Yuan Shu came to attack the first lord, and the first lord refused to xuyi and Huaiyin." Cao Gongbiao was the general of Zhendong and the Marquis of Yicheng Ting, who was also the first year of Jian'an. The first lord and the technique held each other for a period of time, and Lü Bu took advantage of the false attack to attack Pi. Xia Pi guarded Cao Bao against him, and intermittently greeted the cloth. Bu Yu first took the wife of the lord, and the first lord turned to Haixi. Here it is pointed out that Yuan Shu's attack on Liu Bei and Lü Bu's sneak attack on Xuzhou occurred in the first year of Jian'an, that is, in 196 AD, and the time of the implementation of the "driving away the tiger and swallowing the wolf" in the novel is roughly consistent with the time of the series of events in history when Yuan Shu attacked Liu Bei and Lü Bu secretly attacked Xuzhou, and the Biography of Lü Bu of the Three Kingdoms also has a corresponding record, that is, "Prepare the Eastern Strike Technique, attack the pi, and return it to the cloth." In general, the sequence of events described in the novel can be roughly consistent with the sequence of Yuan Shu's attack on Liu Bei and Lü Bu's sneak attack on Xuzhou that occurred in history, but it lacks the corresponding name and specific proposer of the strategy of "driving the tiger and swallowing the wolf". However, this is not the case, if we carefully look at the premise of Xun Yu's design in the novel, we can find that the time proposed by the strategy of "driving the tiger and swallowing the wolf" has a monthly deviation from the time of Yuan Shu's attack on Liu Bei and Lü Bu's sneak attack on Xuzhou.
In the novel, Xun Yu proposes that the premise of the strategy is "Xu Du Xinding", that is, Cao Cao greets the Son of Heaven yu Xu, and the time of this event recorded in the Chronicle of Emperor Wu of the Three Kingdoms is September of the first year of Jian'an, that is: "(Jian'an first year)... In September, the car drove out of the way and went east, with Taizu as the great general and the Marquis of Wuping. From the westward migration of the Heavenly Son, the imperial court was in turmoil, and the Zongmiao Community System was established. There is no exact month in which Yuan Shu attacked Liu Bei in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, and according to the Zizhi Tongjian, Yuan Shu attacked Liu Bei in June of that year, that is: "(Jian'an Yuan year) June Yi Wei ... Yuan Shu attacked Liu Bei to fight for Xuzhou..." Then lü Bu sneaked into Xuzhou: "Sima Zhang Fei guarded Xia Pi, and he refused to do so in Xuyi and Huaiyin, holding each other for a long time, and winning or losing. Cao Bao, The Former General of Tao Qian, lost with Zhang Fei, flew to kill him, and the city was in chaos. Yuan Shu and Lü Bushu persuaded them to attack Xia Pi and xu to aid them with military food. Bu Daxi led the army to the east by land and water. Beizhong Lang opened the door to Danyang Xu to greet him. Zhang Fei was defeated and left, and Bu Yu prepared his wife and the general's family mouth..."
From the time combing of the "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" and the "Zizhi Tongjian", we can see that Yuan Shu's attack on Liu Bei and Lü Bu's sneak attack on Xuzhou occurred earlier than Cao Cao's meeting with Emperor Yu Xu of the Han Dynasty, so the "Two Tigers Competing for Food" and the "Driving Tiger and Swallowing Wolves" strategy lack the premise of implementation in real history, and at the same time it is difficult to find out the records of specific planning strategies and the names of the people who proposed the strategy, so the strategy of "Two Tigers Competing for Food" and "Driving Away tigers and swallowing wolves" is likely to be only fictionalized in fiction.
2. The basis for strategic planning
As mentioned above, the implementation of the "two tigers competing for food" and the "driving away the tiger and swallowing the wolf" requires a premise, which in my opinion is to be able to act in the name of the Son of Heaven. Although the world was in turmoil at the end of the Han Dynasty, tianzi still had a nominal calling role, and the tianzi of the Han family who welcomed the weak was the representative of Kuangfu Dayi and the heart of the four seas, and whoever welcomed the tianzi had an absolute political advantage, so Yuan Shao's adviser Tian Feng ("Persuade Shao to welcome the heavenly son, Shao bu na.") "The Biography of Yuan Shao of the Three Kingdoms" Pei Songzhi quotes the "Letter of the Ancestors"), frustrated zhi once urged Yuan Shao to welcome the Son of Heaven, frustrated and even bluntly pointed out: "It is advisable to welcome the Great Driver, an Gong Yi Du, to blackmail the Son of Heaven and order the princes, and the beasts and horses to please the court." However, Yuan Shao did not take Tian Feng's advice and frustrated. Cao Cao's adviser Mao Jiu also put forward the strategic idea of "feng tianzi to order not to be subordinate", and Xun Yu even urged Cao Cao to meet the tianzi when Cao Cao hesitated, proposing: "Former Jin Dynasty Wenna Zhou Xiang King and princes Jing Cong, Gao Zu Dongfa for the righteous emperor Mu Su and the world returned to the heart." Since the Son of Heaven sowed yue, the general sang the first song of the righteous soldiers, in vain shandong to disturb, failed to go to guan right, but Yu sent a general, a messenger, although the royal difficulties are outside, but the heart is all in the royal family, is the general Kuang Tianxia Su Zhiye. Now the car is spinning, Tokyo hazelnut, the righteous have the idea of survival, and the people feel old and mournful. Sincerity is therefore, to serve the Lord to the people's expectations, Da Shunye; to serve Xiongjie to be honest and righteous, to be roughly also; to help Hongyi to be handsome, and to be virtuous. Although there are anti-knots in the world, they must not be tired, and they will be clear. Han Xian and Yang Fengqi dared to do harm! If it is determined from time to time, the four parties will have a heart, and although they are worried about it, they will not reach it. In the end, Cao Cao strengthened his belief in welcoming the Son of Heaven, thus seizing this day.
Therefore, in my opinion, the "two tigers competing for food" and the "driving away the tiger and swallowing the wolf" in the novel are, on the surface, more or less a divisive plan combined with the murder plan of borrowing a knife to dissipate the opponent's strength. In essence, this is a practical way of practicing the strategy of "holding the Son of Heaven hostage to order the princes".
This can also prove the above-mentioned point of view, that is, in real history, the strategy of "two tigers competing for food" and the strategy of "driving the tiger and swallowing the wolf" could not be applied to the series of events (which occurred in June 196) of Yuan Shu's attack on Liu Bei and Lü Bu's sneak attack on Xuzhou, because: first, Cao Cao was still a few months away from greeting Emperor Xian of Han to Xu (the greeting of the Son of Heaven occurred in September 196); second, cao Cao did not have the opportunity to issue an edict to Liu Bei in the name of tianzi at that time; third, cao Cao was busy welcoming Emperor Xian of Han to Xu at that time. There was no time to look east to Xuzhou.
Third, why does the novel have to invent the "two tigers competing for food" plan and the "drive the tiger to swallow the wolf" plan
In my opinion, the strategy of "two tigers competing for food" and the strategy of "driving away the tiger and swallowing the wolf" are microscopic strategies, while "holding the Son of Heaven to order the princes" is a macroscopic strategy, and the reason why the novel fictionalizes the strategy of "two tigers competing for food" and the strategy of "driving the tiger and swallowing the wolf" is to better demonstrate the strategy of "holding the son of heaven to make the princes".
Therefore, the novel deals with the events that really occurred in history, such as Cao Cao's greeting of Tianzi Yu Xu, Lü Bu's east rush to Xuzhou, Yuan Shu's attack on Liu Bei, and Lü Bu's sneak attack on Xuzhou, and advances the time of Cao Cao's greeting to Xu, thus designing Xun Yu's "two tigers competing for food" strategy and "driving the tiger and swallowing the wolf". In the novel, the strategy of "driving away the tiger and swallowing the wolf" finally succeeded in weakening and dissolving the forces of Liu Bei and Lü Bu in Xuzhou, and verified the important effect of the strategy of "holding the son of heaven to order the princes".
In addition, "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" is good at describing the confrontation of wisdom and scheming, in order to let readers better understand the strategy of "holding the son of heaven to order the princes", so it fictionalizes the strategy of "two tigers competing for food" and "driving away the tiger and swallowing the wolf" under the guidance of this strategic idea. And arranging the "two tigers competing for food" and the "driving away the tiger and swallowing the wolf" plan on Xun Yu is not for no reason, because Xun Yu is the main advocate of the strategic idea of welcoming the Son of Heaven.
To sum up, the strategy of "two tigers competing for food" and the strategy of "driving away tigers and swallowing wolves" are not real in history, but their appearance in the novel originates from the strategic idea of "holding the son of heaven to order the princes", which is a specific practice of this strategic thinking.