Yuan Shao, a despised hero in history, but before the Battle of Guandu, he was a veritable number one in the world. Liu Bei, Sun Quan, and Cao Pi never reached the prestige of Yuan Shao, and Yuan Shao rose from the identity of a county guard to the overlord of the unified four states, which can be called the first in the world. Sun Quan and Cao Pi's family inheritance is incomparable.
Cao Cao repeatedly made mistakes on the issues of Lü Bu, Liu Bei, and Zhang Xiu, and it became his own problem. When Yuan Shao went south, Cao Cao held four states, and there may be some gaps in strength, but it was not too different. However, Liu Biao, Sun Ce, and Liu Bei sided with Yuan Shao, forcing Cao Cao to divide his troops and reflect on the situation himself.
Jizhou was captured by Yuan Shao's clever planning, but this also angered the strongest prince at that time - Gongsun Zhan. Yuan Shao successfully defeated Gongsun Zhan, and this victory is reminiscent of Kaihang. At the same time, Cao Cao's Yanzhou can basically be said to have risen with the support of Yuan Shao. Cao Cao suffered a setback in Hanoi, but Yuan Shao acquiesced in his recruitment in Yangzhou, which eventually led to Cao Cao having to enter Hanoi (in fact, Yuan Shao was in Hanoi, but the Three Kingdoms did not directly admit that Cao Cao had defected to Yuan Shao).
Subsequently, Cao Cao entered Yanzhou and defeated the Montenegrin army (Yuan Shao must have provided troops and food, don't tell me that Cao Cao's 1,000 men defeated 100,000). Yuan Shao immediately commended Cao Cao as the Taishou of Dongjun. Then, Liu Dai, the assassin of Yanzhou, died unexpectedly, and the people of Yanzhou elected Cao Cao to become the assassin.
Yuan Shao's basic territory is only Jizhou, and there is still a Montenegrin army that is difficult to exterminateBingzhou is known as a state, but in fact only two counties are in the hands of Yuan Shao, and the rest have been taken away by pro-Han minoritiesIn Qingzhou, Yuan Shao also only mastered Pingyuan County and other places north of the Yellow River, with the Yellow Turban in the middle and Zang Ba (belonging to Cao Cao) in the southAnd Youzhou has just been pacified, whether Liu Yu's old department is willing to obey orders, there are still many local overlords in Youzhou, such as Gongsun Clan, Xian Yufu, Wu Huan, Tian Chou, Wang Song and other large and small forces divided together.
In contrast, Cao Cao's basic plates were Yanzhou and Yuzhou, the Sili area had been emptied by Dong Zhuo, Xuzhou had been pacified, and Xiahou Yuan was responsible for collecting grain and grass during the Guandu period, which became the key to the revival of Cao Cao's armyCao Cao also occupied parts of Yangzhou (Yuan Shu's domain) and parts of Qingzhou (Zang Ba's territory), and his sphere of influence was broader than Yuan Shao's, albeit for a shorter period of time, but far less fertile than Jizhou.
The course of the Battle of Guandu was as follows: Cao Cao successively devoured two vanguard armies of Yuan Shao, causing "Yuan's army to be terrified". Yuan Shao beat Cao Cao so much that he did not dare to fight in the head-on battle, so he could only retreat, and the history books simply described "Taizu's army is unfavorable, and the wall is again". However, Xi's record is that "the soldiers were less than 10,000 and the wounded were 123", which shows the actual results of the Battle of Guandu.
The Battle of Guandu was actually a battle defended by the inferior side, and by burning the opponent's grain and grass to find an opportunity, the attack was successfully defended. Yuan Shao may have made some mistakes, but except for Xu You's defection, other issues are within the scope of Yuan Shao's responsibility.
Yuan Shao is definitely an underrated hero, and despite his famous background, his rise is entirely due to his own talent. Personally, I think that Yuan Shao must be the first echelon among the lords of the Three Kingdoms period, although slightly inferior to Cao Cao. After all, in the case of four states fighting two states, the troops and grain and grass all have an absolute advantage, and the fight is actually five or five, which should not be. Although Xu You's betrayal was an important reason, factors such as discord and reconnaissance were all part of the war. Moreover, in the Battle of Guandu, the armies of both sides had frequent correspondence, and Xu You's complete defection provided key information, which also reflected Yuan Shao's lack of secrecy and investigation.
There was a major mistake in the secrecy of information, which allowed Xu You to leak core military secrets to Cao Cao. The two key pieces of information provided by Xu You were: Yuan Shao's grain and grass were heavy in Wuchao, and Wuchao did not have enough troops to garrison it. This is tantamount to revealing the specific location and troop allocation of the logistics center. Xu You's ability to obtain such important information obviously shows that he has penetrated into Yuan Shao's core decision-making circle, and when the two armies are fighting, the people in the core decision-making circle can quietly enter the opponent's military formation without being discovered, which also shows Yuan Shao's shortcomings in information warfare. Perhaps Yuan Shao was overconfident and thought that the situation would win in a few days, which led to his relaxation.
Among the monarchs of the Three Kingdoms, Yuan Shao and Cao Cao were basically in the first echelon. On the whole, there are only two of them who can compete in the world. Once Cao Cao solved Yuan Shao's son, the overall situation was basically decided. The Battle of Chibi is similar to Guandu, in that the attackers have the upper hand and achieve a huge advantage at the end of the half (Yuan Shao caused a rebellion in Cao Cao's territory and ran out of food, and Cao Cao got the entire Jingzhou naval army). However, due to carelessness and accidents, it eventually led to a big defeat. Although Cao Cao was not good at water warfare, he actually obtained the Jingzhou naval army and was fully capable of choosing whether to fight or not. As for Yuan Shao, if he doesn't fight, Cao Cao may continue to develop, and he may really not be able to beat him in the future.
Yuan Shao's advantage is that he was born in a famous family, but he later became the overlord of the four northern states entirely by his own ability. At the time of Yuan Shao's death, he was still in control of Jizhou and was evenly matched with Cao Cao. Yuan Shao may have some pride and complacency, but if he thinks that he cannot succeed, it is just an illusion given by the way the history books record it. When Cao Cao faced Yuan Shao, he said, "Loneliness can't protect itself", but he didn't say it casually.
Yuan Shao has long been one of the most controversial figures in Chinese history, and this article provides an in-depth look at his character and the Battle of Guandu. It can be seen from the article that the author tried to restore Yuan Shao's true image in history, believing that he was a despised hero, and the outcome of the Battle of Guandu was not entirely determined by Yuan Shao's personal mistakes, but more influenced by factors such as Xu Shao's rebellion.
First of all, the article defends Yuan Shao's personal ability, pointing out that he is a figure from a famous family but with a common status, but he successfully ruled the four northern states. This shows that Yuan Shao not only has a superior background, but also has achieved remarkable achievements with his personal resourcefulness and leadership skills. This view challenges the traditional historical view of Yuan Shao and calls for a re-examination of the historical figure.
Secondly, this paper makes a nuanced analysis of the Battle of Guandu and emphasizes the interaction of various factors in the war. From Yuan Shao's successful capture of Jizhou, to Cao Cao's rise in Yanzhou, to the victory or defeat in the Battle of Guandu, all reflect the complex relationship between Yuan Shao and Cao Cao. The analysis in the article reveals the importance of tactics, logistics, and intelligence in the war, and highlights the decisive impact of Xu You's rebellion on Yuan Shao, which is often overlooked in historical research.
Then, the article emphasizes Yuan Shao's political and military superiority, pointing out his dominance in the four states and his control over all forces. This makes the reader more aware of why Yuan Shao was able to be regarded as the best in the world before the Battle of Guandu, and why Cao Cao basically stabilized the situation after resolving Yuan Shao's problems. Such an analysis provides the reader with a comprehensive perspective that leads to a deeper understanding of historical events.
Finally, the article summarizes Yuan Shao's evaluation, arguing that Yuan Shao is historically underestimated, and his personal ability should be in the first echelon of the lords of the Three Kingdoms period, although slightly inferior to Cao Cao. This view provokes reflection on the criteria for evaluating historical figures, and how historical perspectives are influenced by eras and different historical accounts.
Overall, this commentary** provides an insightful analysis and defense of Yuan Shao and his role in the Battle of Guandu. By re-examining historical events, the article stimulates readers' thinking about historical figures in the Three Kingdoms period, and makes people's understanding of Yuan Shao a historical figure more comprehensive and objective.
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