At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the fringe areas of Jiaozhou were turbulent, but few people knew about it. What was the reason why Shi Xie chose to surrender to Sun Quan instead of Liu Bei or Cao Cao?
At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the heroes competed for dominance in the Central Plains, and various states and counties joined the war, but few people cared about Jiaozhou. The vast and sparsely populated area makes this southeastern region often overlooked. Shi Xie, as a local lord of Jiaozhou, was far less famous than Cao Cao, Sun Quan, Liu Bei and other heroes. So, why did Shi Xie finally choose to surrender to Sun Quan instead of Liu Bei or Cao Cao?
One. Specifically, Shi Xie had some dealings with Cao Cao before he surrendered to Sun Quan. After Cao Cao greeted Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty, he canonized Shi Xie as the general of Suinan Zhonglang in the name of the Eastern Han Dynasty and granted him the power of the governor of the seven counties of Jiaozhou. Cao Cao regarded the situation in the Central Plains as severe and failed to enter Jiaozhou, so it was already one of Cao Cao's strategies to win Shixie in advance to prevent him from falling to other forces.
In the face of Cao Cao's overtures, Shixie also responded with a salute and sent an envoy to Xudu with tribute, indicating that he was subordinate to the Eastern Han court. For Cao Cao, as long as Shixie nominally submitted to the imperial court, his goal would be achieved. However, Shi Xie did not go with Cao Cao in the end, which was inseparable from the Battle of Chibi.
In 208 AD, Cao Cao had already defeated Yuan Shu, Lü Bu, Yuan Shao, Zhang Xiu and other princes, and turned his attention to Jingzhou. At the same time, Liu Biao's death in 208 provided Cao Cao with an excellent opportunity to capture Jingzhou. Cao Cao sent a large army south, and Liu Biao's second son, Liu Cong, gave up resistance, causing most of Jingzhou's counties to temporarily fall into Cao Cao's hands.
Jingzhou and Jiaozhou are each other's lips and teeth, and if Cao Cao completely occupies Jingzhou, it will inevitably pose a threat to Jiaozhou. However, in the Battle of Chibi, Cao Cao was defeated by the combined forces of Sun Quan and Liu Bei, and lost most of Jingzhou's territory. The Battle of Chibi laid the foundation for the establishment of the Three Kingdoms, and also determined the ownership of Jiaozhou to a certain extent.
Two. 
In 208 AD, as Cao Cao retreated to the Central Plains, even if Shi Xie intended to submit to the imperial court, he was also constrained by objective conditions. After the Battle of Chibi, Cao Cao and Shixie were separated by Sun Quan and Liu Bei. If Shixie defected to Cao Cao, he would inevitably be attacked by the Sun-Liu alliance, and Cao Cao would not be able to cross Sun Quan and Liu Bei and transport his troops to Jiaozhou.
Therefore, Shi Xie's choice to surrender to Sun Quan can be described as a wise judgment of the situation at that time. If Cao Cao defeated Sun Quan and Liu Bei in the Battle of Red Cliffs, and even eliminated these two princes, then Shi Xie was likely to completely surrender to Cao Cao, and even attack Sun Quan and Liu Bei behind his back. However, in the Battle of Chibi, Cao Cao was defeated with an absolute superiority in troops, which also made Shi Xie unexpected.
On the other hand, in 209 AD, Liu Bei captured four counties in the south of Jingzhou, and then borrowed the land of the southern counties from Sun Quan. Shi Xie may not have chosen to defect to Liu Bei at that time, because Liu Bei's overall strength was still inferior to Sun Quan. Beginning in 200 AD, Sun Quan consolidated his control over Yangzhou and expanded his influence to Jingzhou. In the Battle of Chibi, Soochow made great efforts and became a more trustworthy object in the eyes of Shi Xie.
Three. 
By 210 AD, even if Shixie wanted to submit to the imperial court, the objective conditions made it impossible for him to do whatever he wanted. After the Battle of Chibi, Cao Cao and Shixie were separated by Sun Quan and Liu Bei. If Shixie submits to Cao Cao, he will be severely attacked by the Sun-Liu alliance, and Cao Cao will not be able to cross Sun Quan and Liu Bei and transport his troops to Jiaozhou.
Therefore, in my opinion, Shi Xie's choice to submit to Sun Quan is a manifestation of judging the situation. In other words, if Cao Cao defeated Sun Quan and Liu Bei in the Battle of Chibi, or even eliminated these two princes, Shi Xie would undoubtedly completely fall to Cao Cao later, and might even betray Sun Quan and Liu Bei. However, in the Battle of Chibi, Cao Cao was defeated by the combined forces of Sun Quan and Liu Bei due to his absolute superiority in forces, and Shi Xie apparently failed to foresee this situation.
In 211 AD, Liu Bei led his army into Yizhou, and later defeated Liu Zhang and captured the land of Hanzhong. By 217 AD, Liu Bei's strength was no less than that of Sun Quan. However, that's all for later.
Finally, I think that in Zhuge Liang's "Longzhong Pair", Jingzhou and Yizhou are highlighted, so that Liu Bei has no attention to Shixie, who seized Jiaozhou. On the contrary, Sun Quan had a strong interest in Jiaozhou. In 210 AD, when civil strife broke out in Jiaozhou, Sun Quan quickly sent troops to pacify it. In the face of the army led by Sun Quan, Shixie did not choose to resist, creating conditions for Sun Quan to smoothly take over Jiaozhou.
However, due to the deep influence of the Shixie brothers in Jiaozhou, Sun Quan did not rush to master Jiaozhou, but canonized Shixie as the general of Zuo and allowed him to continue to divide one side, which was undoubtedly a more pragmatic choice. In 222 AD, Shi Xie was canonized as General Wei by Sun Quan. However, in 226 AD, after Shi Xie's death, Sun Quan mercilessly removed Shi Xie's son and truly completed the occupation of Jiaozhou. With the formation of the pattern of the Three Kingdoms, Jiaozhou became the backyard garden of Eastern Wu, making the territory of Wu more than that of Shu Han after the Battle of Yiling.
This article exhaustively analyzes the reasons why Shixie ceded Jiaozhou and eventually surrendered to Sun Quan in the late Eastern Han Dynasty, and analyzes his complex relationship with Cao Cao and Liu Bei, as well as the influence of the Battle of Chibi on his choice. The author uses rich historical background and detailed descriptions of events to enable readers to clearly understand the political situation and the relationship between the characters at that time.
First, the article delves into the key role of Cao Cao's overtures to Shixie and the Battle of Chibi in explaining why Shi Xie chose to surrender to Sun Quan rather than Cao Cao or Liu Bei. Cao Cao's loss of control of Jingzhou after the Battle of Chibi made Shi Xie's choice of Sun Quan a wiser decision. This analysis not only highlights Cao Cao's status and influence at that time, but also highlights the far-reaching impact of the Battle of Chibi on the entire pattern of the late Eastern Han Dynasty.
Secondly, the article provides an in-depth analysis of the reasons why Shi Xie did not choose to defect to Liu Bei, emphasizing Sun Quan's consolidation of territory in Eastern Wu and his strong interest in Jiaozhou. This interpretation allows the reader to better understand the complex relationship between the princes and the trade-offs of Shixie at that time.
In addition, the article cleverly mentions Liu Bei's gradual growth in the late Eastern Han Dynasty, highlighting his status and influence at that time. Through a comprehensive analysis of the political game between Liu Bei, Cao Cao and Sun Quan, readers can have a deeper understanding of the historical context of the troubled times in the late Eastern Han Dynasty.
Finally, the article cites Zhuge Liang's views in Longzhong Pair, and proposes a reasonable explanation for why Shixie chose to surrender to Sun Quan. This not only adds to the historian's point of view, but also gives a deeper historiographical connotation to the whole article.
Overall, this review provides an incisive analysis of the article, and through detailed historical facts and reasonable speculation, readers have a deeper understanding of the political situation in the turbulent times of the late Eastern Han Dynasty. The article is rich in content and well-structured, and it is undoubtedly a valuable review for history buffs or readers interested in the history of the Three Kingdoms.
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