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Shen Pei, courtesy name Zheng Nan, was a native of Yin'an in Wei Commandery and a strategist under Yuan Shao during the late Eastern Han Dynasty.

Shen Pei served as a county official in Wei Commandery in his early years, but due to his lack of success, he switched allegiance to Han Fu, the governor of Ji Province, but was not given important positions.

In the second year of the reign of Emperor Xian of Han (191 AD), Yuan Shao, the governor of Bohai, forced Han Fu to relinquish Ji Province and took over as the governor of Ji Province himself. He appointed Shen Pei as the chief administrator and regarded him as a confidant.

In the fourth year of Jian'an (199 AD) during the reign of Emperor Xian of Han, Yuan Shao's power greatly increased after he eliminated Gongsun Zan, who had seized control of the north. He then appointed Shen Pei and Feng Ji to lead the military and planned to attack Xuchang, which was occupied by Cao Cao.

Shen Pei believed that Yuan Shao's army was strong and strongly advocated a decisive battle with Cao Cao. Yuan Shao agreed with this suggestion and left Shen Pei to guard Ye City while he personally led a large army to attack Cao Cao.

The following year, Yuan Shao and Cao Cao's armies were locked in a stalemate at the Battle of Guandu. During this time, due to a crime committed by the family of the strategist Xu You, Shen Pei arrested him. Xu You, in anger, defected to Cao Cao and devised a plan to seize Wuchao, where Yuan Shao's army stored grain. This led to Yuan Shao's great defeat at the Battle of Guandu, and Shen Pei's two sons were also captured alive by Cao Cao.

In the seventh year of Jian'an (202 AD) during the reign of Emperor Xian of Han, Yuan Shao died. Shen Pei and Feng Ji secretly altered the will and supported Yuan Shao's youngest son, Yuan Shang, to succeed to the throne. This led to a power struggle between Yuan Shang and Yuan Shao's eldest son, Yuan Tan, who fought each other and were eventually defeated one by one by Cao Cao.

In the ninth year of Jian'an (204 AD) during the reign of Emperor Xian of Han, Cao Cao led a large army to capture Ye City. Shen Pei was captured alive, refused to surrender, and was killed by Cao Cao.

Emperor Wen of Wei, Cao Pi, characterized Shen Pei as a treacherous villain who disrupted state affairs and single-handedly contributed to Yuan Shao's downfall.

Xun Yu, a strategist of Cao Wei at the same time, believed that Shen Pei was domineering and had no outstanding strategies.

Pei Songzhi, a historian of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, believed that Shen Pei's willingness to die for the Yuan family made him a worthy candidate for a loyal and righteous minister.

Hao Jing, a historian in the early Yuan Dynasty, believed that Shen Pei's willingness to die was a manifestation of his noble character.

Shen Pei served as a county official in Wei Commandery in his early years, but due to his lack of success, he turned to Han Fu, the governor of Ji Province.

In the second year of the Chuping era (191 AD), Yuan Shao, then the governor of Bohai, forced Han Fu to relinquish Ji Province and took over as the governor of Ji Province himself.

Previously, Shen Pei served under Han Fu, but due to his upright character, he had never been given an important position. After Yuan Shao took office, he appointed Shen Pei as the Chief Administrator and trusted him greatly.

In the spring of the fourth year of Jian'an (199 AD), after Yuan Shao eliminated the northern warlord Gongsun Zan, he already controlled the four provinces of Qingzhou, Jizhou, Youzhou and Bingzhou, as well as an army of 100,000. He wanted to attack Xuchang and eliminate Cao Cao.

Shen Pei believed that Yuan Shao's power was at its peak at that time, which was the best time to attack Cao Cao, and strongly advocated that Yuan Shao and Cao Cao engage in a decisive battle.

This suggestion was approved by Yuan Shao. Therefore, Yuan Shao appointed Shen Pei and Feng Ji as commanders-in-chief of the military, preparing to lead an army to attack Cao Cao.

In February of the fifth year of Jian'an (200 AD), Yuan Shao left Shen Pei to guard Ye City, while he personally led a large army to attack Cao Cao.

The armies of Yuan Shao and Cao Cao clashed at Guandu (present-day Zhongmu County, Henan Province) and remained locked in a stalemate for over a hundred days. The strategist Xu You advised Yuan Shao to take advantage of Cao Cao's weakened defenses and launch a night attack on Xuchang, but Yuan Shao did not heed the advice.

At that time, Xu You's family members committed a crime, and Shen Pei arrested and imprisoned them. Enraged, Xu You turned to Cao Cao and offered him a plan, suggesting that Cao Cao launch a light attack on Yuan Shao's Wuchao camp, where Yuan Shao stored his grain supplies.

Cao Cao followed Xu You's advice and attacked Wuchao, burning Yuan Shao's army's supplies and provisions. Yuan Shao's army was thrown into chaos, and Cao Cao took advantage of the victory to pursue and defeat Yuan Shao's army.

During the defeat at Guandu, both of Shen Pei's sons were captured by Cao Cao. Meng Dai, a general under Yuan Shao, had a long-standing feud with Shen Pei, so he advised Yuan Shao through Jiang Qi that Shen Pei was wielding too much power, his clan was powerful, and his army was strong. Moreover, his two sons were now in Cao Cao's hands, so he must be plotting rebellion.

Yuan Shao then appointed Meng Dai as military supervisor, replacing Shen Pei in guarding Ye City. Protector of the Army Feng Ji and Shen Pei were not on good terms privately.

Yuan Shao once asked Feng Ji about Shen Pei, but Feng Ji put aside his personal grudges and replied that Shen Pei was a man of integrity and uprightness, and that every word and deed he did was guided by principles of righteousness and integrity. He would never do anything unjust because his two sons were in Cao Cao's hands.

Yuan Shao therefore decided not to dismiss Shen Pei from his post, and Shen Pei and Feng Ji reconciled from then on.

In the summer of 202 AD, Yuan Shao died without having designated an heir. He had favored his youngest son, Yuan Shang, and intended to make him his successor, but he never publicly announced it.

At that time, Shen Pei and Feng Ji were disliked by Yuan Tan, the eldest son of Yuan Shao, because of their arrogant and extravagant lifestyle. Therefore, Shen Pei and Feng Ji supported Yuan Shang to be enthroned. Meanwhile, Xin Ping and Guo Tu, who were vying for power with them, supported Yuan Tan.

Others also believed that Yuan Tan was older and were prepared to make him their leader. However, Shen Pei and others worried that Xin Ping and others would frame them after Yuan Tan succeeded to the throne, so they falsely claimed that Yuan Shao had left a will, supporting his youngest son Yuan Shang as his successor.

After Yuan Tan rushed back to his base camp in Ye City from Qingzhou, he failed to become the heir, so he proclaimed himself General of Chariots and Cavalry, and the two brothers became estranged from then on.

Cao Cao marched north to attack the Yuan brothers. Yuan Tan was stationed at Liyang to block Cao Cao's army, but Yuan Shang refused to give him troops and even sent his own confidants to accompany and monitor him.

Yuan Tan requested reinforcements, but this was refused by Shen Pei and others. Enraged, Yuan Tan killed Feng Ji. In September of the same year, Cao Cao crossed the Yellow River to attack Yuan Tan.

Yuan Tan urgently appealed to Yuan Shang for help. Yuan Shang left Shen Pei to guard Ye City and personally led troops to join Yuan Tan in resisting Cao Cao.

Yuan Tan and Yuan Shang suffered repeated defeats and were forced to retreat and defend Ye City. Cao Cao wanted to take advantage of the situation to continue attacking Ye City, but his strategist Guo Jia advised him to temporarily withdraw his troops and wait for the Yuan brothers to lower their guard and start fighting each other again before sending troops to quell the rebellion. Cao Cao listened to his advice.

Yuan Tan believed he was no match for Cao Cao because his armor and weapons were inferior and his forces were too small. After Cao Cao retreated, Yuan Tan demanded armor, weapons, and soldiers from Yuan Shang, intending to pursue the retreating Cao Cao.

Yuan Shang, however, suspected Yuan Tan's motives and refused to provide him with armor, weapons, or increase his troops, enraging Yuan Tan. Guo Tu and Xin Ping then seized the opportunity to advise him, claiming that Yuan Shang's succession was entirely due to Shen Pei's schemes.

Instigated by the two, Yuan Tan led his army to attack Yuan Shang, but was defeated and retreated to Nanpi to garrison.

In March of the ninth year of Jian'an (204 AD), Yuan Shang went to Pingyuan Commandery to attack Yuan Tan, leaving Shen Pei to garrison Ye City. During this time, Shen Pei wrote a letter to Yuan Tan, hoping he would prioritize the state and the brotherhood between them, and refrain from fighting Yuan Shang again. However, Yuan Tan did not heed his advice. Cao Cao seized this opportunity to advance and attack Ye City.

Shen Pei's subordinate, Feng Li, acted as Cao Cao's inside man, opening the gate to let over three hundred of Cao Cao's soldiers in. Upon discovering this, Shen Pei used a large stone from the city tower to smash the gate, killing all the Cao Cao soldiers who had entered the city.

In May of the same year, Cao Cao destroyed earthen mounds and tunnels, and dug a deep trench forty li (approximately 30 kilometers) around Ye City. Initially, Cao Cao only ordered the trenches to be shallow, making it appear as if Yuan Shao's army could cross them.

Shen Pei looked at the report, laughed it off, and refused to leave the city to fight Cao Cao. As a result, Cao Cao spent the night digging a deep trench, two zhang deep, and diverted the Zhang River to flood the city. Shen Pei held the city for several months, and more than half of the city's inhabitants starved to death.

When Yuan Shang heard that Ye City was in danger, he led more than 10,000 troops back to rescue the city in July of the same year. He also sent his chief clerk Li Fu into the city in advance, intending to cooperate with Shen Pei from the inside. However, Cao Cao saw through the plan.

At that time, Yuan Shang's troops were stationed seventeen li away from Ye City, facing the Fu River. At night, Yuan Shang and the garrison of Ye City lit fires as a signal to agree on their actions.

Shen Pei led his troops to the north of the city, intending to coordinate with Yuan Shang to break through the enemy's encirclement, but they were quickly defeated by Cao Cao. Shen Pei had no choice but to retreat to Ye City.

Yuan Shang fled to Quzhang and set up camp, where Cao Cao again came to surround and pursue him. Yuan Shang was afraid and sent Yin Kui and Chen Lin to Cao Cao to surrender, but Cao Cao refused and instead intensified the siege.

At that time, Ma Yan and others under Yuan Shang all surrendered and joined Cao Cao. Yuan's army collapsed, and Yuan Shang could only flee to Zhongshan.

Cao Cao seized all of Yuan Shang's baggage along the way, including his seal, insignia, axe, and clothing, and showed these items to the soldiers guarding the city.

For a time, morale within the city was thrown into chaos. To boost morale, Shen Pei claimed that Cao Cao's army was exhausted and that the governor of Youzhou's army was already on its way, urging his men to hold their ground and fight to the death.

During the defense of the city, Shen Pei even personally set up an ambush with arrows, almost hitting Cao Cao when he came out of the camp to inspect.

In August of the same year, Shen Rong, the nephew of Shen Pei, who served as the Commandant of the Eastern Gate, defected to Cao Cao and opened the city gates at night to let Cao Cao's army into the city. Shen Pei resisted fiercely but was eventually captured alive by Cao Cao's army.

When Xin Ping's family was arrested and imprisoned by Shen Pei, and Ye City was captured, Xin Ping's younger brother, Xin Pi, planned to go and rescue them, only to find that they had all been killed by Shen Pei.

Later, Xin Pi surrendered to Cao Cao. When he saw Shen Pei being brought to Cao Cao's tent bound, Xin Pi went up to him and hit Shen Pei's head with his horsewhip.

Shen Pei vehemently denounced Xin Pi and other such scoundrels as the reason why Ji Province was conquered by Cao Cao. Later, Cao Cao met Shen Pei and wanted him to surrender and serve him.
However, Shen Pei remained resolute and refused to beg for mercy, so Cao Cao ordered him to be executed. Because Yuan Shao was buried in the north, before the execution, Shen Pei even ordered the executioner to make him face north when he died.

It can be said that Xu You's betrayal at the last minute and the internal strife among his sons directly led to the destruction of the Yuan family's foundation. In particular, Xu You's betrayal at the last minute, who had access to top-notch intelligence and secrets about the Yuan army, was like the Titanic hitting an iceberg.

A heart brimming with the fury of a tiger, yet gently sniffing at the beauty of a rose. It's not hard to see that both of these events are inextricably linked to Shen Pei, Yuan Shao's most trusted strategist. If not for these two questionable actions by Yuan Shao's most loyal minister, how could the Yuan family's empire have suffered such a devastating defeat?
Some might ask, given Yuan Shao's vast wealth and numerous advisors such as Tian Feng, Ju Shou, Xu You, Feng Ji, Guo Tu, Shen Pei, Xun Chen, and Xin Pi, why is Shen Pei considered the top advisor? And why is it said that he betrayed the Yuan family the most? Aren't those two scoundrels, Guo Tu and Feng Ji, who were causing trouble on the front lines of Guandu?

During Cao Cao's raid on Wuchao Camp, he not only successfully misled Yuan Shao into rejecting the proposal of the fierce general Zhang He, but also later provided a divine assist, forcing the two generals Zhang He and Gao Lan to rebel.

The other repeatedly slandered Tian Feng, ultimately causing the death of this extraordinary man. These two idiots, while troublesome, were not the worst.

Zhang He and Gao Lan were framed by Guo Tu and had no choice but to betray their cause at the last minute. So, who tricked Xu You, who was the key to the outcome of the Battle of Guandu, into surrendering and helping Cao Cao pull off a big heist?

Xu You was a favorite of General Yuan Shao, so who had the audacity to take his family members away so easily? That person was Shen Pei.

According to numerous historical records, Shen Pei did not follow Yuan Shao to the front lines, but instead served as a rear guard.

Who was Liu Bei's top strategist? Fa Zheng? Definitely not. Everyone knows it was Zhuge Liang, because he stayed behind to guard the rear.

During the Southern Song Dynasty, Liu Yu launched a northern expedition and achieved brilliant results. He could have pressed on and achieved even greater success, but instead of taking advantage of the favorable situation, he suddenly withdrew his troops. Why?

Liu Mu, who had stayed behind to guard the rear, was seriously ill and passed away. When Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang, was evaluating his meritorious officials, he ranked Xiao He, who had stayed behind to guard the rear, first in merit.

Because there can be many strategists at the front, but only one person can stay behind to take full responsibility for matters at the rear.

Yuan Shao's choice of Shen Pei is enough to show, or at least show, that he trusted Shen Pei.

At the height of the Battle of Guandu, Xu You was still one of the main strategists accompanying the army. Yet, at this critical juncture, Shen Pei imprisoned him and his family. What was he up to?
You must know that Xu You was very pretentious, and like father, like son. His nephews and nieces did indeed like to show off, but everyone knew that, even the playboy Yuan Shu knew that "Xu Ziyuan is a vicious and lewd person with impure character."

Why did they have to receive the report at this critical juncture of the Battle of Guandu, and handle it so quickly, as if they were afraid that Xu You on the front line wouldn't know?
Why rush the message to the front lines and spread it around everywhere? Didn't you even consider Xu You's feelings? Or wasn't there a better, wiser way to handle this?
This can be attributed to Shen Pei's personality. "Shen Pei was loyal, generous, upright, and had inviolable principles." This meant that he could not tolerate any wrongdoing.

However, precisely because of this, he was unable to consider the bigger picture and address the issue of the public's accusations against Xu You for "the corruption and licentiousness of his nephews and nieces."

Zhuge Liang had faced the same situation before, but he handled it exceptionally well.

With the help of Fa Zheng, Liu Bei finally managed to conquer Yizhou, and the restoration of the Han Dynasty finally saw a glimmer of hope.

Therefore, he appointed the resourceful Fa Zheng as the governor of Shu Commandery. However, Fa Zheng, like Guo Jia and other strategists, possessed great talent, but he was also often ridiculed by the world. Before he succeeded and became famous, he suffered too much contempt. So, once he seized power, he and his sons and nephews also took revenge on some of those who had offended him in the past.

So, when Fa Zheng was serving as a strategist in the army, helping Liu Bei conquer the world, all sorts of accusations, accompanied by detailed evidence, flooded Zhuge Liang's office like snowflakes. They were all accusing Fa Zheng and his family, hoping that Zhuge Liang would handle the matter. However, Zhuge Liang spoke frankly and openly to everyone, saying the following:

What Zhuge Liang didn't say was, what would have happened if he had actually been in the rear, arresting and dealing with Fa Zheng's family? (End of Chapter)