100 Historical Stories That Unlock Teenage Wisdom

Chapter 74

Chapter 8 The Wisdom of Ingenuity
It is certainly better to be a man of action than a dreamer.But doers often pay a lot and get very little, so they often complain.In fact, thinking and doing are like walking on two legs, whichever is shorter will become a limp.If we want to walk smoothly, we need to keep these two legs the same length, that is, we should put thinking and doing on the same level, do it on the basis of thinking, and think in the process of doing it.The combination of thinking and doing is the wisdom of working skillfully and making people get twice the result with half the effort.

A great craftsman teaches a man to fish, not a mermaid.

The way to do things skillfully is "fishing", which will help you get more fish.We should not be reckless in everything we do. Only by paying attention to "time, location, and harmony" and "skillful work" can we easily become "promising" doers.

Take a look at other people's practical skills, it will be of great benefit to enrich our experience! Chapter 81 Cao Cao Burning Army Food in Wuchao

——Drawing from the bottom of the pot requires the least effort. Water can be boiled because there is fuel, and people can move because they have support.If the fuel is removed and the support is lost, the water cannot be boiled, and people cannot move freely.

At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, when the warlords were fighting, Yuan Shao felt that Cao Cao was a powerful enemy, so he was determined to attack Cao Cao's lair, Xudu.Tian Feng, who originally advised him to attack Xudu, did not agree to attack immediately at this time.He said: "Now that Xudu is not empty, how can we still attack! Although Cao Cao has few troops, he is good at using troops and has many changes. We should not underestimate him. I think we should make long-term plans."

Yuan Shao didn't listen to Tian Feng's words, Tian Feng repeatedly advised him, Yuan Shao thought that he disturbed the morale of the army and put him in prison. He sent documents to all states and counties to denounce Cao Cao.In 200 A.D., Yuan Shao gathered [-] elite soldiers, sent Jushou as the supervisor, and marched from Yecheng to Liyang.He first sent General Yan Liang across the Yellow River to attack Baima.

When Cao Cao heard that the white horse was besieged, he prepared to rescue it himself.The counselor Xun You advised him: "The enemy has many soldiers and we are few. We can't fight him head-on. It's better to divide some troops to the west and pretend to cross the river in Yanjin area, so as to lead the main force of Yuan's army to the west. We will send a light cavalry to Baima , caught him off guard."

Cao Cao adopted Xun You's opinion.Yuan Shao heard that Cao Cao was going to cross the river in Yanjin, so he sent a large army to intercept him.How did you know that Cao Cao had personally led a light cavalry to attack the white horse.Yan Liang, the general of the Yuan army who surrounded the white horse, was unprepared and was defeated by Cao Jun.Yan Liang was killed, and the siege of the white horse was lifted.

When Yuan Shao heard that Cao Cao had saved the white horse, he jumped up in anger.Ju Shou, the supervisor of the army, persuaded Yuan Shao to keep the main force in the south of Yanjin and attack with a part of the force.However, Yuan Shao was in a hurry, and he did not listen to Jushou's advice. He ordered the whole army to cross the river to pursue Cao's army, and sent general Wen Chou to lead thousands of cavalry to fight in the vanguard.At this time, Cao Cao retreated from Baima to Guandu.Hearing that Yuan Jun was coming in pursuit, he ambushed [-] cavalrymen on the southern slope of Yanjin, ordered the soldiers to unsaddle their saddles, let the horses graze on the hillside, and threw weapons and armor all over the ground.

Wen Chou's cavalry rushed to the south slope. Seeing this, they thought that Cao's army had fled far away, and asked the soldiers to pack up the weapons that had been thrown on the ground.Suddenly Cao Cao gave an order, and the ambush soldiers rushed out together.Yuan Jun had no time to resist and was killed in pieces.Wen Chou also lost his head in a daze.

Yuan Shao lost his two generals, Yan Liang and Wen Chou, one after another.But he refused to give up, and must pursue Cao Cao.Ju Shou, the supervisor, said: "Although we have many people, we are not as brave as Cao Jun. Although Cao Jun is brave, he does not have as much food as us. So we still stand here. When Cao Jun runs out of food and grass, they will naturally retreat."

Yuan Shao did not listen to Jushou's advice, and ordered his soldiers to continue marching until they reached Guandu before setting up camp.Cao Cao's men and horses had already returned to Guandu, arranged their positions, and stood firm.

In this way, the two sides held a stalemate in Guandu for more than a month.As time went on, Cao Jun's food became less and less, and the soldiers were exhausted.Cao Cao couldn't hold it anymore.

At this time, Yuan Shao's military rations were continuously transported from Yecheng.Yuan Shao sent General Chun Yuqiong to lead 1 horses to transport the military rations, and hoarded a large amount of military rations in Wuchao, [-] miles away from Guandu.

Xu You, Yuan Shao's counselor, found out that Cao Cao was short of food, and offered advice to Yuan Shao, persuading Yuan Shao to send a small force to bypass Guandu and attack Xudu.Yuan Shao said coldly: "No, I must defeat Cao Cao first."

Xu You wanted to persuade him, but someone sent Yuan Shao a letter from Yecheng, saying that Xu You's family had broken the law there and had been arrested by local officials.Yuan Shao read the letter and scolded Xu You severely.

Xu You was angry and hated, remembering that Cao Cao was his old friend, so he escaped from Yuanying overnight and went to Cao Cao.

When Cao Cao heard that Xu You had come to join him, he was so happy that he didn't have time to put on his boots. He ran out barefoot to welcome Xu You, and said, "Okay! If you come, there will be hope for my great affairs."

Xu You sat down and said, "Yuan Shao is coming very fiercely. How do you plan to deal with him? How much food do you have now?"

Cao Cao said: "It can be supported for another year."

Xu You smiled coldly and said, "Not so many!"

Cao Cao changed his words and said, "Well, it can only be supported for half a year."

Xu You said angrily: "Don't you want to defeat Yuan Shao? Why do you still tell lies in front of old friends!"

Cao Cao had no choice but to tell the truth: "The food in the barracks can only last for a month. What do you think?"

Xu You said: "I know your situation is very critical, so I came here to send you a message. Now Yuan Shao has more than 1 carts of food and ordnance, all of which are in Wuchao. Chunyuqiong is very defensive. You only need to bring a The light cavalry went to attack and burned all his food and grass, and within three days he would be defeated without fighting."

When Cao Cao got this important information, he immediately called Xun You and Cao Hong, ordered them to guard the Guandu camp, and led [-] cavalry to march to Wuchao overnight.Under the banner of Yuan Jun, they encountered Yuan Jun's sentry along the way and questioned them, and they said that Yuan Shao sent them to reinforce Wuchao.Yuan Jun's sentry had no doubts and let them pass.

When Cao Jun arrived at Wuchao, he surrounded Wuchao's grain village, set fire to it, and burned all [-] carts of grain and grass.Chunyu Qiong, the defender of Wuchao, rushed to fight and was also killed by Cao Jun.

Yuan Jun's soldiers who were in Guandu panicked when they heard that Wuchao was on fire.Yuan Shao's two generals, Zhang Tai and Gao Lan, led their troops to surrender.Cao Jun took advantage of the momentum to attack fiercely, and Yuan Jun fled in all directions.Yuan Shao and his son Yuan Tan fled north with the remaining 800 cavalry before they could even put on their armor.

After this decisive battle, Yuan Shao's main force has been wiped out.Two years later, Yuan Shao died of illness.It took Cao Cao another seven years to wipe out Yuan Shao's remnants and unify the north.

Wisdom Interpretation:

Head-to-head with opponents, not only is it not easy to achieve the goal, but it can also consume energy.Therefore, if you want to win by surprise, you must grasp the opponent's vital points.Cao Cao burned food in Wuchao, which wiped out Yuan Shao's stamina to continue fighting and hit his vitals in Nanchang.

We all do the same thing, we must learn to find the key points and unlock the most important link.

(End of this chapter)