The Huarong Trail
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 1
- 2
- 1
- 2
- 1
- 2
- 1
- 2
As Cao Cao and his men fled the battlefield of the Red Cliff, they were ambushed twice by Zhuge Liang until their number was reduced to a few hundred. Hungry and exhausted, Cao Cao decided to return to his stronghold, Xuchang, in Henan.
“Which is the shorter route to our destination?” Cao Cao asked his officers as they came to a crossroads after clearing out a burning forest.
“The highway is smooth, but it would be time-consuming to take it. The Huarong Trail is a shortcut but it is rough and narrow.”
Smoke could be seen along the Huarong Trail but the highway was quiet. Cao Cao decided to take the shortcut.
His officers objected. “But there is smoke. There may be troops in ambush.”
“No,” said Cao Cao. “One should never trust appearances in fighting. Zhuge Liang has lit the fire so that we dare not go that way. I’m sure he has laid an ambush on the highway. I won’t fall into his trap.”
The Huarong Trail was muddy, narrow, and full of potholes. Horses were bogged down in the mire. The soldiers had to throw away much of their equipment to be able to walk. They had to repair the road as they trudged along. After crossing a particularly difficult section of the trail, Cao Cao broke into a laugh.
“If Zhuge Liang were smart, he would have us sniped here.”
Barely had he finished speaking when hundreds of swordsmen of the Shu army appeared on both side of the trail. At the sight of the enemy, Cao Cao’s men were frightened out of their wits. They had lost their will to fight. Cao Cao thought he was doomed.
Fortunately, the Shu general, Guan Yu, had once been his guest and treated with warm hospitality. Cao Cao pleaded for mercy. Guan Yu was a man of honor. Looking at the deplorable condition of Cao Cao and his men, he took pity on them and let them go.
Of Cao Cao’s original army of 200,000, only 27 survived the battle of the Red Cliff. As a result, Wei was seriously weakened and a power balance was established among the three kingdoms of Wei, Wu and Shu.
Next Story
Empty City Stratagem
Last Story
East Wind
Wise Proverbs
- Plan strategies within a command tent, and ensure victory on the battlefront a thousand li away.
- 运筹帷幄之中那个，决胜千里之外。
- If you know the enemy and know yourself, you can fight a hundred battles without a single defeat.
- 知己知彼，百战不殆。
- A profound understanding of commomplace affairs is genuine knowledge; a mastery of wordly wisdom is true learning.
- 世事洞明皆学问，人情练达即文章。
Editor Says:
Zhuge Liang outwitted Cao Cao because he knew his way of thinking. Cao Cao was a good strategist and good at deceiving people. The only way to induce him to the Huarong Trail was to let him see the smoke on the trail. When Cao Cao saw the smoke, he would think it was a ruse to divert him away from the trail and would take the trail precisely for that reason.