After being betrayed by Lü Bu and losing Xuzhou, Liu Bei sought refuge with Cao Cao, using Cao Cao’s influence to eliminate Lü Bu. Later, Cao Cao took complete control of Xuzhou and placed Liu Bei under house arrest. Liu Bei bided his time, waiting for an opportunity. Eventually, when Yuan Shu attempted to move north to ally with Yuan Shao, Cao Cao learned of the plot and decided to send troops to intercept him. Liu Bei volunteered for the mission. Cao Cao, momentarily careless, agreed. Seizing the chance, Liu Bei broke free from Cao Cao’s control and never returned, eventually recapturing the lost territory of Xuzhou.
Cao Cao’s Retaliation and the Novel’s Depiction
Enraged by Liu Bei’s betrayal, Cao Cao dispatched Liu Dai and Wang Zhong with 50,000 troops to suppress Liu Bei. In Romance of the Three Kingdoms, these two generals were portrayed as easily defeated, captured one after another by Guan Yu and Zhang Fei.
Unable to defend himself, Wang Zhong tried to bolt, but Lord Guan, passing his sword to his left hand, snatched Zhong’s armor straps in his right and dragged him out of the saddle and sideways onto his own mount. Lord Guan rode back to camp as Wang Zhong’s soldiers scattered.
— Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Chapter 22
Dai’s army fell into disarray, unable to gauge the size of the enemy it faced. Liu Dai fled with some remnant troops. Zhang Fei was ready for him. Confronted head on, Dai had no time to turn off, and he was seized in a single encounter.
— Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Chapter 22
This led to Cao Cao personally leading a large army to attack Xuzhou, Liu Bei fleeing to Hebei to join Yuan Shao, and Guan Yu being captured by Cao Cao.
Correcting the Historical Record on Liu Dai
It is an error in the novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms regarding Liu Dai’s identity.
Cao Cao named General Liu Dai to lead the forward army and General Wang Zhong to lead the rear army, a force numbering fifty thousand. They marched east and attacked Xuande in Xuzhou. Cao Cao assigned them the colors of the prime minister to create the impression that he personally was in command. Liu Dai had been imperial inspector of Yanzhou when Cao Cao seized the province and, after submitting to Cao, was appointed auxiliary commander. Thus Liu Dai, joined by Wang Zhong, came to receive the assignment.
— Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Chapter 22
There were two different historical figures named “Liu Dai”. One was the former Governor of Yan Province mentioned earlier. He initially joined the coalition against Dong Zhuo led by Yuan Shao. In 192 AD, the Yellow Turban rebels from Qing Province attacked Yan Province. Liu Dai was killed in the battle.
The Liu Dai that Cao Cao dispatched against Liu Bei was a longtime subordinate and fellow townsman of Cao Cao. He held a senior staff position under Cao Cao at the time. Moreover, this Liu Dai had accompanied Cao Cao on numerous campaigns, achieving notable military successes and being enfeoffed as a Marquis.
It is important to reiterate that when Cao Cao sent Liu Dai to confront Liu Bei, he had high expectations for him—contrary to the novel’s depiction of the mission as a mere show of force to intimidate Liu Bei. Liu Dai was a trusted confidant of Cao Cao. His loss of Xuzhou was somewhat analogous to Ma Su’s defeat at Jieting—both cases involved misjudgments of the situation and overestimation of their capabilities.
The Historical Wang Zhong: Beyond the Novel
Today, we turn to the other key figure: Wang Zhong. Similarly, the historical Wang Zhong differs significantly from his portrayal in the novel. Wang Zhong, a native of Fufeng, served as a village chief in his youth, much like Liu Bang in earlier times. When war erupted in the Sanfu region, Guanzhong fell into desolation, with continuous conflict leaving fields barren and corpses strewn across the land. Starving and unable to bear the hunger, Wang Zhong resorted to cannibalism to survive. Later, he and his companions headed south toward Wu Pass, where they encountered Lou Gui, who was sent by Liu Biao of Jing Province to receive northern refugees. Unwilling to go to Jing Province, Wang Zhong led his men in attacking Lou Gui’s troops, seizing his soldiers, and gathering over a thousand men to join Cao Cao. Likely due to this incident, Lou Gui, too, joined Cao Cao, perhaps to avoid being punished or even executed by Liu Biao.
Wang Zhong’s Role and Legacy
Cao Cao appointed Wang Zhong as a Senior Attendant Officer, and he followed Cao Cao on various campaigns. Later, Cao Pi, for reasons unknown, learned of Wang Zhong’s cannibalism and ordered his attendants to tie skulls from graves to Wang Zhong’s saddle during outings, using it as a form of mockery.
After Liu Bei rebelled against Cao Cao and attacked Xiapi, Cao Cao sent Liu Dai and Wang Zhong to attack Liu Bei. Liu Bei remarked to them, “Even if a hundred like you came, you could do nothing to me. If Cao Cao himself came, the outcome would be uncertain.” Indeed, these two were no match for Liu Bei, and Cao Cao ultimately had to take charge personally. However, it would be a mistake to assume that Wang Zhong and Liu Dai were weak. Losing to Liu Bei was no disgrace—many of Cao Cao’s generals had been defeated by Liu Bei, and even Cao Cao himself had suffered losses at Liu Bei’s hands. In terms of official rank, at that time, even Zhang Liao and Li Dian held the position of General of the Household, indicating that Wang Zhong’s rank was relatively high. Liu Dai, a native of Pei and thus a fellow townsman of Cao Cao, served as the Minister of the Imperial Household and followed Cao Cao on numerous campaigns, gaining considerable military experience. Therefore, it is important not to be misled by the novel’s portrayal.
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