Yuan Shu wanted to seize Jingzhou, which was under Liu Bei’s control, but he was concerned that Lu Bu nearby might interfere. So he wrote to Lu Bu, proposing to join forces to attack Liu Bei.
Lü Bu betrays Liu Bei for Yuan Shu’s promise
In the turbulent years following Dong Zhuo’s death, Lü Bu, ever opportunistic, received a tempting letter from Yuan Shu:
“I have always admired you. Liu Bei is nothing – how dare he rule Xu Province? Join me in seizing it, and I will reward you with 200,000 hu of grain, 500 warhorses, and treasures beyond measure.”
Greedy and impulsive, Lü Bu saw this as a golden opportunity. Learning that Liu Bei had marched south with Guan Yu to confront Yuan Shu’s general Ji Ling, leaving only Zhang Fei to guard Xiapi, Lü Bu conspired with insiders in the city. Under cover of night, his forces entered through opened gates at dawn. Zhang Fei, caught off guard, barely escaped to rejoin Liu Bei.
Forced to retreat, Liu Bei – outmaneuvered and outmatched – swallowed his pride and wrote to Lü Bu, offering to cede Xu Province and submit to his command.
Broken promises and Shifting alliances
Triumphant, Lü Bu immediately demanded Yuan Shu fulfill his pledge. But Yuan Shu stalled:
“Only after you capture Liu Bei will I send the rewards.”
Furious at this betrayal, Lü Bu raged against Yuan Shu’s duplicity. His strategist Chen Gong advised a new strategy:
“Let Liu Bei garrison Xiaopei. He can serve as a buffer against Yuan Shu.”
Thus, Lü Bu invited Liu Bei back – not as a rival, but as a vassal in Xiaopei. This alarmed Yuan Shu, who quickly reversed course and sent the promised 200,000 hu of grain to win Lü Bu back.
Reassured by the supplies, Lü Bu warmly received Yuan Shu’s envoys and pledged future support – setting the stage for renewed conflict.
The legendary “Arrow at the Gate”
In 196 CE, Yuan Shu dispatched Ji Ling with 30,000 troops to crush Liu Bei in Xiaopei. Desperate, Liu Bei appealed to Lü Bu for aid.
Though his officers urged him to let the two rivals destroy each other, Lü Bu reasoned strategically:
“If Yuan Shu takes Xiaopei, he’ll surround Xu Province. That threatens me.”
He marched 1,000 infantry and 200 cavalry to Xiaopei’s southwest, then summoned both Ji Ling and Liu Bei to his camp. At a banquet, with Ji Ling on his left and Liu Bei on his right, Lü Bu declared:
“Liu Bei is my brother. I cannot stand by while he is attacked.”
To enforce peace, he ordered his halberd planted 150 paces from the camp gate. Raising his bow, he proclaimed:
“If my arrow strikes the small branch of the halberd, you both cease fighting. If not, fight as you will – but defy me at your peril!”
Amid hushed tension, Lü Bu drew, aimed, and loosed. The arrow flew true – hitting the tiny branch dead center. Soldiers erupted in cheers:
“Divine skill! Heaven favors General Lü!”
Lü Bu laughed triumphantly, clasped both men by the arm, and forced a toast to peace. Liu Bei exhaled in relief; Ji Ling, though resentful, dared not object.
Marriage ploy and Renewed hostility
Yuan Shu, furious yet cunning, devised a new scheme: a marriage alliance. He proposed that his son marry Lü Bu’s daughter, hoping to turn Lü Bu against Liu Bei permanently. Flattered by the prospect of noble kinship, Lü Bu agreed.
Meanwhile, Yuan Shu’s envoys slandered Liu Bei, planting seeds of suspicion. Just then, Lü Bu learned that Liu Bei’s men had seized horses bought by his own troops. Enraged, he sent Zhang Liao and Gao Shun to attack Xiaopei.
Liu Bei, pushed to his limit, resisted fiercely. The siege lasted from spring to autumn of 198 CE – six months of brutal defense – until Xiaopei finally fell. Liu Bei fled to Xuchang, seeking refuge with Cao Cao.
Cao Cao’s Vengeance
Cao Cao, seeing Lü Bu as a dangerous loose cannon, personally led an army eastward. He met Liu Bei en route, retook Xiaopei, and laid siege to Xiapi.
Trapped, Lü Bu turned to Chen Gong, who proposed a bold plan:
“You lead elite troops out to ambush Cao Cao’s supply lines. I’ll hold the city. In ten days, when their grain runs out, we strike together.”
Lü Bu agreed – until his wife intervened:
“Chen Gong once betrayed Cao Cao. What if he betrays you? Don’t leave us behind!”
Paralyzed by doubt, Lü Bu abandoned the plan. To maintain discipline, he banned alcohol in camp.
This led to disaster. When General Hou Cheng recovered stolen horses and offered wine and pork to celebrate, Lü Bu accused him of plotting mutiny. Humiliated, Hou Cheng and other officers seized Chen Gong, defected overnight, and surrendered to Cao Cao.
At dawn, Lü Bu looked from Baimen Tower to see Cao Cao’s army encircling the city. With no escape, he surrendered.
The end of the “Flying General”
Bound before Cao Cao, Lü Bu pleaded:
“Loosen these ropes – it’s too tight!”
Cao Cao replied with a smile:
“One does not loosely bind a tiger.”
Still arrogant, Lü Bu boasted:
“Now that I serve you, the realm can be pacified!”
He glanced at Liu Bei, hoping for intercession. But Liu Bei coldly reminded Cao Cao:
“Have you forgotten how he treated Ding Yuan and Dong Zhuo?”
That sealed Lü Bu’s fate. Enraged, Lü Bu cried:
“This man forgets the arrow at the gate! Where is his honor?”
Liu Bei turned away in silence.
Then Chen Gong was brought in. Defiant, he blamed Lü Bu’s folly:
“Had he listened to me, we wouldn’t be here.”
When Cao Cao asked his wish, Chen Gong said simply:
“Execute me.”
Tears in his eyes, Cao Cao watched his old friend walk to his death – and later provided for Chen Gong’s mother and children.
Both Lü Bu and Chen Gong were executed by strangulation.
The northern storm: Yuan Shao’s ascendancy
With Lü Bu gone, Cao Cao left Che Zhou to govern Xu Province and returned to Xuchang with Liu Bei – only to receive alarming news: Yuan Shao had destroyed Gongsun Zan and seized You Province.
Once a subordinate of Liu Yu, the benevolent Governor of You Province, Gongsun Zan had killed his superior in a power struggle. Arrogant and isolated, he fortified himself in Yi City, stockpiling years of grain. But Yuan Shao – ally of Liu Yu and long-time enemy of Gongsun Zan – relentlessly besieged him. When tunnels undermined his fortress, Gongsun Zan set himself ablaze rather than surrender.
Now controlling Ji, Qing, Bing, and You provinces, Yuan Shao dominated northern China. His rise cast a long shadow over Cao Cao.
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