In the first chapter of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Liu Yan faces an invasion of Zhuojun by Cheng Yuanzhi’s 50,000-strong Yellow Scarves army, yet he only sends Liu Bei to lead 500 troops to confront them.
Some days later it was reported that the Yellow Scarves chieftain Cheng Yuanzhi was advancing on Zhuo district(Zhuojun) with fifty thousand men. The governor had Commandant Zou Jing lead the brothers and their five hundred against the enemy.
— Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Chapter 1
Such a vast disparity in numbers inevitably raises questions: What was Liu Yan plotting? Was he underestimating the enemy, or intentionally sacrificing Liu Bei? We can analyze this issue from the following perspectives.
Liu Yan’s Practical Resource Dilemma
The novel explicitly mentions that after the outbreak of the Yellow Scarves Uprising, “government troops fled at the sight of the rebels”—even the central government’s regular armies were collapsed at the first encounter, so Liu Yan’s local forces in Youzhou were naturally weaker.
By the late Eastern Han Dynasty, local governments had long been trapped in a predicament of troop shortages and financial exhaustion. Although Liu Yan was the Governor of Youzhou (the highest local official), he simply did not have enough troops to confront a 50,000-strong Yellow Turban army. This is why he initially followed Zou Jing’s advice to issue a notice recruiting volunteer soldiers.
Another reason was that Liu Yan had only recently taken office and had not yet fully consolidated control over local military authority. The elite troops he could directly command were limited, likely numbering only a few thousand, and they were dispersed across multiple locations, making it impossible to concentrate them for deployment.
Note: Historically, the establishment of provincial governors in the Eastern Han began in 188 AD, while the Yellow Turban Uprising broke out in 184 AD. The novel slightly adjusts the timeline of Liu Yan’s governorship and the uprising, but the key point is that he was a new official not yet firmly in power.
Liu Bei’s 500 troops were not part of Liu Yan’s state army but were volunteer soldiers organized by Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei. For Liu Yan, this volunteer force offered two advantages:
- No consumption of state resources: Liu Bei’s troops were self-funded, so Liu Yan did not need to bear logistical pressures.
- No loss of core strength if defeated: If Liu Bei won, it would be beneficial; if he lost, the losses would be limited to his private militia, and Liu Yan’s state troops would remain intact to defend the city.
Liu Yan’s Political Test – Assessing Liu Bei’s Ability and Loyalty
Although Liu Bei claimed to be a descendant of the Han imperial family, he came from a humble background and had no fame or military achievements at the time. Liu Yan undoubtedly doubted his capabilities, which is why he would not entrust him with command of the government’s regular troops.
- If Liu Bei could repel (or contain) the Yellow Turban army with his own forces, it would prove his ability, and Liu Yan could incorporate him into his command structure.
- If Liu Bei failed, it would expose him as unworthy of his reputation, and the loss of this civilian militia would not deplete state resources, making it an acceptable sacrifice.
Liu Bei and Liu Yan both belonged to the Han imperial clan. This identity could serve as a foundation for cooperation but also posed a potential threat. If Liu Bei had ambitions, he could use his “imperial lineage” to compete for popular support and challenge Liu Yan’s authority. Thus, by sending Liu Bei to lead 500 troops against 50,000 Yellow Scarves army, Liu Yan was also testing his loyalty.
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