The “Feeding two tigers to fight”, “Two tigers competing food” or “Two tigers fight for food” was a stratagem devised by Xun Yu for Cao Cao during the late Eastern Han Dynasty, originating from Chapter 14 of Romance of the Three Kingdoms. It refers to creating conflict between two rival parties, instigating them to fight each other, thereby allowing one to reap the benefits.
Xun Yu’s ploy to divide Liu Bei and Lü Bu
“I have an idea, though, which I’ll call ‘Two Tigers Fight for Food.’ Now, Liu Bei’s position is still unofficial. Why not petition the Emperor to confirm Liu Bei as protector of Xuzhou, and secretly instruct him to get rid of Lü Bu? If Bei succeeds, he should be manageable enough without that fierce warrior—when the time comes. And if he fails, Lü Bu will kill him. This is my ‘two tigers trick.’”
— Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Chapter 14
This stratagem used reverse thinking to strike at the root of the contradiction: Cao Cao, under the guise of the imperial court’s authority, enfeoffed Liu Bei as the Governor of Xuzhou and secretly ordered him to execute Lü Bu, intending to make the two fight.
If Liu Bei killed Lü Bu, he would lose a powerful ally; conversely, if Lü Bu attacked Liu Bei, the alliance would break down. In either outcome, the threat both posed to Xuchang would be eliminated. Even if Liu Bei could see through the plot and avoided the trap, seeds of discord would be sown between the two. Remember why Zhang Miao turned against Cao Cao?
Background of the Stratagem
In 196 AD, Cao Cao had just welcomed Emperor Xian and moved the capital to Xuchang. While he initially gained the political advantage of “holding the emperor hostage to command the nobles,” he faced a significant strategic liability—the alliance between Liu Bei and Lü Bu in Xuzhou. Although Liu Bei had recently become the Governor of Xuzhou with support from gentry like Mi Zhu and Chen Deng, he had also given refuge to Lü Bu, whom Cao Cao had defeated (Lü Bu fled from Yan Province in 195 AD and, after joining Liu Bei, was stationed at Xiaopei).
If Cao Cao directly launched an expedition against Xuzhou, he had to worry about two risks: firstly, Yuan Shao in Ji Province (Jizhou) was watching covetously and might seize the opportunity to attack Xuchang; secondly, if Liu Bei and Lü Bu truly united to resist Cao, Cao Cao might not achieve a quick victory and could instead be drawn into a protracted war of attrition. Lü Bu had been a powerful opponent. Cao Cao had learned from his own ordeal against Lü Bu about more than one year ago.
Xun Yu perceived the “core contradiction” in the Liu-Lü alliance—Lü Bu had ambitions to seize Xuzhou, while Liu Bei was wary of Lü Bu. Their alliance was only temporarily bound by the common goal of resisting Cao Cao.
Core of the Stratagem: Exploiting internal rivalry to induce mutual destruction
Xun Yu advised Cao Cao to issue an edict in the name of Emperor Xian, formally appointing Liu Bei as “Governor of Xuzhou.” This move appeared to be co-opting Liu Bei but secretly harbored malicious intent. The edict included a secret order commanding Liu Bei to eliminate Lü Bu.
Xun Yu knew very well that merely having Liu Bei receive the secret order was insufficient; to truly ignite the conflict, Lü Bu had to learn that Liu Bei intended to kill him. Therefore, he arranged for the contents of the secret order to be deliberately leaked to Lü Bu. Lü Bu’s character was brave but lacking in strategy, impulsive and impatient. Upon learning his safety was threatened, he would inevitably choose to preemptively attack Liu Bei rather than wait for death—precisely the “two tigers competing or fighting for food” scenario Xun Yu desired.
Liu Bei sees through the Stratagem
Upon receiving Cao Cao’s edict of appointment and Xun Yu’s secret letter, Liu Bei immediately recognized it as a stratagem to sow discord. He saw that Cao Cao intended to co-opt him through the appointment while simultaneously using the threat posed by Lü Bu to create conflict. However, Liu Bei was not driven by the potential gain and chose not to act on the secret order’s contents.
Internal coordination defuses the situation
Liu Bei did not directly refuse Cao Cao’s instruction but adopted an indirect approach:
- He publicly replied to Cao Cao, expressing gratitude, but delayed action using the pretext of needing further discussion.
- He privately informed Lü Bu of the secret letter’s contents, eliminating his precautions.
- He emphasized his alliance with Lü Bu on public occasions, consolidating their trust.
Leave a Reply