Ts‘ao replied, “I will meet them generously and win them over even if they have treachery in their hearts.”
The camp gates were opened to the two officers and they were invited to enter. They laid down their weapons, removed their armour and bowed to the ground before Ts‘ao who said, “If Yüan Shao had listened to you he would not have suffered defeat. Now you two coming to surrender are like Wei Tzŭ going to Yin and Han Hsin going over to Han.”
He gave both men the rank of general and the title of marquis, which pleased them much.
And so as Yuan Shao had formerly driven away his adviser, Hsü Yu, so now he had alienated two captains and had lost his stores at Wuch‘ao and the army was depressed and down-hearted.
When Hsü Yu advised Ts‘ao to attack as promptly as he could the two newly surrendered men volunteered to lead the way. So these two were sent to make a first attack on the camp, and left in the night with three divisions. The fighting went on confusedly all night but stayed at dawn. Shao had lost heavily.
Then Hsün Yu suggested a plan saying, “Now is the moment to spread a report that a party of men will go to take Suantsao and attack Yehchün, and another to take Liyang and intercept the enemy’s retreat. Yüan Shao, when he hears of this, will be alarmed and tell off his men to meet this new turn of affairs, and while he is making these new dispositions we can have him at great disadvantage.”
The suggestion was adopted and care was taken that the report spread far around. It came to the ears of Yüan’s soldiers and they repeated it in camp. Yüan Shao believed it and ordered Yüan Shang with five legions to rescue Yehchün, and Hsin Ming with another five to go to Liyang and they marched away at once. Ts‘ao heard that these armies had started and at once despatched eight divisions to make a simultaneous attack on the nearly empty camp. Yüan Shao’s men were too dispirited to fight and gave way on all sides.
Yüan Shao without waiting to don his armour went forth in simple dress with an ordinary cap upon his head and mounted his steed. His son Shang followed him. Four of the enemy captains with their men pressed in his rear and Shao hastened across the river, abandoning all his documents and papers, baggage, treasure and stores. Only eight hundred men followed him over the stream. Ts‘ao Ts‘ao’s men followed hard but could not come up with him; however, they captured all his impedimenta and they slew many thousands of his men so that the watercourses ran blood and the drowned corpses could not be counted. It was a most complete victory for Ts‘ao and he made over all the spoil to the army.
