Lore from the Romance of the 3 Kingdoms, Appendix 01: Leadership and Tao

The Tao of The General

Leadership and strategy are determinants of the situation. They draw the thin line between victory and defeat. The virtues and vices; the finesse and folly of leaders, therein, becomes the vital issues of both leadership and strategy.

He who has mastered this art [of war] knows the way of heaven and earth, has the support of the populace, and is fully aware of the enemy situation. When he needs to determine his battle array, he knows how to set up the formations. He fights when there is assurance of victory. He stops fighting when there isn’t. Such a commander is a general worthy of his sovereign. For one who has really mastered the way of warfare, his enemy can do nothing to escape death.
— Sun Bin, 316 BC

Cao Cao Versus Yuan Shao

Guo Jia’s Thesis on 10 Victories and 10 Defeats
Cao Cao, a rising warlord, was exhorted by his military advisor, Guo Jia, for a campaign to meet the military challenge from Yuan Shao, the warlord who occupied the northern territories of China. It was intimating as Yuan Shao’s economy and military forces heavily ascended over Cao Cao’s.

Guo Jia posited that Liu Bang had defeated Xiang Yu who was also far much powerful then during the Chu–Han Contention period (206–202 BC). Although Liu Bang was far surpassed by Xiang Yu in many conditions except for wits and virtues, Xiang Yu was…