李典 / Li Dian

Overview

李典 / Li Dian enters the wiki through Hanji 1057 as the Cao-side officer who correctly reads 刘备’s burned-camp withdrawal before the Bowang ambush. The episode uses him as a warning-reader whose caution is ignored before becoming operationally useful in rescue.

Current Profile

Li Dian accompanies 夏侯惇 and 于禁 when 曹操 sends them against Liu Bei’s northward movement from 刘表’s Jingzhou base. After Liu Bei burns his own camp and retreats, Li Dian argues that an unexplained retreat plus narrow, wooded terrain signals an ambush. Xiahou Dun continues the pursuit, falls into the trap, and Li Dian’s reserve movement rescues him.

Key Characteristics

• Cao-side officer with better terrain and enemy-signal reading than the immediate commander in this episode.
• Identifies burned-camp retreat as bait rather than simple weakness.
• Preserves force continuity by rescuing Xiahou Dun after the ambush begins.
• Functions as the successful counterpart to Xiahou Dun’s overconfident pursuit.

Evidence

• Warning diagnosis: Hanji 1057 says Li Dian treats Liu Bei’s retreat and the obstructed terrain as signs of an ambush.
• Ignored caution and rescue: Hanji 1057 contrasts Xiahou Dun’s pursuit with Li Dian’s later rescue after Liu Bei’s ambush lands.
• Tactical role: Hanji 1057 places Li Dian in the Cao force sent against Liu Bei at Bowang.

Qualifications

This page is source-scoped to the Bowang branch. It does not yet cover Li Dian’s wider biography or later relationship with other Cao commanders.

What Changed

• Created the page from Hanji 1057’s Bowang ambush branch.

Relationships

• 夏侯惇 - commander whose pursuit Li Dian warns against and later rescues.
• 于禁 - fellow Cao-side officer in the Bowang expedition.
• 刘备 - opponent whose burned-camp retreat Li Dian reads as a lure.
• 博望坡之战 - battle setting for Li Dian’s warning and rescue.
• 战场信息控制 - broader perception-management frame for his diagnosis.
• 诱敌离位 - tactical pattern Li Dian recognizes before Xiahou Dun enters the ambush.