《资治通鉴·汉纪》1038丨三十六计之调虎离山：孙策智取皖城

Summary

This 芮淇讲透资治通鉴 episode backfills the 199 CE Jiangdong-Lujiang branch immediately before Hanji 1039. 孙策 uses gifts, humility, and the promise of support to draw 刘勋 out toward Shangliao, while 刘晔 / 刘业 correctly warns that the move will expose Liu Xun’s rear.

The core contribution is a named 调虎离山 / 诱敌离位 case: Sun Ce avoids a direct assault on strong 庐江郡, waits until Liu Xun’s main force is away, and then takes 皖城 with 周瑜. The episode then follows Sun Ce’s defeat of Liu Xun, pressure on 黄祖, and move toward 豫章郡, while preserving the host’s broad but source-scoped claim that war reallocates survival space by force.

Key Claims

• The opening self-knowledge frame prepares the Liu Xun case: Liu Xun’s failure is treated as overconfidence plus refusal to hear a capable adviser’s warning.
• After 袁术 dies, Sun Ce treats Liu Xun’s Lujiang position as too strong for a simple frontal attack.
• Sun Ce learns that Liu Xun’s relative Liu Xie is struggling to gather grain at Shangliao, then sends Liu Xun gifts and deferential language that make the expedition look profitable and low-risk.
• Liu Ye warns that Shangliao is fortified and hard to take quickly, and that Sun Ce will likely attack if Liu Xun’s main force leaves the rear empty.
• Liu Xun ignores the warning, reaches Haihun, and finds Shangliao’s people and goods already gone.
• Sun Ce has 孙贲 and 孙辅 guard Pengze, while he and Zhou Yu attack Wan City with a larger force and seize Liu Xun’s base.
• Sun Ce captures Yuan Shu and Liu Xun’s family members, population, and ships, then assigns Li Shu to hold Lujiang with a garrison.
• Liu Xun is beaten again while returning toward Pengze and then after seeking help from Huang Zu; he eventually flees north to 曹操.
• Sun Ce continues the offensive against Huang Zu at Shaxian, defeating support sent by 刘表 and capturing Huang Zu’s family and ships.
• The closing Yuzhang setup shows Sun Ce mixing military confidence with lower-cost persuasion: he sends 虞翻 to prepare 华歆’s surrender rather than immediately forcing a city battle.

Key Quotes

“知不知上矣，不知之病也” - the opening self-knowledge frame.

“调虎离山计” - the host’s label for Sun Ce’s Lujiang operation.

Connections

• 孙策, 刘勋, 刘晔 / 刘业, 庐江郡, and 皖城 - main deception, warning, and base-seizure branch.
• 周瑜, 孙贲, and 孙辅 - Sun-side command and family support during the Wan City operation.
• 黄祖, 刘表, and 曹操 - Liu Xun’s failed aid path, Sun Ce’s follow-on attack, and Liu Xun’s final refuge.
• 华歆, 虞翻, and 豫章郡 - setup for the surrender-persuasion branch developed by Hanji 1039.
• 诱敌离位, 战场信息控制, 根本根据地优先, and 战争的暴力再分配 - concepts extended by the episode’s strategy and war-theory commentary.

Contradictions

• No settled contradiction found. The source backfills the missing Hanji 1038 branch between earlier Sun Ce/Yuzhang intelligence and Hanji 1039’s Hua Xin surrender.
• Identity caution: the transcript renders the adviser as “刘业”; the wiki normalizes the figure to 刘晔 / Liu Ye while preserving the source spelling.
• Place caution: 皖城 is disambiguated from 宛县 / 宛城 because this episode’s city is the Lujiang target, not the Nanyang Wancheng branch.