How did Cao Cao become the overlord after the Battle of Guandu?

Not long after his debut, Cao Cao got a great opportunity and found the emperor. At that time, the emperor was just a burden to people like Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu. Because he wants to be the boss, how can he lead an emperor? Therefore, Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu have a very bad attitude towards the emperor. Cao Cao is different from others. He takes the initiative to take the emperor to his residence and treats him according to the etiquette of the emperor. Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty was very moved by this and immediately appointed Cao Cao as the prime minister of the Han Dynasty. After having such a position, many veterans of the Han Dynasty came to Cao Cao. Cao Cao suddenly became the focus of everyone. At this time, all the princes regretted it, but it was obviously too late. They also wanted the emperor, but they were not as good as the emperor. Cao Cao was one step late.

Yuan Shao was the most unconvinced among them. In terms of qualifications, Yuan Shao was the fourth generation of the Third Duke, with a prominent family background. In terms of status, Yuan Shao was the largest prince at the time. At this moment, he actually wanted to obey Cao Cao's orders. The more Yuan Shao thought about it, the more unconvinced he became, so he took the initiative to find Cao Cao and wanted to fight Cao Cao to snatch the emperor. Cao Cao felt empty in his heart. It would be fine if he was fighting against other people, but he was fighting against Yuan Shao, who was the most powerful person now. Cao Cao almost gave up, but his dream made him persist. At most, he would only fail and be killed. After making up his mind, Cao Cao also began to confront Yuan Shao head-on. Yuan Shao only regarded Cao Cao as a joke and thought that he could kill Cao Cao with just a few moves of his fingers.

Maybe he was too confident in himself, but the final outcome was completely opposite. Cao Cao defeated Yuan Shao's men, and from then on Cao Cao became the largest prince. So how could Cao Cao defeat Yuan Shao? There are many problems here. First of all, although Cao Cao had a small number of troops, only a few hundred thousand, they were highly disciplined. Under Cao Cao's jurisdiction, there was no bad habit of cannibalism. So everyone still has faith. Yuan Shao's troops numbered millions, but they often had the bad habit of cannibalism. The discipline of the troops was loose. Although they were large in number, they were all in disarray. This is the main reason why Cao Cao was able to defeat Yuan Shao. Quantity does not mean everything. Just because a person is tall does not necessarily mean that he is a capable person. He may be a strong person but not necessarily a capable person.

In addition, it was a tactical use. Cao Cao attacked Yuan Shao's granary and burned Yuan Shao's grain and grass. Now Yuan Shao was in chaos. It was not 10,000 or 20,000 people, but 100,000. Thousands of people. With so many people without food, it only takes one day to cause a riot. Therefore, Yuan Shao's troops are in a state of turmoil and Cao Cao is well fed. Of course, Yuan Shao's troops cannot defeat Cao Cao. In addition, there is another important reason. Yuan Shao is too proud. Yuan Shao has achieved a very high status at that time, which means that he has looked down on Cao Cao, a little thief, so he is very proud. Arrogant people generally have no good intentions. In the end, Yuan Shao is such a person, so Yuan Shao will definitely lose to Cao Cao. There is no suspense about this, and Cao Cao cannot be proud even if he dies. After all, he has no pride.

As for Xu You, it was one of the reasons for Yuan Shao's failure. Because of Xu You's betrayal, Cao Cao knew a lot about Yuan Shao. After knowing these things, as long as Cao Cao moves a little faster, he can beat Yuan Shao. He was caught off guard, and Wuchao's food and grass were also provided by Xu You, so from the perspective of Xu You, Cao Cao was already very popular. On the other hand, Yuan Shao, although he had millions, not many people were really working for him. When working by himself, everyone has his own little thoughts. Even his sons also have their own plans. How can such a person be Cao Cao's opponent?