nee　to　Cao　Cao；　which　was　ignoring　the　enmity　between　him　and　your　father；　rejecting　the　duties　of　brotherhood；　and　leaving　behind　you　the　shame　of　an　alliance　with　the　enemy。　If　your　brother；　the　successor　to　Jizhou；　has　acted　unfraternally；　your　duty　was　to　bend　your　inclination　to　follow　him　and　wait　till　the　state　of　affairs　had　settled。　Would　it　not　have　been　very　noble　to　bring　about　the　redress　of　wrongs？〃

And　to　Yuan　Shang；　Liu　Biao　wrote：

〃Your　brother；　the　ruler　of　Qingzhou；　is　of　an　impulsive　temperament　and　confuses　right　with　wrong。　You　ought　first　to　have　destroyed　Cao　Cao　in　order　to　put　an　end　to　the　hatred　which　your　father　bore　him　and；　when　the　situation　had　bee　settled；　to　have　endeavored　to　redress　the　wrongs。　Would　not　that　have　been　well？　If　you　persist　in　following　this　mistaken　course；　remember　the　hound　and　the　hare；　both　so　wearied　that　the　peasant　got　them　all。〃

From　this　letter　Yuan　Tan　saw　that　Liu　Biao　had　no　intention　of　helping　him；　and　feeling　he　alone　could　not　withstand　Cao　Cao。　He　abandoned　Pingyuan　and　fled　to　Nanpi；　whither　Cao　Cao　pursued　him。

The　weather　was　very　cold　and　the　river　was　frozen；　so　that　the　grain　boats　could　not　move。　Wherefore　Cao　Cao　ordered　the　inhabitants　to　break　the　ice　and　tow　the　boats。　When　the　peasants　heard　the　order　they　ran　away。　Cao　Cao　angrily　wished　to　arrest　and　behead　them。　When　they　heard　this；　they　went　to　his　camp　in　a　body　and　offered　their　heads　to　the　sword。

〃If　I　do　not　kill　you；　my　order　will　not　be　obeyed；〃　said　Cao　Cao。　〃Yet　supposing　I　cut　off　your　heads；　but　I　cannot　bear　to　do　that　severity。　Quickly　flee　to　the　hills　and　hide　so　that　my　soldiers　do　not　capture　you。〃

The　peasants　left　weeping。

Then　Yuan　Tan　led　out　his　army　against　Cao　C