Ying Shao

Historical Record

Concerning Ying Shao (courtesy name Zhongyuan), there is at present no direct record. The Records of the Three Kingdoms and other official histories make no explicit mention of Ying Shao's life and deeds, his offices, or his specific relationship with Cao Wei or Yuan Shao's Faction. Therefore, from the standpoint of the sources, Ying Shao's activities and role in this period are a blank. This makes it impossible to draw a detailed picture of Ying Shao's true historical character; his image is presented chiefly through literary works.

In the Novel

In Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Ying Shao appears in the capacity of Grand Administrator of Mount Tai, his role bound up with the fate of Cao Cao's family. In Chapter 10 of the novel, Cao Cao dispatches Ying Shao to Langya Commandery to receive his father, Cao Song.^[1] At this point Ying Shao, as a civil official under Cao Cao, bears an important family mission. He is ordered to escort Cao Song, who had taken refuge in Langya, back to Yanzhou—an episode that is a key node in the storyline of Cao Cao's family.

Ying Shao's mission, however, did not go smoothly to completion. As he escorted Cao Song's party through Xu Province, they were received and seen off by Tao Qian. Tao Qian specially dispatched the commandant Zhang Kai to escort them with five hundred troops. Unfortunately, Zhang Kai was no good man; he had originally been a remnant of the Yellow Turbans, and on the road he was moved to greed at the sight of the wealth. Between Hua and Fei, taking advantage of the night and a heavy rain, Zhang Kai led his men to murder Cao Song and his family and plunder their goods.^[2] In this atrocity Ying Shao is described as having "escaped with his life," ultimately taking refuge with Yuan Shao's Faction.^[2]

Romance of the Three Kingdoms makes Ying Shao both a witness to and a survivor of the murder of Cao Song; his escape and flight to Yuan Shao lay the groundwork for the subsequent conflicts among Cao Cao, Tao Qian, and Yuan Shao. The Ying Shao of the novel, though appearing in limited space, plays a key part in driving the plot forward—especially in the major event of Cao Cao's attack on Xu Province to avenge his father, where Ying Shao's experience becomes one of the fuses. There is no historical record that Ying Shao served as Grand Administrator of Mount Tai or took part in escorting Cao Song, still less any record of his flight to Yuan Shao; these are all literary inventions of the novel.

Key Relationships

* Cao Wei (serves): In Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Ying Shao was at first a subordinate of Cao Cao, serving as Grand Administrator of Mount Tai.^[1] He was ordered by Cao Cao to go to Langya Commandery to receive Cao Cao's father, Cao Song. This relationship shows that in the early part of the novel Ying Shao was a member of Cao Cao's camp, charged with an important family affair.
* Yuan Shao's Faction (defected_to): After the murder of Cao Song, Ying Shao "escaped with his life" and ultimately took refuge with Yuan Shao.^[2] (novel only) This shift turned Ying Shao from a subordinate of Cao Cao into a member of Yuan Shao's Faction. Although the novel gives no detailed account of Ying Shao's later activities under Yuan Shao, the change of allegiance is itself of significant narrative meaning, hinting at the complex and shifting political alliances and antagonisms among the warlords of the time.

Iconic Scenes

* Ordered to receive Cao Cao's father: As Grand Administrator of Mount Tai, Ying Shao is dispatched by Cao Cao to Langya Commandery to receive his father, Cao Song. This scene is Ying Shao's first important appearance in Romance of the Three Kingdoms, displaying his status as a subordinate of Cao Cao and the duty he bears.^[1] (novel only) Having received Cao Cao's letter, he is charged with escorting Cao Song's whole household from Langya back to Yanzhou—a task bound up directly with the safety of Cao Cao's family.
* Escape and flight after the murder of Cao Song: In the atrocity in which Cao Song's party is robbed and slain by Zhang Kai, Ying Shao "escapes with his life," becoming one of the few survivors of the tragedy. He then chooses to take refuge with Yuan Shao—an act that is not only a turning point in his personal fate but also indirectly sharpens the conflict between Cao Cao and Yuan Shao and provides the backdrop for Cao Cao's vengeful attack on Xu Province.^[2] (novel only) This scene is crucial to the shaping of Ying Shao's role in the novel, making him an indirect thread connecting the two great powers of Cao Cao and Yuan Shao.