The relief of Beihai is a turning point in which a local siege becomes the start of Xuande’s commitment to oppose Cao Cao’s devastating campaign against Tao Qian. Kong Rong first seeks help from Xuande while besieged by Yellow Headband rebels; after Xuande’s force breaks the siege, Kong Rong persuades him to join the defense of Tao Qian’s province. The episode links reciprocal obligations and military rescue to the widening conflict between Cao Cao and the regional leaders resisting his advance.

Causes and the appeal for aid

Mi Zhu, a respected figure in Tao Qian’s court, recommends seeking alliances with Kong Rong, governor of Beihai, and Tian Kai in Qingzhou. Mi Zhu goes himself to plead with Kong Rong. Kong Rong has no personal grievance against Cao Cao, but regards him as a dangerous enemy; that uncertainty makes him reluctant to join the defense of Tao Qian.

Before Kong Rong can decide, a large Yellow Headband army appears outside Beihai, ravages the surrounding area, and demands food on threat of sacking the city. The rebels besiege Beihai and cut it off from assistance. Kong Rong watches the situation worsen until Taishi Ci rides through the encircling force and reaches the city gate. He explains that Kong Rong had shown kindness to his mother and that she sent him to repay it. His arrival therefore brings both a capable warrior and a personal account of reciprocal obligation.

Taishi Ci initially wants to lead a thousand men against the rebels. Kong Rong instead proposes seeking help from Xuande, whose forces are nearby at Pingyuan. Taishi Ci accepts the task of carrying the message. He rides out through the rebel force, slays many pursuers, and reaches Xuande with Kong Rong’s appeal.

The siege is lifted

Xuande sets out for Beihai with Zhang Fei, Guan Yu, and three thousand warriors. The rebels greatly outnumber the relief force, but the attack combines a direct push toward the city with a broader assault: Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Taishi Ci fight their way toward the gate, while Xuande leads the main divisions against the rest of the rebel army. The rebels are thrown into confusion and flee, ending the siege.

The episode presents the rescue as a coordinated action rather than a contest of numbers alone. Taishi Ci’s knowledge of the appeal and his ability to reach Xuande make the relief possible; Xuande’s force then divides the rebels’ attention between the assault on the city gate and the attack on their larger body. The decisive result is practical and immediate: Beihai is no longer cut off, and Kong Rong can turn from defending his own city to the crisis facing Tao Qian.

From local rescue to a wider alliance

After the siege, Kong Rong asks Xuande to help Tao Qian and oppose Cao Cao’s assault on the province. Xuande, like Kong Rong earlier, says that he has no personal quarrel with Cao Cao. Kong Rong persuades him that Cao Cao’s destructive invasion must nevertheless be resisted. Xuande gives his word to join the effort, returns to his base to recruit more men, and seeks to bring Zhao Zilong into the force.

The relief thus changes Xuande’s immediate course: a rescue undertaken for Kong Rong becomes a pledge to aid Tao Qian. At Xuzhou, Xuande still attempts to avert further conflict by writing personally to Cao Cao. He argues that Tao Qian was not responsible for the killing of Cao Cao’s father, urges Cao Cao to withdraw, and appeals for Han loyalists to unite against the threats facing the dynasty. Cao Cao responds with anger, executes the messenger, and orders a full attack on the city. The appeal fails, but the sequence clarifies the stakes of Xuande’s intervention: personal friendship and negotiation cannot contain a campaign that Cao Cao has chosen to pursue by force.

Significance

The episode organizes its action around successive acts of assistance. Mi Zhu seeks allies for Tao Qian; Taishi Ci repays kindness shown to his mother by risking the journey to Xuande; Xuande answers Kong Rong’s appeal; and Kong Rong, once rescued, persuades Xuande to extend that aid to Tao Qian. The chain of obligation turns a besieged city into a meeting point for leaders who must decide whether to remain neutral or resist Cao Cao.

The outcome is both a military rescue and a political commitment. The rebels’ defeat restores access to Beihai, while Xuande’s promise draws him into Tao Qian’s defense and leads him to try one further diplomatic appeal. Cao Cao’s rejection makes the transition plain: the local emergency has opened onto a broader conflict, and the attempt to settle it through an appeal to shared loyalty to the Han has not prevented another attack.