In 208 AD, after pacifying the north, the warlord Cao Cao led his massive army south to conquer Jingzhou.
Before Cao Cao's army even reached Jingzhou, the provincial governor Liu Biao died of illness. His son Liu Cong, timid and fearful, decided to surrender in hopes of preserving his own position.
At the time, Liu Bei was stationed in Fancheng on Liu Biao's orders, completely unaware of Liu Cong's plans. It wasn't until Cao Cao's vanguard drew near that Liu Bei received the news, forcing him to hastily lead his forces southward in retreat until they reached Jingzhou.
Unexpectedly, Liu Cong shut the city gates tight, refusing to let Liu Bei in. Seeing this, Zhuge Liang urged Liu Bei, "Seize Jingzhou now to rally its people against Cao Cao's army." But Liu Bei, being kind-hearted, could not bear to do so. He led his troops toward Jiangling instead. Many Jingzhou soldiers and civilians, unwilling to surrender to Cao Cao, flocked to Liu Bei, swelling his ranks to 100,000. Liu Bei believed that a man of great ambition must put benevolence first, so he refused to abandon the people of Jingzhou and flee ahead.
When Cao Cao's army reached Jingzhou, Liu Cong immediately opened the gates and surrendered. After learning where Liu Bei had fled, Cao Cao dispatched 5,000 cavalry in hot pursuit, catching up with Liu Bei's forces at Changban Slope in Dangyang (present-day Hubei). Liu Bei managed to break through the encirclement with only a handful of officers and soldiers, retreating to Fankou.
At this time, Cao's army, riding on their victory, advanced eastward along the river, preparing to sweep across the Jiangnan region in one move. Zhuge Liang said to Liu Bei, "The situation is critical now; let me go seek aid from Sun Quan of Eastern Wu!"
Liu Bei agreed. Zhuge Liang then went to Chaisang and urged Sun Quan, "Cao Cao has taken Jingzhou. What do you intend to do, General? If you plan to resist, break ties with Cao Cao. If not, surrender to him soon. Hesitation now will bring disaster."
Sun Quan, displeased, retorted, "If that's the case, why doesn't General Liu surrender?"
"Liu Yuzhou will never surrender. He came to Jingzhou and took temporary shelter in Fancheng, but as a hero with no place to display his talents, he was defeated by Cao Cao's army. Yet he is a descendant of the Han royal house, with talent surpassing all others, admired by heroes everywhere. In the future, he will surely contend with Cao Cao for the realm—how could he possibly surrender?"
Sun Quan, his heroic spirit ignited, resolved to ally with Liu Bei against Cao Cao
Later, people used the idiom "a hero with no place to use his prowess" to describe talent with no outlet.
Source: *Records of the Three Kingdoms*, "Biography of Zhuge Liang"
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "英雄无用武之地" came to describe how talent with no outlet.