During the Eastern Han Dynasty, a scholar named Yu Xu was raised by his grandmother after being orphaned as a child. To repay her kindness, he cared for her until she passed away at the age of ninety, only then accepting an invitation from Grand Commandant Li Xiu to serve in his office.
At this critical moment, the Western Qiang and Xiongnu launched a sudden invasion, threatening both Bingzhou in the north and Liangzhou in the west. General Deng Zhi argued that splitting forces to defend both regions would weaken the army, so he proposed concentrating all troops on Bingzhou and abandoning Liangzhou—a plan backed by many court officials. Only Yu Xu stood firm in opposition, presenting his case to Grand Commandant Li Xiu: "The people of Liangzhou are not only seasoned warriors but also fiercely brave; the Western Qiang dare not invade the Central Plains precisely because they fear Liangzhou's fighters. These people see themselves as true heirs of the Han dynasty, willing to sacrifice everything to defend the nation. If we follow General Deng's advice and abandon Liangzhou, it will bring nothing but harm to the entire situation—no benefit at all!"
Deng Zhi heard Yu Xu's advice and believed Yu Xu was deliberately opposing him, harboring resentment and constantly seeking an opportunity for revenge.
Soon after, a popular uprising erupted in Zhaoge (in present-day Qi County, Henan), with armed civilians clashing against local authorities and officials frequently being killed. Despite repeated imperial military campaigns to suppress the rebellion, the court could never fully quell the unrest.
Deng Zhi saw this as a perfect chance for revenge, so he found an excuse to transfer Yu Xu to serve as the magistrate of Zhaoge. When Yu Xu's friends and family heard this, they were deeply worried, believing this mission was fraught with danger, and none could suppress their indignation on his behalf. However, Yu Xu smiled confidently and said, "A man with ambition and resolve will never avoid difficult tasks to seek only easy ones. Just as when we chop wood, if we never encounter hard, stubborn knots and twisted roots, how can we prove the sharpness of an axe? So what is there to fear in taking up the post of Zhaoge's magistrate?"
Later, Yu Xu arrived in Zhaoge and quickly demonstrated his exceptional political acumen, quelling disputes and unrest between officials and the people. The court recognized his talent for military command and promoted him to Grand Administrator of Wudu. Soon after, he led troops to a decisive victory over the Qiang tribes, earning great merit for the state, and rose to the rank of Imperial Secretary.
"The idiom 'Twisted Roots and Gnarled Branches' originally describes tree roots and branches intertwined. Later, it came to mean matters that are complicated and difficult to handle, or entrenched forces that are hard to eliminate."
Source: *Book of the Later Han*, "Biography of Yu Xu"
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "盘根错节" came to describe matters that are complicated and difficult to handle, or entrenched forces that are hard to eliminate.