In the first year of Emperor Xian of Han's Chuping era, Yuan Shao allied with Han Fu, Governor of Jizhou, and Kong Zhou, Inspector of Yuzhou, raising an army from Bohai to crusade against Dong Zhuo. The coalition elected Yuan Shao as their leader, and he styled himself General of Chariots and Cavalry.
One day, Yuan Shao's advisor Feng Ji said to him, "If you, as the alliance leader, wish to accomplish great deeds, you must seize a province as your base; otherwise, you cannot establish yourself. Jizhou is now strong and resourceful, but its governor Han Fu is a mediocre talent. I believe taking Jizhou will not be difficult."
Following Feng Ji's strategy, Yuan Shao sent Gongsun Zan south under the pretext of attacking Dong Zhuo, while dispatching his nephew Gao Gan and advisor Xun Chen as envoys to threaten Han Fu and force him to surrender the province of Ji.
Han Fu, though nominally in charge of Jizhou, was timid by nature. Seeing the situation, he panicked and decided to hand Jizhou over to Yuan Shao without a fight.
Han Fu's generals and advisors, including Chief Clerk Geng Wu, Deputy Min Chun, and Cavalry Commandant Ju Shou, strongly urged him to reconsider. Geng Wu warned, "Handing over the province is like handing over your own life—once lost, it cannot be regained." Min Chun added, "General Yuan Shao is ambitious and hungry for power; giving him a foothold here will only invite disaster." Ju Shou pressed further, "If you yield now, you will have no place to stand. Better to fight and defend what is yours." Despite their pleas, Han Fu hesitated, torn between fear of Yuan Shao's growing might and the loyalty of his own men.
They argued, "Though Jizhou may not be the strongest, we still have a million troops and enough grain to last ten years. Yuan Shao comes from afar with no territory and scarce supplies—he depends entirely on our mercy, like a newborn baby in our hands. If we withhold milk, he'll starve; if we curl a finger, we can crush him. Why on earth would we hand Jizhou over to him on a silver platter?"
Han Fu replied, "I was once Yuan Shao's subordinate. In talent, I am inferior to him. Yielding to the worthy after assessing virtue has been praised since ancient times—why do you all oppose it?"
Ignoring the warnings of his generals, Han Fu sent his son to Yuan Shao's camp, personally delivering the seal and sash of Ji Province into Yuan Shao's hands. In the end, Han Fu was left with nothing but an empty general's title.
"Relying on someone's breath," later changed to "living at someone's mercy," meaning depending on others and acting according to their moods.
Source: *Book of the Later Han*, Chapter "Biography of Yuan Shao"
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "仰人鼻息" came to describe how depending on others and acting according to their moods.