The Dazexiang Uprising led by Chen Sheng and Wu Guang shook the Qin Dynasty to its core, prompting warlords across the land to seize territory and declare themselves kings.
A man named Zhao Xie had stationed troops at Julu and declared himself king. The Qin dynasty sent forces to attack Zhao Xie, who then sought aid from Chu. King Huai of Chu appointed his advisor Song Yi as supreme general, Xiang Yu as second-in-command, and Fan Zeng as third-in-command, leading an army to rescue Zhao. When the troops reached Anyang, they halted and camped there for forty-six days without advancing.
Xiang Yu advised Song Yi, "I have heard that when the Qin army besieged Julu, they crossed the river swiftly. If our forces now strike quickly from the outside, attack inward, and the King of Zhao responds from within the city, we can surely defeat the Qin army soon."
Song Yi replied, "General, you cannot see it that way. If we commit our full force to attack the Qin army now, it will inevitably lead to heavy casualties, perhaps even mutual destruction, and then we won't be able to rescue the Zhao king. It's better to let them fight it out. Even if Qin wins, they'll be utterly exhausted, and we can seize that chance to crush them. If Qin loses, we can attack them later without delay. This strategy is called 'reaping the fisherman's spoils.'"
Song Yi finished speaking and issued the order: "The entire army must conserve strength, hold firm, and await orders. When the time comes to strike, be as fierce as a tiger, as ruthless as a sheep, and as greedy as a wolf; anyone who disobeys my command and acts rashly will be beheaded without mercy!"
The Chu army, far from home, was running low on supplies; to make matters worse, the weather turned bitterly cold with heavy rain. The soldiers, freezing and starving, grumbled endlessly.
Xiang Yu had always looked down on Song Yi, and when Song Yi ignored his advice, Xiang Yu stirred up the troops, declaring, "Our soldiers are starving and freezing, with no food left in camp—it's truly pitiful! Yet the generalissimo sends his own son off to Qi and throws lavish banquets. A man who shows no care for his men and bends the law for personal gain is no loyal servant of the state."
The next morning, Xiang Yu, under the pretext of a decree from King Huai of Chu, stormed into Song Yi's military tent, beheaded him on the spot, displayed his head to the troops as a warning, and declared himself acting general-in-chief.
The idiom "Fierce as a Sheep, Greedy as a Wolf" comes from "Fierce as a tiger, stubborn as a sheep, greedy as a wolf." It later describes someone as cruel and avaricious.
Source: *Records of the Grand Historian*, "Biography of Xiang Yu"
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "羊狠狼贪" came to describe how someone is cruel and avaricious.