A snake swallowing an elephant, also known as "the Ba Serpent swallowing an elephant," came from the Inner South Classic of the Classic of Mountains and Seas: "The Ba Serpent eats an elephant, and after three years, spits out its bones."
It generally referred to a heart never satisfied, to boundless greed.
In Cao Cao's view, if Liu Bei truly harbored such ambitions, it was nothing but a fool's dream!
One had to know that Yuan Shu was powerful, occupying the realm's wealthy lands and commanding numerous troops.
Compared to him, even if Liu Bei occupied Pei Commandery, he was only a small snake. Trying to swallow Yuan Shu was utterly unrealistic.
After some thought, Cao Cao frowned and said:
"How could the Liu Bei Army dare harbor such a wish?"
Xun Yu also said gravely from the side:
"Fengxiao, what you say is indeed rather shocking. Though Yuan Shu has proclaimed himself emperor and now faces enemies on every side, his strength still makes our army wary. The Liu Bei Army lacks sufficient power—how could they possibly swallow such a massive force?"
Seeing the two of them react this way, Guo Jia said seriously:
"I would not dare say this without grounds."
"Though Yuan Shu is powerful now, he may not be impossible to plot against!"
"Just as Brother Wenruo said, Yuan Shu is now surrounded by enemies."
"First, our army honors the Son of Heaven, while Yuan Shu is a usurper. We must certainly move against him!"
"Second, Sun Ce has risen in Jiangdong and has long been unwilling to remain beneath another. A battle between him and Yuan Shu is inevitable."
"Third, Lu Bu is now at odds with Yuan Shu, their hostility as fierce as fire and water. He naturally cannot tolerate him!"
"Furthermore, Chen Yu