Xu Shu (徐庶) was one of Liu Bei's advisors during the Three Kingdoms period of China. Cao Cao had long admired the man, however, and wishing to lure Xu Shu into his service he captured his mother and took her to the capital. Xu Shu was known to be a man of strong filial piety and left to find her though he promised never to serve Cao Cao. When he went to his mother, she was outraged and hanged herself. Xu Shu kept his promise and did not advise Cao Cao. However, before the Battle of Red Cliffs, he was in Cao Cao's camp when Pang Tong advised Cao Cao to tie the ships together with chains to prevent sea sickness among his soldiers. Xu Shu saw at once that this was to assist Zhou Yu's fire attack against Cao Cao's fleet. Xu Shu asked Pang Tong how to escape and then spread the rumour that Ma Teng and Han Sui were leading a rebellion against Cao Cao. Cao Cao commanded Xu Shu to subdue the reblellion. Xu Shu managed to escape from the battle. Liu Bei was the founder of the Shu Kingdom during the Three Kingdoms period of China. ... The Three Kingdoms period (Simplified Chinese: 三国; Traditional Chinese: 三國; Pinyin Sānguó) is a period in the history of China. ... Cáo Cāo (曹操, pronounced Tsao Tsao) (155-220), courtesy name Mèngdé (孟德), was the self-appointed Imperial Secretarist of the Han Dynasty and the de facto ruler of Northern China (as the Kingdom of Wei) during the beginning of the period of Three Kingdoms. ...

Prior to leaving Liu Bei, Xu Shu recommended that he seek out Zhuge Liang, who was to become the Liu Bei's most famous advisor. Zhuge Liang (181 - 234) was one of the greatest strategists of post-Han China, as well as a statesman, engineer, scholar, and legendary inventor of baozi. ...