In the battle of Guanzhong, Ma Chao was sure to get rid of Cao Cao. Why did he finally miss the best opportunity?

Cao Cao is a very legendary figure in the Three Kingdoms. He almost died in several wars, but in the end he turned the corner. For example, the battle of Guandu, with less wins more. Battle of Red Cliffs and Guan Yu finally let Cao Cao take Huarong Road in order to repay his kindness, and escaped from Ma Chao in Tongguan War for the last time.

Cao Cao and Ma Chao fought in Tongguan at that time. Cao Cao has always been an arrogant person, thinking that his strength is superior to Ma Chao, so he didn't take him seriously at first. Unexpectedly, after the war began, Ma Chao's bravery was shown, and he led the soldiers all the way. As a result, Cao Cao suffered heavy losses. In desperation, he could only clean up the mess, and Ma Chao pursued and stationed in Weihe River. This is equivalent to cutting off Cao Cao's transportation road, which makes Cao Cao very headache.

Later, Cao Cao had to follow the advice of his subordinates and build a earthen city near the Weihe River, but they ignored that the river was full of sediment. It is very difficult to build a tucheng, and Ma Chao often harassed it, which made Cao Cao very worried. At this time, someone gave him an idea. The weather is getting colder and colder, and cities built of mud will soon freeze. In this way, against the cold wind in winter, while sprinkling water, we built a tucheng until dawn.

At that time, Ma Chao had no effective adviser or strong backing, so he had no choice but to retreat. This is why history will say that Ma Chao had the opportunity to get rid of Cao Cao, but in the end he lost the opportunity.