Why is it bad that Zhou Yu and Cao Cao are at loggerheads here? Excerpt from Shanghai Chinese Book 24
Because Cao Cao fought against Sun while holding the emperor hostage. On the one hand, Cao Cao had the emperor's instructions, and he could mobilize a large number of governors to assist in operations. On the other hand, Cao Cao occupies more land than Zhou Yu. If it is always closed, it will always be bad for small places with poor traffic. This is the reason why Battle of Red Cliffs came into being.