Ijtaba, it goes without saying that Al Hussain was caught off guard. He expected to enter Kufa and to be surrounded with people that would defend him.
He did not send Muslim bin Aqeel to get butchered purposefully. He did not head towards Iraq with knowledge of Muslim's death either.
He was not caught off guard. This is where we have to seek a middle ground. Yes he was going for victory, yes he didn't sent Muslim bin Aqeel to die, but he was not surprised by treachery that already occurred to Imam Hassan by these people and was already taking place during Imam Ali to some degree.
He was not some fool that didn't know the high risk he was taking.
And this is something you guys don't admit. He took a risk because he was trying to do something important.
That important thing we don't realize but it's alluded to in Quran "If you do not it there will great sedition and havoc in the earth".
Prophets were martyred all in vain in trying to prepare people for a world for Mohammad in which at the end was not prepared for him.
Ahlulbayt (as) blood is tragedy, because, it didn't save Islam. Neither Imam Hassan dying from poison, neither the slaugher of Hussain, neither Imam Musa Al-Kadhim in prison - they could of chose victory any of them with the help of God and Angelic help, but they are teaching humanity a final lesson: responsibility.
The oppressor, the helper, and the one who watches (but does nothing about it) are all associates in the same crimes of oppression. - Imam Jewad.
They in a sense saved Islam in the sense they left enough light that interprets the Quran properly and enough light to see, but fabrications were mixed with their truthful words, and ambiguities followed even during the lifetime and still now, and they left a way for people to be guided to their leader of time and unite around him through the words of his predecessors that are verified by Quran, but their blood at the end like all the Prophets killed in the past, became something that is disgrace to humans and a shame, and not at all something productive that revived humanity.
Innovations are followed today, leadership of Ahlulbayt (as) and it's clear proofs have been made confusing and ambigous by replacing by first by four direct representatives (leaders in all sense of the word) then supposed "Ayatollahs" and "Marjas" that people don't even realize the purpose of Ahlulbayt (as) in the first place and the contradiction that arises to Quran and their arguments regarding leadership.
And what was neglected was Shurah, we were all suppose to council one anothe regarding Quran and Sunnah, and gain insights and learn from one another as Quran says "be sages (scholars that are pious) by which you teach of the book and by what you study".
Peace.