Guan Yu (160?-220), whose courtesy name was Yunchang, whose real name was Changsheng, was born in Jiezhou, Hedong, Bingzhou (now Yuncheng City, Shanxi Province), and was of Han nationality. According to the description in "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms", Guan Yu was nine feet tall, but there is no record in "The Chronicles of the Three Kingdoms". At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, a famous general under Liu Bei's command became sworn sworn friends with Liu Bei and Zhang Fei Taoyuan. He once served as a former general of the Shu Han regime, and was promoted to the title of Marquis of Shouting of the Han Dynasty, with the posthumous title of "Marquis Zhuang Miao". In "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms", he is described as the leader of the Five Tiger Generals of the Shu Han Dynasty. After his death, he was highly respected by the people. He has always been the object of folk sacrifices and was revered as "Guan Gong"; he was also praised by successive courts and was regarded as the "Guan Sheng Emperor", revered as the "Martial Saint", and the "Literary Saint" Confucius They have the same reputation; and were finally named the "Ancient Buddha Gaitian". In Buddhism, it is called "Jialan Bodhisattva". "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms" describes such good stories as "warm wine and kill Hua Xiong", "riding alone for thousands of miles", "explaining Cao Cao", "going to a banquet alone", "flooding seven armies", etc. There is also "careless loss of Jingzhou". ", "Zou Maicheng" and other regrets
Guan Yu's weapon: Qinglong Yanyue Sword
2. Guan Yu's original character may differ due to different versions of the data. Currently, it is widely circulated It is the two concepts of "immortality" and "longevity".
[Edit this paragraph] Character evaluation
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Wen Hui: "Guan Yu is so sharp. ”
Lu Meng: “This man is long and eager to learn. Liu Ye called Guan Yu and Zhang Fei: “the bravest of the three armies”
Zhou Yu called Guan Yu and Zhang Fei: “the generals of bears and tigers”
Fu Qian called Guan Yu and Zhang Fei: "Brave and righteous, they are the enemies of ten thousand people, and they are their generals."
Yang Xi's "Praise to the Fuchen of Ji Han" praised Guan Yunchang and Zhang Yide: "Guan and Zhang Jiujiang were born in the Kuang Dynasty. They were carried by wings and carried with them. They were majestic and fierce. On the left and right of the vassal screen, they flew with electricity and helped in difficulties. They praised the Lord's great industry and followed Han and Geng. They both sang in unison. Virtue. Being rude and causing treachery will lead to death in Kuang."
Both Guan Yu and Zhang Fei became synonymous with bravery and fighting skills in later generations:
The Biography of Liu Xia in the Book of Jin: "Every time Liu Xia of the Jin Dynasty attacked thieves, he fell into a fortress and destroyed the front, hoping to compare with Guan Yu and Zhang Fei."
The Biography of Cui Yanbo, the Book of Wei: "Cui Gong, the ancient Guan and Zhang."
You can refer to the chapter about Guan Zhang Zhiyong in Volume 7 of "Twenty-Two Histories" written by Zhao Yi, which details the information that the ancients used Guan Yu, or Guan and Zhang both as synonyms for brave generals.
"The Romance of the Three Kingdoms"
At the end of the Han Dynasty, he was invincible, and Yunchang stood out from the crowd.
The divine power can lead to martial arts, and the elegance can better understand literature.
The sun and the heart are like mirrors, and the meaning of "Spring and Autumn" is thin as the clouds.
It is clear that it will last forever, more than three points.
[Edit this paragraph]Characteristics
The 19th-century Japanese painter Utagawa Kuniyoshi painted a picture of Guan Yu scraping bones and curing poison in The Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Guan Yu has a beautiful beard and beard, and is an enemy of ten thousand people. Loyalty and justice; good at reading Zuo's Spring and Autumn Annals, and able to recite fluently. When he surrendered to Cao Ying, although he was treated with courtesy, he still loved Liu Bei. Be kind to your soldiers. He even scraped the bones to treat poison. He was injured in his left arm by a poisonous arrow. Every time it rained, the bone was particularly painful. Hua Tuo said that he needed to scrape the bones to remove the poison before he could recover. Guan Yu immediately stretched out his arm to the doctor and began to scrape the bones. The blood flowed to the plate, but Guan Yu continued to eat meat and drink alcohol with a calm demeanor.
He was very arrogant towards the scholar-bureaucrats and did not have a good relationship with his colleagues. For example, when Ma Chao surrendered, Guan Yu wrote to Zhuge Liang asking: "Who can compare with Ma Chao's talents?" When Huang Zhongguan paid homage to the general, he said angrily: "A man will never be ranked with a veteran!" Fortunately, Zhuge Liang and Zhuge Liang Fei Shi explained, and Guan Yu readily accepted it. However, Mi Fang, Fu Shiren, and Pan Jun all had rifts with Guan Yu.
[Edit this paragraph] Family situation
Children
Guan Ping, Guan Yu’s eldest son, followed Guan Yu in the battle, and was killed together with Guan Yu in Linju. (In the novel, he is Guan Yu's adopted son and Guan Ding's son)
Guan Xing, Guan Yu's second son, was famous at a young age and was highly regarded by Zhuge Liang. Die.
Guan Feng, Guan Yu’s daughter, Sun Quan once proposed to his son, but Guan Yu rejected her and insulted the envoy.
Guan Suo (this is a character in the drama, not recorded in the history), the third son of Guan Yu. After Guan Yu lost Jingzhou, he recuperated in Baojiazhuang. Zhuge Liang only returned to the army when he attacked Menghuo in the south and served as a vanguard.
Sun
Guan Tong, the eldest son of Guan Xing, his wife was a princess, and he was an official until the rank of General Hu Ben Zhonglang. He died without any children.
Guan Yi, the second son of Guan Xing, succeeded Guan Tong after his death.
Descendants
Guan Sheng: a character in "Water Margin", one of the heroes of Liangshan, ranked fifth in Liangshan.
Pei's note in "Three Kingdoms" says that after the fall of the Shu Han Dynasty, Pang Hui, the son of Pang De, killed all the Guan family members to avenge his father, and Guan Yu's line was cut off. But the credibility of this record is controversial. Later generations of Guan surnamed clans in Jiezhou, Dangyang, Luoyang and other places often claimed to be descendants of Guan Yu, but many of them cannot be verified.
[Edit this paragraph] Characters and deeds
Life
Guan Yu's life experience was unknown before the Qing Dynasty.
During the Kangxi period of the early Qing Dynasty, Zhu Dan, the governor of Jiezhou, unearthed Guan Yu’s tomb bricks while dredging and repairing ancient wells. On it are engraved the names of Guan Yu's ancestor and father, the dates of birth and death, etc. The information is relatively detailed, and Guan Yu's family status is also mentioned slightly. Therefore, he wrote "The Tombstone of Guan Houzu".
According to the written records on the tomb bricks, the Guan family was actually a family of scholars. Guan Yu's grandfather was called Guan Shen, also named Wen. Gengyin was born in the second year of Emperor Yongyuan of the Han Dynasty and lived in Baochi, Changping Village, Jiezhou (now Jiezhou Town, Shanxi). Records say that he "loved Mu and loved Taoism" and often taught his son in "Yi" and "Spring and Autumn". In the second year of Emperor Huan's Yongshou, Ding You died at the age of sixty-eight. Yu's father, Guan Yi, was named Daoyuan. He was extremely filial by nature. After his father's death was judged, he built a hut on the tomb and stayed in mourning for three years until the funeral was over. In the third year of Emperor Huan's Yanxi reign (160 years), Gengzi gave birth to Guan Yu on June 24th. When Guan Yu grew up, he married Hu and gave birth to a son Guan Ping on May 13th in the first year of Wuwu (178), the first year of Emperor Guanghe's reign.
Guan Yu met the Eastern Han Dynasty government in Zhuojun (now Zhuozhou, Hebei Province) and mobilized powerful landlords from all over the country to organize armed forces to suppress the Yellow Turban Uprising. Here he met Liu Bei (Liu Bei claimed to be a descendant of Liu Sheng, Prince Jing of Zhongshan, son of Emperor Jing of the Western Han Dynasty) and Zhang Fei, who were gathering people to raise troops in the area. The three of them had the same goals and fell in love at first sight. Their friendship was extraordinary and they were as close as brothers. It is said in later generations that Liu, Guan and Zhang once became sworn brothers in Taoyuan. "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms" describes their oath: "Although they have different surnames, as brothers, we will work together to rescue the poor and help the people in danger; we will report to the country and live in peace and prosperity. We do not wish to be born in the same year, the same month and the same day, but only wish to be born in the same year, the same month and the same day." Die." Although this is a novelist's words, it has a huge impact because it conforms to the mentality of the middle and lower classes in an era of frequent turmoil. Many peasant uprisings in later generations imitated the form of sworn friendship to consolidate the ranks and strengthen unity. The three organized an armed force and participated in the attack on the peasant uprising army. Guan Yu began his military career from then on. From the first year of Zhongping (184) until his death, Guan Yu followed Liu Bei loyally, "following Liu Bei and not avoiding hardships and dangers" ("Three Kingdoms·Book of Shu·Biography of Guan Yu").
Liu Bei raised troops and participated in suppressing the Yellow Turban Uprising. Guan Yu and Zhang Fei served as his bodyguards and were his powerful right-hand men. In the first year of Zhongping (185), Liu, Guan, and Zhang took their newly organized soldiers and horses and first defected to Zou Jing, the captain of Zhuojun. When the Yellow Turban Army reached Zhuo County, they cooperated with the officers and soldiers to resist, and won the first battle, which was a great achievement. Then, they left Zhuojun and went to join Lu Zhi, the Zhonglang general who was besieging the Yellow Turban leader Zhang Jiao in Guangzong (east of Wei County, Hebei Province). After arriving at Guangzong, Lu Zhi was framed and escorted back to the capital, so they decided to return to Zhuojun. On the way back, he encountered Zhang Jiao, the Tiangong general of the Yellow Turban Army, who was chasing Dong Zhuo, who had replaced Lu Zhi. Guan Yu and Zhang Fei led a group of troops and suddenly attacked the Yellow Turban Army and rescued Dong Zhuo. Liu Bei later defected to Youzhou warlord Gongsun Zan, and was appointed Prime Minister of Pingyuan due to his repeated military exploits. Guan Yu and Zhang Fei served as commanders of other departments, and divided the divisions. The three of them still "sleep in the same bed, and they are like brothers" ("Three Kingdoms·Shu·Biography of Guan Yu"). Guan Yu and Zhang Fei stand by Liu Bei's side and protect Liu Bei all day long.
In the first year of Jian'an (195), Cao Cao welcomed Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty and moved the capital to Xuchang (today's east of Xuchang, Henan). He took sole control of military and political power and took charge of the government, with the emperor becoming a puppet. In the third year of Jian'an (198 AD), Liu Bei was defeated by Lu Bu and defected to Cao Cao. Cao Cao commended him as General Zuo, and worshiped Guan Yu as General Zhonglang (the military attache second to the general).
At that time, General Dong Cheng of Chariots and Cavalry accepted the emperor's imperial edict and conspired with Liu Bei, Changshui captain Zhong Ji, general Wu Zilan, Wang Zifu, etc. to get rid of Cao Cao.
In the fourth year of Jian'an (199), Liu Bei was afraid of Cao Cao's suspicion and wanted to wait for an opportunity to break away from Cao Cao's control. Taking advantage of the defeat of the right general Yuan Shu, he took the initiative to request that he and his general Zhu Ling go to intercept. Cao Cao's advisers Cheng Yu, Guo Jia, Dong Zhao and others believed that Liu Bei, who had ulterior motives, should not be let go. Cao Cao immediately sent people to chase him, but it was too late. Yuan Shu fled south to Shouchun (now Shouxian County, Anhui Province), and Zhu Ling returned to the court with his troops. In December, Liu Bei killed Chezhou, the governor of Xuzhou, and appointed Guan Yu as the governor of Xiapi (now northwest of Suining, Jiangsu Province). He stationed troops in Xiaopei and recruited troops. , to expand its strength and echo the anti-Cao forces in the DPRK and China. Chang Xi, the leader of the rebels in Donghai (now Tancheng, Jiangsu Province), and the surrounding counties and counties all joined Liu Bei. Liu Bei's troops soon grew to tens of thousands, and he sent envoys to form an alliance with Yuan Shao, posing a serious threat to Cao Cao. He defeated Sima Changshi Liu Dai and Zhonglang General Wang Zhong who came to attack, and temporarily obtained the Xuzhou and Xiapi areas as a base for rest and development.
In the first month of the fifth year of Jian'an (200), the plan of Chariot General Dong Cheng and others to assassinate Cao Cao was leaked. Dong Cheng, Wang Zifu, and Zhongji were all massacred. Only Liu Bei, who participated in the plot, was lucky. Escape and become more and more powerful. Cao Cao personally conquered Liu Bei. Liu Bei was shocked to learn that Cao Cao's army was approaching. He led dozens of riders out of the city to observe. Sure enough, he saw Cao's army's flag and had to rush to fight. Cao Cao's army was defeated and Liu Bei's wife was captured. Cao Cao then captured Xiapi and forced an emergency landing at Guan Yu. Liu Bei fled to Yecheng (now southwest of Linzhang, Hebei Province) to join Yuan Shao.
Cao Cao admired Guan Yu as a person and worshiped him as a partial general. He was treated with great courtesy. Soon he realized that Guan Yu was unsettled and had no intention of staying for a long time, so he said to Zhang Liao, who had a good relationship with Guan Yu, "Please try to ask him with affection." Zhang Liao went to ask Guan Yu, but Guan Yu sighed and said, "I know very well that Duke Cao has treated me well. However, I have received such kindness from General Liu. I swear to the death of my mother-in-law, and I must not betray it. I will not stay for the rest of my life, and I will repay the favor by performing my duties." Duke Cao is leaving" ("Three Kingdoms, Book of Shu, Biography of Guan Yu"). Zhang Liao conveyed Guan Yu's words to Cao Cao. After hearing this, Cao Cao not only did not resent Guan Yu, but believed that he was benevolent and righteous and valued him even more.
In the fifth year of Jian'an (200), the Battle of Guandu broke out. In February, Jizhou Shepherd Yuan Shao mobilized more than 100,000 horses to march to Liyang (now northeast of Huaxian County, Henan Province) to conquer Cao Cao and sent General Yan Liang to siege Baima. , attack Liu Yan, the governor of Dongjun, to ensure that the main force crosses the river and advances southward. Liu Yan asked for help urgently. In April, Cao Cao went north to rescue Liu Yan in order to remove the threat from his flanks. Counselor Xun You suggested: "Today we are outnumbered by a small force, so we can divide our forces. When the Duke arrives at Yanjin, if he sends his troops to the rear, Shao will respond to them from the west, and then attack the white horse with light troops to cover up his unpreparedness. Yan Liang can "Capture Ye" ("Three Kingdoms·Book of Wei·Biography of Emperor Wu"), Cao Cao followed his plan. Yuan Shao heard that Cao's troops had crossed the river, and sure enough he divided his troops to the west and advanced to Yanjin. Cao Cao took the opportunity to lead his troops towards Baima. When he was more than 10 miles away from Baima, Yan Liang was shocked and hurriedly fought. Cao Cao sent Zhang Liao and Guan Yu as vanguards to lead the attack. Guan Yu jumped on his horse in front of the formation and saw Yan Liang's command cap (the general's military chariot with banners and banners) from a distance. He rushed over, stabbed Yan Liang to death in the midst of thousands of people, and beheaded him before returning. Yuan Shao's generals "No one can be worthy" ("Three Kingdoms, Book of Shu, Biography of Guan Yu"). Cao Cao ordered his army to charge and kill. Yuan's army was defeated and dispersed, and the siege of Baima was broken. The image of Guan Yu in opera
Cao Cao praised Guan Yu for his bravery, rewarded him heavily, and named him Hanshou Tinghou (Hanshou, place name; Tinghou, marquis name). After Guan Yu killed Yan Liang, Cao Cao knew that he must go, so he rewarded him heavily. Guan Yu sealed up all the rewards Cao Cao had given him many times, wrote a farewell letter to Cao Cao, protected Liu Bei's family, left Cao Cao's camp, and went to Yuan Shao's army to look for Liu Bei. After Cao Cao's soldiers heard about it, they wanted to pursue him, but Cao Cao dissuaded him and said: "Everyone is his own master, so don't chase him" ("Three Kingdoms, Book of Shu VI, Biography of Guan Yu").
From the time Guan Yu was captured to the time he repaid Cao with meritorious services and defected to Liu Bei again, this experience has been passed down orally and spread widely.
By the time of "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms", a colorful and exciting story unit has been formed, including three things about Guan Gong's settlement in Tushan (surrendering the Han but not Cao Cao; treating his second sister-in-law politely; once he learned Liu Bei's whereabouts, he would resign); Cao Cao treated Guan Yu favorably , the small banquet lasted three days and the big banquet lasted five days; Cao Cao presented a robe, Guan Yu wore it under the clothes, and covered it with the old robe given by Liu Bei, not daring to forget the old with the new; Cao Cao presented a red rabbit horse, Guan Yu thanked him, thinking that he would ride on this horse , you can meet Liu Bei in one day; Guan Gong kills Yan Liang; Guan Gong seals the gold; brothers meet in the ancient city, etc. In China, few people do not know this story.
Yuan Shaoxing marched southward and sent Liu Bei south to Ru and Ying to attack Cao Cao's rear, but was defeated by Cao Cao's general Cao Ren. Liu Bei fled back to Yuan Shao's army. He was jealous and secretly planned to break away from Yuan Shao, so he suggested that Yuan Shao form an alliance with Liu Biao, the shepherd of Jingzhou, so that Cao Cao would be attacked from both sides. Yuan Shao believed it to be true and sent Liu Bei to lead his troops south to Runan again to meet up with the leader of the Yellow Turban Army, Gong Du and others. The force expanded to thousands, posing another threat to Cao Cao's rear. In July of that year, in order to stabilize the rear, Cao Cao sent general Cai Yang to lead his troops to attack Liu Bei. Liu Bei made full preparations and arrangements and led his troops to fight against Cai Yang. The two armies fought fiercely, Cao's army was defeated, and Cai Yang was killed. In the autumn of the sixth year of Jian'an (201), Cao Cao led his army to attack Liu Bei in Runan. In September, Guan Yu followed Liu Bei to join Liu Biao in Jingzhou, and Gong Du and other troops dispersed. At this point, Liu Bei separated from Yuan Shao and gained the opportunity to develop his own power. Liu Biao treated Liu Bei with courtesy. After that, Liu Bei stationed troops in Jingzhou.
From the sixth to the thirteenth year of Jian'an (201-208), Liu Bei devoted himself to recruiting talents and expanding his military strength in these eight years. Especially in the twelfth year of Jian'an (207), he "visited the thatched cottage three times" and invited Zhuge Liang. Guan Yu and Zhang Fei were unhappy when they saw the increasingly close relationship between Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang. After Liu Bei noticed it, he severely criticized him and Zhang Fei, saying: "A solitary person has a hole in the sky, just like a fish has water. I hope you will not say anything more" ("Three Kingdoms·Shu·Zhuge Liang Biography"). Guan Yu and Zhang Fei no longer expressed any objection.
In the 13th year of Jian'an (208), Cao Cao personally led an army to conquer Liu Biao southward. Liu Biao died, and Liu Cong, who succeeded Jingzhou as pastor, surrendered to Cao Cao. In order to avoid the sharp edge of Cao's army, Liu Bei withdrew from Fancheng and retreated to Jiangling (today's Jiangling, Hubei Province). He sent Guan Yu to lead more than 10,000 naval troops to join Jiangling via the waterway. When Liu Bei's army retreated to Dangyang Changbanpo (today's northeast of Dangyang, Hubei Province), they were severely defeated by Cao Cao's cavalry who pursued them all the way. The road to Jiangling was cut off by Cao's army, so Liu Bei had to move diagonally toward Hanjin. Guan Yu led his navy to respond and protected Liu Bei as he retreated to Xiakou.
According to the "Book of Shu", Liu Bei was hunting with Cao Cao in Xuchang. Guan Yu once advised Liu Bei to take advantage of the chaos and kill Cao Cao to avoid future troubles. Perhaps because the situation did not allow it, Liu Bei did not agree. This time they met in Hanjin and were homeless. Guan Yu was indignant and said: "If you had listened to me on the hunting ground back then, you would not have been in such trouble today." Liu Bei explained: "At that time, it was also for the sake of the country. , It is a rare talent to cherish Cao Cao. Besides, if God's will helps the gentleman, how can we know that today's wandering is not our blessing?" However, this is not considered to be true.
After Cao Cao occupied Jiangling, his momentum became even stronger, and he had the potential to engulf Liu Bei who had "no place to stand" and eliminate Sun Quan in Jiangdong. This led to the famous Battle of Chibi where the combined forces of Sun Quan and Liu Bei defeated Cao Cao. In November, the coalition forces of Sun and Liu defeated Cao Cao in Chibi (now northwest of Puqi County). The 10,000 elite navy troops led by Guan Yu were Liu Bei's main force and played an important role in this battle. In order to highlight Guan Yu's characteristics of "all friendships and righteousness", later generations dramatized the details of his interpretation of Cao Cao on Huarong Road, which is still popular today.
After the Battle of Chibi, Liu Bei took the opportunity to capture the four counties of Wuling, Changsha, Guiyang, and Lingling (all in today's Hunan). Liu Bei obtained the four counties, plus the Nanjun lent to him by Sun Quan, and finally He gained a foothold in Jingzhou. Then Liu Bei made him a hero. Guan Yu was appointed as the governor of Xiangyang and the general of Dangkou to guard Jingzhou.
In December of the 16th year of Jian'an (211), Liu Bei led troops into Bashu and captured Yizhou, while Guan Yu stayed in Jingzhou. Since Yizhou was at peace, Guan Yu was given five hundred catties of gold, one thousand catties of silver, fifty million coins, and one thousand pieces of brocade.
[1] Jingzhou includes seven counties: Nanyang, Nanjun, Jiangxia, Wuling, Changsha, Guiyang, and Lingling. It is a strategic location that Cao Cao, Liu Bei, and Sun Quan must compete for. After the Battle of Chibi, Cao Cao still occupied Nanyang County and the northern part of Nanjun, and Sun Quan occupied Jiangxia County and the southern part of Nanjun. The so-called "borrowing Jingzhou" means that Sun Quan lent the southern part of Nanjun he occupied to Liu Bei. The second year after Liu Bei acquired Yizhou (215), Sun Quan sent Zhuge Jin as an envoy to discuss with Liu Bei and request that several counties in the southern part of Jingzhou be returned to Soochow. Liu Bei refused, so Sun Quan sent a group of officials to take over the three counties of Changsha, Lingling and Guiyang. Guan Yu refused to give in and drove back all the officials sent by Sun Quan. Sun Quan was furious and immediately sent Lu Meng with 20,000 troops to take over the three counties by force. After Lu Meng captured the two counties of Changsha and Guiyang, Liu Bei hurriedly led 50,000 troops to the police station and sent Guan Yu to lead 30,000 troops to Yiyang to recapture those two counties. Sun Quan also personally went to Lukou and sent Lu Su to lead 10,000 troops to Yiyang to resist Guan Yu. Soochow's army and Guan Yu's army both set up camp in Yiyang and faced each other.
The Sun and Liu families were competing for Jingzhou. At this time, Liu Bei heard that Cao Cao had captured Hanzhong, and hurriedly divided Jingzhou equally with Sun Quan to resist Cao Cao. At the same time, Guan Yu hosted a banquet to invite Lu Su to the banquet and wanted to discuss matters in Jingzhou, but was criticized by Lu Su.
After the Battle of Chibi, Guan Yu, who guarded Jingzhou, was named "Prefect of Xiangyang", while important towns such as Xiangyang and Fancheng in Jingzhou were still controlled by Cao Cao. In order to realize the plan of Zhuge Liang and Liu Bei in "Longzhong Dui", when the time is right, the Jingzhou army will go directly to Wan (now Nanyang, Henan) and Luo (now southern Shaanxi) to complete the great cause of unification. , Guan Yu has been eyeing Xiang and Fan.
In the twenty-fourth year of Jian'an (219), Liu Bei defeated Cao Bing in Hanzhong, and Cao Cao had to withdraw from Hanzhong. Therefore, with the support of his civil and military officials, Liu Bei established himself as the King of Hanzhong. Appointed Guan Yu as a former general and assumed the title of Yue.
In June of that year, after Liu Bei captured Hanzhong, he sent Meng Da and Liu Feng to capture Fangling, Shangyong and other places in the eastern part of Hanzhong County, and his power expanded. In July, Sun Quan wanted to attack Hefei, so most of the Wei army mobilized Huainan to defend against the Wu army. Guan Yu, who was guarding Jingzhou, seized the opportunity to fight. He left Mi Fang, the governor of Nanjun (governing Jiangling, today's Jiangling, Hubei Province) to guard Jiangling, and General Fu Shiren to guard Gong'an (today's northwest of Hubei Public Security Bureau), and led the main force to attack Jingxiang northward.
Xiangyang and Fancheng are opposite each other across the Han River and form an angle with each other. They are important battle preparation areas for Cao's army to resist the southern army's northward march. At that time, General Cao Ren of Wei Zhengnan was stationed in Fancheng, and General Lu Chang was stationed in Xiangyang. After he withdrew his troops from Hanzhong to Chang'an, he sent the general Xu Huang to lead his army to support Cao Ren and stationed in Wancheng (now Nanyang, Henan). After the Battle of Fancheng began, Cao Cao sent Zuo General Yu Jin and Liyi General Pang De to assist in the defense and garrisoned north of Fancheng.
Yu Jin made a fatal mistake in this battle. Cao Ren asked him and Pang De to station troops to the north of Fan City to coordinate with the city. Without considering the low terrain of the area, he took all seven of his troops to station there. In August, there were continuous heavy rains, and the Han River surged, reaching a depth of several feet in the flat areas. Yu Jin's seven armies were all flooded, and they had to lead a few soldiers to Gaofu. Guan Yu attacked fiercely in a warship, but had no way to retreat and was forced to surrender. The troops led by Pound continued to resist and fought to the death. They fought from morning to noon. When all their arrows were exhausted, they fought hand to hand. Some soldiers died in battle, and some surrendered. Guan Yu intensified his offensive. At the same time, the water rose even more fiercely, the earth embankments were submerged, and Cao Cao's troops surrendered. Pang De wanted to take a boat back to Cao Ren's camp, but the water was too strong and the boat capsized. He was captured and died unyieldingly.
Guan Yu took advantage of the victory to besiege Fancheng and surrounded Xiangyang with a force. There were only a few thousand defenders in Fancheng, and the city walls collapsed in many places due to flooding. Cao Ren considered abandoning Fancheng, but was dissuaded by Man Chong, the prefect of Runan who assisted Cao Ren. Man Chong thought: "The mountains and rivers are moving rapidly, and I hope it won't be long. I heard that Yu sent his farewell generals to Jia (now Jiaxian County, Henan Province). From the south of Xu, the people were harassing them. If Yu didn't dare to advance, he was afraid that our army would kill him. "If you escape now, you will not be able to recover the country south of the Hong River. You should wait for it." ("Three Kingdoms·Wei Shu·Man Chong Biography") Cao Ren was determined to fight to the death and encouraged the soldiers to work together to resist bravely.
Although Guan Yu's army attacked fiercely by boat, they were still unable to disembark for a while.
At this time, Hu Xiu, the governor of Jingzhou in Wei, and Fu Fang, the governor of Nanxiang (governing Nanxiang, southeast of today's Xichuan, Henan Province), all surrendered to Guan Yu. Sun Lang, a native of Luhun (northeast of today's Songxian County, Henan Province), etc. also killed officials and raised troops to respond. Guan Yu, Guan Yu's momentum "shocked China" for a while ("Three Kingdoms, Book of Shu, Biography of Guan Yu").
Cao Cao felt threatened and once prepared to move the capital, but was stopped by Prime Minister Sima Yi and Cao Jiangji. They believed: "The ban and so on were lost by water. They were not lost in war and defense. They did not harm the country's plan, so they moved the capital. This not only showed that the enemy was weak, but also made the people of Huaimian very uneasy. Sun Quan and Liu Bei were close relatives at home and abroad." "Sparse" means that when Yu is satisfied, Quan is not willing to do so. It can be described as Quan's position, and when he is ordered to follow him, Fan Wei will be relieved." ("Book of Jin: Chronicles of Emperor Xuan").
Cao Cao adopted this strategy of using conflicts to destroy the alliance between Sun and Liu in order to reap the benefits, and sent an envoy to see Sun Quan. At the same time, he ordered Xu Huang to lead his army to rescue Cao Ren. When Xu Huang advanced to Yanglingpi (north of Fancheng), Cao Cao sent generals Xu Shang and Lu Jian to convey an order: they must wait for the follow-up reinforcements to gather before attacking. At that time, Guan Yu's front troops were stationed in Yancheng (five miles north of Fancheng), and Xu Huang pretended to build a long moat to show that he would cut off the Shu army's retreat. The Shu army was afraid of being surrounded, so they burned their camps and withdrew. Xu Huang's army marched into Yancheng and gradually approached the besieging Shu army.
At the beginning, Zhuge Liang said in "Longzhong Dui": "If there are Jingyi across the road, protect the rocks and block them, make peace with the Rong in the west, care for the Yi and Yue in the south, tie up with Sun Quan on the outside, and cultivate political principles on the inside. When there is a change in the world, the general (Liu Bei) is ordered to lead the troops from Jingzhou to Wanluo early in the morning. He will lead the people from Yizhou out of Qinchuan. Is there any people who don’t want to eat pots of pulp to meet the general?" ("Three Kingdoms·" Shu Shu·Zhuge Liang Biography")? This means that after Liu Bei obtained the two states of Jing and Yi and established his foundation, he must form a solid alliance with Sun Quan, and then he could conquer the Central Plains in the north. It can be seen that the alliance between Sun and Liu is the basis for Liu Bei to conquer the Central Plains in the north. However, there were obvious cracks in this alliance due to several reasons:
First, the issue of ownership of Jingzhou. Jingzhou is located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River. It borders Han Mian to the north, takes full advantage of the South China Sea, connects Wuhui to the east and Bashu to the west. It has important strategic significance for the Sun, Liu and Cao families. Cao Cao once wanted to occupy Jingzhou and unify the world, but the Battle of Chibi made his dream come true; the Sun Group has always believed that Jingzhou is a battleground. Because Jingzhou is so important upstream, as long as it is in the hands of others, it will be in a passive position. After the Battle of Chibi, in order to continue to unite with Liu to fight against Cao, he had no choice but to temporarily lend Jingzhou to Liu Bei. But after Liu Bei obtained Yizhou, he had no intention of returning Jingzhou.
The second is that Guan Yu relied on his bravery and was always arrogant and disrespectful towards the Sun Group. Lu Su met him alone to ask for Jingzhou. Although he lost money, he still refused to properly solve the problem from the perspective of uniting the two families. Sun Quan sent an envoy to propose to Guan Yu's daughter for his eldest son Sun Deng. Guan Yu not only refused to agree to the marriage, but instead scolded the envoy harshly, and the relationship between the two parties became increasingly tense.
Thirdly, among the officials of Eastern Wu, Lu Su, who advocated joining Liu to reject Cao Cao, has passed away. Other officials, such as Lu Meng, who replaced Lu Su in commanding the army, believed that Guan Yu was always brave and good at fighting, and had the intention to annex Wu. The country's ambitions, therefore, asked to send troops to deal with Guan Yu. He said: "Qiyu monarchs and ministers should be careful of their deceitful power and their repeated positions, so they should not be treated with sincerity" ("Three Kingdoms·Wu Shu·Lü Meng Biography").
So after Sun Quan received Cao Cao’s letter, he readily agreed. He summoned Lu Meng back to Jianye to discuss the plan to seize Nanjun. Guan Yu also knew that the alliance between Sun and Liu was not consolidated. At this time, he not only wanted to capture Fancheng, but also had to guard against Sun Quan's surprise attack on Jingzhou. When he saw General Lu Meng of Dongwu stationing troops in Lukou, he repeatedly asked Mi Fang and Fu Shiren to guard Jingzhou carefully, and left most of the troops in Nanjun. He also fortified defenses along the river, built a watchtower and a beacon tower twenty or thirty miles away. Lu Meng found out that Guan Yu's defense was tight and impeccable, so he pretended to be seriously ill and wrote to Sun Quan, asking to go back to recuperate. Sun Quan publicly issued an order to transfer Lu Meng back to Jianye to recuperate. Lu Meng recommended Lu Xun to replace him. At that time, Lu Xun was young and talented but not famous, and was serving as the captain of Dingwei. Sun Quan appointed him as a partial general and right-wing governor to succeed Lu Meng. After Lu Xun arrived, he sent an envoy to Guan Yu with gifts and a letter. The letter complimented Guan Yu for flooding the Seventh Army, and credited Jin Wengong for his victory in the Battle of Chengpu and Han Xin's defeat of Zhao. He also encouraged Guan Yu to use his power to seize the throne. Complete victory.
Every time, Lu Meng treated the envoys politely and allowed them to travel around the city. When the envoy returned to Guan Yu's army, the soldiers knew that their families were safe and their fighting spirit was gone. Most of them fled halfway. Guan Yu knew that he was alone and sent people to ask for help from Shu generals Liu Feng and Meng Da who were stationed in Shangyong. The two refused to support them on the grounds of Shangyong's new decision. Guan Yu was trapped in the dilemma of losing ground and being attacked from both sides, so he headed west to Maicheng (southeast of today's Dangyang, Hubei Province). At this time, Lu Xun took advantage of the victory to advance westward and captured Yidu. Guan Yu saw that the east, west and south sides of Maicheng were surrounded by enemies, and reinforcements were still arriving, so he decided to break out and return to Xichuan.
Lü Meng knew that Guan Yu had few soldiers and expected that if he wanted to escape, he would take the path leading to Xichuan in the north of Maicheng, so he sent troops to bury him in advance. In December, Sun Quan sent envoys to Maicheng to persuade Guan Yu to surrender. Guan Yu proposed that the Wu army retreat ten miles and then meet at the south gate. As expected, Lu Meng retreated ten miles and waited for Guan Yu to surrender. Guan Yu and his eldest son Guan Ping took the opportunity to sneak out of the north gate with more than a dozen cavalry and fled to the west. They were captured by Sima Zhong of Wu general Pan Zhang and were bound to see Sun Quan. Sun Quan surrendered Guan Yu. Guan Yu would rather die than surrender and join his son Guan Ping was killed by Pan Zhang in Linju. He was about sixty years old when he died. His second son, Guan Xing, succeeded him to the position of "Han Shoutinghou". Liu Chan, Emperor Huai of the Shu Han Dynasty, posthumously named Guan Yu "Marquis Zhuang Miao" in the third year of Jingyao (AD 260).
The "Three Kingdoms: Biography of Guan, Zhang, Ma, Huang and Zhao" discusses Guan Yu and Zhang Fei: "Both Guan Yu and Zhang Fei are known as enemies of ten thousand people and are tiger ministers in the world. Yu serves Duke Cao, and Fei expresses his righteousness. Yan also has the style of a scholar. However, Yu is strong and conceited, and he is violent and ungrateful. He is defeated by shortcomings, which is normal. "He also said: "Yu treats soldiers well but is proud of scholar-bureaucrats, but Fei loves and respects gentlemen but does not show mercy. Villain." Indeed.