Chapter 73- Guan Yu's Arrogance Alienates Allies

Cao Cao's forced retreat. Picture this. He's just had a military setback and he's being absolutely hounded out of Hanzhong. I mean, the chaos is palpable. His army, demoralized. They're getting attacked on multiple fronts by generals like Ma Cao, even Wei Yan is targeting them. They're fleeing day and night, barely stopping until they finally, finally feel safe back in Qingzhou. It's a full-on rout. Really humbling for someone like him. Definitely humbling. And at the same time, Liu Bei is having the exact opposite experience back in his newly secured areas. Right. He's consolidating his games and doing it brilliantly. His generals, Lu Feng, Meng Da, Wang Ping, they've captured these key commanderies and even guys who used to be adversaries like Shen Dan, they're coming over to his side now. The people are happy. The troops are getting rewarded. It really feels like the perfect storm for a big shift. And that is exactly the critical point here. Liu Bei getting Hanzhong wasn't just lines on a map changing. It was huge psychologically, politically. His generals, they feel this momentum, right? So naturally they start thinking, okay, it's time. Time for him to claim a higher title. And this really brings up that classic leadership question. What matters more? Popular support, which Liu Bei clearly had heaps of, or that traditional established legitimacy, which, well, was trickier for him. Yeah, this is where it gets really interesting. His top advisors. You've got Zhu Guoliang and Fa Zeng leading the charge. They push hard for him to become emperor. Their argument is basically, Cao Cao's a tyrant. Liu Bei is benevolent. He controls the two regions issue and what they're calling Lianchuan, basically the Sichuan. So he's the natural choice to quote, respond to heaven and comply with the people. They're even saying, pick a date. Let's do this now. But Liu Bei pushes back and it's not just him being modest. It's strategic for a leader like Liu Bei, whose whole story is about restoring the Han while openly declaring himself emperor, even temporarily, that could look like massive hypocrisy. He risked undermining the very support his advisors were pointing to. It shows that tightrope walk, doesn't it? Between what's strategically necessary and what looks morally right. So Zhu Guoliang and the generals, they really laid on thick. They warned him, look, if you keep refusing, you could completely demoralize everyone. Must've been quite the conversation. So eventually they land on this clever compromise. Liu Bei will temporarily take the title king of Han Song. He holds Jinzu and Lianchuan. And then importantly, he'll formally report it to the emperor. Even Zhang Fei, you know, in his usual loud way jumps in saying he shouldn't stop the king, go straight for emperor. Liu Bei actually has to tell him to simmer down. Classic Zhang Fei. But that act, according to circumstances approach, as Zhu Guoliang called it, absolutely crucial. It was a vital stepping stone. The core lesson, I think, is that it let Liu Bei consolidate power, reward his loyal followers right then, without immediately crossing that line into, well, open usurpation. At least not in their eyes. And maybe more importantly, not in the eyes of the Han populace, they still wanted to win over. It gave him the practical authority without totally sacrificing the moral high ground. And it happens. Jianyan 24, autumn, July. They build this impressive altar in Mianyang, what, about 4.5 kilometers? Huge scale. Liu Bei gets his crown, his seals. He's hailed as king of Han Song. His son, Lushan, becomes crown prince. And then come the big appointments, the ones that really echo through history. Zhu Jing as Grand Tutor is a really senior, respected official. Fei Zhang as Shan Shuling, basically chief of staff running the bureaucracy. Zhu Guoliang as military advisor, overseeing all military national affairs. And of course, the legendary five tiger generals, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, Ma Chao, Huang Zong, plus Wei Yong gets appointed Grand Administrator of Han Song. These details, they really show the structure, the real structure of his power taking shape. Absolutely. And that memorial he sent later to Emperor Xian, even though it's going to Shicheng where Cao Cao is basically in control. Yeah. That wasn't just going through the motions. It was a masterclass in political spin, wasn't it? Blaming Dong Zuo, blaming Cao Cao for all the empire's problems. It subtly justifies his own rise by citing old precedents, about setting up princes to stabilize things. And it frames his new title as this necessary something needed to pacify the imperial court. It's just a testament to the power of narrative, even when raw power is shifting so brutally on the ground. Right. Now, switch scenes. Imagine you're Cao Cao sitting there in Yap County and you get the news. Lu Bei has crowned himself King of Han Song. The text says he was absolutely furious, calls Lu Bei a straw mat weaving brat, vows to destroy him. He was ready to just unleash everything, his entire army, the full force of his state, march straight to Shu and take on the new King of Han Song in a decisive battle. Yeah, pure rage. But this is where Sima Yi steps in, the calm, insightful strategist. He just gets it. He recognizes immediately that a direct fight fueled purely by Cao Cao's anger. That's a costly mistake waiting to happen. And the key insight from Sima Yi here, I think, is his deep grasp of personalities, of those longstanding grudges. He turns Cao Cao's emotional outburst into a calculated strategic opening. He's thinking about human weakness, not just troop numbers. Exactly. So Sima Yi's genius move is to exploit the bad blood that's already there. He points out the deep issues between Sun Quan and Lu Bei, you know, Sun Quan's sister marrying Lu Bei, then getting sort of spirited away, and Lu Bei just refusing, point blank, to return Jing Zhu. That's a big one. So he proposes sending an envoy, a persuasive one, with a letter to Sun Quan, urge him to attack Jing Zhu. That forces Lu Bei to split his focus, defend Jing Zhu. Then Cao Cao can hit Han Song, trap Lu Bei between two fronts. It's classic diplomacy as a weapon, not for peace, but for proxy war. What a move. It's incredibly cunning, isn't it? And it highlights how alliances often aren't really about shared goals. They're about shared enemies or just convenient timing. Sima Yi wasn't suggesting some genuine Wei-Wu partnership. He was orchestrating a proxy war, plain and simple. He saw Jing Zhe as Lu Bei's Achilles' heel, vital strategically, yes, but also this constant source of friction with Sun Quan. He's just leveraging that existing tension perfectly. So Cao Cao, you can imagine, is absolutely thrilled, loves this council, immediately sends Man Chong off with a letter to Sun Quan over in Jiangdong, laying out the whole scheme. Okay, so Man Chong arrives. Now Sun Quan has a furious choice on his hands. His advisor, Zhang Zhao, suggests playing it cool, receive Man Chong courteously. Zhang Zhao actually makes a sharp point. He notes that the past fights between Wei and Wu were mostly stirred up by Zhou Liang's rhetoric. Maybe, he hints, Cao Cao actually does want peace this time. Yeah, you see these different strategic minds clashing, which is fascinating. Man Chong lays out Cao Cao's offer, attack Lu Bei, will divide his lands, and then, hey, peace between us, Wei and Wu. Then Gu Yang, another advisor, sees the potential benefit, but urges caution. He's like, okay, agree in principle to the alliance, but let's check out what Guan Yu is actually doing in Jing Zhu before we commit troops. It's that balancing act, opportunity versus risk. But then Zhu Jin, who, remember, is Zhu Liang's brother, throws in an even more intriguing, really subtle plan, a marriage alliance. He says, let me go to Jing Zhu. I'll propose that your son marries Guan Yu's daughter. If Guan Yu says yes, great, we unite against Cao Cao. If he says no, well, then we help Cao Cao against Lu Bei. What a brilliant two-pronged approach. Either they forge this powerful alliance, or if it gets shot down, they have the perfect, publicly acceptable reason to go to war. It really is brilliant. Zhu Jin's move, it shows that key principle of diplomacy, always go for the highest leverage point. He's basically using the marriage proposal as a litmus test, isn't he? If it works, fantastic, a strong anti-Cao Cao block forms. If it fails, well, Guan Yu's rejection gives Sun Quan the moral and political cover he needs to act against Li Bei without looking like the bad guy, minimizing his own risk. It's kind of a win-win for Sun Quan, either way it goes. So Sun Quan is swayed, like the sound of Zhu Jin's clever plan. He sends Man Chong back to Cao Cao with a sort of tentative yes, and dispatches Zhu Jin straight to Jing Zhu to meet Guan Yu. And this, this is where the sparks really fly. It tells you so much about character and how character shapes strategy. Zhu Jin humbly puts forward the marriage proposal. He appeals to unity, against the common enemy, Cao Cao. But Guan Yu, legendary pride, right? Off in his downfall. He just explodes. The text gives us exact words and they are scathing. My tiger daughter, how could she marry a dog's son? Ouch. He even threatens to execute Zhu Jin right there on the spot, only spares him out of respect for his brother Zhu Jing. But that rejection, it's not just personal, it's a massive political insult that just echoes everywhere. It's incredibly telling that scene, isn't it? Guan Yu's refusal born purely out of that immense pride, that disdain for Sun Quan's family. It basically seals Jing Zhu's fate right there. It shoves Sun Quan, who was actually open to the idea of an alliance, firmly into Cao Cao's camp. The whole strategic board just tilted. And the key takeaway, I think, is how often personal pride, even for these huge historical figures, can just completely derail larger strategic goals. A clear head of look at the situation would have screamed diplomacy first, but Guan Yu's hubris blinded him. Right. So Sun Quan is understandably infuriated by this unmannered response from Guan Yu. He's now fully committed to take Jing Zhu, but he's no fool. He needs to figure out how to do it without walking right into Cao Cao's original trap, where Wu ends up being the main attacker and takes the full force of Liu Bei's counterattack. Exactly. And this is where Buji delivers the masterstroke, a genuinely brilliant counter strategy. He points out Cao Cao's real game, use Wu as a pawn, a scapegoat, to attack Xu. Weaken both rivals so Cao Cao comes out on top. But Xi highlights, look, Cao Ren is already sitting right there at Xiangyang and Fencheng. He's got a direct land route to Jing Zhu. So why isn't Cao Cao moving his guys? Because he wants Sun Quan to do the dirty work, to bear the cost and the risk. So Buji's plan is amazing in its simplicity and its deception. Send an envoy back to Cao Cao. Suggest that Cao Ren first moves his land forces towards Jing Zhu. This will force Guan Yu to pull troops out of Jing Zhu to deal with Cao Ren's advance on Fencheng. Once Guan Yu is drawn away, then Sun Quan sends his general to sneak in and take the now undefended Jing Zhu. Wow. Okay. So it's basically using the enemy's own pieces on the board, their perceived plan, to create the perfect opening for yourself. That's some serious 4D chess right there. Exactly. It's all about manipulating expectations. Buji puts forward a plan that looks like it aligns with what Cao Cao wants, but actually, secretly, it sets the stage perfectly for Sun Quan to gain the advantage independently. It just shows the power of indirect strategy. You don't have to fight head on. You can just orchestrate things so your opponent's own actions create your victory. So Sun Quan immediately gets it, sees the genius, sends an envoy straight back to Cao Cao with this proposal. And Cao Cao, absolutely delighted, totally buys it, completely unaware he's being played. He sends Man Chong to Fencheng to help Cao Ren, issues orders for Eastern Wu to get their navy ready to support the Jing Zhu attack. The trap is set. Liu Bei, he's just won. He's been crowned king of Hanzhong. Big moment. But he's not just sitting back. He's making moves, consolidating power, getting ready for, well, more. What's he actually doing? Building up. Well, the sources say he gets straight back to Chengdu. No messing around. And he orders construction, palaces, yes, but the really strategic thing, this huge network, over 400 guest houses, most stations. 400. Wow. Yeah. Connecting Chengdu all the way out to Baishui. Little communications, supply lines. And at the same time, he's stockpiling grain, weapons, loads of it. So it's not just window dressing. This is serious preparation. Oh, absolutely. The signal is crystal clear. He's aiming for the central plains. Big ambition. And it's fascinating, isn't it? How fast intelligence moves even back then. An urgent report comes in, changes things. What's the news? What's Cao Cao up to? Yeah. The spies report, Cao Cao is making moves. Secretly talking with Eastern Wu. Ah, the classic pincer. Exactly. The plan to grab Jingzhu together. That's a direct threat to Liu Bei's territory, the stuff he just fought for. So enter Zhu Jigeng, the master strategist. How does he react? What's the counter? Zhu Qiliang sees it coming, or at least anticipates the danger. His advice is pretty bold. Don't wait. Send Guan Yu out immediately. Launch a preemptive strike on Fan Cheng. To them first. Right. The thinking is this will throw their plans into chaos, demoralize them, scatter them before they can properly coordinate. Classic Zhu Qiliang sees the initiative. So the job falls to Guan Yu, iconic figure. Liu Bei sends his chief clerk, Fei Xi, with the official order and a promotion right, a new title. Yes, a very prestigious one. And here's where it gets interesting. Guan Yu's reaction. How does this legendary general take the news of this great honor? Not well, I'm guessing. Not well is putting it mildly. Fei Xi arrives, does the formalities, and Guan Yu asks about the rank. Fei Xi tells him head of the five tiger generals. That's pretty good. You'd think. But Guan Yu immediately asks, OK, who are the five? Fei Xi lists them. Guan Yu himself, Zheng Fei, Zhao Yun, Ma Chao, and Huang Zong. And Guan Yu just explodes. Pure rage. Really? Over that list? What set him off? Who was the problem? It was Huang Zong. Guan Yu basically says, look, Zheng Fei is my brother. Ma Chao, noble family. Zhao Yun, loyal follower like a brother. Fine, they can be ranked with me. OK. But Huang Zong, he asks, what kind of man is Huang Zong that he dares to be ranked with me? A true man doesn't stand with an old soldier. An old soldier. That's the insult. Wow. Talk about pride. He actually refused the seal. Initially, yes. Flat out refused. It's a stark moment, isn't it? Yeah. Shows how ego, even in someone so great, can just blind you. Risks alienating people, messing up the whole strategy. That honor can really bite you back. So Fei Xi, the envoy, is stuck trying to handle this. This incredibly proud, angry general. How does he do it? How does he talk Guan Yu down? It's brilliant diplomacy, really. Fei Xi is very clever. He argues that Guan Yu's relationship with Liu Bei is special. It's fraternal. They're like one entity. Beyond Exactly. He says, look, everyone sees you and the king as one. Getting caught up in ranks is beneath that bond. He even uses history. Talks about Han Xin, the famous Han general. Right. Han Xin was made a king, ranked above guys who've been with the Han founder from the start, like Xiao He. And they didn't complain. Fei Xi stresses, your bond with Liu Bei is deeper than any title. Don't jeopardize the mission over this. And Guan Yu listens. He does. The sources say he was deeply enlightened, realized his mistake, bowed respectfully to the seal, even thanked Fei Xi, saying without his guidance, he'd have messed things up. Remarkable turnaround. Shows Fei Xi's skill, but also that Guan Yu could listen. When persuaded correctly, yes. Okay, so rank accepted, pride managed. Guan Yu moves to appoint his vanguard for the campaign. First step. But then, almost instantly, disaster. What happens? Well, he picks Fu Xiran and Mi Feng as vanguards. And these two, they get drunk, celebrating maybe, who knows. But they're drunk in their camp. And a fire starts from their tent. It hits the gunpowder stores. You're kidding. Nope. Explosions. The whole camp goes up. Weapons destroyed. Grain gone. Even some of their own soldiers killed. Absolute catastrophe before they've even marched a single step. That is unbelievably bad. A huge test for Guan Yu's leadership right there. How does he handle that mess? He's furious, understandably. His first reaction, execute them. On the spot. Harsh, but maybe expected. But Fei Xi steps in again, the voice of reason. He warns Guan Yu, look, executing top generals before the campaign even starts, that's terrible for morale. Good point. Guan Yu's still raging, but he sees the logic. He relents on the execution. But the punishment is still severe. What does he do? Strips them of the vanguard posts immediately. Gives them 40 strokes, each with the staff, publicly. Ouch. Humiliating. Deeply. Then he reassigns them, Mi Fang to guard Nan Jun, Fu Shuren to guard Gong Yan. Basically demoted and sent to guard duty. And he warns them, any more mistakes and the punishment will be combined and final when he gets back victorious. So discipline, yes. But that public humiliation, you have to wonder if that solves the problem or just creates resentment down the line. Exactly. Seeds of resentment definitely planted. It's that balance, isn't it? Justice versus loyalty, short term versus long term. Okay, so new vanguards appointed Liao Hua and his own son, Guan Ping. More reliable choices, presumably. You'd hope so. But before they march, Guan Yu has this weird dream, the pig you mentioned earlier. Tell us about that. Yeah, it's quite vivid in the text. He dreams this huge black pig, like ox size, charges into his tent, bites his foot. Bites his foot, okay. He draws a sword, cuts it down. Here's the sound, like silk tearing. Wakes up and his left foot is actually throbbing with pain. He's deeply unsettled. An omen, clearly, but what kind? How do people interpret it? His son tries to spin it positively? Guan Ping does. He focuses on the pig maybe having dragon features, tries to see it as a sign of promotion, ascension. Others offer mixed views, good luck, bad luck. It's ambiguous. Just what you need before a major campaign, ambiguity. But then, another messenger arrives from Lu Bei. Seems to clear things up. Right on cue. A new envoy arrives, brings another decree. Lu Bei appoints Guan Yu as front general. Big title. Even bigger than before. And it comes with the jiejiu, the symbolic axe of authority. Makes him overall commander of all nine commanderies of Jingshan. Huge power. So that's the ascension Guan Ping was talking about. Exactly. The officers immediately latch onto that. See? The dream. The pig dragon omen. It meant great fortune. Guan Yu is completely reassured. Confidence sky high. He gets the army ready to march straight on Xiangyang. Boosted by a dream interpretation and a promotion. Right, so the army marches. Towards Xiangyang. Cao Ren is there, leading Cao Cao's forces. What's the situation in his camp? Any debates on how to handle the mighty Guan Yu? Oh yes. Classic military debate time. Cao Ren, maybe having learned a lesson, initially wants to play it safe. Strong defense. His strategist, Man Chong, agrees. He knows Guan Yu's skill. Says be cautious, hold the defenses, but then you have others. Aggressive ones. Always. Deputy Zhai Yuan wants to go out and fight. And then General Xiaohu Kun just dismisses Man Chong's caution as scholarly talk. Weak. He argues for meeting Guan Yu head on. Water comes, use earth. General comes, use soldiers. He goes with Xiaohu Kun. Listens to the aggressive voice, not the cautious one. Again. So he commits to meeting Guan Yu in the field. We already heard about Liu Chang getting spooked earlier. Yeah. How does the main battle play out when Cao Ren commits more fully? Well, Guan Yu just absolutely schools them. Tactically brilliant. He uses Liao Hua and Guan Ping in this perfect feigned retreat. The old classic. Works like a charm. Liao Hua challenges Zhai Yuan. Pretends to lose. Falls back 20 lethal. Next day, same thing. Draws the Cao army further and further out. Lures them into a trap. Then bam! Guan Ping and Liao Hua suddenly wheel around. Attack from behind. Chaos in Cao Ren's ranks. Guan Yu himself rides out. Blocks Cao Ren's escape route back to Xiangyang City. Forces him onto a side path. Total mayhem. What about the aggressive general, Xiaohu Kun? Xiaohu Kun charges Guan Yu. Bad idea. Guan Yu cuts him down in a single blow. Zhai Yuan tries to flee. Guan Ping catches him. Cuts him down too. Absolutely. Huge numbers of Cao Ren's army are routed. Driven into the Xinjiang River. Many drown. Guan Yu takes Xiangyang. Swift. Brutal. Brilliant victory. A massive win. You'd think they'd celebrate, but immediately someone raises a red flag. Sima Wangfu. That's right. Wangfu, a loyal aide, doesn't waste time. Right after the victory, he comes to Guan Yu with a warning. A strategic one. What's his concern? Hu Meng. The eastern Wu general down at Lukou. Wangfu reminds Guan Yu, this guy always has ambitions on Jingzhi. Don't forget about him while you're focused north. A valid point. Does Guan Yu listen this time? To an extent. He acknowledges the threat. He tells Wangfu, okay, build beacon towers every 20 or 30 little along the river. 50 soldiers per tower. Set up an early warning system for any Wu crossing. So he does something. Better than nothing. True, but Wangfu isn't finished. He pushes harder. He's worried about specific people. Ah, the personnel issue again. Who's he worried about now? The same guys. Fu Xirin and Mi Feng. The ones who got drunk and burned the camp. Wangfu basically says, are you sure these two are reliable enough to guard crucial passes? After that? Fair question. And then he goes after Pan Jun. The guy, Guan Yu, appointed to oversee Jingsu while he's away campaigning. Wangfu calls Pan Jun jealous and greedy. Says he's totally unsuitable. Oof, strong words. Does he suggest anyone else? Yeah, he suggests Zhao Lei. Currently handling grain supplies. Wangfu says Zhao Lei is loyal, honest. A much better choice to leave in charge of Jingsu. Makes sense on paper. What does Guan Yu say? Dismisses it completely. He says, I already know Pan Jun's character, the appointment stands. Adds that Zhao Lei is too important managing supplies to move him. Tells Wangfu basically, just go build the towers and stop worrying. He just shuts him down. Totally. Wangfu leaves dejected. Guan Yu, fresh off a brilliant victory, shows this incredible rigidity, this unwillingness to listen to specific, well-founded warnings about character, about loyalty, especially from people he himself appointed. A blind spot. Stubbornness. Overconfidence from the win. Probably all of the above. And it's setting a dangerous stage for later. He's focused on the northern enemy, ignoring the rot potentially setting in behind him. Okay, so Xiang Yang is taken. Guan Yu turns his attention to Fan Cheng next. Tao Ren is holed up there now. Surely regretting listening to Shao Kahn earlier. Deeply regretting it, yes. He's trapped in Fan Cheng. And the debate starts again in his camp. How to defend this time? Man Chong, consistent as ever, says hold the walls, defend steadfastly, learn from the mistake. But General Liu Chang, despite the earlier scare, is still spoiling for a fight. Seriously? After being routed just by Guan Yu showing up? Apparently. He argues we should attack Guan Yu's forces while they're crossing the Xiang Yang river. Hit them when they're vulnerable halfway across on Bandukiji. Attack them mid-crossing. Bold. Risky. Very. Man Chong advises against it. Again. But Tao Ren, maybe desperate now, proves it. So Liu Chang gets another shot. What happens this time? Does he actually manage to attack? He tries. Tao Ren gives him 2,000 troops. Liu Chang heads towards the river. But then, Guan Yu appears. Again. That banner. That presence. Described as divine and awe-inspiring. And Liu Chang's soldiers, again, before a blow is struck, they flee in terror. Liu Chang can't stop them. Guan Yu then easily routes whoever was left. More heavy casualties for Tao Ren. It's purely psychological at this point. Guan Yu's reputation is doing half the fighting. It really seems that way. His presence is a weapon itself. Tao Ren is now completely desperate. His army is shattered. He sends an urgent message. A plea for help. All the way to Tao Tao and Zhang Yang. Needs reinforcements. Badly. So the big boss, Tao Tao. What's his move? Who does he send? Tao Tao appoints Yu Jin to lead the relief force. A major general. Okay. A serious response. Definitely. But then Tao Tao faces an immediate challenge. He turns to his assembled officers and asks, Who dares to be the vanguard for Yu Jin? Ah, a dangerous job. Leading the charge against Guan Yu right now. Extremely dangerous. And that's where the chapter leaves us. On that cliffhanger. Who will step up? What happens next? It perfectly sets the stage.