Preface
During the Three Kingdoms period, the bonds and emotions of the three brothers Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Liu Bei are one of the classics in history. However, what is heart-wrenching is that when Guan Yu was dying, the 14 words he said made Zhang Fei want to cry without tears, and Liu Bei was embarrassed.
This hurried farewell reflects the complex emotional entanglement and ultimate helplessness between the three brothers. Why did Guan Yu make such desperate and helpless heartfelt words as "I have fallen into a trick by mistake and have just died, why bother to say more" before he died?
What kind of background and inside information pushed this generation of fierce generals of Shu Han Zhongxing to a desperate and desperate ending? Let's look back on this historical past that is intertwined with grievances and confusing.
Start with the "Battle of Xiangfan".
In July 219 AD, under the instruction of Liu Bei, Guan Yu launched the huge "Battle of Xiangfan". At that time, Liu Bei personally sent Fei Shi to Jingzhou and issued Guan Yu with the former general's seal and fake Jieyue permissions. From this point of view, the reason why Guan Yu launched this key battle so quietly was obviously through Liu Bei's private instructions.
With such a pivotal battle, how could Guan Yu not discuss it with the lord Liu Bei? After all, the consequences of defeat are unimaginable. Therefore, Guan Yu left Liu Bei's brother-in-law Mi Fang to guard Jiangling, and sent Fu Shiren to guard the public security, while he personally led the army to attack Xiangyang and Fancheng.
As it turned out, Guan Yu's move was a big victory. Lu Chang and Cao Ren were not his opponents at all, and they were quickly suppressed by Guan Yu. Cao Ren was even beaten by Guan Yu so that he could only "shrink". Cao Cao hurriedly dispatched Yu Ban and Pang De to the rescue, but Guan Yu took advantage of the Han River rapids to capture Yu Ban and kill Pang De.
Guan Yu's outstanding performance in this battle was so great that even Cao Cao felt afraid, so he appointed Hu Xiu, the former Jingzhou Thorn Shi Hu Xiu, and Nanxiang Taishou Fu Fang also took refuge in Guan Yu one after another. Just when Cao Cao was considering moving the capital and fleeing, Sima Yi and Jiang Ji suggested uniting with Sun Quan to deal with Guan Yu.
Jiang Ji even pointed out clearly: "Liu Bei, Sun Quan, relatives are sparse inside, Guan Yu has ambition, and Quan will not want to." If Sun Quan is persuaded to send troops to attack Guan Yu, Guan Yu will be defeated! Cao Cao immediately adopted this strategy. At that time, Sun Quan had long planned to take the opportunity to capture some counties in Jingzhou.
"The right to cede the land south of the Yangtze River"
After receiving Cao Cao's tacit approval, Sun Quan immediately sent troops to attack Gong'an and Jiangling. At that time, Guan Yu had already transferred most of the elite to the front line of Xiangfan, and Mi Fang, who was guarding Jiangling, surrendered directly after hearing the news. Fu Shiren, who guarded the public security, also immediately followed suit and abandoned the city to join Cheng.
At this time, Cao Cao sent Xu Huang and other generals to meet Guan Yu. Cao Cao also specially sent Xu Shang and Lü Jian to convey orders, demanding that after his main force reached the front line, the whole army would attack Guan Yu. It turned out that Cao Cao also mobilized twelve battalions, including Yin and Zhu Gai, and also came to assist Xu Huang.
As a result, Xu Huang's troops could be mobilized as many as 50,000, while Guan Yu only had about 30,000. Xu Huang skillfully used the tactics of attacking the east and the west, successfully broke Guan Yu's heavy front, and personally repelled Guan Yu in front of the formation. Guan Yu's generals Hu Xiu and Fu Fang were also killed in this battle.
At this time, the siege of Fancheng was finally forced to be lifted, and Guan Yu's main army was also shattered, so he had to retreat south of Hanshui. At this time, Guan Yu learned the news of the loss of Jingzhou.
Helpless to retreat, ten deaths and no life
Guan Yu hurriedly led his army back south, preparing to recapture the lost Jingzhou. Unfortunately, many of his sergeants were exhausted by this time. Moreover, Lü Meng ordered that the people should not be harassed, let alone extort any property from the civilians. He also relied on the means of arresting the families of Guan Yu's soldiers to shake the fighting spirit of Guan Yu's subordinates.
There is a record in the "Zizhi Tongjian": "When Meng entered Jiangling and was released from the imprisoned prisoners, Guan Yu and the families of the soldiers were comforted, and the army was ordered: 'Do not interfere with other people's families, and ask for something.'" Lü Meng can be described as a good move, although he did not directly eliminate Guan Yu's troops, but they made them disheartened and lost the courage to continue fighting.
At this time, Guan Yu could only watch as fewer and fewer sergeants were willing to follow him. He understood that his troops were seriously insufficient at this time, so he had to lead the remnants of his army to approach Maicheng. Along the way, Guan Yu's heart was undoubtedly full of complexity and despair.
Guan Yu, who is the second-in-command of Shu State, is now in danger, but he did not wait for any rescue from Liu Bei. Moreover, the city itself is a dead city, and there is no food or grass in the city. The only hope is to lead his subordinates to break through and escape, otherwise I am afraid that there will only be death. It's a pity that this is not an easy task, Sun Quan will definitely not let go of Guan Yu who escaped.
Alone in the depths of the disaster, it is not a one-way street
Guan Yu finally led hundreds of remnants into Maicheng. Sun Quan did not give up the pursuit of him, but sent Zhuge Jin to persuade Guan Yu to surrender. But Guan Yu directly rejected Zhuge Jin at that time, and said that if he didn't look at Zhuge Liang's face, he would directly kill Zhuge Jin.
In desperation, Zhuge Jin had no choice but to give up. And Guan Yu's predicament became more and more severe: there was neither food and grass, nor enough troops. He finally decided to send the loyal Liao Hua to Shangyong to ask Liu Feng for help. If you can get Liu Feng's support, maybe there is a possibility of making a comeback again.
Guan Gong sent Liao Hua with a letter for help and rushed out of Maicheng while there was still a glimmer of life. However, Liu Feng and Meng Da ignored Guan Yu's pleas for help. The reason is very simple, even if you go to the rescue, it is difficult to guarantee success.
Besides, Guan Yu had persuaded Liu Bei not to make Liu Feng his heir, how could Liu Feng not remember his resentment now? Liao Hua had no choice but to return, and said to Guan Yu desperately: "If this is the case, then Guan Gong will be on leave!" "
In the few days when Guan Yu was desperately waiting for reinforcements to arrive, he finally decided to personally lead more than 10 cavalry out of Maicheng to seek the last chance. Guan Yu howled and said to Liao Hua: "The prince is on the road, take care!" A certain and more than 100 people died in this city; Although the city is broken, the body will not fall! I hope that the prince will come to the rescue soon! "
However, as soon as Guan Yu left the city for 20 miles, he was intercepted by Zhu Ran, the general of Eastern Wu. Zhu Ran shouted, "Yun Changxiu go!" Surrender before it's too late, lest you die! Guan Yu was furious and slapped his horse and rushed to kill. In the fierce battle, Guan Yu finally repelled Zhu Ran.
However, there were fewer and fewer of Guan Yu's subordinates, and on the Linfang Trail, he was intercepted by Pan Zhang. After a difficult battle, Guan Yu finally got rid of Pan Zhang. It's a pity that Guan Ping, who arrived later, informed that his subordinate Zhao Lei had been killed.
Guan Yu didn't have time to think about it, and hurriedly led Guan Ping to retreat in the direction of Chengdu. But at dawn the next day, Guan Yu and his party were ambushed again. It turned out that Pan Zhang's subordinate Ma Zhong had already been ambushed here, and he successfully entangled Guan Yu's mount in an ambush. Guan Yu turned over and fell off the horse, but was captured by Ma Zhong in this way. Guan Ping was also subsequently captured.
The next day, Ma Zhong escorted Guan Yu and Guan Ping to Sun Quan's camp. Sun Quan had the opportunity to question Guan Yu why he was so arrogant back then. Sun Quan said with emotion: "Lonely for a long time, I admire General Shengde, and I want to marry Qin and Jin, why should I abandon him?" "
Desperate at the end of his life, he had no choice but to speak out
In the face of Sun Quan's questioning, Guan Yu was not afraid at all, but reprimanded: "Blue-eyed children, purple-haired rats!" I formed a righteous alliance with Uncle Liu Huang's Taoyuan, and swore to support the Han family, how could I be Wu Ye with the thief who rebelled against the Han Dynasty! I've fallen for a trick now, and I'm just dead, so why bother talking about it! "
These fourteen words express the most real complex emotions in Guan Yu's heart. On the one hand, he believes that he was framed by Sun Quan and strayed into a scheme; On the other hand, he also knew that he had no chance of survival, and could only wait for death. But in any case, he did not have the idea of defecting to the Han family until his death, but swore allegiance to his sworn brother Liu Bei.
Hearing this, Liu Bei must have felt extremely remorseful and distressed. As Guan Yu's sworn brother, he failed to lend a helping hand at a critical moment, allowing Guan Yu to go deep alone, and finally ended up in such a miserable end. Liu Bei was afraid that he could not do anything about himself, and he felt inexplicably guilty.
And Zhang Fei is even more "crying without tears". He and Guan Yu can be described as good brothers who fight life and death, and the two have fought side by side for many years and established a deep friendship. At this time, Guan Yu's desperate words when he was dying must have made Zhang Fei, who had a rough temperament, feel painful.
Guan Yu's words not only reflected his anger at Sun Quan's treachery, but also expressed his incomprehension and disappointment with Liu Bei. As one of the three main generals of Shu Han, Guan Yu has been loyal to the country for many years, but now he has such an isolated and heroic ending, which is really embarrassing.
Liu Bei and Zhang Fei must have been deeply touched after hearing the news. Guan Yu's last words undoubtedly revealed their dereliction of duty and indifference at a critical moment. The death of the outstanding generals of the Shu and Han Kingdoms was not only a loss on the battlefield, but also a heavy blow to loyalty and benevolence.
epilogue
Although Guan Yu was defeated at the last moment, his heroic deeds and firm belief have become a beautiful talk for later generations. He formed a righteous alliance with Liu Bei and Zhang Fei Taoyuan, vowed to help the Han together, always loyal, and would rather die than give in.
It's a pity that Liu Bei failed to lend a helping hand at the critical moment, but instead put the loyal Guan Yu into a desperate situation. This can't help but make people doubt Liu Bei's benevolence and righteousness. Does he really treat Guan Yu, or does he just treat him as a pawn to use?
In general, Guan Yu's tragic fate reflects the Three Kingdoms era, especially the intricate power relations within Shu Han. Loyalty and righteousness are not everything, and the cruelty of realpolitik struggles often strikes and eats away at those beautiful ideals.
As Guan Yu said: "I have fallen into a trick by mistake today, and I am just dead, so why bother to say more." In a word, he expressed his despair and helplessness when he was dying. This once dominated the world, but in the end, it was difficult to escape death. His tragic ending undoubtedly gave profound inspiration and reflection to future generations.