[Lightscreen]
[The records of the Xiangyang-Fancheng battlefield still follow that classic Spring and Autumn tradition of historical whitewashing: if you lose, keep it vague. We have to read between the lines of these fragmented snippets to reconstruct the carnage.
Biography of Pang De: Later, Pang De personally engaged Guan Yu in battle and shot an arrow into Yu's forehead. At the time, Pang De frequently rode a white horse, and Guan Yu's army called him the White Horse General, and all feared him greatly.
This alone tells us quite a lot.
The fact that they could have a normal skirmish and Pang De could actually land a headshot on Guan Yu's helmet suggests the navy had not joined the party yet. This likely happened during the dry season.
But once April hit and the dry season ended, Guan Yu evolved from his Chibi Form into his Final Boss Form. Pang De did not stand a chance. No matter how badass your cavalry is, you cannot exactly charge a fleet of warships in the middle of a river.
Thus, the records give us more vague phrasing, like: Cao Ren, stationed in Fancheng, set out to suppress Guan Yu. Typical PR talk.]
Zhang Fei roared with laughter, genuinely impressed by the sheer audacity of the historical spin-doctoring.
"So they were getting their teeth kicked in, but the books make it sound like they were the ones on the offensive? Hilarious!"
That takes skill.
"And what exactly is a Chibi Form Guan Yu?" Liu Bei asked, a playful glint in his eye.
"It means that without his navy, Second Brother's combat power is basically that of a toddler!" Zhang Fei cackled.
He immediately pictured a chubby, pink-cheeked toddler sporting Guan Yu's magnificent, floor-length beard, looking incredibly serious and dignified.
The mental image was so absurd that Zhang Fei laughed even harder, slapping his knee.
Guan Yu just stared at them with the look one reserves for absolute idiots, choosing not to dignify that with a response.
[Lightscreen]
[Faced with this mess, Cao Cao decided to throw more people at the problem. Xu Huang, fresh from retreating out of Hanzhong, was thrown straight into the fire.
Records: Cao Cao dispatched Xu Huang to assist Cao Ren in suppressing Guan Yu, stationed at Wancheng.
But Xu Huang was not enough. Boss Cao gave him an army of fresh recruits. Meanwhile, Liu Bei chose this moment to withdraw to Chengdu. With Hanzhong secured, Cao Cao decided it was time to play his trump card!
Records of the Three Kingdoms, Chronicle of Emperor Wu: In autumn, seventh month, he sent Yu Jin to assist Cao Ren in attacking Guan Yu.
Chronicles of Huayang: The King of Wei sent General of the Left Yu Jin to command seven armies, thirty thousand men, to rescue Fancheng.
Biography of Xu Huang: Taizu dispatched Yin Shu, Zhu Gai, and others, twelve battalions in total, to join Xu Huang.]
The generals in the hall straightened up instantly. "Just how many people is that?"
Huang Zhong squinted, mentally calculating. "Cao Ren... he should be on the same level as Xiahou Yuan. Xiahou Yuan led fifty thousand in the west. Cao Ren should not be too far off that in Fancheng."
"No way he has fifty thousand," Liu Bei shook his head. "Hanzhong was a major theater, and Xiahou Yuan had Zhang He and Xu Huang under him to hold off my entire province. Xiangyang-Fancheng is a natural fortress and it is close to the capital. Stationing too many troops wastes supplies. Twenty to thirty thousand would be enough."
The group nodded. Feeding tens of thousands of horses and men was a financial nightmare.
"Pang De was not mentioned as having a massive force, so he is likely leading a separate unit?"
"Right. Based on Cao's typical deployments, probably five thousand."
"Yu Jin's seven armies of thirty thousand is likely the baseline. He is a favorite. It is probably closer to thirty-three thousand."
"And Xu Huang? He has his own core unit plus the new recruits, maybe eight to ten thousand."
"Plus the twelve backup battalions! If each battalion is a thousand men, that is another twelve thousand!"
The math added up. At least sixty thousand men.
"So how many did Yunchang have?"
"The screen mentioned earlier. Even at the very end, he only had thirty thousand total."
The generals crowded around the map, pointing and debating. "But he could not take everyone north. He had to leave garrisons at Gong'an and Jiangling."
"At most, he could only take twenty thousand into the field."
"Twenty thousand against over sixty thousand? While trying to besiege a city?"
The generals looked at each other and shook their heads.
How do you even win that?
[Lightscreen]
[And the Xiangyang-Fancheng theater had not even reached its climax yet.
In the same month that Yu Jin arrived, Liu Bei returned to Chengdu and declared himself King of Hanzhong.
Guan Yu was appointed General of the Vanguard and granted full command authority.]
Zhang Fei looked at Liu Bei. Liu Bei looked back at him.
"Alright, Yunchang, you do not have to say it. I know. I should not have gone back to Chengdu."
If he put himself in his past position, it made sense. His army had been campaigning for nearly two years, so the soldiers were exhausted and their horses had grown thin. They had nothing left to give. From the surface, Jingzhou looked stable.
But who could have predicted what would come next?
[Lightscreen]
[The records for this year even go into detail about how Cao Zhi was too drunk to lead troops:
Cao Ren was besieged by Guan Yu. Taizu appointed Cao Zhi as General of the South... but Cao Zhi was too drunk to accept the mandate. Taizu regretted it and cancelled the appointment.
Yet when it comes to the actual front-line combat, the records become suspiciously vague. You can guess why, right.]
Zhuge Liang shook his head.
"How could Cao Cao consider sending Cao Zhi to command troops?"
"He had already established Cao Pi as heir for two years. To suddenly elevate Cao Zhi now would risk reigniting internal conflict."
"Cao Cao's favoritism toward his sons is well known. From this, one can see the seeds of future strife."
[Lightscreen]
[At this point, Sun Quan offered a little bit of help: he attacked Hefei again as a distraction.
But given Zhang Liao's previous track record of wrecking him, and the fact that Sun Quan had just submitted a letter of surrender two years prior, nobody actually cared.
Sun Quan was basically a non-factor.
Wen Hui, the Inspector of Yangzhou, said something very telling at the time:
The rebels here are no cause for concern. What I fear is a change in the south. The waters are rising, and Cao Ren is isolated without long-term supplies. Guan Yunchang is fierce and sharp. If he strikes now, he will be a massive problem.]
Liu Bei frowned slightly. "Wen Hui... that name sounds familiar."
He exchanged a glance with Zhang Fei.
"Wait. He is the son of Wen Shu, the former Governor of our hometown, Zhuo Commandery!"
The two men from Zhuo Commandery both shook their heads. Who would have thought they would hear news of a fellow townsman like this.
Huang Yueying chuckled as she read Wen Hui's no cause for concern comment. "It seems Marquis Sun's reputation as a professional loser preceded him even then."
The hall burst into laughter.
Guan Yu, however, was laser-focused on the war. He caught a specific word.
"Cao Ren is isolated?"
"His losses must have been over fifty percent," Zhao Yun stated with certainty. "You do not call a commander isolated if he still has ten thousand men."
"Cao Ren is brave, but he loves a reckless fight," Guan Yu noted. He remembered besieging Jiangling years ago. Even when trapped, Cao Ren would frequently charge out just to ruin someone's day.
The generals realized what happened. Cao Ren was not just sitting there taking hits. He kept trying to fight back even after his naval routes were cut, and he had essentially fed his own army into the meat grinder.
[Lightscreen]
[July hit. The rainy season arrived, and the Han River began to swell. Prime time for a navy to do some work.
Guan Yu appointed Fu Shiren to guard Gong'an and the Governor of Nan Commandery, Mi Fang, to guard Jiangling.
Then he led the main army north.]
Mi Zhu went from overjoyed to terrified in a split second.
Mi Zhu was happy that Liu Bei clearly still valued the Mi family, giving them such vital posts. But then his brain kicked in.
"How did Yunchang die? A backstab from Sun Wu, right," he muttered to himself.
"If Jiangling fell, the heart of our territory was gone. If Jiangling had held, Guan Yu could have retreated or held out for reinforcements. Since it fell..." He paused, his voice tightening. "Then what happened to my brother, Mi Fang?"
Mi Zhu turned to look at his brother with a face that was thirty percent relief, twenty percent worry, and fifty percent you are already dead to me.
"Brother, I know how to defend a city!" Mi Fang stood up, puffing out his chest. "I studied military strategy back when I was the Chancellor of Pengcheng! If I am tasked with a city, I will stay with it until the end. The city stands, or I fall!"
"Besides, Shiren is at Gong'an. We can back each other up across the river! We will give our lives for the Lord Liu!"
Mi Zhu sighed internally. If he dies for the cause, at least our family honor remains intact. Dying alongside Yunchang... I suppose there are better ways to be remembered.
Liu Bei felt torn.
On one hand, he knew. Guan Yu's future death had to be connected to the fall of Gong'an and Jiangling.
On the other hand, he owed the Mi clan too much. And Lady Mi had only just passed.
He exhaled slowly. Then made a decision.
"Zifang is a man of righteousness. One who would die to uphold his honor."
"If such a disaster comes again..."
"Then abandon what must be abandoned."
"Preserve your life. Live to restore the Han."
Righteous unto death.
Mi Fang stepped forward and bowed deeply. "How could I not give my life?"
Liu Bei helped him up. His heart was full of complicated feelings.
But in that moment, a vague memory surfaced. Something the light screen had once said.
"Wait a minute. Did the light screen say his own relative was the one who betrayed him?" Liu Bei muttered.