Northward

“Grand General, Xu Huang has turned his march direction towards Nanxiang. Should our army also change course?”

It was a question from Xi Zhen, who led an army as a governor and was General of the Left under Guan Yu.

Excluding Liao Hua who was half-independent, he was a figure who could be called Guan Yu’s right arm along with Zhao Lei, who was Acting General-in-Chief’s Office.

Since Zhao Lei was coming with the navy along with siege weapons, food supplies, and reserve troops, Xi Zhen was currently second only to Guan Yu.

Of course, this was excluding Guan Yu’s son Guan Ping. Guan Ping’s rank was General Who Protects the State, one level higher than Xi Zhen’s 4th rank, and he was Guan Yu’s personal staff officer.

At Xi Zhen’s question, Guan Yu stroked his beard and fell into thought.

‘Does he intend to hold out in Nanxiang and drag out time as much as possible?’

Xu Huang wouldn’t have left Wancheng without any measures. He must have sent messengers requesting support to Sima Yi and Cao Biao in Luoyang.

Fighting in Nanxiang would nullify the siege weapons being transported by boat while extending Guan Yu’s army’s movement to buy more time.

Even if Guan Yu ignored Xu Huang and attacked Wancheng, a pincer attack would be possible with the remaining forces in Wancheng holding out while Xu Huang attacked Guan Yu from outside.

Just like in the original history when Pang De harassed Guan Yu while Cao Ren held out in Fancheng.

‘You’re playing shallow tricks, Elder Brother.’

Guan Yu spread out the writing materials he carried along with the Spring and Autumn Annals with Zuo’s Commentary and immediately began writing.

After finishing writing a letter to send to Xu Huang, Guan Yu handed it to Guan Ping and ordered:

“Pick a messenger to take this to Xu Gongming. And on the way, tell them to get women’s clothes from a village and deliver them together.”

“Women’s clothes?”

“Yes. It would be better to get the most colorful ones if possible.”

There’s no need to explain what it means to send women’s clothes as a gift.

The letter Guan Yu wrote also contained mockery and provocation subtly scratching at Xu Huang while pretending to talk about past affection.

It was an obvious attempt to anger the enemy.

‘It’s fine if Elder Brother doesn’t respond to the provocation. Just raising morale is worth trying.’

By taking a step back, Xu Huang had handed the initiative to Guan Yu. It was a method of responding after seeing how Guan Yu would come out, a technique of striking first after the other acts.

In this situation, Guan Yu aimed for an advantage in morale by provoking Xu Huang who was trying to retreat.

The messenger Guan Yu sent immediately rushed to Xu Huang’s camp. Half the world is women, and getting women’s clothes in populous Nanyang was a simple matter.

The messenger who met Xu Huang with prettily dyed pink women’s clothes first handed over Guan Yu’s letter.

[This foolish younger brother Yu sends a letter missing Elder Brother… I thought we knew much about each other through our long acquaintance, but lately I’ve been having doubts about that thought. The Elder Brother I knew was a hero among heroes, but now it seems only a coward afraid of the battlefield remains after being defeated by my niece, leaving a corner of this affectionate younger brother’s heart feeling empty…]

Even as Guan Yu’s letter changed from seemingly asking after Xu Huang’s well-being formally to mocking and ridiculing him, Xu Huang’s expression didn’t change even slightly.

Rather, he read it to the very last word without missing any, even with a faint smile on his lips. After putting down Guan Yu’s letter, Xu Huang looked at the messenger and said:

“Is this all?”

“…That…I was told to deliver this together…”

“Bring it here.”

One of his subordinates received the box from the messenger and opened it. Inside was, of course, women’s clothes. Along with unpleasant murmurs from those present, the atmosphere turned ominous.

However, Xu Huang himself, who had received the provocative letter and women’s clothes as a gift, was as relaxed as could be.

“It seems my younger brother’s mind is very anxious.”

Unlike the calm Xu Huang, anger from unparalleled humiliation was pouring out of his subordinate officers.

“General, shouldn’t we properly punish that arrogant Guan Yu!”

“That’s right. General, please give the order. It seems he’s still under the illusion of being the Marquis of Hanshou from the Battle of Guandu. I will personally cut off that impudent fellow’s head and present it to you!”

While the officers were flushing red and blue with anger, Xu Huang calmly pacified them. Then he told them to keep the letter and women’s clothes Guan Yu sent well, and turned his gaze to the messenger.

“Tell my younger brother I received it well. Next time, this elder brother will send a gift. I won’t write a separate reply letter. Instead, go and tell him exactly this: This is a matter of the state.”

Because it is a matter of the state, he cannot move based on personal emotions alone.

Xu Huang was nullifying Guan Yu’s provocation.

“You may go now.”

The messenger, who wanted to quickly escape from this precarious situation where his life was in danger, quickly paid respects to Xu Huang and immediately returned to the main camp.

Upon hearing Xu Huang’s answer from the messenger, Guan Yu chuckled and muttered:

“Xu Gongming. Indeed, you are worthy of being called Elder Brother by this Guan Yu.”

If Xu Huang brought up the gravity of state affairs, Guan Yu too would set aside private feelings and advance only with the heart of serving his country.

“Ignore Xu Gongming. We will advance as is and take Wancheng.”

The siege weapons are prepared. How many troops could be left in Wancheng with Xu Huang’s main force having left?

If we quickly occupy Wancheng and change the siege weapons to defensive weapons, there’s nothing to worry about even if people like Xu Huang or Cao Biao come.

Guan Yu also has plenty of food. If we hold out in Wancheng waiting for Zhang Fei from Guanzhong and Zhang Ran from Jingzhou to come, the Cao clan will have practically handed over Wancheng with their own hands.

‘I’ll show them that was a careless response.’

Disregarding Xu Huang’s army retreating to Nanxiang, Guan Yu advanced straight to Wancheng. Upon arriving at Wancheng, as Guan Yu expected, it was obvious at a glance that the troops guarding the walls were significantly fewer.

It looked like it could be captured with just scaling ladders, without needing grand siege weapons like catapults, battering rams, or siege towers.

“This is simple. Tonight we’ll eat in Wancheng’s government office.”

As Guan Yu boasted, it didn’t take long to capture Wancheng.

As he first said, he couldn’t capture Wancheng in one day, but the very next day, as soon as they took the walls and opened the gates, Guan Yu rushed into Wancheng with the vanguard and seized the castle.

While the world had been gradually forgetting Guan Yu’s might, in Jingbei where he had shown great exploits, Guan Yu was still the world’s foremost divine general.

Just Guan Yu setting foot in Wancheng was enough for the people to immediately prostrate themselves and submit to Han’s control, and Wei soldiers also threw down their weapons and surrendered.

While looking at such people with satisfaction, Guan Yu quickly entered into post-war processing. He brought siege weapons into Wancheng, comforted the people, and now deployed soldiers for defense.

As Guan Yu was making rounds of the walls, planning to praise the soldiers’ hard work and raise morale by fully displaying his presence, he soon noticed an anomaly.

A sense of incongruity that he could detect thanks to his expertise in castle construction.

It was a fatal flaw enough to make cold sweat run down his spine.

‘The walls are loose. Looking again, it doesn’t match the foundation either. If it’s like this… as soon as the ground beneath the castle is dug out, the walls will collapse.’

Since there’s no way the castle was built like this from the start, this must be an artificially created weakness later on.

Intentional weakening done from inside the castle, not outside. There was only one person in the line of suspects who could lead this.

Xu Huang. He didn’t lose Wancheng to Guan Yu, but trapped Guan Yu in Wancheng.

‘The Empty Fort Strategy!’

The 32nd of the 36 Stratagems.

There are two ways to use the Empty Fort Strategy: one is to deceive the enemy by leaving the fort empty as a show of strength, and the other is to lure the enemy into an empty fort to surround and annihilate them.

The Empty Fort Strategy that Guan Yu fell for belonged to the latter.

While Guan Yu, who had discovered the problem with the walls, was fervently thinking of countermeasures after returning to the government office, Guan Ping ran in with a flustered face.

“Grand General! Grand General!”

“Guan Protector of the State, be calm. I’ve repeatedly said there’s nothing more dangerous than losing composure in wartime.”

After confirming there was only Guan Yu, Xi Zhen, and Zhao Lei around, Guan Ping urgently cried out:

“Sima Yi has already entered Nanyang!”

“What?”

Even Guan Yu had to frown at those words.

“How could he be this fast…”

“Even if he was prepared, how far is it from Luoyang to here…!”

Zhao Lei and Xi Zhen were also shocked by Sima Yi’s unbelievable speed. But that wasn’t all.

“Xu Huang in Nanxiang divided his army to block Wuguan and Shangyong! And Cao Biao is said to have passed Pingdi County!”

“You mean he went to Pingdi County, not Biyang County?”

It’s much easier to come from Jiangxia to Nanyang through Biyang County than Pingdi County. Because the road is wider on the Biyang County side.

However, the fact that Cao Biao came to Pingdi County further south than Biyang County showed clear intent to avoid Guan Yu’s reconnaissance while also cutting off Guan Yu’s path more certainly from further down.

Sima Yi in the north, Cao Biao in the south.

Xu Huang had cut off Wuguan and Shangyong, the paths leading to Guanzhong and Hanzhong, Han territory.

Even if we request reinforcements, it would be a long detour having to go through Jingzhou to enter Yizhou. The battle in Jingbei would already be over before reinforcements could be organized.

“Grand General, our army has been surrounded!”

They trapped Guan Yu in Wancheng, and are closing in on Guan Yu from all directions.

A defensive battle is out of the question. The walls they tampered with will easily collapse as they intended, exposing the Guan Yu army inside.

Wancheng was not a shield to protect them, but a cage to trap them.

Guan Yu’s misjudgment was about Sima Yi.

Even if Cao Biao changed direction towards Jingbei, Guan Yu was confident he could retreat and return. But if Sima Yi came too, it’s a different story.

‘Wancheng and Luoyang are 800 li apart. To have come here in just a few days. Was Sima Yi’s leadership that excellent?’

In the original history, when Meng Da in Shangyong was plotting to betray Wei, Sima Yi, who was stationed in Wancheng, covered the 1200 li to Shangyong in just 8 days.

A rapid march comparable to the Nanling Army with over half cavalry forces. Didn’t even Zhuge Liang get caught off guard by Sima Yi’s lightning warfare?

Although Meng Da’s foolishness played a big part, if Zhuge Liang had predicted Sima Yi’s swiftness, he would have sent a stronger signal to Meng Da.

Guan Yu keenly felt his mistake in excluding Sima Yi.

“Sima Yi… Very well. I underestimated you. But you too have underestimated me. I am Guan Yu, Guan Yunchang. Did you think I couldn’t break through one of your tightly set nets? It was I who took Yan Liang’s head at this age.”

Holding out in Wancheng was now unreasonable. The enemies were too close now to repair the walls.

If they were attacked while repairing, it might lead to a situation worse than not doing it at all.

So, Guan Yu decided to abandon Wancheng.

“Grand General, then are you going to break through Cao Biao and return to Fancheng? If we go down through the Yu River…”

“Would they not have predicted that? We’re likely to suffer if they block the Yu River waterway and set fire to rafts for a fire attack.”

Rather, Guan Yu’s gaze was directed not south, but north.

“If Sima Yi has come out, there won’t be many soldiers in Luoyang.”

Sima Yi’s marching speed was astonishing enough to exclaim in admiration, but it must have demanded a lot of physical exertion from the soldiers.

Guan Yu made his decision.

“There is no retreat. We will advance north as is, and go to Luoyang.”