Routed and trapped, Cao Cao and his haggard troops throw themselves at the mercy of the man blocking their path.

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Welcome to the Romance of the Three Kingdoms Podcast. This is episode 62.

Last time, Cao Cao’s dreams of conquering the South had gone up in flames along with his fleet and his army at the Battle of Red Cliff. He had come South with an army of 830,000, but now, he was fleeing with only about 300 men. And every time he felt safe enough to start feeling smug about how he was still a notch smarter than Zhou Yu and Zhuge Liang, he was promptly sent running again by an ambush. And now, just as he was mocking his foes for not laying a trap for him at the narrow path of Huarong Trail, he was greeted by Guan Yu, who had been waiting there on Zhuge Liang’s orders.

“With things as they are, we have no choice but to fight for our lives!” Cao Cao told his men.

But to this, his generals were all like, “We love to … but …”

“Even though we are able to fight, our horses are too exhausted. They cannot go into battle again,” they told him.

One of Cao Cao’s advisers, Cheng Yu, suggested a different tact.

“I know that Guan Yu disdains the high and mighty but pities the lowly; he is short with the strong but does not bully the weak. He draws a clear line between obligation and enmity, and is a man of good faith and honor. Your excellency once bestowed kindness upon him. If you remind him of that now, you could escape this calamity.”

 

Well, at this point, Cao Cao really had nothing to lose by trying, so he figured, what the heck. He rode forward alone and bowed to Guan Yu from atop his horse.

“General, how have you been?”

Guan Yu bowed in return and said, “I have been waiting here for your excellency on orders from my military adviser.” In other words, I’ve got a job to do, so don’t try to talk your way out of this one.

“I have been defeated and my troops are in dire straits,” Cao Cao said. “We have no way out. I hope, general, that our past ties still mean something to you.”

“Even though I did receive great kindness from your excellency in the past, I have already repaid you by slaying Yan Liang and Wen Chou and relieving the siege of Baima (2,3),” Guan Yu answered. “As for the matter at hand, how can I dare to allow personal ties trump state business?”

Ok, so good so far for Guan Yu. He’s not wavering in the face of Cao Cao’s appeal. But Cao Cao wasn’t just about to roll over and give up.

“Do you still remember when you stormed through five checkpoints and killed six of my officers?” Cao Cao asked. “A man must place good faith and honor above all else. You have a deep understanding of the Spring and Autumn Annals. Do you not know the story of Yugong (2,1) Zhizi (1,3) pursuing Zizhuo (3,4) Ruzi (2,3)?”

 

Whoa there, Cao Cao. Slow down with the cultural references! So the Spring and Autumn Annals is a history about the Spring and Autumn Period. If you have been paying any attention at all in our podcast, you would know that this is a period whose characters and stories have a dramatic influence over the culture and characters in our novel. Guan Yu, in particular, has boasted on multiple occasions about how he is well-versed in this history.

Now, as for the particular story that Cao Cao cites here both Yugong (2,1) Zhizi (1,