Yet that night, Zhang Liao shot an arrow that sent Huang Gai into the river. He brought Cao Cao to shore, and when Cao searched for a horse and moved on, the army was already in full disorder.

Han Dang drove through smoke and flame into the river camp. He heard a soldier report, “A man on the stern lookout is crying for my lord’s courtesy name.” Listening closely, he heard only the call, “Yi Gong, save me!” Han Dang said, “This is Huang Gongfu.” He ordered him raised at once. Huang Gai had taken the arrow in his side; he had bitten out the shaft and left the arrowhead buried in flesh. Han Dang quickly removed his wet coat, pried the arrowhead free with a knife, and tied it tightly with a strip cut from a banner. He gave Huang Gai his own battle robe and then sent him back to the main camp by another boat to receive treatment. Huang Gai understood the water well; even though he had gone into the river in heavy armor in the deep cold, he had still escaped with his life.

That same day, all along the Yang River the flames rolled, and cries shattered the earth. From the west bank of Chibi, Han Dang and Jiang Qin’s forces drove in. From the east side, Zhou Tai and Chen Wu came in from Red Cliff’s eastern flank. Through the center, the large flotilla of Zhou Yu, Cheng Pu, Xu Sheng, and Ding Feng arrived. The fire-shooting troops did their part, and armaments flared with blazing fury. This was true three-river water fighting, Chibi locked in a pitched struggle by water.

In the Cao armies, men were speared by arrows, burned by fire, and drowned; they were too many to count. Later ages preserved this verse:

Wei and Wu contested one another to decide victory and defeat; At Chibi the towered boats had their decks swept clean. The first fierce flames lit the cloud-sea;
Lord Zhou once broke Chancellor Cao here.

Another quatrain says:

Mountains towered and the moon stood small over endless water; Looking back, one laments how the old houses of the court once seized and held. The men of the south had no wish to welcome Wei Wu;
The eastern wind knowingly favored Zhou Lang.

Let us leave the river fight aside. Meanwhile, Gan Ning ordered Cai Zhong to drive deep into Cao Cao’s camp. He cut Cai Zhong down from his horse with one stroke and set fire to the grasses. Lü Meng, watching the center, raised ten fires of his own in support of Gan Ning. Pan Zhang and Dong Xi set fires in separate bands and shouted. Drumbeats thundered from all sides.

Cao Cao and Zhang Liao rode with more than a hundred horsemen through the thicket of flames, looking for a path forward but finding no opening. As they rode, Mao Jie came to Wei Peng’s rescue with a few dozen riders. Cao ordered the men to keep looking for a route. Zhang Liao pointed out, “Only Wu Forest is open—the ground there is broad enough to pass.” Cao Cao turned straight into Wu Forest.

Even as they passed, another force caught up from behind and shouted, “Wretch Cao, do not flee!” In the firelight he saw Lü Meng’s banner. Cao urged the cavalry forward, leaving Zhang Liao to cover his rear and face Lü Meng. Ahead, torches rose again. From a mountain pass a full force surged out with a cry: “Ling Tong is here!” Cao’s guts turned to ice. Then, suddenly from a skewed side, another detachment attacked and shouted, “Do not panic, Chancellor! Xu Huang is here!” There was a brief mêlée; Cao broke through, pushed northward.

Then he saw a body of cavalry drawn up before a mountain slope. Asking him, Xu Huang reported that it was Ma Yan and Zhang Yi, former officers of Yuan Shao, three thousand northern troops, camped together. All night they had seen fire in the sky and dared not move, but now they happened into Cao’s way. Cao ordered both generals to lead a thousand horse to clear a way, while the rest stayed to cover him. Grateful for this fresh force, Cao’s heart eased a little. Ma Yan and Zhang Yi rode ahead at speed. Within ten li, shouts arose, and a troop burst forth. The first commander cried, “I am Gan Xingba of Wu!” Ma Yan moved to meet him, but Gan Ning cut him down from horseback immediately. Zhang Yi came on with his spear. Gan Ning shouted once; Zhang Yi could not evade. The blow from Gan Ning sent him tumbling from the saddle.

Word flew back to Cao. At this moment Cao had hoped for relief at Hefei, but Sun Quan stood at the Hefei approach. Seeing fire across the water, he knew our troops had prevailed and ordered Lu Xun to raise the signal flames. Taishi Ci saw them and joined Lu Xun in one body of men to charge forward. Cao had no choice but to ride for Yiling. On the way he met Zhang He, and Cao left him to hold the rear.

Cao drove on at a gallop and by the fifth watch had run until the flames behind were fading. Then his mind settled, and he asked, “What place is this?” The reply was, “This is west of Wulin, north of Yidu.” Cao saw the massed woods and steep ridges. He threw back his head in his saddle and laughed uncontrollably. The officers asked, “Why does the Chancellors laugh?” Cao said, “I am not laughing at others. I laugh only at Zhou Yu’s poor planning and Zhuge Liang’s meager wit. Had I commanded this battle, I would have posted a force here beforehand. What else could I have done?”

He had not finished when drums roared from both sides and flames shot skyward, nearly throwing Cao from the saddle. From an oblique flank came a unit crying, “I, Zhao Zilong, stand by the Military Adviser’s command and have waited here long enough!” Cao told Xu Huang and Zhang He to take Zhao Yun together, while he cut through the smoke and fire himself. Zhao did not chase; he kept fighting over flags. Cao got away.

Daylight came faintly. Low black cloud covered the sky, and the southeast wind still blew. Then rain poured down in torrents, wetting armor and robes through. Cao and his men marched in the rain; many soldiers looked hungry. Cao ordered men to raid nearby villages for grain and seek embers. As they were about to cook, another unit arrived in haste from behind. Cao’s fear rose quickly. They turned out to be Li Dian and Xu Chu, bringing the rest of the officers with them.

Cao was deeply relieved. He told the cavalry to keep moving and asked, “What lies ahead?” The report came, “On one side lies the southern Yiling road, on the other the mountain road toward north Yiling.” “Which way is closer to Nan Commandery’s Jiangling?” he asked. The soldiers answered, “Going through southern Yiling over Hulu Pass is faster.” Cao ordered that route.

When they reached Hulu Pass, the army was hungry and exhausted. Many could barely walk, and the horses were spent, with many collapsing. Cao ordered a halt up ahead. Some had cooking pots, some had looted rice. They found dry ground by the mountain and set up fires, buried the pots, roasted and ate horseflesh. Everyone stripped off wet gear and set garments to dry in the wind. Saddles were removed from horses and left loose, and the animals nipped at grass roots.

Cao sat under sparse trees and laughed upward toward the sky. The officers asked, “Earlier Your Excellency laughed at Zhou Yu and Zhuge Liang, and now it seems to have provoked Zhao Zilong and cost many men and horses. Why laugh again?” Cao said, “I laugh at Zhuge Liang and Zhou Yu, yet their strategy still lacked depth. If I had chosen this place and laid up cavalry in ambush as they should have done, we might still have lived, but not without grievous losses. They could not have foreseen this, and so I laughed.”

As he spoke, both front and rear guards shouted at once. Cao was suddenly alarmed and threw off his armor to mount. Many men failed to get their horses in time. Fire and smoke from all four sides now ringed the mountain pass. A force deployed itself in formation. At its head stood Zhang Yide of Yan, spear leveled on horseback. He cried, “Cao Cao, where do you think you are going?”

At the sight of Zhang Fei, Cao’s officers and soldiers lost heart. Xu Chu, riding bareback, went out to fight him; Zhang Liao and Xu Huang also spurred forward and attacked from either side. The two armies became locked in a confused battle. Cao Cao turned his horse and escaped first, and his generals each broke free after him. Zhang Fei pursued from the rear. Cao fled on until the pursuit gradually fell behind; when he looked back, most of his commanders were wounded.

As they went on, a soldier reported that two roads lay ahead. The broad road was level but more than fifty li longer; the narrow road through Huarong was fifty li shorter, but cramped, steep, and broken. Cao sent a man up the heights to look. The scout returned saying that smoke rose at several points beside the narrow road, while the broad road showed no movement. Cao ordered the vanguard onto the Huarong path. His generals objected that smoke must mark hidden troops, but Cao replied, “Have you not read in the military books: ‘Make the empty appear full, and the full appear empty’? Zhuge Liang has had smoke lit in the hills to frighten us from the narrow path while he waits in ambush on the broad road. I have seen through him.” The generals praised his calculation and followed the Huarong road.

Men fainted from hunger and horses were utterly spent. Those scorched about the head leaned on staffs; the arrow- and spear-wounded struggled onward. Clothes and armor were soaked and torn, weapons and banners in disorder. In the bitter midwinter cold, their misery was beyond telling. Rainwater had filled the ruts of the narrow mountain path and the horses sank in mud. Cao ordered the strong to carry earth, bind firewood, and fill the road, while the old and wounded followed slowly. Zhang Liao, Xu Chu, and Xu Huang took a hundred riders with drawn blades to behead any who lagged. Cries of anguish sounded without end, but Cao shouted that life and death were decreed by fate and threatened to execute anyone who wept again.

After they passed the worst ground, only some three hundred riders remained with Cao, none properly clothed or armored. The generals begged to rest their exhausted horses, but Cao urged them toward Jing Province. A few li farther on, he raised his whip and laughed again. “Everyone calls Zhou Yu and Zhuge Liang men of great resource,” he said, “but to my mind they are incompetent. Had they placed even one detachment here in ambush, we would all have been taken bound.”

Before he finished, a single heavy blast sounded. Five hundred sword-bearing infantry deployed on both sides. At their head was Guan Yunchang, Green Dragon Crescent Blade raised as he rode the Red Hare, blocking the road.

When Cao’s troops saw him, their courage failed and they looked at each other in panic. Cao said, “Now that we have reached this place, we can only decide a fight to the death.” The officers replied, “Even if they do not dare, our horses are spent. How can we fight again?” Cheng Yu said, “I have known General Yunchang long: proud above all and unwilling to step upon the fallen; he tyrannizes only the strong and never insults the weak. He is clear in favor and against, and steadfast in loyalty. Your Excellency once owed him much. Go and tell him directly, and we may escape this strait.”

Cao took that counsel and rode ahead, leaning from the saddle to address Guan Yu: “General, have you been well since we last met?” Guan Yu bowed slightly and answered, “I, Guan, come under the Military Adviser’s order and have waited long for Your Excellency.” Cao said, “Cao Cao’s army is shattered and in peril, with no road left. I beg the general to weigh your old bond with me.” Guan Yu replied, “Though Your Excellency once showed me much grace, I have already returned it by slaying Yan Liang, beheading Wen Chou, and lifting the siege of Bailima. Could I now abandon public duty for private ties?” Cao said, “Do you not remember the time of the five mountain passes where generals were cut down? A true man values trust and righteousness above all. You understand the Spring and Autumn tradition, do you not? Do you not know Yu Gong’s pursuit of Zitong and his mercy toward Ziliu?”

Guan Yu was a man of loyalty as high as a mountain. He remembered all Cao Cao’s former kindness and also the deeds at the Five Passes, and he could not help but be moved. He saw the Cao men trembling on the brink of tears. His heart softened all the more. He pulled back his horse and told his troops, “Spread out.” It was clearly a sign to let Cao Cao pass. Cao saw Guan Yu turn his horse and drove ahead with all his commanders at once. By the time Guan Yu wheeled back, Cao and his men were already past. Guan Yu shouted once, and every man dismounted, crying and kneeling to the ground in a salute. Guan Yu, though torn, grew even more unwilling.

While he still hesitated, Zhang Liao rode in suddenly. Seeing him, Guan Yu’s old affinity stirred again. He exhaled heavily and released everyone. Later ages recorded this verse:

Cao Man fled in defeat through Hua Rong, and met Guan Gong in a narrow path; Only for their old favor and grace, he let the chained-claw dragon pass free.

Once Cao Cao escaped the trouble at Hua Rong and had gone as far as the ravine mouth, he looked back. He had only twenty-seven riders with him. By the time dusk came, he was near Nan Commandery. Torchlight came in full array before him; a band of horsemen blocked the way. Cao shouted in shock, “My life is finished!” But he soon recognized them as Cao Ren’s troops as scouts rode up in a rush. Cao was eased.

Cao Ren came alongside and said, “Though I knew you were defeated, I did not dare to move far away, so I came nearby to receive you.” Cao said, “How often I have gone without seeing you!”

He brought everyone into Nan Commandery to rest. Zhang Liao arrived soon after and spoke of Guan Yu’s virtue. Cao assessed his surviving officers and soldiers; the wounded were far too many, and he ordered all to rest. Cao Ren brought wine so Cao could unburden himself, and all his military advisers sat in attendance. Cao suddenly threw back his head and wailed aloud.

The councillors said, “When Your Excellency fled the Tiger Gully, there was no sign of fear. Now you are in city walls, with food for men and forage for horses, and should be drilling and reforming for reprisal. Why weep instead?” Cao replied, “I weep for Guo Fengxiao. If Fengxiao had been here, I would not have met such ruin.” He struck his chest and cried, “Alas, Fengxiao! Woe to Fengxiao! Regret, Fengxiao!” All the advisers sat in shameful silence.

The next day Cao summoned Cao Ren and said, “I will return briefly to Xuchang, gather and ready the cavalry and infantry, then come to exact vengeance. You hold Nan Commandery secure. I have a plan. Keep it hidden; do not open it unless urgent. Follow it, and Eastern Wu will not dare to eye Nan Commandery directly.” Cao Ren asked, “Who can defend Hefei and Xiangyang?” Cao said, “Jing Province you hold. I have assigned Xiahou Dun to guard Xiangyang. Hefei is the critical position. I appoint Zhang Liao as commander and Yue Jin and Li Dian as deputies. If there is urgency, fly orders to me at once.”

The dispositions were fixed. Cao mounted and rode out with the army, hastening back to Xu. The officials and soldiers that Jiang Province had surrendered, and who had already joined him, were sent back to Xu to continue in service. Cao Ren left Cao Hong in charge of Yiling and Nan Commandery to guard against Zhou Yu.

Then Guan Yu, who had let Cao Cao go, returned with his troops. While all roads’ troops had recovered horses, weapons, and grain and had already returned to Xia-kou, Guan Yu returned empty-handed, no man and no horse at all, and went in person to Liu Bei.

Kongming was in the act of exchanging congratulations with Xuande when a report came that Guan Yu had arrived. Kongming rose quickly from the seat and took up a cup to greet him: “All the more reason for joy, General. You have accomplished a deed surpassing generations and removed a great danger from beneath heaven. It is fitting we raise a long-distance celebration.”

Guan Yu was silent. Kongming said, “Is it that we, by not meeting you earlier, have offended you?” Turning to the others, he asked, “Why did you not send word first?” Guan Yu said, “Guan requests to die.” Kongming asked, “Did not Cao Cao pass through Hua Rong Road?” Guan Yu said, “He came from there. I was unable—by my own deficiency—to stop him.” Kongming said, “Did you seize any soldiers?” Guan Yu said, “I seized none.” Kongming said, “This is the kindness you still gave him for old mercies from before; he was released deliberately. But since this is in the general order, we must still carry it out by military law.” He shouted at the guards, and they were sent out to execute him.

Willing to die in one life to repay a trusted benefactor, he would have earned for ten thousand ages a name of enduring righteousness.

What became of Guan Yu’s life and death remained uncertain.

How this turned out will be told in the next chapter.