Guan Yu's flagship sailed past the edge of a small island.

The sergeant reported: "Report to the prince, there is no ban among the soldiers of the Cao army on the island. ”

Guan Yu said: "Continue to look for Yu Ban." ”

Guan Yu's flagship sailed past a small island again.

The sergeant reported: "Report to the prince, there is no ban among the soldiers of the Cao army on the island. ”

Guan Yu said: "Continue to look for Yu Ban." ”

Guan Yu's flagship sailed towards a relatively large island.

Guan Yu said: "There are a lot of Cao soldiers on this island, and Yu Ban should be on this island." ”

The flagship docked next to the island.

Guan Yu said loudly on the command platform: "Is Wen Ze (Yu Ban) here?" Please come and talk. I am Guan Yun Changye. ”

Yu Ban walked out of the crowd and walked to the shore of the island closest to the flagship.

Yu Ban arched his hand and said: "The prince has not seen him for many years, and he has become more and more stylish. ”

Guan Yu said with a smile: "General Yu, what is the matter now, where to go, you should have already made up your mind." ”

Yu Ban sighed: "Yu Ban has followed Prime Minister Cao Gong for 30 years, Yu Zhong, Yu Yi, Yu Jie, and Yu Ban should naturally lead their necks to kill themselves in order to repay Prime Minister Cao." ”

Guan Yu said: "This is very good, if Wen Ze has any last words, please explain." Guan must have brought your last words. But after you have fulfilled your loyalty, I must lend you something to use. I will return it by all means after use. ”

Yu Ban asked, "I don't know what the prince needs?" ”

Guan Yu said: "Guan must borrow the head of the article and go to the officers and soldiers of the Seventh Army to show the public in order to calm the morale of the army. ”

Yu Ban asked: "But I don't know how the prince will place the 70,000 soldiers of the Seventh Army after Yu Ban's death?" ”

Guan Yu laughed and said: "At that time, Wen Ze is no longer alive, how can he manage the affairs of the soldiers of the Seventh Army?" ”

Yu Ban said: "The life and death of Yu Ban is a trivial matter like ants, but the life and death of the 70,000 people of the Seventh Army is a real big matter. ”

Guan Yu said with a smile: "It turns out that Wen Ze can't let go of the affairs of the Seventh Army, what is Wen Ze worried about?" ”

Yu Ban said: "In the battle of Changping of Zhao in the past, the Qin general Bai Qi forced the Zhao State to surrender 400,000 troops with an army of 30,000. However, Bai Qi finally killed 400,000 soldiers of Zhao because he could not supply 400,000 soldiers with the food of 30,000 soldiers. ”

Guan Yu nodded when he heard this, he knew that this was a serious and realistic matter. Guan Yu asked: "Mo Feiwen thought that Guan would kill the soldiers of the Seventh Army because of a little grain and grass problem?" ”

Yu Ban said: "Prince, forgive Yu Ban for speaking bluntly. The Jingzhou army came from afar, and 50,000 soldiers brought grain and grass with the ship for about two months, even if it was full, it could barely support three months. ”

Guan Yu said: "This is your military report estimate, and it is not reliable. Our army's grain and grass are constantly being transported from Jingzhou. ”

Yu Ban said: "I am a dying person, and if I have something to say, I will speak directly." According to the intelligence of our army, in order to earn the price difference, the Jingzhou garrison Mi Fang and Fu Shiren resold the military rations in the early stage, and they had already sold all the military rations in Jingzhou's stockpile. Jingzhou has run out of grain to deliver. ”

Guan Yu's face turned even redder and said, "Okay, these are not your business. What do you have to say? ”

Yu Ban said: "Our Seventh Army originally had a lot of military rations. But now it has been swept away by this flood. After the 70,000 soldiers of the Seventh Army surrender, they will share the rations of your 50,000 Jingzhou troops. I hope that the prince will not be like Bai Qi, who cheated 70,000 soldiers of the Seventh Army because of the shortage of military food. ”

Guan Yu said: "I, Guan Yunchang, have always loved the soldiers, regarded them as comrades-in-arms, and regarded them as my brothers. How can there be a reason to kill and surrender troops?! ”

Yu Ban said with emotion: "Yu Ban is a dying person, and the voice of the prince's loyalty and righteousness is known to everyone in the world." I wish to have a golden promise from the prince and the marquis, and I will be at ease when I am forbidden under the nine springs. ”

Guan Yu said: "Okay! Guan promised you that from now on, what the Jingzhou sergeants will eat, and the soldiers of the Seventh Army will also eat. ”

Yu Ban knelt on the ground and bowed three times, then stood up and said: "The prince is righteous and thin, for the prince's golden promise, I will thank the prince for the 70,000 soldiers of the Seventh Army." He died without regrets. One by one, Yu is forbidden to go to Luoyang to see Prime Minister Cao Cheng! ”

Yu Ban said, pulling out his sword to wipe his neck.

Guan Yu said: "Wait! Rules. ”

Yu Ban stopped hearing the sound and asked, "Does the prince have anything else to say?" ”

Guan Yu nodded and said: "Wen Ze, listen to your words, the worldly things in your heart, you still can't let go, how can you be a dying person?" I answered you and treated the soldiers of the Seventh Army well. But you also know that the world is unpredictable, wars are repeated, and Guan knows that you are not really at ease in your heart. Don't you want to see with your own eyes how Guan fulfills his promise? ”

Yu Ban said in a low voice: "Of course Yu Ban wants to see the final fate of the 70,000 brothers of the Seventh Army. Just stealing my life like this ruined the loyalty and righteousness of Yu Ban's life, and I owed Cao Gong's thirty years of kindness to me. ”

Guan Yu said: "Wen Ze, Guan wishes you to live and witness how I, Guan Yunchang, realize my promise of a thousand daughters." ”

Yu Ban bowed his head for a long time before he raised his head and said: "Yu **** returned to the prince, but Yu Ban couldn't face the soldiers of the Cao army on the battlefield." ”

Guan Yuxi said: "The life and death of individuals are important to the reputation of decades, or the well-being and lives of 70,000 soldiers are important, and God has his own judgment." Guan Yu respects Wen Ze's choice. Youwen came out to recruit the Seventh Army, but Guan saved a lot of trouble. After the affairs of the Seventh Army were settled, Guan would arrange for a grain and grass ship to send Wen Ze back to Jingzhou, and would not let Wen Ze directly face Cao Jun. ”

Guan Yu's flagship is sailing.

Guan Yu and Yu Ban stood side by side on the deck.

Yu Ban held a white flag in his hand.

The soldiers of the Cao Army on the small island that the flagship passed by saw Yu Ban standing with Guan Yu holding a white flag, and the officers and soldiers of the Seventh Army also raised the white flag and waved.

We want to make it clear here that Yu Ban is right. Guan Yu's military rations at that time were indeed very tight. In order to fulfill his promise to the ban, Guan Yu had to open the Xiangguan granary in Soochow to get grain in October.

This incident directly led Sun Quan to believe that Guan Yu's lack of food and grass was a foregone conclusion, Guan Yu was about to be defeated, and Jingzhou would fall into the hands of Cao Cao. In order to prevent Jingzhou from falling into the hands of Cao Cao and forming a fatal threat to Eastern Wu, Sun Quan decided to strike first and sent troops to attack Jingzhou.

Because Guan Yu fulfilled his promise, the soldiers of the Seventh Army faithfully followed Guan Yu until they retreated to Maicheng, until the night of the month of Layue in that year (early 220 AD), Guan Yu suddenly disbanded all his tens of thousands of troops. Then Guan Yu only led a dozen people to secretly retreat from the path, and that day, Guan Yu was also captured and killed on the path.

Yu Ban really saw Guan Yu fulfill his promise with his own life.

So far, the 70,000 people of the Seventh Army, in addition to the 20,000 people lost in the flood, about 50,000 soldiers have been collected by Guan Yu as his account.

Guan Yu's Jingzhou army originally had 50,000, and at this time the strength doubled to about 100,000.

Guan Yu's victory in this battle shook China, and the anti-Cao momentum in various places was high.

Please note that Hefei was the first place of Sun Quan's first attack on the north several times, and Cao Cao was very concerned about Hefei's fortifications, so Hefei's defense was very solid. But under the onslaught of Sun Quan's army, it was already in danger.

What's more, in the past, under the attack of Sun Quan's Eastern Wu soldiers, after Hefei was lost, they relied on the iron cavalry troops of Zhang Liao's Tiger Ben Army, who were stationed in the nest near Hefei, to counterattack and recapture Fei. Now that Cao Cao had a limited lifespan and wanted to strictly control several elite troops with strong combat effectiveness nearby, Zhang Liao's Tiger Ben army had been transferred from Juchao near Hefei to Mopo, far away from Hefei.

Therefore, under the continuous attack of Sun Quan, Hefei City is just around the corner.

Guan Yu's military might had approached Cao Cao's capital Xu Du, and Cao Cao knew that he was at the end of his life, and he wanted to stabilize the situation so that his successor Cao Pi could succeed to the throne smoothly.

Cao Cao was preparing to move the capital to Yecheng, which was Cao Cao's old base for a long time, and Cao Cao had already arranged for Cao Pi to govern Yecheng for several years. Cao Cao is ready to let Cao Pi succeed smoothly in Yecheng.

Under Sima Yi's persuasion, Cao Cao decided to postpone the relocation of the capital in advance and see how the situation develops. Cao Cao put his hopes on provoking contradictions between Guan Yu and Sun Quan.

Although the Seventh Army sent by Cao Cao was devastatingly annihilated by Guan Yu, Cao Cao did not decide to throw the heavy troops he had assembled at Mopo into the Fanxiang battlefield to fight Guan Yu in a decisive battle.

Cao Cao knew that he could die suddenly at any time, if he really invested his blood to fight Guan Yu in Fanxiang, in case he suddenly appeared three long and two short, then it would be equivalent to the two armies at the critical moment of the decisive battle, and the commander in his base camp was suddenly beheaded. At that time, there will be a trend of defeat, and the chaos at that time is not something that his young successor, Cao Pi, can control.

In order to allow Cao Pi to succeed smoothly, Cao Cao chose to focus on stability maintenance at this time.

If Guan Yu's military strength continued to develop and expand, then Cao Cao would rather choose to move the capital and avoid its edge than choose a showdown with Guan Yu.

In this way, we can understand why Guan Yu became a great martial saint, Guan Yu launched the key battle to defeat Cao Cao at the best time in history, the Battle of Fan Xiang. At this time, even God helped, God created a suitable flood with the precise time and precise place, so that Guan Yu's soldiers completely annihilated the enemy army stronger than themselves without blood.

We can be sure that at this time, if Guan Yu received the slightest assistance from any of the Shu Han troops, victory was inevitable.

However, under the careful planning of Zhuge Liang, who was an expert in the civil war, and under the death order issued by Zhuge Liang to "not send troops to fight", no Shu Han's troops dared to lend a helping hand to Guan Yu's Jingzhou army, which had achieved an unprecedented great victory.