Said Bu Zhi, “Cao Ren is already camped at Fankou and Xiangyang and in no danger from the river. If Cao Cao can take Jingzhou by land, why does he not take it? However, he wants you, my lord, to send your army, and you can judge his real intention from this. Send to Cao Cao and tell him to make Cao Ren attack by land. Then Guan Yu must take the army from Jingzhou to Fankou. When Guan Yu has left Jingzhou, you can send an army to seize it.”
Sun Quan thought the scheme good and sent letters with these proposals to Cao Cao. Cao Cao adopted the plan, and having sent the messenger back to the South Land, he next sent Man Chong to help Cao Ren at Fankou as Assistant Adviser in the matter of attack. He also sent dispatches to the South Land to ask for the assistance of Sun Quan's marine force.
Having laid on Wei Yan the task of holding the Eastern Land of Rivers, the Prince of Hanzhong, with his officers, returned to Chengdu and began to set his new house in order. A palace was begun and public guest-houses were built, and between Chengdu and Baishui, at selected places, they built four hundred rest-houses and post stations. The Prince of Hanzhong also set himself to accumulate great stores of grain and forage and to till his arsenals with weapons with the design of mastering the capital in the north and the whole empire.
Then his spies told him of the treaty between Cao Cao and Sun Quan, with designs upon Jingzhou, and he hastily called in Zhuge Liang to ask what should be done.
“I felt that Cao Cao would try to do this,” said Zhuge Liang, “and most of the advisers in the South Land will persuade Cao Cao to order Cao Ren to begin the campaign.”
“But what am I to do?” asked the Prince.
“First send a special messenger to Guan Yu with his new title, telling him to capture Fankou, which will so damp the ardor of the enemy that they will break off themselves.”
Therefore Liu Bei sent Fei Shi, a minister from his Board of War, to take the patent of the new title to Guan Yu, who received the delegate with great deference and conducted him into the city. After they had arrived at the official residence, Guan Yu inquired what new title had been conferred upon him.
“The First of the Five Tiger Generals,” replied Fei Shi.
“And who are the five?”
“Their names are Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, Ma Chao, and Huang Zhong.”
“The second is my brother,” said Guan Yu. “Ma Chao comes of a famous family, and Zhao Yun has been with my elder brother so long that he is as a brother. It is right for them to be put on a level with me. But what sort of a man is this Huang Zhong that he is ranked with us? The really great man does not stand shoulder to shoulder with any old soldier that comes along.”
And Guan Yu refused both title and seal.
“You do wrong to refuse,” said Fei Shi. “Of old, Xiao He and Cao Shen helped Liu Bang, the Founder of the Han Dynasty, in his great enterprise and were very dear friends, while Han Xin was but a runaway leader from Chu. Yet Liu Bang made Han Xin a prince, and so placed over the heads of the other two. I have never heard that these two resented it. The Prince of Hanzhong has his Five Tiger Generals, but he is still your brother and all that that means. As his brother, you are he and he is you. Is there any comparison with any other? The Prince has always treated you with the greatest kindness. You two are one in sorrow and joy, sharers of disaster and good fortune. No such question as that of a mere title ought to reckon at all. I pray you, Sir, reflect.”
Guan Yu understood, and thanked Fei Shi, saying, “You have prevented me from making a great mistake due to my ignorance.”
Guan Yu then received the seal with all humility.
Next Fei Shi produced the edict ordering the capture of Fankou. Guan Yu lost no time in obeying its command. He appointed Fu Shiren and Mi Fang Leaders of the Van to take the first army out of the city into camp. This done, a banquet was prepared for Fei Shi, and they sat late at their wine. While still at table there was an alarm of fire in the new camp, and Guan Yu hastened out of the city to see. He found that the two generals had also been feasting, and the fire had started behind their tent, a spark having fallen into some explosives, whence it spread and destroyed the whole camp and all that was in it. Guan Yu and his soldiers did what they could to put out the fire and then reentered the city. There Guan Yu summoned the two generals before him, abused them for their lack of care, and sentenced them to death.
However, Fei Shi interceded for them, saying, “It is not well to put two leaders to death at the beginning of a campaign, before even the army has marched. You might reprieve them at least.”
Guan Yu's anger had by no means subsided, but he recalled the two generals and said, “Were it not that I have the greatest regard for Chairman Fei Shi here, I had let the sentence take its course. Now I will only flog you.”
So the two officers received forty blows each and were degraded from leading the van. Their seals were taken away, and Mi Fang was sent to Nanjun, Fu Shiren to Gongan.
“Now be warned,” said Guan Yu. “If, when I return from my victories, there is the least sign of disorder on your part, you will suffer for both faults.”
The two men flushed crimson and went out.
Then two new officers were appointed, Liao Hua and Guan Ping. Next Guan Yu took command of the main army, and he had two advisers — Ma Liang and Yi Ji. Then it was that Hu Hua's son, Hu Ban, came to Jingzhou and joined Guan Yu, who loved him for the sake of his father and the good service Hu Ban had rendered when he saved Guan Yu. Guan Yu sent Hu Ban to the Prince of Hanzhong in the train of Fei Shi.
The day that Guan Yu sacrificed to his standard before starting, he was lying in his tent resting when suddenly there dashed into his tent a huge boar, very large, as big as a bullock and quite black. It bit his foot. He jumped up to kill the creature, when it squealed with the sound of tearing cloth — and he awoke. It was a dream, but he had a pain in his foot.
The dream perplexed him, and he could not explain it. He related it to his son, who interpreted it happily, saying, “The boar is a royal beast, like the dragon, and coming to your feet means a rise of your dignity.”
When the dream got noised abroad, for he told his officers, some interpreted it as auspicious and some the reverse. “When a person nears sixty, he ought not to be greatly disturbed by the thought of death,” said Guan Yu. “After all, I am a warrior.”
Just about that time came an edict from the Prince of Hanzhong making him Commanding General, with honorable insignia of rank and control over the nine territories of forty-one counties in Jingzhou. When the officers congratulated him on his new honors, they did not forget the dream.
“This shows what a dream of boars means.”
This new distinction pleased Guan Yu greatly, and he had no more perplexing doubts. Soon he marched away along the great road to the point of danger.
Cao Ren was in Xiangyang when he heard that Guan Yu was coming against him. He was much put about, and inclined to trust solely to defense. But his next command, Zhai Yuan, did not support this course and argued against it.
“The Prince of Wei has ordered you to act in concert with Wu and take Jingzhou. For the other side to come against such a combination is to walk in the way of death; certainly we have no occasion to avoid a conflict.”
On the other hand the newly sent Adviser Man Chong inculcated caution. Said he, “Guan Yu is brave and cunning and one not to be met lightly. I think defense is best.”
Then General Xiahou Cun said contemptuously, “This is all the talk of a lot of book-folk. When the flood approaches, bank up to keep it out. Let the enemy come with their tired soldiers, and we shall go out, defeat them, and receive our reward, for we are sure of victory.”