Guan Yu was a general serving under the warlord Liu Bei during the late Eastern Han Dynasty era of China. He played a significant role in the civil war that led to the collapse of the Han Dynasty and the establishment of Shu Han of the Three Kingdoms, of which Liu Bei was the first emperor.
Guan was born in Xie County, Hedong (present day Yuncheng (运城市), Shanxi). No details of the time of his birth are found in historical records until the late Qing Dynasty, when the tomb of Guan was discovered, bearing some details of his family.[citation needed] It was written that Guan was actually born from a family of scholars. His grandfather's name was Guan Shen. His father's name was Guan Yi. Guan Yu was born in the year 160, and like his ancestors, often read the classics Book of Changes and Spring and Autumn Annals. He married Lady Hu and his son Guan Ping was born in 178.
Guan fled his hometown at the age of 23 after slaying a local despot named Lü Xiong (呂熊). Five years later, he arrived in Zhuo Commandery (present day Zhuozhou, Hebei). He met Liu Bei, who was recruiting volunteers to form a civilian army to suppress the Yellow Turbans Rebellion. Together with Zhang Fei, Guan joined Liu and participated actively in fighting the Yellow Turban rebels in northern China.
When Liu Bei was appointed as the governor of Pingyuan County, Guan and Zhang Fei were made "Major of Separate Command" (别部司马) under Liu. According to Records of Three Kingdoms, the relationship of the three men was described to be as close as brothers. They slept in the same room and had their meals together, behaving as though they were real brothers. Guan and Zhang followed Liu most of the time wherever he went and protected him from danger regardless of how perilous the situation was.
During the battle of Jiangling, Guan was sent to block Cao Ren's supply lines via infiltration. He led a special force composed of navy and infantry, to go up the Han River, and attacked the city of Xiangyang, which was guarded by Yue Jin. Guan was defeated by Yue outside the city walls. However, Liu Bei became a powerful warlord as he was joined by Lei Xu (雷绪) and his troops numbering to tens of thousands, and soon conquered the southern Jing Province without much resistance. Liu Bei promoted Guan to the rank of "General Who Exterminates Rebels" (蕩寇將軍) and appointed him as the governor of the city of Xiangyang. Backed by Liu, Guan led a force to Xiukou to fight Yue Jin and Wen Pin, but was repelled by his rivals. Wen trailed Guan to Han Ford, in which he had Guan's food storage burnt to the ground. As a result, Guan attempted to recuperate at the city of Jing (荆城); however, his pursuer would not allow him to rest, and Guan was forced to fight a naval battle with Wen, which resulted in a total destruction of the navy. Later, Guan set up some layers of blockades to prevent Li Tong from reinforcing Jiangling, but Li removed the blockades and fought his way through. Guan ordered a retreat and Li managed to enter Jiangling.
After almost a year of fighting, Cao Cao could no longer afford continuous loss of materiel and labor in the siege, and ordered Cao Ren to withdraw from Jiangling fortress. Liu convinced Sun Quan to lend him the land of Nanjun commandery, and stationed Guan in its capital city, Jiangling. In 213, Liu left for Yi Province (present day Sichuan) and wrestled control of the land from Liu Zhang after two years. Since then, Guan had been the leading figure of Jing Province. Most of the Liu Bei's forces went to Yi Province when Liu was experiencing difficulty in his invasion, while Guan and part of Liu's forces remained in Jing Province.
As one of the best known Chinese historical figures throughout East Asia, Guan's true life stories have largely given way to fictionalized ones, mostly found in the historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms or passed down the generations, in which his deeds and moral qualities have been lionized. Guan is respected as an epitome of loyalty and righteousness.
