Novel scene
Huarong Dao 華容道
About this event
Huarong Dao is the story of Guan Yu letting Cao Cao, fleeing in defeat from the Battle of Red Cliffs, go on the narrow road of Huarongdao, the scene from the title of Chapter 50 of the Romance, "Zhuge Liang Shrewdly Foresees Huarong; Guan Yunchang Out of Righteousness Releases Cao Cao." In Chapter 49 Zhuge Liang is unwilling to entrust the task to Guan Yu, saying he will release Cao Cao because of past kindness, and Guan Yu writes a pledge under military law and goes to Huarongdao. Romance, Ch. 49 §36–39Romance, Ch. 50 §19–30
Chen Shou's text has neither Huarongdao nor Guan Yu's release of Cao Cao. The Annals of Emperor Wu (Records of Wei 1) record that Cao Cao, having fought at a disadvantage at Red Cliffs, and with many officers and soldiers dying of an epidemic, led his army back. Records, Wei 1 §105Records, Shu 6 §7
In the Romance
In Chapter 49 of the Romance, Zhuge Liang, issuing orders to the generals, ignores Guan Yu alone, then says he fears that Guan Yu, who once received generous treatment from Cao Cao, will let Cao Cao go when he flees by way of Huarongdao. Guan Yu writes a pledge under military law to accept martial law if he lets him go, and receives the plan of piling firewood on high ground in the hills and raising smoke. When Liu Bei worries, Zhuge Liang says that Cao Cao is not yet fated to die, so it would also be a fine thing to let Guan Yu repay this kindness. Romance, Ch. 49 §36–40
In Chapter 50 Cao Cao, fleeing the flames, is chased by Zhao Yun west of Wulin and by Zhang Fei at Hulukou, each time just after laughing that Zhou Yu and Zhuge Liang lack cunning. At a fork, seeing smoke rising on the side of the small road, Cao Cao enters Huarongdao, calling it a ruse of making the empty look full, but on a road turned to mud by the dawn rain he has his soldiers cut bamboo and wood to fill it in and threatens to behead anyone who weeps. A third of the men and horses fall behind and a third become corpses filling the ditches, and after the rough stretch only some three hundred horsemen remain. Romance, Ch. 50 §7–8 · 12–24
The moment Cao Cao laughs again, Guan Yu, with 500 soldiers deployed and his Green Dragon Blade in hand, blocks the road. Cao Cao appeals to his sense of good faith, citing past kindness and the generals he slew at the five passes, and Guan Yu, seeing the soldiers trembling with fear, cannot bring himself to act; he turns his horse's head and opens the road, letting even Zhang Liao, who follows behind, go. Only 27 horsemen follow Cao Cao when he comes out of the mouth of the valley. Romance, Ch. 50 §25–32
When Guan Yu returns empty-handed and asks to be put to death, Zhuge Liang orders him beheaded according to the pledge, but in Chapter 51 he pardons him when Liu Bei, citing their oath to live and die together, asks that Guan Yu be allowed to atone for his crime with merit. Romance, Ch. 50 §37–39Romance, Ch. 51 §1
Where the Romance differs
Cao Cao's retreat: In Chapter 50 of the Romance, Cao Cao runs into ambushes one after another at Wulin, Hulukou and Huarongdao and barely escapes thanks to Guan Yu's kindness. The Annals of Emperor Wu in the Records say that he fought at a disadvantage at Red Cliffs, lost many men to an epidemic and led his army back, and the Biography of the First Sovereign records that Liu Bei and the Wu army pursued him as far as Nan Commandery, and that Cao Cao went back because many of the northern troops had died of an epidemic. Of Guan Yu at this time, the Biography of Guan Yu records only that after Cao Cao withdrew his army, Guan Yu was made Administrator of Xiangyang and stationed north of the Yangtze. Romance, Ch. 50 §13 · 17–18 · 26–30Records, Wei 1 §105Records, Shu 2 §23Records, Shu 6 §7
Written by 3KDEX (not yet reviewed) — The tags at the end of each paragraph link to the exact passage in the Records volume or Romance chapter it is based on.