Novel scene
Xu Huang Battles on the Mian River 徐公明大戰沔水
About this event
"Xu Huang Battles on the Mian River" is the former scene of the title of Chapter 76 of the Romance, "Xu Gongming Fights a Great Battle on the Mian River; Lord Guan Is Defeated and Flees to Maicheng." While Jing Province falls to Eastern Wu, Xu Huang, pressed by Cao Cao, advances along the Mian River and breaks Guan Yu's camps at Yancheng and Sizhong one after another, then fights Guan Yu, who comes out in person, for more than eighty bouts. When Cao Ren comes out of Fancheng and attacks from the other side, Guan Yu crosses the Xiang River and withdraws, and the siege of Fancheng is lifted. This scene is the closing passage of the Battle of Fancheng. Romance, Ch. 76 §5–9 · 13 · 16–19 · 23
In Chen Shou's text, Xu Huang's biography in Records of Wei 17 records this battle. Xu Huang took Yancheng and, linking up his camps, closed in on the enemy's siege lines; then, spreading word that he would attack the camp at the head of the siege lines, he secretly attacked Sizhong, drove back Guan Yu, who came out to fight, and pursued him into the siege lines and broke them. Records, Wei 17 §66
In the Romance
In Chapter 76 of the Romance, Sun Quan sends Cao Cao a letter proposing that they attack Guan Yu together and asks him to keep it secret. Following the advice of his Registrar Dong Zhao, Cao Cao has the letter shot into Fancheng to reassure the defenders and to let Guan Yu know as well, urges Xu Huang to give battle quickly, and advances in person to Yangling Embankment. Romance, Ch. 76 §5–7
Guan Ping is stationed at Yancheng and Liao Hua at Sizhong, with twelve camps linked one to another. Xu Huang has Xu Shang and Lü Jian fly his own banners and go to Yancheng, while he himself leads five hundred men along the Mian River to strike Yancheng from the rear. While Guan Ping is chasing Xu Shang and Lü Jian, fire breaks out in Yancheng, and Guan Ping flees to Sizhong. Then, when the first outpost is attacked, Guan Ping and Liao Hua raid Xu Huang's empty camp and are defeated in a pincer attack, and meanwhile the camp at Sizhong too falls to the Wei army, so the two flee to Guan Yu's main camp. Romance, Ch. 76 §7–14
Guan Yu dismisses the report that Jing Province has been lost as a false rumor, and goes out, though not yet recovered, to face Xu Huang. Xu Huang greets him warmly and thanks him for his teaching in their youth, then turns to his generals and shouts, "Whoever takes Yunchang's head will receive a great reward of a thousand pieces of gold!" and, saying that he cannot let private feeling stand in the way of the state's business, comes at him with his great axe. After more than eighty bouts Guan Yu, lacking strength in his right arm, withdraws, whereupon Cao Ren comes out of Fancheng and attacks from the other side, and Guan Yu, fleeing across the Xiang River, hears that Jing Province has been lost. Romance, Ch. 76 §14–19
Cao Cao inspects the camp at Sizhong and praises Xu Huang for driving deep into an enemy position ringed with many layers of trenches and abatis and winning complete success, saying that in more than thirty years of commanding troops he himself had never charged straight into an enemy's siege lines. Receiving Xu Huang's troops at Mobei with their ranks unbroken, Cao Cao says that Xu Huang has the air of Zhou Yafu, makes him General Who Pacifies the South, and has him guard Xiangyang together with Xiahou Shang. Romance, Ch. 76 §23–24
Where the Romance differs
Guan Yu and Xu Huang: In Chapter 76 of the Romance, Guan Yu goes out in person, exchanges words with Xu Huang and fights him for more than eighty bouts. Xu Huang's biography in the Records records only that when Sizhong was about to fall, Guan Yu came out to fight at the head of five thousand foot and horse but was driven back by Xu Huang and fled, that Xu Huang pursued him into the siege lines and broke them, and that some threw themselves into the Mian River and died. Romance, Ch. 76 §16–18Records, Wei 17 §66
Yancheng: In Chapter 76 of the Romance, while Xu Shang and Lü Jian lure Guan Ping out with Xu Huang's banners, Xu Huang strikes Yancheng from the rear and sets it on fire. In Xu Huang's biography in the Records, Xu Huang dug a great trench as if to cut off the enemy's rear, whereupon the enemy burned their own camp and fled, and he took Yancheng. Romance, Ch. 76 §7–9Records, Wei 17 §66
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.