In Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei are sworn brothers of Liu Bei, and the three share a deep bond of loyalty.
In the year 219 during the Three Kingdoms period, Guan Yu led the Kinh Châu army northward, advancing to the Tao Ren territory in Phan Thành. The morale of Guan Yu’s troops reached its peak, as they were poised to capture Hứa Đô (the capital of the Han Dynasty).
Due to Guan Yu’s overwhelming might, Cao Cao and Sun Quan allied to counterattack him. Guan Yu did not hesitate to seize lands from Sun Quan, specifically targeting the strategic city of Mạch Thành, which threatened the area of Ích Châu. However, Sun Quan was increasingly annoyed by Guan Yu’s growing power, as he felt that this would eventually put Guan Yu in a precarious position. When Guan Yu advanced to Lâm Tự, he was ambushed by the forces of Đông Ngô.
Guan Yu was besieged and ultimately killed, leaving Sun Quan to issue a command for his execution. This event occurred in the month of January 220.
Liu Bei, far away in Ích Châu upon hearing the news of Guan Yu’s demise, first built a monument, and only then did he send his troops to inform his brothers about the tragedy. This decision stemmed from three main reasons:
First, Liu Bei prioritized the construction of the monument over military action
In the year 220, two significant events occurred: first, Guan Yu was killed, and then Cao Phi (Cao Cao’s son) pressured Han Hiến Đế to abdicate in favor of Liu Hiệp, thus Liu Bei was faced with personal loss; Han Hiến Đế’s abdication was a political move.
