The Three Kingdoms: Hindsight is 20/20, and the Three Revivals of the Han Dynasty

Although Meng Da was arrogant about his abilities, he actually only had some experience in suppressing rebellions in Xichuan; Guan Ping, although young, had followed Guan Yu in two major battles: Cao Cao's Northern Expedition and Liu Bei's Southern Expedition.

Furthermore, Zhuge Liang also gave Guan Ping a lot of guidance when he was in Chang'an. In terms of practical experience, Guan Ping was far superior to Meng Da. Guan Ping was able to serve as a vanguard under Guan Yu because he earned it through hard work and strength.

After a brief battle, Meng Da was already in a losing position, which made him even more furious!
"Am I really worse at commanding than a mere child?"

Looking at the young Guan Ping, Meng Da felt a surge of jealousy, but even more so, he felt he had lost face.

If he can't even beat Guan Ping in command, how can he possibly stand out under Cao Cao in the future?
Enraged and jealous, Meng Da donned his armor and charged forward, intending to compensate for his lack of command with his martial prowess.

However, this time, Meng Da still ran into a brick wall.

Since none of Liu Bei, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Huang Zhong, or Zhao Yun had an adult son who was skilled in martial arts, everyone wanted to train Guan Ping after Guan Yu brought him back.

Although Guan Ping spent most of his time with Guan Yu, Liu Bei and others would always give him pointers on martial arts techniques for fighting on the battlefield whenever they encountered him.

Guan Ping inherited Guan Yu's fierce physique, and being young and quick to learn, he was still far superior to Meng Da, even if he didn't become a top-tier general.

Upon this encounter, Meng Dadun felt fear: I have only been in Yizhou for a little over ten years, yet there are already such fierce generals outside Yizhou.
Meng Da's initial confidence began to crumble because of Guan Ping's appearance. He couldn't match Guan Ping's command skills or martial prowess.

If Xiahou Yuan and Yu Jin hadn't arrived upon hearing the news, Meng Da would have had to flee in a sorry state.

Even so, Xiahou Yuan's gaze towards Meng Da conveyed the message that "this man is all talk and no action and is not fit for great use," which made Meng Da both ashamed and angry.

"Prefect Kuai, the enemy forces are too strong; we should retreat for now."

Guan Ping did not choose to engage in a prolonged battle with Xiahou Yuan and Yu Jin, but instead protected Kuai Qi and temporarily withdrew from Fangling City.

Although Kuai Qi was unwilling, he was powerless to reverse the situation at this moment, and he could not refuse Guan Ping's kindness, otherwise the fierce soldiers under Guan Ping's command who died to save Kuai Qi would have died in vain.

"General Xiahou, if Kuai Qi is not dead, the people of Fangling will not be able to win our hearts. We must not let him escape." Seeing Guan Ping withdraw his troops, Meng Da concluded that Guan Ping's forces were too small to linger and urged him to stop fighting.

Xiahou Yuan didn't look at Meng Da, but turned to Yu Jin: "Wenze, what do you think?"

Yu Jin pondered for a moment and said, "Since the banners that have come bear the character 'Guan,' they must be Guan Yu's nephews or generals from his clan. From this, we can deduce that Guan Yu's army is not far from Fangling. Fangling is a strategic location and cannot be lost; our primary focus should be on defense. Military strategy also states, 'Do not pursue a retreating army.' If we rashly pursue and fall into Guan Yu's ambush, Fangling will no longer belong to you, my lord. At that time, you will inevitably be controlled in Xiangyang."

Perhaps because of Huang Zhong's ambush while repairing the deer antlers and Ma Chao's ambush while preparing boats at the ferry, Xiahou Yuan's personality has become much more calm and cautious in the past year. Upon hearing Yu Jin's analysis, he dared not be careless.

Seeing that Meng Da was about to persuade him again, he sternly rebuked him, saying, "If you can't even defeat Guan Yu's nephews and relatives, don't try to teach me how to wage war. Issue my military order: hold Fangling and do not go out to fight without my order."

After being reprimanded by Xiahou Yuan, Meng Da felt even more ashamed and resentful towards Xiahou Yuan and Yu Jin. Yu Jin's caution successfully shielded Xiahou Yuan from disaster. Although Guan Yu had appointed Guan Ping as the vanguard, he was also worried about Guan Ping's safety. Therefore, after Guan Ping had gone ahead for half a day, he personally led five hundred swordsmen to follow closely behind, leaving the main army in the care of Zhang Yan.

If Xiahou Yuan decides to attack, he will inevitably encounter Guan Yu. When they meet on a narrow path, Xiahou Yuan may not be as lucky as before.

More than ten miles away, Guan Ping met Guan Yu, who was following closely behind. He dismounted and apologized, saying, "This humble general failed to guard Fangling and is willing to accept punishment."

Kuai Qi, who was standing nearby, quickly said, "General Guan, you misunderstand. When the young general arrived, I was already blocked at the north gate. The loss of Fangling was not the young general's fault, but my fault!"

After inquiring about the details of the battle from Guan Ping, Guan Yu stepped forward and bowed to Kuai Qi, saying, "It was my slow arrival that caused Prefect Kuai to suffer. Fortunately, Prefect Kuai is unharmed; otherwise, I would have failed my strategist. Are Prefect Kuai's family still in the city?"

Kuai Qi shook his head and sighed, "My family is in Xiangyang City. I heard from Xiahou Yuan that Cai Mao surrendered to Cao Cao. I'm afraid my family will also fall into Cao Cao's hands."

Guan Yu reassured him, "Prefect Kuai, there is no need to worry. Although Cai Mao surrendered to Cao Cao, the people of Xiangyang generally despise Cao Cao's evil deeds. Therefore, no less than 100,000 people have abandoned Xiangyang and fled. Kuai Yue, Kuai Liang, and others have also left Xiangyang. Prefect Kuai's family should be safe."

Kuai Qi felt a sense of relief, but then a sense of sadness arose: "Although my family is unharmed, the people of Fangling City have to suffer for me. It is all because of my incompetence."

A cold glint flashed in Guan Yu's eyes as he said, "What Prefect Kuai is worried about is what I am worried about. Prefect Kuai, rest assured, I will help you reclaim Fangling City."

Although he only brought five hundred swordsmen, Guan Yu was not afraid. After Guan Ping and Kuai Qi set up camp and rested on the spot, Guan Yu led the five hundred swordsmen directly to the city of Fangling.

The afterglow of dusk shone on the Guan-character banner, making it appear even more imposing.

Stroking his magnificent beard, Guan Yu stared intently at the city wall with his phoenix eyes and roared, "General Guan Yu, the Suppressor of Bandits, is here! Xiahou Yuan, come out and face your death!"

The Cao soldiers on the city wall looked down at Guan Yu and his five hundred swordsmen with astonishment and doubt: Guan Yu dared to challenge them with only five hundred men, how arrogant he was!
The soldiers from Dongzhou, especially those from Yizhou, were particularly dissatisfied.

"Why don't I feign defeat outside the city, and General Xiahou and General Yu take the opportunity to ambush and kill Guan Yu alive?" Meng Da, taking advantage of Guan Yu's small numbers and disliking his arrogance, offered his suggestion once again.

However, Meng Da's plan was once again met with a rebuke from Xiahou Yuan: "Who do you think you are? Trying to feign defeat in front of Guan Yu? It's a small matter if you get killed by Guan Yu, but it's a big deal if you damage the morale of our army. Anyone who dares to leave the city and break my orders will be executed on the spot!"

Meng Da, resentful after being repeatedly reprimanded, retorted, "Guan Yu has only five hundred men, while we have five thousand. What is there to fear? How dare General Xiahou boost the morale of the enemy and diminish our own?"

Seeing Meng Da's dissatisfaction, Yu Jin, usually taciturn, coldly rebuked him: "What do you know? Guan Yu is Liu Bei's top general, possessing the courage of ten thousand men. He once single-handedly killed Tadun amidst a vast army. Even Guo Ziyi, a mere scholar, knows that Guan Yu is a match for ten thousand men, and Cao Cao often lamented that he wished he could appoint Guan Yu as a general. You've been in Yizhou for a long time, how many fierce generals have you seen, and yet you dare to speak so arrogantly here?"

Xiahou Yuan was even more impatient: "Why bother talking to Wen Ze? We have five thousand men. As long as we defend the city and don't come out, Guan Yu can't do anything to us. We just need to wait for you to stabilize the situation in Xiangyang and then lead your army back to fight Guan Yu."

Seeing Xiahou Yuan and Yu Jin's deep fear of Guan Yu, Meng Da was even more astonished: It was merely Guan Yu, yet he dared not send Xiahou Yuan and Yu Jin, whose forces numbered ten times greater, out of the city? (End of Chapter)