Chapter 267: Guan Yu Slays Yan Liang

Yan Liang was in his troops when he suddenly heard the enemy forces arrive, and hastily organized his army to meet them.

Before the formation could steady, a general burst from the Cao army's ranks—clad in a green robe and golden armor, face like a heavy jujube, riding a Red Hare, wielding a Blue‑Dragon Blade—who, like a red flash of lightning, charged straight toward Yan Liang's command banner!

It was none other than Guan Yu, Guan Yunchang, the guest general Cao Cao had specially summoned from Liu Bei to break the siege of White Horse.

The scene suddenly grew tense:

The Cao army arrived abruptly, and the Yuan army scrambled to form ranks.

Guan Yu, on a single horse with a lone blade, ignored the surrounding Yuan troops, his gaze fixed on Yan Liang beneath the central army's banner, while his Red Hare galloped like a gale.

Details of this battle have been embellished by later retellings.

One version says Yan Liang, seeing Guan Yu charge, was about to ask, "Who comes?"

But Guan Yu's horse was swift; the Red Hare was at his side in an instant, catching Yan Liang off guard, and Guan Yu drove a sword into him beneath the horse, beheading him.

Another account says Yan Liang rushed into battle without fully mustering his strength, and was cut down amid thousands by Guan Yu, who leveraged the Red Hare's speed, the sharpness of his Blue‑Dragon Blade, and the surprise attack.

The depiction uses a blurred effect:

Only Guan Yu is seen, like a whirlwind, crashing into the Yuan army's center; a flash of blade light, Yan Liang's towering body is thrown from his horse, his head already held aloft in Guan Yu's hand.

The Yuan army fell into chaos, breaking apart.

The scene emphasizes Yan Liang's stunned haste and Guan Yu's decisive swiftness.

Regardless of the details, the outcome cannot be altered.

Yan Liang, the top general of Hebei, met a sudden death outside White Horse City, his body and head separated.

His brilliant record and boundless bravery were abruptly halted, becoming the foremost and most weighty backdrop for Guan Yu's famed "Beheading Yan Liang, Executing Wen Chou" reputation.

In the final frame, Yan Liang's headless corpse lies in the dust, his massive back‑blade that once terrified the Cao camp slanted against the ground beside him.

The background shows the scattered Yuan troops and Guan Yu's graceful silhouette, still holding the head.

A stark contrast, endless sighs.

Yan Liang's death was not a crime of war, but the result of multiple stacked factors:

Cao Cao's scheming, the advantage of surprise, Guan Yu's divine bravery, the Red Hare's speed, and perhaps Yan Liang's own impetuous nature and lax guard (historical records describe him as "narrow‑minded and aggressive," "a one‑man bravery") contributed.

Yet the terrifying combat power he displayed in life—cutting down Cao generals, defeating Xu Huang in twenty bouts, intimidating Cao's camp—proves he ranked among the era's top generals.

His valor has been greatly obscured and underestimated by his dramatic death.

Reason for ranking: the chief general under Yuan Shao, the pinnacle of Hebei's military strength.

Outside White Horse City, his genuine combat power forced Cao's generals to surrender, and in twenty bouts he defeated the elite general Xu Huang, a testament to his bravery.

Although he ultimately fell to Guan Yu's surprise attack, his lifetime achievements are worthy of the annals.

The faint echo of Heaven's decree drifted away.

The front hall of Weiyang Palace once again fell into a complex silence.

This silence differs from the one brought by Wen Yang.

Wen Yang's contribution was an ultimate ballad of personal heroism.

But Yan Liang's legacy evokes a mix of shock at his might, astonishment and regret at his end, and an… indescribable sense of suffocation.

"Twenty bouts… defeating Xu Huang?"

Huo Qubing pressed his lips together, a glint flashing in his eyes.

He didn't know who Xu Huang was, but anyone whom Cao Cao regarded as a great general and who could only be beaten by Yan Liang after twenty bouts could not be mediocre.

How heavy must Yan Liang's blade have been? How fast?

Li Guang patted his thigh repeatedly, sighing, "What a pity!"

"Such a tiger general ought to face the opposing armies head‑on, settle the outcome honorably, die wrapped in his horse's hide, for that is the true destiny of a warrior!"

"Such a death… humiliating! Too humiliating!"

His straightforward nature could not tolerate a hero's ambiguous, cowardly death.

Wei Qing thought more deeply: "Bravery is bravery, but a commander cannot rely on courage alone."

"Cao Cao's scheming and Guan Yu's surprise were possible because Yan Liang had exploitable flaws. His narrow‑minded aggression and one‑man bravery are fairly assessed."

"A commander must combine wisdom and bravery."

His words serve both as a critique of Yan Liang and a subtle warning to hot‑headed young generals like Huo Qubing.

Liu Che gazed at the heavens, his fingers lightly tapping the desk, his eyes profound.

He admired Yan Liang's valor.

But Yan Liang's death, and the information it revealed about the "Three Kingdoms division," the Battle of Guandu, and Yuan Shao versus Cao Cao, stirred his emotions.

His Great Han would later decline to this state, with warlords rising and endless warfare…

For him, an emperor striving to expand territory and strengthen central authority, this was both a sting and a warning bell.

Liu Bang scratched his head, smacking his lips: "That big guy… reminds me a bit of Fan Kuai, fierce enough, but his mind seems a little dull?"

"War can't be that straightforward; you can't just fight when told to fight, or run when told to run. You need a few more wits!"

He came from the lower strata, roamed the jianghu, and best understood reading people and preserving strength; for a "straight‑forward" general like Yan Liang, he found him both endearing and a bit "stupid."

Ying Zheng gave a brief comment of two words: "A commoner."

In his mind, a true commander should be like Wang Jian and Meng Tian—capable of charging, yet also strategic, politically savvy, and knowing when to advance or retreat.

Relying solely on brute force makes one merely a high‑level thug, ill‑suited for great responsibilities and unlikely to avoid ruin.

Across the myriad realms and times, other emperors observing the ranking reacted differently.

The Tang dynasty, Zhenguan era.

Li Shimin watched the scene of Yan Liang's twenty‑bout defeat of Xu Huang, nodded and said, "Indeed a tiger general. Yet a commander's bravery is but one of the three army virtues. Solely brave without strategy or vigilance, one remains a pawn on the board, to be moved at others' will."

The Song dynasty.

Zhao Kuangyin sighed, "What a waste of such fine martial skill."

A general of this ferocity, if under my command, I would never let him act alone; he must be paired with a strategist to assist him. Bravery is like a blade; it must be wielded by a wise man, lest it harm its owner.

He recalled the arrogant soldiers and fierce generals under his command, pondering that the ideological education after the "cup of wine to relinquish military authority" must be intensified.

Ming, Hongwu era.

Zhu Yuanzhang curled his lip and said, "What a reckless youngster! War is a fight for life, not a boxing match!"

That Cao Cao is obviously plotting something nefarious, yet he foolishly flaunts his might at the front of the formation, waiting for the enemy to come and cut him down?

If we were him, we would have already sent out many scouts to map the surrounding fifty li with crystal clarity!

Even if it doesn't help, we must still set up several horse‑tripping ropes and station more crossbow units in our central army! They deserve to die.

However… his strength is truly immense, chopping people as if slicing vegetables; he's a fine material for a vanguard, provided a sensible person constantly whips him from behind to remind him not to act recklessly.

Zhu Biao, Zhu Di and the others broke into cold sweats; their father's assessment was, as always, down-to-earth and sharp.

Ming, Yongle era.

Zhu Di watched Yan Liangchong charging into the formation with heroic bearing and felt a degree of admiration: "Truly a fierce warrior!"

When I led the northern campaign against the Mongols, I needed vanguards like these—daring, unstoppable, and sharp.

As for strategy… a commander has his own strategists; a ruler merely needs to employ them wisely.

If this man were under my command, I would assign him elite cavalry to specialize in breaking formations and cutting down generals; his shortcomings would be compensated by Qiu Fu, Zhang Fu and the like.