The Three Conditions at Tushan, the Thousand-Li Solo Ride
When Xiapi fell and Cao Cao surrounded him, Guan Yu would surrender only on three conditions: to submit to the Han and not to Cao, that Liu Bei’s two wives be well treated, and that he leave the moment he learned of Liu Bei’s whereabouts. Cao Cao showered him with rank, gold, and beauties, but Guan Yu was unmoved; on hearing of Liu Bei he sealed up his seal and gifts, escorted the two wives through five passes and past six generals, and made the long ride back. This tale of "body in Cao’s camp, heart with Han" is the most concrete gloss on the words "loyalty and honor."
Drowning the Seven Armies, Shaking the Realm
In 219, Guan Yu marched north against Fancheng and, using days of torrential rain to loose the Han River’s floodwaters, wiped out the seven armies Cao Cao sent to relieve the city, capturing Yu Jin and beheading Pang De. For a time he shook the whole realm, and Cao Cao even considered moving the capital to avoid him. It was the peak of Guan Yu’s military career — and the turning point of his life: at the height of his glory, his Jing province home base was already caught in Sun Quan’s calculations.
Losing Jing Province to Carelessness, Falling at Maicheng
At the height of the northern campaign, Sun Quan had secretly sent Lü Meng to cross the river disguised as merchants and seize Jing province; Guan Yu’s contempt for Wu and his lax defenses left his rear wide open. Caught front and back, he fell back on Maicheng and was ambushed and captured trying to break out. "Losing Jing province to carelessness" became a byword for "arrogance and underestimation losing everything."