⚔️HistoryThree Kingdoms
🏠 Home🌐 中文
Three KingdomsSANGUO
🚩

Yan Liang

The Renowned Hebei General Slain by Guan Yu at Baima

Masters of the Iconic Scene · Small Roles, Famous Names
ValorThe Battle of Baima

Who they are

Yuan Shao’s foremost fierce general, ranked with Wen Chou, who in the "Battle of Baima" — a prelude to Guandu — led an unstoppable assault on Cao Cao’s general Liu Yan, only to be charged and cut down in a single stroke amid ten thousand troops by Guan Yu, then temporarily attached to Cao Cao. This was a real feat of Guan Yu’s, clearly recorded in the Records of the Three Kingdoms — unlike the fictional "slaying Hua Xiong while the wine was warm," it is the genuine article.

Primary sourcesChen Shou, Records of the Three Kingdoms, Book of Shu, Biography of Guan Yu

Key stories

Surprised at Baima

Before Guandu, Yan Liang was ordered to besiege Baima; Cao Cao, on Xun You’s plan of feinting at one place to strike another, made a false attack on Yanjin to draw off Yuan’s army, then wheeled back to surprise Baima. Guan Yu, temporarily attached to Cao’s camp, spotted Yan Liang’s canopy, charged his horse into the host of ten thousand, cut Yan Liang down before the lines and took his head, and none of Yuan’s troops could stand against him — the Records reads "none of Shao’s generals could withstand him, and so the siege of Baima was lifted," the most solid feat of arms Guan Yu holds in the histories.

Relationships

Echoes today

Below are how modern works borrow or reinterpret this name or story — not the original material. The two differ, so keep them apart.

Guan Yu’s most solid feat in the historiesCutting down Yan Liang at Baima is a real feat clearly recorded in the Records, often set against the fictional "slaying Hua Xiong while the wine was warm."

Appears in

Curiosity mailCurious about world civilization? Leave your email — we’ll tell you when there’s something worth a look.

Free · unsubscribe anytime · Privacy