The Three Kingdoms: I asked you to save Guan Yu, not to destroy Sun Quan.

"Father, we've lost the army, the city, and we're so destitute we don't even have our underwear left. Why won't you listen to my advice?"

"Linju is really not a place to go."

On the official road leading to Linju, Guan Xing held Guan Yu's horse reins tightly, preventing him from taking another step.

Guan Xing knew that Linju was the place where Guan Yu would die, and going there would truly mean the end for him.

He was originally an outstanding criminal police officer in the city bureau. Half a month ago, he was killed in an accident while chasing a criminal. Unfortunately, he traveled back to the Three Kingdoms period and became Guan Xing, the second son of Guan Yu.

At that time, he was in Chengdu, and the Battle of Xiangfan was in full swing. Guan Yu's flooding of the seven armies shook the whole of China, causing the entire Sichuan region to cheer. Liu Bei was so excited that he couldn't sleep for several days.

However, Guan Xing knew that Guan Yu's joy was about to turn to sorrow, so he requested Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang to send troops to support him, at least to strengthen the defense line at Yiling and to keep a passage back to Shu for Guan Yu.

However, the Battle of Hanzhong had just ended, and the people of Bashu were exhausted and the army was exhausted. Liu Bei was busy declaring himself king and could not spare any troops to support Jingzhou.

More importantly, neither Liu Bei nor Zhuge Liang believed that Guan Yu would die. In their view, even if the Eastern Wu betrayed them after the defeat at Xiangfan, Guan Yu could still retreat smoothly to Jiangling and preserve Nan Commandery.

But Liu Bei never imagined that his brother-in-law Mi Fang would betray him at the height of his power, surrendering the city to Wu.

Although Guan Xing knew this, he couldn't say it outright. If he said that Mi Fang had surrendered to Wu before he had betrayed him, wouldn't that be sowing discord?

The Mi family of Donghai were original shareholders of the Shu Han dynasty, and you cannot slander them.

Left with no other choice, Guan Xing left a letter and went to Jingzhou alone to rescue his father.

He originally planned to go to Jiangling to capture Mi Fang and save Jiangling before Mi Fang surrendered the city, but he arrived too late and Jiangling was already under the Sun family's control.

He had no choice but to head north to join the main army and, before the messenger could arrive, inform Guan Yu of the fall of Jiangling, hoping that Guan Yu would make a decisive decision and lead his army to retreat from the three eastern counties back to Hanzhong. But Guan Yu, that stubborn mule, wouldn't listen to advice!

Guan Xing clearly remembered that when he received the news of Mi Fang's surrender to Wu, Guan Yu was completely stunned.

He couldn't understand why Mi Fang would betray him; it didn't make sense. Could Sun Quan have given him more than Liu Bei?

It doesn't make sense.

Not only he couldn't understand it, but everyone in the world couldn't understand it, and even people in modern times two thousand years later couldn't understand it, yet Mi Fang had betrayed them.

After being stunned, Guan Yu flew into a rage and decisively rejected Guan Xing's suggestion to retreat to Shu. He mustered his troops and marched south, preparing to take back Jiangling while the Wu army was still establishing its foothold.

Guan Yu's actions are easy to understand. Liu Bei entrusted him with the defense of Jingzhou out of trust, but he lost the city and fled back in a sorry state. How could he explain this to Liu Bei and the officials from Jingzhou?

Do I, Guan Yu, have no pride?

Therefore, Guan Yu ignored Guan Xing's advice and continued his relentless pursuit of defeat, ultimately achieving a successful retreat to Maicheng.

It was only at this point that Guan Yu finally realized the reality and knew that there was no hope of retaking Jiangling. He then prepared to retreat to Linju and then return to Shu to apologize to Liu Bei.

But isn't it too late to withdraw now?

Seeing that Guan Yu was about to retreat to Linju and reach the end of his life, Guan Xing could no longer hold back and shouted, "Father, we really can't go to Linju!"

"Wu's army is large and has many generals. They can launch a multi-pronged attack while fighting us. They can also send troops to occupy key places for entering Shu, such as Yiling and Linju, and lay an ambush for us. Going to Linju now would be a dead end."

"Father, even if you don't think about yourself, think about your brothers behind you, think about your eldest brother! Eldest brother, you should try to persuade Father!"

Instead of offering any advice, the elder brother Guan Ping frowned and sighed, “Anguo (Guan Xing’s courtesy name), Father understands all that you’re saying, but we’re already in a desperate situation with no way out. Where else can we go if we don’t go to Linju?”

Guan Xing said urgently, "Anywhere but west is fine. I have three strategies to solve our current predicament. Father, even if you don't agree with my opinion, please listen to me. You can't deny me a chance to speak."

Guan Yu sighed wearily, "Speak, I'm listening."

Guan Xing shook his head and said, "Get off the horse first, I'm afraid you'll run away."

People tend to become more stubborn as they get older, especially an old man like Guan Yu who is proud and aloof. When he gets stubborn, he's harder than a rock in a latrine and you can't persuade him at all.

Guan Xing had tried to communicate with him properly, but each time he failed. Now that they were all on the verge of death, he was determined not to give Guan Yu another chance to interrupt him.

Guan Yu was exhausted, both physically and mentally, and had no mood to listen to Guan Xing's rambling. Seeing that this rebellious son dared to threaten him, he glared at him fiercely.

Guan Xing trembled all over from Guan Yu's glare. Guan Yu's murderous gaze was terrifying; it could really kill someone with a glare.

Despite this, Guan Xing still held on tightly to the reins, trembling as he looked at Guan Yu and said, "I won't say anything if you don't get off. Let's just wait here until the Wu army catches up and wipes us out. Anyway, going to Linju is the same as dying."

Guan Yu, enraged, raised his whip to strike the horse, but Guan Ping quickly grabbed his arm and pleaded, "Father, please calm down. Red Hare is old and can't withstand this constant torment. Why don't you get off and let the old hag rest for a bit?"

Guan Yu glared at Guan Ping again, then, remaining motionless on his horse, coldly snorted, "Tell me or not. If you don't, I'll cut the reins and leave immediately."

It's okay to lose face in front of others, but it's absolutely unacceptable to lose face in front of your son.

A father's authority cannot be challenged.

Guan Xing was utterly speechless at this stubborn old man and really wanted to loosen the reins and let him die.

After thinking it over, he couldn't bear to give up. After a moment of deliberation, he solemnly said, "Currently, all the key routes into Shu have been occupied by the Wu army. We have lost the best opportunity to retreat to Shu. Continuing westward will only lead to certain death."

"While the west is not an option, other directions are not necessarily possible. My worst course of action is to continue north, lure the Wu army to Xiangyang, and then feign an attack on Xiangyang as if it were the Wu army, thus provoking a war between the Wei and Wu armies."

"If the Wei and Wu armies go to war, the Wu army will definitely concentrate its forces in the direction of Xiangyang. This will leave their defenses of Yiling and Linju vulnerable. At that time, we can take advantage of the chaos to break out and retreat back to Shu. This will greatly increase our chances."

"It's not that we can't go to the west, it's just that we can't go directly there. We should at least take a roundabout route."

Guan Ping's eyes lit up, and he quickly said, "Father, An Guo's words make sense, we can consider it."

Guan Yu stroked his beard and pondered, "It is indeed a solution, but provoking the Wei army is like playing with fire. If we are not careful, we will be attacked from both sides by the Wei and Wu armies. The risk is too great."

Guan Xing nodded and said, "That's why I said this is the worst strategy. The better strategy is to retreat eastward to the Han River, and then southward along the Han River through Huarong Road into Changsha County."

"Wu's main force is in the west, while the east has fewer troops and is undefended. Moreover, Wu would never expect us to move eastward against the tide. In addition, we have fewer troops and are a smaller target. If we are careful and move at night, we should be able to succeed."

"Although Jiangling has fallen, the Wu army has only occupied it for a short time. Apart from a few opportunists, most people are still loyal to us."

"My father has guarded Jingzhou for many years, and his prestige in Jingzhou is unmatched. As long as he retreats smoothly into southern Jingzhou, he can raise tens of thousands of troops to fight against the Wu army again in an instant."

"If the war goes badly, we can retreat into the mountains and fight guerrilla warfare, waiting for the king to send troops to recover the lost territory. As long as the king goes on an eastern expedition, we can support him from the side and easily take back Jiangling."

"Even if all else fails, we can cross the Wuling Mountains and circle back to Shu. Isn't that safer than charging straight into Wu's encirclement?"

Guan Ping said excitedly, "That's great, I agree."

Guan Yu glared at him and asked unhappily, "Then what is the best strategy?"

When the best strategy was mentioned, Guan Xing's eyes lit up with unprecedented madness, and he said excitedly, "Let's go all in and gamble big, launch a surprise attack on Jianye, and trade places with Sun Quan at the last minute."