If we have to explain it according to the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, please look at the geographical location of Jingzhou, which was under the jurisdiction of Guan Yu at that time. It is not difficult to find that Jingzhou was divided into three parts, which were occupied by Sun Quan, Liu Bei and Cao Cao respectively, while some areas dominated by Jiangling occupied by Liu Bei Group had to rely on the Yangtze River waterway to obtain the support of Yizhou headquarters in wartime.
In this case, if the Yangtze River waterway is blocked by Sun Quan Group, Jiangling and other places will be isolated and become an enclave. If Guan Guan seizes and holds the northern part of Jingzhou occupied by Cao Cao Group, such as Fancheng in Xiangyang, he can open the Hanshui waterway from Hanzhong to Jingzhou and control the land route from Hanzhong to Jingzhou more firmly, so that Guan Yu's department will be more confident in resisting Cao Cao and Sun Quan.
Guan Yu didn't go to the Northern Expedition alone. His attack on Xiangfan should have been a surprise attack. Guan Yu attacked Xiangfan with favorable fighters, and his goal was not as big as the Northern Expedition. It was only after the seven armies flooded that Guan Yu achieved unexpected results, which made people feel that his attack was just the Northern Expedition.
In Zhuge Liang's Longzhong Dui, the strategic plan of Shu Han was planned. The first step is to have a fine art, followed by a rest period. At this stage, it is mainly to accumulate strength, do a good job in internal affairs and have a good relationship with Sun Quan. The second step, two northern expeditions. Two northern expeditions, one led by Liu Bei to attack Qinchuan, and the other led by Guan Yu to attack Wanluo.
However, this second-step plan has a premise that the world has changed. In fact, this change is tacit, which is the death of Cao Cao. Both Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang think that they are no match for Cao Cao. Only after the death of Cao Cao did Liu Bei have a chance to compete for the world. Cao Cao is old, and Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang should be able to wait for this opportunity.
Looking at the timing of Guan Yu's invasion of Xiangfan, we can see that Guan Yu's attack did not meet the conditions of the Northern Expedition. At that time, Liu Beigang occupied Hanzhong and took over as the king of Hanzhong. In this case, Liu Bei started internal construction, recruited civilian workers in Shu and built infrastructure. At that time, Cao Cao was still alive, and the diplomatic work for Sun Quan was not carried out. At this time, it was only the buffer time between Longzhong and the two plans, which did not meet the conditions of the Northern Expedition.
So why did Guan Yu attack Xiangfan? This is because Guan Yu's campaign situation is very good, and Guan Yu saw a rare fighter with keen eyes.
At that time, after Liu Bei captured Hanzhong, he sent Liu Feng and Meng Da to capture Shang Yong. Shang Yong and Xiangfan are connected by the Han River, which can threaten Xiangfan from the flank. And Cao Cao's main force is still on the way to retreat from Guanzhong. Because of Cao Cao's physical condition, the retreat was very slow. Cao Cao's main force, together with him, has been stranded in Guanzhong.
Cao Ren of Xiangfan just put down the nearby rebellion and suffered a little loss. Due to Coss' imprudence, Cao Jun was also very tired. At that time, Cao Cao's counselor told Cao Cao that Cao Ren's behavior was too rash and might have a negative impact on Xiangfan.
Guan Yu sent troops to Xiangfan after careful consideration. First of all, Guan Yu was named a former general by Liu Bei, which is false. With the power of false festivals, Guan Yu has the power to act first and then act. At the same time, Guan Yu also has the power to mobilize and command nearby troops. If Guan gets the cooperation of the army, the probability of victory is even greater.
In Xiangfan, although Cao Jun may send reinforcements, Coss' direct defenders are only seven or eight thousand men, who have just counterinsurgency and are exhausted. Guan Yu led more than 30,000 people to attack him. With the cooperation of Shang Yong's army, he was sure to win.
Secondly, Xiangfan is very important to Jiangling. Military geography says that Xiangyang and Jiangling are connected by land. If Jiangling is not covered by Xiangyang, it will be under the threat of the enemy and the defense will be extremely difficult. In this respect, the capture of Xiangyang is very important to defend Jiangling.
In addition, since Shang Yong was occupied by Shu Han, if Guan Yu occupied Xiangfan, Jingzhou and Zhongshu would have another communication channel. With strategic depth and two channels, Jingzhou is in an invincible position in advancing, attacking and retreating.
Third, Guan Yu's army has not only infantry, but also an elite water army. This water army is unmatched by Cao Jun. Guan controlled the surface of Hanshui River with this water army and cut off the connection between Xiangyang and Fancheng. In this way, at least Guan can concentrate his forces on attacking Xiangyang on the south bank of Hanshui River, if the fighting is unfavorable.
If we win Xiangyang, then Xiangyang and Jiangling will be one. Fancheng, which is separated from Xiangyang by a river, is difficult to hold. After a period of consumption attacks, Guan Yu may capture Fancheng. Guan Yu, who owns Xiangfan, has a better strategic situation. This also created better conditions for the next Northern Expedition.
Even if he didn't win Xiangfan, Guan Yu was able to get away with it because of the cover of the water army. In reality, Guan Yu's retreat was really because the water army blocked the Han River. Cao Jun can only watch Guan Yu's army sigh. It was with these advantages that Guan Yu decided to attack Xiangfan.
Guan Yu took the initiative to attack Xiangfan because of his keen insight. Coss was beaten and trapped in the city. Although Cao Cao sent Yu Jin and Pound to lead seven armies to help, they could not repel Guan Yu's attack. Not only that, Guan Yu also seized the opportunity of the continuous autumn rain in the war zone and the sudden flooding of the Hanshui River, and used the advantages of his own water army to flood the Seventh Army and annihilate the troops of Yu Ban and Pound.
The battle completely turned the battlefield around. Guan Yu wiped out the main force of Cao Jun reinforcements at a negligible cost, which gave Guan Yu's army an absolute advantage in Xiangfan. However, the war situation also reversed at this moment, and the balance of war began to tilt in Guan Yu's unfavorable direction.
This is because Guan Yu was carried away by the sudden victory. In addition, Liu Feng and Meng Da of Shang Yong ignored the authority of Guan Yu's holiday and refused to support Guan Yu. This made Guan Yu's troops stretched, so he had to transfer the troops left in Jingzhou. Fancheng couldn't attack before. In front of the main reinforcements sent by Cao Cao, Guan Yu was finally defeated by Sun Quan and Monroe, and Jingzhou fell.
Conclusion: From the above analysis, it can be seen that Guan Yu's attack on Xiangfan was only a sudden attack on the enemy when he seized the favorable opportunity. It is not Longzhong's strategic northern expedition. However, after winning the victory of the flooded seventh army, Guan Yu was impetuous and eager to expand the results. As a result, he made a serious mistake.
If Guan Yu was not eager to expand his victory and remain calm, he would still seize Xiangfan according to the original operational plan. However, Guan Yu's appetite was too big, his troops were not enough to realize his plan, and there was no friendly cooperation. In the end, Guan Yu was defeated under the attack of Cao Cao and Sun Quan because of insufficient troops.
The official history did not tell why Guan Yu wanted to explore the North. I don't know whether Guan Yu took the initiative or Liu Bei instructed him. During Guan Yu's Northern Expedition, Liu Bei didn't know what he was busy with.
However, The Romance of the Three Kingdoms makes it clear why Guan Yu went north.
In the romance, Liu Bei defeated Cao Cao and seized Hanzhong, known as the king of Hanzhong.
Cao Cao was upset and asked Sun Quan to send troops to attack Jingzhou. He wanted Liu Bei to send troops to support Jingzhou, so that he could capture Hanzhong and Xichuan. Although Sun Quan wanted to fight Jingzhou very much, he also knew that this was a conspiracy of Cao Cao.
Sun Quan also has his own small abacus. First, Zhu Gejin was sent to look for Guan Yu's relatives and friends. He was very kind to Guan Yu. If Guan Yu agrees in a friendly way, Sun Quan will fight against Cao Cao with Guan Yu. Guan Yu did not agree, so he joined forces with Cao Cao to fight Jingzhou.
As a result, Guan Yu swore and beat Zhu Gejin out.
So Sun Quan decided to fight Jingzhou with Cao Cao and let Cao Ren send troops to fight Jingzhou first, thinking that Guan Yu would take Fancheng first when he heard the news, and then take Jingzhou while Jingzhou was empty.
News of Sun Cao's collusion with Cao Cao reached Jingzhou, and Liu Bei asked Zhuge Liang what to do.
Zhuge Liang suggested that Guan Yu take the initiative to win Fancheng as soon as possible, so that Cao Cao and Sun Quan were afraid and the alliance naturally collapsed. So Guan Yu kicked off the battle of Xiangfan.
Guan Yu's Northern Expedition was really smooth, but when he met Pound in the Northern Expedition, he refused to listen to Guan Ping's advice and insisted on fighting with him. Although it was Pound who was beheaded at last, he was shot himself. Also delayed playing Fancheng.
After that, Guan Yu rode alone to the door of Fancheng and was shot by Cao Renbing with a poisonous arrow. Guan Ping advised Guan Yu to withdraw, but Guan Yu wouldn't listen. He also despised Lu Xun and transferred Jingzhou military forces to the front line, hoping to recover lost ground and capture Fancheng at the front line.
This time Guan Yu not only delayed the attack on Fancheng, but also hollowed out Jingzhou. Everyone will know the final result.
Looking through the history books, it can be confirmed that Guan Yu decided to go north, and Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang did not give orders in advance. They neither agree nor object.
It can be concluded that Guan Yu basically took the initiative to decide the Northern Expedition. And its northern expedition conforms to the potential meaning of Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang. The reasons for its self-assertion are as follows:
Liu Beijun is the weakest of the three legions and needs to attack and defend. At that time, although Liu Bei finally won the battle of Hanzhong, his morale was booming, although he apparently defeated the local tyrant Cao Boss. But in terms of family background, Liu Bei can't compare with boss Cao at all. He can't even compare with Sun Quan's strength. In this way, in the face of two warlords who are stronger than themselves and the situation that they will merge sooner or later, Liu Bei's army can only attack and defend and get a chance to survive. Guan Yu is a general, of course, he has a deep understanding.
What's more, the battle of Hanzhong was the victory of Liu Beijun, so we should take this opportunity to continue our high-profile attack and strive for the greatest interests in wartime. Otherwise, I'm afraid Liu Beijun will launch a merger war again after Boss Cao has rested. I'm afraid the outcome is unpredictable again.
The rebellion within the Cao Cao clique gave the arrogant Guan Yu an opportunity to attack. Just a few months before Guan Yu launched the Xiangfan campaign, Hou Yin rebelled in Wancheng, the hinterland of Cao Lao, plundering thousands of people in nearby counties and counties. Coss, the governor of Jingzhou, led the army to quell the chaos and beheaded Hou Yin before returning to Fancheng.
The news reached Guan Yu, who thought that Coss, the commander-in-chief of the garrison, had just returned to his division, and great changes had taken place. The morale of the army had not stabilized yet, so he could take advantage of the chaos. Besides, Guan Yu's character is very arrogant. He doesn't take Coss seriously at all, and thinks he is much better than him.
As a result, "at the age of 18, I led many people to attack Coss and Fan".
Strategically speaking, Guan Yu's northern expedition to Xiangfan caused greater pressure on Cao Wei than Hanzhong's failure, because Hanzhong was just like a chicken rib to Cao Wei and had no significant strategic position. But Xiangfan is different. Xiangfan is the south gate of Cao Wei's Central Plains. As long as Guan Yu breaks through Xiangfan, the gateway to the Central Plains will be opened. So a large number of Cao Wei's troops were used against Guan Yu, and Hanzhong became Liu Bei's world.
It can be said that Guan Yu's attack on Fancheng is also to facilitate Liu Bei's grand strategy of going north from Hanzhong in the future.
In addition, at this time, Sun Quan just started to attack Hefei, which contained Cao Boss's army from the east, which gave Guan Yu a good opportunity to explore the north.
To sum up, I think Guan Yu is more likely to take the initiative to attack Fancheng.
Welcome to express your views in the comments section!
If your book is Romance of the Three Kingdoms, then there is no question of Guan Yu's self-assertion of the Northern Expedition, because the seventy-third time of Romance of the Three Kingdoms clearly states that Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang ordered Guan Yu to act.
It can be seen that the military action of Guan Yu's northward entry into Xiangfan was formulated by Zhuge Liang and personally ordered by Liu Bei, so there is no question of Guan Yu's self-assertion.
As for the northern expedition alone, in fact, this action is not a northern expedition against Cao Wei, because it is clearly stated in the book that this is only a local war to contain Cao Wei, not a large-scale northern expedition aimed at "restoring the Han Dynasty", so it is normal for Guan Yu to attack Xiangfan alone.
The motivation of Guan Yu's Northern Expedition is indeed controversial in history.
There is no record in the history books that Liu Bei gave Guan Yu a clear order for the Northern Expedition, but Liu Bei gave Guan Yu the privilege of attacking independently, which is often called the fake cymbals. Generals who have the power of fake cymbals can slay them and lead the troops to engage in cheap jobs without waiting for the orders of the monarch.
Guan Yu attacked Xiangfan area in the autumn of the twentieth year of Jian 'an because he saw the flaw in the defense line of Cao Wei Xiangfan, which was caused by the rebellion of Hou Yin, Sun Wolf and others in the north. Coss moved Wei Jun's main force to the north to quell the rebellion, giving Guan Yu an opportunity.
Guan Yu besieged Xiangyang and attacked Fancheng, forbidding the seventh army to reinforce. The result was flooded and the whole army was wiped out.
Guan Yu failed to lay Fancheng after flooding the Seventh Army, and was defeated by Huang Xu and returned to the south of Hanshui River.
At this time, Wu Dong attacked Jingzhou, Jingzhou Shoujiang Fang Mu and others surrendered, and Guan Yu's army soon collapsed.
The time before and after all this is only four or five months. Liu Canbei arrived in time, even if he wanted to coordinate? According to the traffic conditions at that time, I'm afraid Guan Yu was already dead when Liu Bei got the news.
Guan Yu took the initiative to explore the north alone. Let me talk about my personal point of view. The Romance of the Three Kingdoms does not clearly introduce the reasons for attacking Xiangfan City. 2 19 In May, Liu Bei occupied Hanzhong and became king in July, with Guan Yu as a former general. In July, Guan Yu sent troops to attack Xiangfan. It should be that Guan Yu began to prepare to attack Xiangfan after receiving the news that Liu Bei was king. Let me give you my opinion. Guan Yu is a military commander, born with strong subjective initiative, high martial arts and certain self-confidence ability. As a military commander, there must be a headstrong element, which has his advantage, that is, he can improvise. If everything has a certain dependence, he will be timid and will not make any achievements and progress. Guan Yu's character is loyalty and dare to calm down. So everything has its two sides, depending on whether there is a balanced object. As the saying goes, "military orders will not be affected while you are away." In fact, as a general, you must have the ability to improvise and not stick to the rules, so you can't be a general. Guan Yu took the initiative to attack Xiangfan, which was his character. Secondly, Guan Yu took the initiative to attack Xiangfan, eager to make contributions and wanted to make contributions; Taoyuan Sanjieyi, the sworn brothers of the ancients, surpassed or even surpassed the feelings of brothers. As Liu Bei's brother, he naturally wants to clear the way for his brother. As for whether it can be realized, it is an indicator of many factors such as weather, geographical location, harmony and harmony. Personally, I think Guan Yu was eager to make contributions at that time. Although he is a general, he is a general, but he does not regard himself as an outsider. This is his own business. He took the initiative to attack Xiangfan because of his high technology and courage. Secondly, Guan Yu is a military commander after all, without Zhuge Liang's overall ingenuity and strategy. The headstrong personality and the mentality of being eager to make contributions at that time did not take into account some unfavorable factors. After all, the pattern of the three countries had been formed at that time, but all three parties were eyeing each other and wanted to eat each other as soon as they found the opportunity. The carelessness led to the fall of Jingzhou. Because Guan Yu is regarded as a brave hero, he has long been known to everyone. Therefore, we always feel sorry and unwilling for such a result. If Guan Yu had not attacked Xiangfan, he would not have lost Jingzhou. If Guan Yu had taken precautions when attacking Xiangfan, he would not have been ambushed by Sun Quan. This is the common plot that people love heroes. So many of us are concerned about why Guan Yu took the initiative to attack Xiangfan. Guan Yu's battle in Xiangfan should be viewed from the overall strategy of the whole Han Shu Group, because Guan Yu is not a single individual, he is the second person under the Han Shu political group, and he is the head of military and political affairs in charge of three counties in Jingzhou. As a former general, he still has the right to take a holiday, which always makes people mistakenly think that Guan Yu took the initiative to explore Xiangfan in the north, but it was not. The situation at that time was much more complicated.
Liu Bei Group is divided into Yizhou Army and Jingzhou Army according to geographical location. In 2 17, Liu Bei launched the Hanzhong War, which lasted more than two years from 2 17 to 2 19 in May. This should be regarded as the longest war in the Three Kingdoms period, which caused great pressure on the Liu Bei Group at that time.
This pressure is not only reflected in the military. At that time, the military strength of Shu Han was less than one third of that of Cao Wei, and Cao Cao's military strength in Hanzhong was equivalent to that of Liu Bei's Yizhou Army. In addition, Hanzhong has a dangerous terrain, and it has long been guarding Yangpingguan and other dangerous places in summer. Liu Bei played for more than a year and made no progress. At the same time, Cao Cao continued to send more troops to Hanzhong, and Cao Cao himself arrived in Chang 'an in September 2 18.
Liu Bei fought the battle of Hanzhong.
Therefore, Liu Bei is under great pressure. If Cao Cao went south to Hanzhong in AD 2 18, then Liu Bei could not have captured Hanzhong, because Xia died as early as AD 2 19. With Cao Cao's IQ, it is impossible to be deceived by Liu Bei. Even Fazheng's tricks may not be able to deceive Cao Cao's advisers. So Liu Bei must find a way to stop Cao Cao from going south to Hanzhong. What can we do?
The only way for Liu Bei at that time was to order Guan Yu to make a northern expedition to Xiangfan to contain Cao Cao. From this point of view, Guan Yu's Northern Expedition was ordered by Liu Bei, but this year was 2 18 AD.
But the history books say that Guan Yu's Northern Expedition was in July of February18. What happened?
This should be well understood, because the dividing line between Guan Yu's Jingzhou three counties and Cao Wei's Xiangfan area was originally in Dangyang area, that is, today's Jingmen City in Hubei Province to Dangyang County in Yichang City. At the same time, the history books recorded many wars between Guan Yu and General Wei Jun.
Battle of Hanzhong
For example, in 2 13 A.D., the battle between Ni Qing and the battle to win the favor, first of all, the battle between Le Jin and Guan Yu in Ni Qing. This is the east of Zhongxiang City, Hubei Province today. The two sides were deadlocked for some time. Lejin repelled Guan Yu. When Guan Yu retreated to the estuary, Wen Pin also came to fight. Qiukou is also in the southwest of Zhongxiang City, Hubei Province. Because the two sides often fight in this area, this is the junction of the actual control lines between the two sides.
However, in July of 265438+2009, Guan Yu suddenly appeared in the front line of Xiangfan, which was 150 km away from Zhongxiang to Xiangfan. Guan Yu had no choice but to fight northward step by step. In addition, there were a large number of water forces in the battle of Xiangfan, so it is certain that Guan Yu also took the water forces north, probably by land and water. From Jingzhou to Xiangfan, land and water go hand in hand.
In addition, before the battle of Xiangfan, Wen Pin attacked Guan Yu's trench in Hanjin. This time is not clearly recorded in the history books, but judging from the time, it can only be between 2 17 and 2 19 before June, most likely 2 18 years, and Wen Pin also burned Guan Yu's boat in Jingcheng.
Guan Yu's battle of Xiangfan
In addition, in 2 18 AD, Cao Ren once crusaded against Guan Yu, which was clearly recorded in the Ji of Emperor Wudi of the Three Kingdoms. Coss first came to crusade against Guan Yu, and then went to Wancheng to quell the rebellion of Hou Yin and Wei Kai. The post-Yin rebellion was in 2 18 AD, and Cao Ren put down the Wancheng rebellion in 265438 AD. It was before 2 18 and 10, which proved that Guan Yu began to advance northward in 2 18. Originally, Cao Cao sent Coss to deal with Guan Yu, but the rear of Wancheng rebelled, so he sent other generals to deal with Guan Yu, perhaps Wen Pin or Le Jin, and Coss returned to Wancheng.
Cao Cao arrived in Chang 'an in September 2 18, which coincided with Guan Yu's Northern Expedition. It is almost certain that Guan Yu's Northern Expedition was to contain Cao Cao, which proves from the side that Guan Yu's Northern Expedition was Liu Bei's order. If you think about it, you will understand that if Guan Yu hits Xiangfan, it will be a great threat to Cao Cao, because behind Xiangfan is the Central Plains, which is the core area of Cao Wei. Both Xudu and Luoyang are not far from Xiangfan, which is also the gateway to the Central Plains.
Guan Yu's battle of Xiangfan
So Cao Cao stayed in Chang 'an and waited for the development of the situation. If the situation in Xiangfan deteriorates, Cao Cao can support Xiangfan, and if the situation in Hanzhong deteriorates, Cao Cao can support Hanzhong. Although Cao Cao's behavior in Chang 'an was objectively based on the overall situation, he inadvertently fell into the trap of Liu Bei. As long as Cao Cao didn't enter Hanzhong, Liu Bei was ready to take a righteous strategy to deal with Xia. Looking at the time when Xia was killed, it was the first month of 2 19, so this time is Liu Bei.
In fact, in addition to the Wancheng Rebellion, in 2 18, there was also a Sun Wolf Uprising in Luhun County, Yinan, Henan Province. The reason for the Sun Wolf Uprising was that Guan Yu was attached to the south, including the later rebellion of Hou Yin and Wei Kai, all to cater to Guan Yu. The Cao-Wei Rebellion confirmed the front-line war in a sense. If there is no war in the front of Cao Wei, how can there be rebellion in the rear? From this perspective, it is also the influence of Guan Yu's Northern Expedition in 2 18. Even from 2 17, Guan Yu may have started the northern expedition.
Things will continue in the future. By the beginning of February19, Xia was killed, so Cao Cao could only enter Hanzhong, and it was impossible to sit back and watch the Hanzhong coach be killed. Cao Cao entered Hanzhong in March and retired in May, and the battle of Hanzhong failed with Cao Cao's withdrawal. Then Liu Bei won the battle of Hanzhong.
The Battle of Hanzhong between Cao Cao and Liu Bei
Then Guan Yu fought the Northern Expedition here for several years. By the time Cao Cao withdrew from Hanzhong and the news of Liu Bei's victory reached Guan Yu, it was already June, and Guan Yu was approaching the periphery of Xiangfan. At this time, Guan Yu was "not subject to his life." After fighting for more than a year, he fought to the front. Can Guan Yu retreat? Besides, Hanzhong has made great contributions here. Guan Yu doesn't want to make contributions? Now that they have hit the front line, even if Guan Yu wants to retire, it will not be so easy. So in July of 2 19, Guan Yu began to attack Xiangyang and Fancheng, and the battle of Xiangfan in history books officially began.
Shortly after Liu Bei won the battle of Hanzhong, he was called the King of Hanzhong. Guan Yu began to attack Xiangyang and Fancheng, and soon he defeated the Seventh Army in the Forbidden City, captured more than 30,000 people in the Forbidden City and the Seventh Army, and captured and killed Pound, a general who was also surrounded by Guan Yu. For a time, Guan Yu shocked China. When the news of Guan Yu's victory in Xiangfan front reached Yizhou, it was already September 2 19.
Liu Bei Guan Yu Zhuge Zhang Liangfei
In addition, Liu Bei's mind is a little hot at this time. In Hanzhong, Liu Bei won, in Shang Yong, Liu Feng won, and in Xiangfan, Guan Yu won. At least at this time, Liu Bei supported Guan Yu's military action. When the news of Sun Quan's attack on Jingzhou and Guan Yu's failure in Xiangfan reached Yizhou, it was too late for Liu Bei to help. At that time, information transmission took time.
So the battle of Xiangfan, first Liu Bei ordered Guan Yu to launch, and then Guan Yu continued the war on the grounds that he did not suffer outside. After seeing that Guan Yu had won a series of victories, Liu Bei adopted the default attitude. In the end, Guan Yu was killed and Jingzhou was taken.
In Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Luo Guanzhong said that Guan Yu was ordered by Liu Bei to lead troops to the Northern Expedition at Zhuge Liang's suggestion. However, there is no clear record in the history books about the Three Kingdoms, which is obviously Luo Guanzhong's personal opinion. I think Guan Yu's northern expedition is more likely to make his own decisions. The analysis is as follows.
First, Guan Yu's political ideas are different from Liu Bei's.
At the beginning of Liu Bei's army building, he recruited talents under the banner of helping Han people. After Liu Bei laid Hanzhong, he proclaimed himself the king of Hanzhong, and his sense of self-reliance was obvious. Guan Yu, who read Spring and Autumn Annals, knew that he should be loyal to the monarch and his subjects, and Guan Yu's political ideal was to revive the Han Dynasty. At this time, the Han Dynasty still existed, and Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty still existed. You, Liu Bei, took the liberty of being king, with the intention of striking back. Guan Yu was not satisfied that Liu Bei was king at this time. When the news came that Liu Bei was king, Guan Yu had an idea. He set out to prepare for the Northern Expedition, with the aim of beating many capitals and supporting Xian Di to regain power by his own strength and continue the rule of the Han Dynasty.
Second, Liu Beigang ended the tragic war in Hanzhong and was in urgent need of rest. At this time, it was impossible to order the Northern Expedition. At this time, the Northern Expedition has no practical significance for the development of Liu Bei Group. As a senior politician, Liu Bei will not make such a decision easily.
Third, Guan Yu was aloof and looked down upon Cao Ren, the commander-in-chief of Cao Cao, and thought it was not difficult to defeat them. Coupled with the civil strife in Wancheng, Guan Yu seized this opportunity and launched the Xiangfan War aimed at supporting Emperor Xian of Han Dynasty.
Fourth, Guan Yu launched the Northern Expedition under the banner of Hanshou Pavilion waiting for customs clearance. He didn't play the banner of former general Liu Bei. He also showed great indifference when he received Liu Bei's special envoy. From these details, we can see how determined Guan Yu was about the ambition of the Han Dynasty.
From the above analysis, it can be seen that Guan Yu's Northern Expedition was mainly due to Liu Bei's political inclination, and the relationship between them was cracked. Guan Yu decided to go to the Northern Expedition because he wanted to accomplish his ambition of supporting Han clan by himself.
Look at the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, and you will have many mysteries in it. With these mysteries, we can dream about the romance of the Three Kingdoms. Why did Guan Yu take the initiative to explore the north alone? I answer this question from three aspects.
Give a gift to Liu Beijin, the king of Hanzhong. In ancient times, whenever there was a ceremony of great commemorative significance, they liked to draw lots. Liu Bei became the queen of Hanzhong and thought that Zhang Fei, Zhuge Liang, Huang Zhong and so on. They all made contributions and were raised. For Guan Yu, it should also be a surprise for the boss. At this time, he began the Northern Expedition.
Second, Guan Yu's character makes it so. In ancient times, it was important to pay attention to getting something for nothing. Guan Yu thinks he is underestimated and hopes to do something meaningful to prove that he is underestimated. What's the big deal? The Northern Expedition alone is a great event!
Third, the timing is good, but it is a pity. In fact, Guan Yu's ability is still very strong. If he had no character defect, he might have made greater achievements. At that time, the situation of hegemony among the three countries was basically established. At that time, Cao Cao's strength in Jingzhou was relatively weak, which was an excellent opportunity to expand his territory. Guan Yu decided to explore the north.
To achieve one thing, time, place and people are indispensable.
Hello, I'm @ Chang 'an New Culture, and I'm glad to answer your question! Regarding Guan Yu's Northern Expedition, did Liu Bei give orders or take the initiative to attack? Let's have a chat today!
As the heyday of the Shu-Han regime, the representative period was the Battle of Hanzhong, which lasted for two years from 2 17 to 2 19. Cao Cao was worried that his half-life would eventually come true, and Liu Bei became a big worry. He fought hard at home according to his geographical position and defeated Cao Cao. That's not all. After the war in Hanzhong, Cao Cao withdrew his troops and returned to Xuchang. Guan Yu, who was guarding Jingzhou, suddenly sent his troops to capture Xiangfan, and seven armies flooded. Cao Cao was awed by Guan Yu's momentum and had the idea of moving the capital to avoid sharp. Cao Gong proposed to move the capital to many places to avoid its sharpness, but was dissuaded by Sima Yi and Jiang Ji.
It is a gentleman to attack the enemy with a partial division and plan to move the capital to avoid it. At this time, the problem came. Did Guan Yu accept the instructions of Liu Bei's headquarters when attacking Xiangfan, or did he take the initiative to make a choice in order to win honor? According to the historical records and common sense of the Three Kingdoms, there are both. In July of 2 19, in the 24th year of Jian 'an, Liu Beifang won a banquet in Hanzhong, calling himself King of Hanzhong. "In autumn, the leader of this group is the king of Hanzhong." For the generals, it is an official title, while "worshipping feather as a former general is a fake festival." Paying attention to this holiday is very powerful. The "fake festival" was originally intended to represent the emperor's patrol, as if the emperor had come in person.
Fake holiday lights can be seen in many places in the "Three Kingdoms" to reward great heroes. There is Lu Xun in Soochow, "people call it the fake viceroy", and Cao Cao was also named as "I fled to Kyoto and Siam, and the son of heaven took the fake Taizu Festival lanterns". In wartime, military commanders can directly kill soldiers who violate military orders without asking, and also have great power to wage war according to the situation. After the war in Hanzhong, Guan Yu was granted a holiday. From this point of view, it is impossible for Guan Yu to wage war under the authorization of Liu Bei. But if Liu Bei directly ordered Guan Yu to attack at a certain time, it is unlikely. If we want to attack, the best time is when the outcome of Hanzhong War is undecided, and Cao Cao's troops can be divided on the left, which is also close to the two-way invasion strategy of Longzhong. At the battle of Xiangfan, Liu Bei's main force had just played for two years, and it was in urgent need of rest. There was no need to launch another big war in such a hurry.
In the same year, it should be July. Guan Yu immediately set out to attack Xiangfan. When and how to send troops, Guan Yu has the final say. Why? The above has analyzed two reasons why there is no need to hurry. There is a third reason. Before Guan Yu sent troops, Hou Yin rebelled in Wancheng, the hinterland of Cao Cao, plundering thousands of people in nearby counties. Coss, the governor of Jingzhou, led the army to quell the chaos and beheaded Hou Yin before returning to Fancheng. Wen Hui and Pei Qian have a conversation. Wen Hui said that a rising tide lifts all boats, but General Coss, who is conquering the south, has gone deep alone and has no long-term preparation. Guan Yu is tough and cunning. I'm afraid something will happen to General Cheung Nam. This is also the reason why Guan Yu sent his troops to attack Xiangfan at this time, because the enemy has changed a lot and can take advantage of the chaos to advance. "I am old, and I will lead people to attack Coss and Fan." Later, Jingzhou was out of touch with Yizhou traffic, Guan Yu was alone, backed by the alliance, Wei and Wu joined forces, and Jingzhou fell.