Summary: Defeated and leaking troops by the minute, Guan Yu makes a desperate dash for safety.<br> <br> * <a href="http://www.3kingdomspodcast.com/2016/11/28/episode-097-war-attrition/#transcript">Transcript</a><br> * <a href="http://www.3kingdomspodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/ep_097.png">Map of Key Locations</a><br> * <a href="https://www.google.com/fusiontables/DataSource?docid=1dbqsZjBAcS99ypLlXGmB1GUyUqvbOSZURol_Quoi">Graph of Key Characters and Relationships</a><br> <br> <br> <a id="transcript"></a>Transcript<br> <a href="http://www.3kingdomspodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/3kingdoms097.pdf">PDF version</a><br> Welcome to the Romance of the Three Kingdoms Podcast. This is episode 97.<br> Before we pick up where we left off, I have a quick correction. In the last episode, I mispronounced the name of one of the cities under Guan Yu’s command that surrendered to Sun Quan. It’s the city of Nanjun (2,4), not Nanzheng (2,4) as I had pronounced it. I didn’t catch the mistake until after I recorded the whole episode, and it was a small enough mistake that I wasn’t going to go back and re-record the whole thing. So my apologies for that slip-up.<br> Anyway, last time, while Guan Yu was busy laying siege to Fancheng, the forces of Dongwu mounted a sneak attack and took over his home base of Jing Province, along with several of the other key cities in the region. Cao Cao then directed an attack that repelled Guan Yu and broke his siege on Fancheng. Defeated and now stranded in hostile territory with no home to go back to, Guan Yu was filled with immense regret and impotent rage, and at a loss for what to do next.<br> His provisions officer, Zhao (4) Lei (4), said, “With our situations so dire, we should send someone to our capital Chengdu to ask for help while we take the land route to Jing Province to retake the city.”<br> Guan Yu agreed and sent the advisers Ma Liang and Yi Ji to race west toward Chengdu to ask Liu Bei to send help. Meanwhile, he led his army toward Jing Province, with him leading the way while his son Guan Ping and the officer Liao Hua brought up the rear.<br> Meanwhile, having broken the siege on Fancheng, the general Cao Ren now led his officers to see Cao Cao, whereupon Cao Ren kneeled, wept, and begged to be punished for his failings. <br> “This was heaven’s will, not your fault,” Cao Cao told his kinsman. He then rewarded his troops and personally went to inspect Guan Yu’s old base. <br> “The enemy’s location was well barricaded,” Cao Cao said to his officers. “Yet General Xu Huang was able to breach it and achieve total victory. I have been leading troops for 30-some years, and even I have never dared to do such a thing. General Xu truly excels in tactics and courage!”<br> When Cao Cao returned to camp, Xu Huang came to see him, and CAo Cao personally went out to welcome him. There, he saw Xu Huang’s troops marching in perfect order. Thoroughly impressed, Cao Cao heaped more praise on Xu Huang, along with the nifty title of the General who Pacifies the South. He then left an officer to oversee the city of Xiangyang to check Guan Yu, while Cao Cao himself garrisoned his troops at the location of Mobei (2,1) to await word of the pacification of Jing Province.<br> Now, let’s go back and check in on Guan Yu. He was presently stuck on the road to Jing Province, with enemies in front and behind, leaving him with no way to advance or retreat. He asked the officer Zhao (4) Lei (4), “Right now, we have Dongwu troops in front of us and Wei troops behind us. What shall we do if relief does not arrive?”<br> “The Dongwu general Lü Meng used to exchange frequent communications with you, pledging to ally with us to jointly take on the traitor Cao Cao,” Zhao Lei said. “And yet now he has helped Cao Cao to attack us. That is breaking his pledge. Sir, you should temporarily garrison the army here and send a letter to admonish Lü Meng and see what he says.”<br> Well,
