Guan Yu Surrenders to Eastern Wu

In the twenty-fourth year of Jian'an, Jingzhou fell, and the Martial Saint Guan Yu was trapped in a hopeless position at Maicheng. Faced with the vast gulf between his ideals and reality, he grew disillusioned with Liu Bei's vow to “restore the Han.” When Sun Quan displayed a far greater ruler's bearing than Liu Bei and sincerely sought to recruit him, Guan Yu faced a choice that would echo through the ages: should he uphold the “lesser righteousness” of the oath sworn in the Peach Garden, even if it meant a noble death, or embrace the “greater righteousness” of bringing peace to the realm, even if it meant yielding?

In the end, he laid down his Green Dragon Crescent Blade and bowed his proud head to Eastern Wu. His surrender struck the world like a boulder falling into water, sending waves in every direction: Liu Bei swore to march east, Zhang Fei died suddenly, and the Battle of Yiling ended with the burning of Wu's camps... In Jiangdong, however, Guan Yu rewrote his fate through resounding victories. He flooded and captured seven armies, took Fancheng, and shook all of China with his reputation, eventually helping Sun Quan campaign north into the Central Plains and unite the realm.

With sweeping prose, this work reconstructs the course of history after the Three Kingdoms and delves into how a hero can break free of his shackles and pursue his ideals amid the tragic struggle between loyalty and the welfare of the people. This is not merely a story about “what if,” but a profound examination of fate, morality, and loyalty.