In the 41st chapter of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, when Cao Cao attacked Jingzhou to the south, Liu Bei led civilians across the river to the gates of Xiangyang but was denied entry by Cai Mao and Zhang Yun. Wei Yan, enraged by their surrender to Cao Cao, “led hundreds of men straight…
The departure of Xu Shu from Liu Bei remains one of the most emotionally charged and widely misunderstood episodes in the lore of the Three Kingdoms.