Sizhong

Sizhong is a defensive camp in the network of twelve forts between Yancheng and the position held by Guan Yu. Its apparent security depends on its river defense and its connection to the neighboring camps, but during Xu Huang’s advance the Wei army captures it. Its fall helps turn the loss of Yancheng into the collapse of Guan Yu’s forward defenses.

Position in the Defensive Network

Guan Ping is stationed at Yancheng, while Liao Hua holds Sizhong. The two positions are linked by twelve forts, making communication between them straightforward. When Xu Huang advances under Cao Cao’s orders, he exploits that arrangement with a deception: some of his troops fly his colors to make Guan Ping believe they are friendly, while Xu Huang leads five hundred crack troops toward Yancheng from another direction.

The Camp’s Loss

After Guan Ping is lured from Yancheng, Xu Huang tells him that Jingzhou has fallen to Wu. Guan Ping rejects the report as a lie and makes his way toward Sizhong. Liao Hua asks whether the news is true; Guan Ping denies it and orders that anyone spreading the rumor be executed. When word arrives that Xu Huang is attacking the northern camp, Guan Ping decides to relieve it, reasoning that Sizhong itself is protected by the River Mian. He leaves Liao Hua to hold the camp.

The northern camp proves to be empty. Guan Ping’s force is then surprised by Xu Shang and Lü Jian, and many of his men die as they retreat. When Guan Ping and his soldiers reach Sizhong, they find it on fire and in Wei hands. He and Liao Hua escape and return to Guan Yu’s base.

Consequences and Significance

At Guan Yu’s camp, the survivors report the loss of Yancheng and the other camps, Cao Cao’s advance on Fancheng, and Lü Meng’s capture of Jingzhou. Guan Yu angrily rejects the news about Jingzhou, insisting that Lü Meng is ill and dismissing Lu Xun as inexperienced. Sizhong’s fall thus marks more than the loss of a single position: it exposes the weakness of the connected defenses and brings the wider reversals directly to Guan Yu, who calls for his horse when told Xu Huang has arrived to confront him.