呂蒙

Profile

The hero of the "rub your eyes" idiom — the commander who remade himself through study. Once mocked as an unlettered brawler, he buried himself in books at Sun Quan’s urging until even Lu Su marveled he was "no longer the old A-Meng." When Guan Yu marched north, Lü Meng’s soldiers crossed the river dressed as merchants and took Jing Province without a blow — then won over the occupied people so completely that Guan Yu’s army dissolved. He died at forty-two just after his triumph, Sun Quan at his bedside.

Key events

1. 219

   Lü Meng Takes Jing Province — the Death of Guan Yu

   Lü Meng’s soldiers, disguised as merchants, seize Jing Province without a fight. His retreat cut, Guan Yu is captured at Maicheng and executed.

   Guan YuSun QuanLu Xun

History vs. the novelHistoryvsNovel

The novel kills him with Guan Yu’s vengeful ghost; history records illness. And the real story — the brawler who studied his way to greatness — is far richer in the original.