Guan Ping

Guan Ding's eighteen-year-old second son, 'to be a soldier': at Liu Bei's suggestion he bows as adopted son to the sonless Guan Yu and calls Liu Bei 'Uncle' - riding out of the farmyard into the rest of the saga.

Guan Ping; with Guan Yu in the flight south.

Paired with Liu Feng south of Bowang Slope: five hundred men each, combustibles prepared, and at dusk they start the blaze that turns the reed-choked road into the trap.

One of the two companions Guan Yu takes to the Huarong ambush with the five hundred swordsmen.

Shares the Baqiu river blockade with Liu Feng, penning in the expedition Zhou Yu will not survive.

Rides west as one of Liu Bei's two aides (with Liu Feng) on the Yizhou expedition.

Guan Ping; with Liu Bei in the campaign.

Helps Liu Feng turn the pursuit seven miles from the Pass — then rides for Jingzhou with the letter that brings Zhuge Liang west, and is named to Guan Yu's military staff before returning.

Carries his father's challenge-request to Chengdu and Zhuge Liang's soothing reply back — the letter that keeps Guan Yu at his post.

Softens his father's sword-moment against Zhuge Jin ('it will put the Instructor to shame'), then waits off Lukou with ten fast ships and five hundred marines, eyes on the shore for the red flag.

Promoted into the vacated van with Liao Hua, reads his father's black-boar dream as a rise of dignity, slays the fleeing Zhai Yuan in the pursuit before Xiangyang, and readies the ships for the crossing to Fancheng.

Asks the pebble's fight for himself — thirty bouts against Pang De, no loser — then plays his father's keeper: the shouted warning as the bow comes up, the insults screened from the sick tent, the puzzled question about boats in a dry-land war that draws out the flood plan.

Drives off Cao Ren's sortie and carries his fallen father back to camp, then leads the officers in proposing a withdrawal to Jingzhou — and takes the angry refusal. Vouches for Hua Tuo as the surgeon who healed Zhou Tai.

Fights everyone: beats Xu Shang and Lü Qian in single combat, is baited by the Yencheng fire and the empty camp, trades bouts with 'uncle' Xu Huang twice — then gongs his failing father out of the bounty duel, cuts him free of the dusk encirclement at the third watch, batters Ding Feng aside to let Liao Hua's appeal through the siege, and has to be caught by the wrist to keep him from killing the envoy Zhuge Jin.

Guards the rear of the breakout, dashes into the ring to save his captured father and is taken beside him — and dies with him, tenth month of 219, refusing to the last.