In Romance of the Three Kingdoms, chapter 75, when Guan Yu led an attack on Fancheng (樊城, present day Xiangfan, Hubei), he got hit by a poison arrow fired by the enemy and retreated. Guan Yu's adopted son Guan Ping, managed to find a doctor to cure the wound; it was the famous physician Hua Tuo. Hua Tuo said that in order to cure the wound, he must perform a surgery on Guan Yu's arm by cutting open the flesh and scraping off traces of poison on the bone. Hua Tuo advised him to be blindfolded and have his arm secured tightly because the surgery was so excruciatingly painful, but Guan Yu ordered Ma Liang to play a game of Weqi with him. While Hua Tuo was performing the surgery, many of Guan Yu's generals could not bear the sight of the cutting wound surgery, but Guan Yu remained calm and continued to play Weqi as if it was nothing. After the surgery, Hua Tuo managed to cure Guan Yu's arm and sewed it up after applying medication. Guan Yu said he was a "divine doctor" (神醫) and decided to give him rewards, but Hua Tuo did not accept any of the rewards and left.
What happened historically?[]
This event did not occur. Historically, Hua Tuo died in 208 AD. The Battle of Fancheng took place in 219 A.D.
