Guan Gong went to the meeting-get straight to the point. The story behind this two-part allegorical saying is: Guan Yu crossed the river alone for the problem of Jingzhou and met with Lu Su.
On the wine table, Lu Su came straight to the point and asked for Jingzhou back. At the beginning, Guan Yu changed the topic on the grounds of "don't talk about state affairs when drinking", but Lu Su pressed hard.
Then, Guan Yu used the excuse that he was drunk, holding a knife in his right hand and holding Lu Su's hand in his left, and said with a touch of ferocity in intimacy, "I'm drunk after drinking today, so don't mention Jingzhou again. I'm afraid this knife will hurt my old feelings. I'll invite you to Jingzhou for a meeting another day and then discuss it. "
Lu Su couldn't break free, and he was scared out of his wits, and the hidden knife and ax hand didn't dare to act without authorization. Arriving at the boat, Guan Yu let Lu Su go and said goodbye.
Extended information:
The real history is not like this. In 215 AD, Liu Bei seized Yizhou, and Sun Quan asked Liu Bei for Jingzhou. Liu Bei refused to return, and Sun Quan was very angry about it. Both sides sent troops, and the war was on the verge. But once the two sides launch a large-scale war, the "Sun-Liu Alliance" established against Cao Cao will break down?
At this critical juncture, Lu Su decided to discuss with Guan Yu face to face, so as to safeguard the "Sun-Liu Alliance" and not give Cao Cao an opportunity. Lu Su suggested that he and Guan Yu should go to the meeting without others. Guan Yu agreed. After talks, the two sides reached an agreement, and Sun Quan and Liu Bei shared Jingzhou equally, taking Xiangshui as the boundary, stopping confrontation and easing the tension.
In various subsequent interpretations, the plot of "going to the meeting alone" is often used to show Guan Yu's brave and domineering side. The idiom "going to the meeting alone" later refers to a person taking risks to go to the meeting, and is often used to praise the self-discipline and courage of the participants.
Baidu Encyclopedia-Going to the meeting with a single knife