Is “Capturing Guan Yu and governing the southern region” true?
based on fact
Records of the Three Kingdoms, Book of Wu, Biography of Pan Zhang states that Wu general Ma Zhong captured Guan Yu at Linju; Records of the Three Kingdoms, Book of Shu, Biography of Ma Zhong states that Shu general Ma Zhong (original name Hu Du) governed the southern region, and the novel amplifies the Wu general's role.
Ma Zhong
The novel conflates Ma Zhong of Eastern Wu, who captured Guan Yu, with Ma Zhong of Shu Han, who governed the southern region; both are documented separately in official histories.