In Chapter 73, Liao Hua took control of the vanguard during Guan Yu's march on Xiangyang. He successfully lured the enemy generals Cao Ren and Zhai Yuan out of their castle, allowing Guan Yu to seize it. In the subsequent Battle of Fancheng, Liao Hua was stationed at Sizhong where he was in mutual support of Guan Ping's encampment at Yancheng. When the enemy general Xu Huang captured both Sizhong and Yancheng, Liao Hua and Guan Ping fought their way south to join Guan Yu. When Guan Yu received news that Liu Bei's territories in Jing Province had been conquered by Sun Quan's army, he retreated to Maicheng () and was besieged there by Sun's forces. In Maicheng, Liao Hua volunteered to break out of the siege and seek reinforcements from Liu Feng and Meng Da in Shangyong (). However, Liu Feng and Meng Da refused to help Guan Yu, so Liao Hua had no choice but to travel to Chengdu to report the situation to Liu Bei. By then, Guan Yu had been captured in an ambush and executed by Sun Quan.