Zhang Fei () (died July or August 221 AD),

courtesy name A courtesy name (), also known as a style name, is a name bestowed upon one at adulthood in addition to one's given name. This practice is a tradition in the East Asian cultural sphere, including China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam.Ulrich Theobald ...

Yide, was a military general serving under the warlord

Liu Bei Liu Bei (, ; ; 161 – 10 June 223), courtesy name Xuande (), was a warlord in the late Eastern Han dynasty who founded the state of Shu Han in the Three Kingdoms period and became its first ruler. Although he was a distant relative of the H ...

in the late

Eastern Han dynasty The Han dynasty (, ; ) was an imperial dynasty of China (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD), established by Liu Bang (Emperor Gao) and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–207 BC) and a warr ...

and early

Three Kingdoms The Three Kingdoms () from 220 to 280 AD was the tripartite division of China among the dynastic states of Cao Wei, Shu Han, and Eastern Wu. The Three Kingdoms period was preceded by the Han dynasty#Eastern Han, Eastern Han dynasty and wa ...

period of China. Zhang Fei and

Guan Yu Guan Yu (; ), courtesy name Yunchang, was a Chinese military general serving under the warlord Liu Bei during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. Along with Zhang Fei, he shared a brotherly relationship with Liu Bei and accompanied him on ...

, who were among the earliest to join Liu Bei, shared a brotherly relationship with their lord and accompanied him on most of his early exploits. Zhang Fei fought in various battles on Liu Bei's side, including the Red Cliffs campaign (208–209),

takeover In business, a takeover is the purchase of one company (the ''target'') by another (the ''acquirer'' or ''bidder''). In the UK, the term refers to the acquisition of a public company whose shares are listed on a stock exchange, in contrast to t ...

Yi Province Yizhou (益州), Yi Province or Yi Prefecture, was a '' zhou'' (province) of ancient China. Its capital city was Chengdu.de Crespigny, p. 256. During the Han dynasty, it included the commanderies Hanzhong, Ba, Guanghan, Shu, Wenshan, Jianwei, ...

(212–214), and

Hanzhong Campaign The Hanzhong Campaign was a military campaign launched by the warlord Liu Bei to seize control of Hanzhong Commandery from his rival, Cao Cao. The campaign took place between 217 and 219 during the prelude to the Three Kingdoms period. Althou ...

(217–218). He was assassinated by his subordinates in 221 after serving for only a few months in the state of

Shu Han Han (; 221–263), known in historiography as Shu Han ( ) or Ji Han ( "Junior Han"), or often shortened to Shu (; pinyin: ''shŭ'' <

Romance of the Three Kingdoms ''Romance of the Three Kingdoms'' () is a 14th-century historical novel attributed to Luo Guanzhong. It is set in the turbulent years towards the end of the Han dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period in Chinese history, starting in 184 AD and ...

'', which dramatises and romanticises the events before and during the

period. In the novel, Zhang Fei became

sworn brother Blood brother can refer to two or more men not related by birth who have sworn loyalty to each other. This is in modern times usually done in a ceremony, known as a blood oath, where each person makes a small cut, usually on a finger, hand or ...

s with Liu Bei and

in the fictional

Oath of the Peach Garden The Oath of the Peach Garden is a fictional event in the 14th century Chinese historical novel ''Romance of the Three Kingdoms'' by Luo Guanzhong. This event is set at the end of the Eastern Han dynasty around the time of the Yellow Turban ...

at the start of the novel and remained faithful to their oath until his death.

Early career

Zhang Fei was from

Zhuo Commandery Zhuo Commandery ( zh, 涿郡) or Fanyang Commandery ( zh, 范陽郡) was a commandery in imperial China from Han dynasty to Tang dynasty, located in modern Hebei and Beijing. Han dynasty Zhuo Commandery was established during Emperor Gao of Han's ...

. In the 180s, towards the

end End, END, Ending, or variation, may refer to: End *In mathematics: ** End (category theory) ** End (topology) **End (graph theory) ** End (group theory) (a subcase of the previous) **End (endomorphism) *In sports and games **End (gridiron footbal ...

of the

, he and

became

's followers. As Guan Yu was several years older than Zhang Fei, Zhang regarded him as an elder brother. Guan Yu and Zhang Fei were known as stalwart and strong men; which make them talented fighters. When Liu Bei was later appointed as the Chancellor of

Pingyuan State Pingyuan Commandery ( zh, 平原郡) was a historical commandery of China, existing from Han dynasty to Tang dynasty. It was centered around present-day northwestern Shandong province. The commandery was carved out of the Jibei Kingdom during Empe ...

() by the Han central government, Zhang Fei and Guan Yu served as Majors of Separate Command () under him. Liu Bei cherished them as if they were his own brothers and the three of them shared a brotherly-like relationship to the point of sharing the same room, sleeping on the same mat and eating from the same pot. Zhang Fei and Guan Yu protected Liu Bei whenever there were large crowds of people and also stood guard beside him when he sat down at meetings all day long. They followed him on his exploits and were always ready to face any danger and hardship.

Conflict between Liu Bei and Lü Bu

In 194, Liu Bei succeeded Tao Qian as the Governor of

Xu Province Xuzhou as a historical toponym refers to varied area in different eras. Ordinarily, it was a reference to the one of the Nine Provinces which modern Xuzhou inherited. History Pre-Qin era Xuzhou or Xu Province was one of the Nine Provinces of ...

. The following year, he led his forces to Huaiyin County, to counter an invasion by

Yuan Shu Yuan Shu () (died July or August 199), courtesy name Gonglu, was a Chinese military general, politician, and warlord who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty. He rose to prominence following the collapse of the Han central government in 189 ...

. During this time, he left Zhang Fei behind to guard

Xiapi Pizhou () is a county-level city under the administration of Xuzhou, Jiangsu province, China. As of 2006 it had a population of 163,000; it borders the Shandong prefecture-level cities of Linyi to the northeast and Zaozhuang to the northwest. His ...

, the capital of Xu Province. Zhang Fei wanted to kill

Cao Bao Cao Bao (died 196) was a military officer serving under Tao Qian, the Governor of Xu Province, during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. He became a subordinate of Tao Qian's successor, Liu Bei, after Tao's death in 194. He was killed by Z ...

, a former officer under Tao Qian, for reasons unknown. Cao Bao fled back to his own camp and set up defences while sending a messenger to request aid from

Lü Bu Lü Bu () (died 7 February 199), courtesy name Fengxian, was a Chinese military general, politician, and warlord who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty of Imperial China. Originally a subordinate of a minor warlord Ding Yuan, he betray ...

, another warlord who was taking shelter under Liu Bei at the time. Lü Bu led his forces to attack Xiapi and succeeded in seizing control of Xiapi. Zhang Fei fled after losing Xiapi to Lü Bu. Liu Bei returned to Xu Province, which was now under Lü Bu's control, and reluctantly accepted Lü Bu's offer to move to

Xiaopei Pei County, or Peixian (), is under the administration of Xuzhou, Jiangsu province, China, bordering the Shandong prefecture-level cities of Jining to the northwest and Zaozhuang to the northeast and sitting on the western shore of Nansi Lake. It ...

while Lü Bu remained in Xiapi. Tensions between Liu Bei and Lü Bu increased until the point of conflict. Liu Bei sought help from

Cao Cao Cao Cao () (; 155 – 15 March 220), courtesy name Mengde (), was a Chinese statesman, warlord and poet. He was the penultimate Grand chancellor (China), grand chancellor of the Eastern Han dynasty, and he amassed immense power in the End of ...

, a warlord who controlled the Han central government. Cao Cao and Liu Bei combined forces and defeated Lü Bu at the

Battle of Xiapi The Battle of Xiapi was fought between the forces of Lü Bu against the allied armies of Cao Cao and Liu Bei from the winter of 198 to 7 February 199 towards the end of the Eastern Han dynasty in China. The battle concluded with victory for C ...

in 198, after which they returned to the imperial capital Xu together. In Xu, Zhang Fei was appointed as a General of the Household ().

Roaming the land with Liu Bei

In 199, Liu Bei pretended to volunteer to lead an army to attack Yuan Shu, and used that opportunity to leave Xu and escape from Cao Cao's watch. He headed to

, killed Che Zhou, the provincial governor appointed by Cao Cao, and seized control of Xiapi again. The following year, Cao Cao personally led his forces to attack Liu Bei, defeated him, and took back control of Xu Province. After his defeat, Liu Bei fled to Ji Province, where he took refuge under Cao Cao's rival,

Yuan Shao Yuan Shao (, ; died 28 June 202), courtesy name Benchu (), was a Chinese military general, politician, and warlord who lived in the late Eastern Han dynasty. He occupied the northern territories of China during the civil wars that occurred to ...

. Liu Bei later left Yuan Shao by pretending to help Yuan Shao gain support from local rebels in

Runan Runan County () is a counties of China, county under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Zhumadian, in the southeast of Henan, Henan Province, China. History In ancient times, this area was called "the middle of the world" (), ...

in his war against Cao Cao. He eventually found shelter under

Liu Biao Liu Biao () () (151 – September 208), courtesy name Jingsheng, was a Chinese military general, politician, and warlord who lived in the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. He is best known for serving as the Governor of Jing Province (coveri ...

, the Governor of

Jing Province Jingzhou or Jing Province was one of the Nine Provinces of ancient China referenced in Chinese historical texts such as the ''Tribute of Yu'', '' Erya'' and '' Rites of Zhou''. Jingzhou became an administrative division during the reign of Empe ...

. Liu Biao put him in charge of

Xinye County Xinye () is one of the counties of Nanyang that lies in the southwest of Henan province, China. To the south lies the prefecture-level city of Xiangyang in Hubei province, to the east is Tanghe County and to the west is the county-level city ...

on the northern border of Jing Province. It is not known whether Zhang Fei followed Liu Bei to join Yuan Shao after Liu Bei's defeat in Xu Province, or whether he, like

, was separated from Liu Bei during that period of time.

Red Cliffs campaign

Battle of Changban

In 208, following Liu Biao's death, Cao Cao launched a military campaign aimed at wiping out opposing forces in

and the Jiangdong (or Wu) region. In the meantime, Liu Bei evacuated

and led his followers towards

Xiakou Xiakou may refer to these towns in China: * Xiakou, Chongqing (峡口), in Nan'an District, Chongqing * Xiakou, Gansu (峡口), in Lintao County, Gansu *Xiakou, Fucheng County (霞口), in Fucheng County, Hebei * Xiakou, Shijiazhuang (下口), in P ...

, which was controlled by Liu Biao's elder son, Liu Qi. Cao Cao was worried that Liu Bei would occupy

Jiangling County Jiangling () is a county in southern Hubei province, People's Republic of China. Administratively, it is under the jurisdiction of Jingzhou City. History The county name derived from the old name of Jingzhou. Liang dynasty Prince Xiao Yi 蕭繹 ( ...

, which was abundant in military resources, before he did. He immediately ordered his troops to leave behind their heavy equipment and baggage, and move swiftly to

Xiangyang Xiangyang is a prefecture-level city in northwestern Hubei province, China and the second largest city in Hubei by population. It was known as Xiangfan from 1950 to 2010. The Han River runs through Xiangyang's centre and divides the city no ...

. When Cao Cao reached Xiangyang, Liu Biao's younger son and successor, Liu Cong, surrendered to him without putting up resistance. After learning that Liu Bei had already passed by Xiangyang, Cao Cao personally led a 5,000-strong elite cavalry force to pursue Liu Bei. After travelling over 300 ''li'' in just one day and one night, Cao Cao and his riders caught up with Liu Bei at Changban and attacked him. During the battle, Liu Bei abandoned his family and fled, with only

Zhuge Liang Zhuge Liang ( zh, t=諸葛亮 / 诸葛亮) (181 – September 234), courtesy name Kongming, was a Chinese statesman and military strategist. He was chancellor and later regent of the state of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms period. He is ...

, Zhang Fei,

Zhao Yun Zhao Yun ( ) (died 229), courtesy name Zilong (), was a military general who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty and early Three Kingdoms period of China. Originally a subordinate of the northern warlord Gongsun Zan, Zhao Yun later came ...

and a small number of soldiers accompanying him. Cao Cao's forces captured many of Liu Bei's followers and his equipment. Zhang Fei led 20 horsemen to cover Liu Bei's retreat. After destroying a bridge, he stood guard at one end (facing the enemy), brandished his spear, glared at the enemy and shouted: "I'm Zhang Yide. You can come forth and fight me to the death!" Cao Cao's soldiers were all afraid and did not dare to approach him. Liu Bei and his followers were hence able to retreat safely.

Battle of Red Cliffs and after

In 208, Liu Bei and

Sun Quan Sun Quan (, Chinese: 孫權) (183 – 21 May 252), courtesy name Zhongmou (), posthumously known as Emperor Da of Wu, was the founder of the Eastern Wu dynasty, one of the Three Kingdoms of China. He inherited control of the warlord regime es ...

combined forces and defeated Cao Cao at the decisive

Battle of Red Cliffs The Battle of Red Cliffs, also known as the Battle of Chibi, was a decisive naval battle in the winter of AD 208–209 at the end of the Han dynasty, about twelve years prior to the beginning of the Three Kingdoms period in Chinese history. T ...

. Liu Bei later took control of southern Jing Province, with his headquarters at

Nan Commandery Nan Commandery ( zh, 南郡, "Southern Commandery") was a Chinese commandery that existed from the Warring States period to Tang dynasty. Its territories covered present-day central and western Hubei province, as well as parts of Chongqing. The seat ...

and

Gong'an County Gong'an County () is a county in southern Hubei province, People's Republic of China, bordering Hunan to the south. It is under the administration of Jingzhou City. History During the Han dynasty and the Three Kingdoms era, Gong'an County was k ...

. Zhang Fei was appointed General Who Attacks Barbarians () and Administrator () of Yidu Commandery. He was also enfeoffed as the Marquis of Xin Village (). He was later reassigned to serve as the Administrator of Nan Commandery. Battle of Changban Peking Opera 13

Yi Province campaign

Earlier defence of Jing Province

In 211, Liu Bei led an army to

to assist the governor Liu Zhang in countering the advances of a rival warlord, Zhang Lu of Hanzhong Commandery. He left Zhang Fei and others behind to guard Jing Province in his absence. Earlier in 209, Liu Bei married Sun Quan's younger sister

Lady Sun Lady Sun (180s - 211), also known as Sun Ren in the 14th-century historical novel ''Romance of the Three Kingdoms'' and Sun Shangxiang in Chinese opera and contemporary culture, was a Chinese noblewoman who lived during the late Eastern Han dyna ...

to strengthen the alliance between him and Sun Quan. Because of her brother's strong influence, Lady Sun was arrogant and she allowed her close aides to behave lawlessly. Even Liu Bei was afraid of her. When Sun Quan heard that Liu Bei had left for Yi Province, he sent a vessel to Jing Province to fetch his sister home. Lady Sun attempted to bring along Liu Bei's son

Liu Shan Liu Shan () (207–271), courtesy name Gongsi, was the second and last emperor of the state of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms period. As he ascended the throne at the age of 16, Liu Shan was entrusted to the care of the Chancellor Zhuge Lia ...

with her, but Zhang Fei and Zhao Yun led their men to stop her and managed to retrieve Liu Shan.

Conquest of Yi Province

Around 212, relations between Liu Bei and Liu Zhang deteriorated to the point of conflict, when Liu Bei started a campaign aimed at seizing Yi Province from Liu Zhang. Liu Bei ordered Zhuge Liang, Zhao Yun, Zhang Fei and others to lead reinforcements into Yi Province to help him, while Guan Yu remained behind to defend Jing Province. When Liu Zhang heard that Liu Bei received reinforcements from Jing Province, he dispatched

Zhang Yi (Junsi) Zhang Yi ( 166 – 230), courtesy name Junsi, was an official of the state of Shu Han in the Three Kingdoms period of China. Serving the Yi Province government Zhang Yi was from Chengdu, the capital of Yi Province (covering present-day Sichua ...

with an army to stop them at Deyang County. However, Zhang Fei defeated them and forced Zhang Yi to withdraw back to Chengdu. Along the way, Zhang Fei attacked Jiangzhou, which was defended by Zhao Zan (趙筰) the Administrator of Ba Commandery along with his more famous subordinate Yan Yan, a military officer serving under Liu Zhang. He defeated both of them and captured Yan Yan alive. Zhang Fei asked him: "When my army showed up, why did you put up resistance instead of surrendering?" Yan Yan replied: "You people launched an unwarranted attack on my home province. There may be generals in my province who will lose their heads, but there are none who will surrender." Zhang Fei was enraged and he ordered Yan Yan's execution. An expressionless Yan Yan asked: "If you want to chop off my head, then do it! What's with that outburst of anger?" Zhang Fei was so impressed with Yan Yan's courage that he released him and treated him like an honoured guest. Zhang Fei's army then proceeded to break through Liu Zhang's defences until they reached

Chengdu Chengdu (, ; Simplified Chinese characters, simplified Chinese: 成都; pinyin: ''Chéngdū''; Sichuanese dialects, Sichuanese pronunciation: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: ), Chinese postal romanization, alternatively Romanization of Chi ...

(Yi Province's capital), where they rendezvoused with Liu Bei and the others. In 214, Liu Zhang surrendered and yielded Yi Province to Liu Bei. Liu Bei rewarded Zhuge Liang,

Fa Zheng Fa Zheng (176–220), courtesy name Xiaozhi, was a key adviser to the warlord Liu Bei in the late Eastern Han dynasty. Born in a family of high social status and of noble descent, Fa Zheng travelled to Yi Province (covering present-day Sichuan ...

, Zhang Fei and Guan Yu each with 500 '' jin'' of gold, 1,000 ''jin'' of silver, 50 million coins and 1,000 rolls of silk. Zhang Fei was also appointed as the Administrator () of Baxi Commandery.

Hanzhong Campaign

Battle of Baxi

In around 215,

attacked and defeated Zhang Lu, after which Hanzhong Commandery came under his control. Cao Cao left

Xiahou Yuan Xiahou Yuan () (died 219), courtesy name Miaocai, was a Chinese military general and politician serving under the warlord Cao Cao in the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. He is known for his exploits in western China (in parts of present-day G ...

Zhang He Zhang He () (died July or August 231), courtesy name Junyi, was a military general serving under the warlord Cao Cao in the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. He continued serving in the state of Cao Wei under its first two rulers, Cao Pi and ...

and others behind to defend Hanzhong while he returned to Ye. During that time, Zhang He led his forces to attack Baxi Commandery with the aim of forcing Baxi's residents to relocate to Hanzhong Commandery. His army passed through Dangqu (), Mengtou () and Dangshi () counties, and encountered Zhang Fei's troops. Both sides held their positions for over 50 days, after which Zhang Fei led about 10,000 elite soldiers and took an alternative route to attack Zhang He. As the mountain paths were very narrow and inaccessible, Zhang He's army was effectively divided into two because the troops at the front and the rear were unable to contact and assist each other, resulting in a victory for Zhang Fei. Zhang He and about ten of his men escaped on foot through a shortcut and retreated back to Nanzheng. Peace was restored in Baxi Commandery.

Conquest of Hanzhong

In 217, Liu Bei mobilised his forces and personally led a campaign to seize control of Hanzhong Commandery from Cao Cao. He ordered Zhang Fei and

Ma Chao Ma Chao () (176–222), courtesy name Mengqi, was a Chinese military general and warlord who lived in the late Eastern Han dynasty and early Three Kingdoms period of China. A descendant of the general Ma Yuan, Ma Chao was the eldest son of Ma ...

to supervise Wu Lan (), Lei Tong () and Ren Kui () to attack Wudu Commandery, which was defended by

Cao Hong Cao Hong (died 232), courtesy name Zilian, was a Chinese military general of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of China. He started his career in the late Eastern Han dynasty under the warlord Cao Cao, who was his older secon ...

. Zhang Fei attempted to trick Cao Hong into believing that they were planning to seal his retreat route, but

Cao Xiu Cao Xiu (died 29 September 228?), courtesy name Wenlie, was a Chinese military general of the state of Cao Wei in the Three Kingdoms period of China. A distant younger relative of the warlord Cao Cao, Cao Xiu started his career in the late Ea ...

saw through the ruse, and Wu Lan suffered a major defeat which absolved Zhang Fei from continuing the campaign – Lei Tong and Ren Kui were killed in action while Wu Lan fled to Yinping Commandery (陰平郡) and was killed by a Di chieftain, Qiangduan (). In 219, Liu Bei emerged victorious in the Hanzhong Campaign and proclaimed himself "King of Hanzhong" (). He appointed Zhang Fei as General of the Right (). Liu Bei later planned to return to

and he wanted to leave a veteran general behind to guard Hanzhong. Many people believed that Zhang Fei would receive this responsibility and even Zhang Fei himself thought so too. However, to everyone's surprise, Liu Bei chose

Wei Yan Wei Yan () (died October 234), courtesy name Wenchang, was a Chinese military general and politician of the state of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms period of China. Originally a subordinate of the warlord Liu Bei in the late Eastern Han dyna ...

instead and appointed him as the Administrator of Hanzhong.

Service in Shu Han

In 221, Liu Bei declared himself emperor and founded the state of

Shu Han Han (; 221–263), known in historiography as Shu Han ( ) or Ji Han ( "Junior Han"), or often shortened to Shu (; pinyin: ''shŭ'' <

Earlier in late 219,

broke his alliance with Liu Bei and sent his general Lü Meng to lead an invasion of Liu Bei's territories in

, which resulted in the death of

. Around July or August 221, Liu Bei launched a campaign against Sun Quan to take revenge and seize back his territories in Jing Province. Zhang Fei was ordered to lead 10,000 troops from

Langzhong Langzhong (formerly known as Paoning) is a county-level city in northeastern Sichuan province, China, located on the middle reaches of the Jialing River. It is administered as part of the prefecture-level city of Nanchong. Langzhong has a total ...

to rendezvous with Liu Bei's main force at Jiangzhou. During the mobilisation, Zhang Fei's subordinates Fan Qiang () and Zhang Da () assassinated their commander, decapitated the corpse, and brought the head along with them as they defected to Sun Quan's side. When Liu Bei heard that Zhang Fei's adjutant had sent him a report, he exclaimed: "Oh! (Zhang) Fei is dead." In October or November 260, Liu Bei's son and successor

granted Zhang Fei the

posthumous name A posthumous name is an honorary name given mostly to the notable dead in East Asian culture. It is predominantly practiced in East Asian countries such as China, Korea, Vietnam, Japan, and Thailand. Reflecting on the person's accomplishments or ...

"Marquis Huan" ().

Family and descendants

In the year 200, Zhang Fei chanced upon

's niece while she was out gathering firewood and abducted her. She was around 13 years old at the time. Zhang Fei knew that she was of good upbringing, so he married her. She bore him two daughters, who both later married

and became known as Empress Jing'ai of the state of Shu. Empress Jing'ai had a younger sister who also married Liu Shan and was known as Empress Zhang. Zhang Fei's eldest son, Zhang Bao, died at a young age. Zhang Bao's son, Zhang Zun (), served as a Master of Writing (). In 263, during the

Conquest of Shu by Wei The Conquest of Shu by Wei was a military campaign launched by the dynastic state of Cao Wei against its rival Shu Han in late 263 during the Three Kingdoms period of China. The campaign culminated in the fall of Shu Han and the tripartite equi ...

, he followed

Zhuge Zhan Zhuge Zhan (227–263), courtesy name Siyuan, was a military general and official of the state of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms period of China. He was a son of Zhuge Liang, the first Imperial Chancellor of Shu. Early life When Zhuge Zhan ...

to defend

Mianzhu Mianzhu ( zh, s=绵竹, t=綿竹, w=Mienchu, p=Miánzhú) is a county-level city of Deyang, Sichuan province in Southwest China. It has an area of and a population of 510,000 in 2004. The city was heavily damaged during the 2008 Sichuan earthq ...

from the Wei general

Deng Ai Deng Ai (197 – late March 264Vol.04 of ''Sanguozhi'' and vol.02 of ''Jin Shu'' both indicated that Deng Ai was arrested in the 1st month of the 1st year of the ''Xianxi'' era. The month corresponds to 15 Feb to 14 Mar 264 in the Julian calendar ...

but was killed in action. Zhang Fei's second son, Zhang Shao (), inherited his father's marquis title and served as a Palace Attendant () and Supervisor of the Masters of Writing () in Shu. In 263, the Shu emperor

ordered Zhang Shao,

Qiao Zhou Qiao Zhou (199 - 270), courtesy name Yunnan, was an official and scholar of the state of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms period of China. He previously served under Liu Zhang, the Governor of Yi Province (covering present-day Sichuan and Ch ...

and Deng Liang () to represent him when he officially surrendered to Deng Ai and brought an end to the Shu regime. After the fall of Shu, Zhang Shao accompanied Liu Shan to the Wei capital

Luoyang Luoyang is a city located in the confluence area of Luo River (Henan), Luo River and Yellow River in the west of Henan province. Governed as a prefecture-level city, it borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the east, Pingdingshan to the ...

, where he was enfeoffed as a marquis along with other former Shu officials.

Appraisal

Chen Shou Chen Shou (; 233–297), courtesy name Chengzuo (), was a Chinese historian, politician, and writer who lived during the Three Kingdoms period and Jin dynasty of China. Chen Shou is most known for his most celebrated work, the ''Records of the ...

, who wrote Zhang Fei's biography in the ''Sanguozhi'', commented on the latter as follows: "Guan Yu and Zhang Fei were praised as mighty warriors capable of fighting ten thousand of enemies (萬人敵). They were like tigers among (

's) subjects. Guan Yu and Zhang Fei both had the style of a ''guoshi''. Guan Yu repaid Cao Cao's kindness while Zhang Fei released Yan Yan out of righteousness. However, Guan Yu was unrelenting and conceited while Zhang Fei was brutal and heartless. These shortcomings resulted in their downfalls. This was not something uncommon."

Cheng Yu Cheng Yu (141 – December 220), originally named Cheng Li, courtesy name Zhongde, was a Chinese politician who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. He was an adviser to Cao Cao, the warlord who became the ''de facto'' head of ...

, an adviser to

, also once mentioned that Guan Yu and Zhang Fei were "capable of fighting ten thousand of enemies" (萬人敵). In the main text of Zhang Fei's biography, Chen Shou wrote that Zhang Fei respected virtuous persons and detested those of vile character. Liu Bei had constantly warned Zhang Fei about his barbaric behaviour as he once told the latter: "You have dealt out far too excessive punishments. You often flog your men, who are actually the ones who will carry out your orders. Your behaviour will get you into trouble." Zhang Fei still did not change his ways. Both Guan Yu and Zhang Fei had a prominent reputation during their lifetimes as great warriors. To the point that eminent officials from other kingdoms such as

Guo Jia Guo Jia () (170–207), courtesy name Fengxiao, was an adviser to the warlord Cao Cao during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. Throughout his 11 years of service, Guo Jia aided Cao Cao greatly with his brilliance and foresight, and his str ...

and

Zhou Yu Zhou Yu (, ) (175–210), courtesy name Gongjin (), was a Chinese military general and strategist serving under the warlord Sun Ce in the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. After Sun Ce died in the year 200, he continued serving under Sun Quan, ...

directly referred to them as warriors who are a match for ten thousand men (萬人敵) and generals with the might of bears and tigers. Such was the extent of their fames. Another lesser known official working for Cao Cao's state, Fu Gan (傅幹) qualified Zhang Fei and Guan Yu as heroes of their time possessing both braveness and righteousness; and also repeat the assessment that they are warriors who are a match for ten thousand men (萬人敵). The appraisal used by people of their lifetimes to describe Guan Yu and Zhang Fei as warriors who are a match for ten thousand men (萬人敵) would transcend the Three Kingdoms era and later be used in Chinese culture as an idiom to characterize someone as possessing extraordinary strength. The Australian sinologist Rafe de Crespigny commented: "There are anecdotes describing Zhang Fei as a man of literary tastes who composed verse in the midst of battle, but he is more generally known as arrogant, impetuous and brutal. While Guan Yu was said to be harsh towards men of the gentry but treated his soldiers well, Zhang Fei was courteous towards the virtuous but cruel to his rank and file. The two men were nonetheless regarded as the finest fighting men of their lifetime."

In ''Romance of the Three Kingdoms''

In the historical novel ''

'', Zhang Fei's physical appearance was described in the following: eight spans tall (身高八尺), had a head of a panther's and huge round eyes (豹頭環眼), a swallow's jowls and a tiger's beard(燕頷虎鬚)，a voice like thunder and a stance of a dashing horse (聲若巨雷勢如奔馬). Zhang Fei's

is written as 翼德 in Chinese instead of 益德, but both names have the same pronunciation in Mandarin. Zhang Fei was also described to be an alcoholic, and his obsession with alcohol caused his judgment to be affected from time to time. Throughout the novel, Zhang Fei was shown as an exceedingly loyal and formidable warrior, but also a short-tempered man, who often got into trouble more often when he was not on the battlefield. His weapon was a "1.8 ''

zhang Zhang may refer to: Chinese culture, etc. * Zhang (surname) (張/张), common Chinese surname ** Zhang (surname 章), a rarer Chinese surname * Zhang County (漳县), of Dingxi, Gansu * Zhang River (漳河), a river flowing mainly in Henan * ''Zha ...

'' long refined steel spear" (), which was also called a "1.8 ''zhang'' long serpent spear" (), meaning "spear as long as a 1.8 zhang serpent" or later "1.8 zhang spear with serpent-shaped head". See the following for some fictitious stories in ''Romance of the Three Kingdoms'' involving Zhang Fei: *

* List of fictitious stories in Romance of the Three Kingdoms#Zhang Fei thrashes the imperial inspector *

Battle of Hulao Pass The following is a chronologically arranged list of apocryphal stories in the 14th century novel ''Romance of the Three Kingdoms'' (''Sanguo Yanyi''), one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. Although the novel is a romanti ...

* Battle of Changban#In fiction * Battle of Jiameng Pass

In popular culture

Zhang Fei sometimes appears as a

door god Menshen or door gods are divine guardians of doors and gates in Chinese folk religions, used to protect against evil influences or to encourage the entrance of positive ones. They began as the divine pair Shenshu ( ) and Yulü () under the H ...

Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...

and

Taoist temple A Taoist temple (, also called ''dàoguàn'' and , is a place where the Tao is observed and cultivated it is a place of worship in Taoism. Structure and function can vary according to the Taoist school the temple belongs to. For example, ''guàn ...

s, partnered with

. Zhang Fei appears on the

Kunqu Kunqu (), also known as Kunju (), K'un-ch'ü, Kun opera or Kunqu Opera, is one of the oldest extant forms of Chinese opera. Kunqu is one of the oldest traditional operas of the Han nationality, and is also a treasure of Chinese traditional cult ...

stage as a ''hualian''. In one particular famous scene, ''The Swaying Reeds'', Zhang Fei ambushes and humiliates

before setting him free.

Zhang Fakui Zhang Fakui (2 September 1896 – 10 March 1980) was a Chinese Nationalist general who fought against northern warlords, the Imperial Japanese Army and Chinese Communist forces in his military career. He served as commander-in-chief of the ...

, a general in the

National Revolutionary Army The National Revolutionary Army (NRA; ), sometimes shortened to Revolutionary Army () before 1928, and as National Army () after 1928, was the military arm of the Kuomintang (KMT, or the Chinese Nationalist Party) from 1925 until 1947 in China ...

, was nicknamed "Zhang Fei". In 1959, Peng Dehuai, a marshal of the

People's Liberation Army The People's Liberation Army (PLA) is the principal military force of the People's Republic of China and the armed wing of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The PLA consists of five service branches: the Ground Force, Navy, Air Force, ...

, identified himself with Zhang Fei. Because

Mao Zedong Mao Zedong pronounced ; also romanised traditionally as Mao Tse-tung. (26 December 1893 – 9 September 1976), also known as Chairman Mao, was a Chinese communist revolutionary who was the founder of the People's Republic of China (PRC) ...

was popularly associated with Cao Cao, Mao and other members of the

Chinese Communist Party The Chinese Communist Party (CCP), officially the Communist Party of China (CPC), is the founding and One-party state, sole ruling party of the China, People's Republic of China (PRC). Under the leadership of Mao Zedong, the CCP emerged victoriou ...

interpreted Peng's identification with Zhang as confrontational, eventually leading to Mao ending Peng's career. Notable actors who have portrayed Zhang Fei in films and television series include: Li Jingfei in ''

'' (1994);

Chen Zhihui Chen Zhihui is a Chinese actor best known for playing supporting roles in various films and television series since the 1980s. Some of his more notable roles in film include: Master Chin in '' Jet Li's Fearless'' (2006); Zhang Fei in '' Three Ki ...

in '' Three Kingdoms: Resurrection of the Dragon'' (2008);

Zang Jinsheng Zang Jinsheng (; born 11 May 1959) is a Chinese actor. He is a member of the China Television Artists Association, Institute of Broadcasting and Television of China, and China Film Association. He is best known for portraying Lu Zhishen and Zhu ...

in '' Red Cliff'' (2008–09); Kang Kai in ''

'' (2010); Justin Cheung in ''

Dynasty Warriors is a series of Japanese hack and slash action video games created by Omega Force and Koei (now is Koei Tecmo). The series is a spin-off of Koei's turn-based strategy '' Romance of the Three Kingdoms'' series, based upon the Chinese novel of ...

'' (2019). Zhang Fei is featured as a playable character in all instalments of Koei's ''

'' video game series, as well as ''

Warriors Orochi is a hack and slash video game for PlayStation 2 and Xbox 360, developed by Koei and Omega Force. It is a crossover of two of Koei's popular video game series, ''Dynasty Warriors'' and '' Samurai Warriors'' (specifically ''Dynasty Warriors 5'' a ...

'', a crossover between ''Dynasty Warriors'' and ''

Samurai Warriors is the first title in the series of hack and slash video games created by Koei's Omega Force team based closely around the Sengoku ("Warring States") period of Japanese history and it is a sister series of the ''Dynasty Warriors'' series, rele ...

''. He also appears in other video games produced by Koei, such as ''

'', ''

Dynasty Tactics ''Dynasty Tactics'' (三國志戦記, ''Sangokushi Senki'' in Japan) is a strategy game for the Sony PlayStation 2. The title is set during the Three Kingdoms era and takes place after the Yellow Turban Rebellion and Dong Zhuo's death. The gamepla ...

'' and ''

Kessen II is a strategy game loosely based on the Three Kingdoms period of China. It is the sequel to '' Kessen'' in name only; both ''Kessen'' and the later sequel ''Kessen III'' are based on events in Japan and China. The gameplay involves playing out m ...

''. Other non-Koei titles that he is featured in include ''Heroes Evolved'', ''Clash of Kingdoms'', '' Three Kingdoms: Fate of the Dragon'', ''

Destiny of an Emperor ''Destiny of an Emperor'', known in Japan as , is a strategy role-playing game by Capcom for the Nintendo Entertainment System based on the ''Tenchi wo Kurau'' manga by Hiroshi Motomiya. It was originally released in Japan in 1989, with an Englis ...

'' and ''

Koihime Musō is a series of Japanese adult visual novels and strategy video games primarily developed and published by BaseSon for the Windows and is based on the classic 14th century Chinese novel ''Romance of the Three Kingdoms'' by Luo Guanzhong. ...

''. The creative nonfiction travel essay 'Facing Zhang Fei: Hero or Villain or Man' featured in The Bangalore Review (April 2020). The narrative follows the movements of Australian writer Dean Kerrison in the ancient town Langzhong, Sichuan, which Zhang Fei governed and died in. The piece mixes insights of contemporary Chinese culture, critique relating to Zhang Fei and the Three Kingdoms period, and the theme of heroism including relevant personal anecdotes. In the collectible card game ''

Magic: The Gathering ''Magic: The Gathering'' (colloquially known as ''Magic'' or ''MTG'') is a Tabletop game, tabletop and Digital collectible card game, digital Collectible card game, collectable card game created by Richard Garfield. Released in 1993 by Wizards ...

'', there is a card named "Zhang Fei, Fierce Warrior" in the ''

Portal Three Kingdoms Portal often refers to: * Portal (architecture), an opening in a wall of a building, gate or fortification, or the extremities (ends) of a tunnel Portal may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Gaming * ''Portal'' (series), two video games ...

'' set. The ''

Pokémon (an abbreviation for in Japan) is a Japanese media franchise managed by The Pokémon Company, founded by Nintendo, Game Freak, and Creatures (company), Creatures, the owners of the trademark and copyright of the franchise. In terms of ...

'' Emboar was based on Zhang Fei.

Notes

References

Citations

Bibliography

* Chen, Shou (3rd century). ''

Records of the Three Kingdoms The ''Records or History of the Three Kingdoms'', also known by its Chinese name as the Sanguo Zhi, is a Chinese historical text which covers the history of the late Eastern Han dynasty (c. 184–220 AD) and the Three Kingdoms period (220– ...

'' (''Sanguozhi''). *

Chang Qu Chang Qu () (c. 291 – c. 361 CE) was a 4th-century Chinese historian of the Cheng Han dynasty, who wrote the ''Chronicles of Huayang'' or ''Records of the States South of Mount Hua Mount Hua () is a mountain located near the city of Huayi ...

(4th century). ''

Chronicles of Huayang The ''Chronicles of Huayang'' or ''Huayang Guo Zhi'' () is the oldest extant gazetteer of a region of China. It was compiled by Chang Qu during the Jin Dynasty. It contains roughly 110,000 characters. Its contents comprise history, geography an ...

'' (''Huayang Guo Zhi''). * Pei, Songzhi (5th century). ''

Annotations to Records of the Three Kingdoms Annotations to Records of the Three Kingdoms () by Pei Songzhi (372-451) is an annotation completed in the 5th century of the 3rd century historical text ''Records of the Three Kingdoms'', compiled by Chen Shou. After leaving his native land, Pei ...

'' (''Sanguozhi zhu''). * Luo, Guanzhong (14th century). ''

'' (''Sanguo Yanyi''). * {{DEFAULTSORT:Zhang, Fei Year of birth unknown 2nd-century births 221 deaths Assassinated Chinese politicians Chinese gods Deified Chinese people Generals under Liu Bei Han dynasty generals from Hebei Han dynasty politicians from Hebei Officials under Liu Bei Political office-holders in Hubei Political office-holders in Sichuan Politicians from Baoding Shu Han generals