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| Topic Started: Mar 14 2006, 11:37 PM (1,968 Views) | |
| SlickSlicer | Mar 14 2006, 11:37 PM Post #1 |
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 This will be a topic for the new three kingdoms project, to go along with Alex's one on the Sengoku-Jidai characters. This Project: The goal of this project is to give people who haven't read the novel or don't know much about the historical period, some background information about both of these. Since it is stickied on the historical three kingdoms board, all of this info will be easily accessible to anybody. This thread is specifically for people's biographies although in the future a new one will probably be opened up for members to express opinions on these, ask questions, recommend changes, make suggestions and/or point out flaws. This topic is not for discussion and if you see it open it is because a moderator is editing mistakes or putting up a new character biography. Although the main purpose of posting these is to teach people about popular Dynasty Warrior characters like Xiahou Dun or Taishi Ci, in the future extra ones might be typed up on less-well known characters and the various warlords not included in that game. For convenience, each post will contain one biography, rather than several that people will have to scroll down through. Participation: This project was started by Gryffin and I in response to a similar one that has been initiated by Alex Dino. Although Alex plans to do most of, if not all the work, on his Sengoku character project by himself, anybody can create biographies and be properly credited for their help in doing so for this project. Simply contact me or Gryffin if you're interested or alternately send us a private message with your biographies when you've finished one. In order to keep this thread organized and without posts, we will keep this topic locked and open it when somebody has sent us a biography or we have made one ourselves. Source Citation: It is not necessary to cite your sources but it is important that you clearly state what category of information your biography falls under if you plan to make one for this project. There are two main categories of bios. These are historical ones and ones based on the novel, perhaps mixed in with a bit of fiction. Both of these are of course acceptable for this project, but either in the title of your work or somewhere else, you should state what kind of biography your's is so that members don't get confused. One thing important to remember is that good utilization of sources is encouraged but plagiarism is not. Copying somebody else's creations word for word will not be allowed or accepted. It is best if you use more than one source but is by no means necessary. As for some sources themselves, here are a few important terms for both people unfamiliar to them and persons wanting to write bios: ZZTJ (Zizhi Tongjian)-This work was created by Sima Guang and is a secondary source though one that probably adapts things from primary sources not still around today. The latter half of it was translated by Achilles Fang and titled 'Chronicles of the Three Kingdoms.' Liang Shuo of Kongming Archive's Forum has been generous enough to share some of Achilles Fang's translation. Another section of it has been translated by Dr. Rafe de Crispigny. Dr. Rafe de Crispigny-An expert sinologist and especially notable historian of Chinese history. He has written quite a few texts on Early Imperial China, it's government, it's policies and the Three Kingdoms era. His name might pop up from time to time. SGYY/ROTK/The 3k Novel (Sanguo Yanyi, Romance of the Three Kingdoms, the Three Kingdoms Novel)-These are all terms for the same thing essentially. The novel being referenced here is called Romance of the Three Kingdoms and is accredited to Luo Guanzhong, a man who lived during the Ming dynasty. Although the work is extremely popular, influential and based on historical happenings, it actually contains a large amount of fiction. When you read a biography that is noted to be based on one of these things, you should recognize that the thing you are reading is only giving a fair account of actual occurences. Some of it will be fictional. These biographies are especially useful to people who have heard of the Three Kingdoms novel and want to read about their favorite characters in it without sifting through 100s of pages. SGZ (Sanguozhi)-An extremely important primary document written by Chen Shou, who is rumoured to have been the son of Chen Shi and who served Jin, the empire that was the "victor" of the Three Kingdoms civil war. The Sanguozhi is largely accurate and historical, but it's important to recognize that it has elements of bias, overexaggeration and some fiction as well. Despite this it is one of the most key sources for historians to decipher and it is far more precise than the novel. If you would like to gain information on the historical period, the Sanguozhi is an excellent source. JBZ (Jiangbiao Zhuan)-This is rarely referenced except in relation to the ancient kingdom of Wu or the Southlands in general. Some of it can be found translated online by Sun Bofu of EmpireDividedTK. The rest of it can be found in various Pei Songzhi commentaries and the name occassionally comes up in any case. While this source also contains bias, overexaggeration and some fiction, it provides insight into the kingdom of Wu that cannot be necessarily found in the Sanguozhi. It is another great historical source that was written by Yu Pu during the 3rd Century. Although much of it has been lost, it is nevertheless a great resource since the JBZ was written by somebody who lived during the time period of the three kingdoms and is therefore a primary source text. Kongming Archives and Empire Divided TK-Kongming Archives was created by James Peirce and is one of the greatest sites for three kingdoms information. It has a multitude of info on both the novel and actual history. There are three main categories of biographies on Kongming Archives, these being novel bios (SGYY), Sanguozhi bios (SGZ) and Comprehensive biographies. The last category is slightly vague but is basically a bio written based on other historical sources. Empire Divided TK is an affiliate of Kongming Archives and was made by Jonathon Wu. It too is an excellent website that has character bios that Kongming Archives doesn't and has other cool features as well. Both are great sites that are good to check out if you want to know more about the era. Furthermore there is also a nice source called 3kingdoms.net which has a huge amount of Sanguozhi biographies translated by SHZLD (Shu-Han Zhao Lie Di) and a friendly forum that has a great deal of biographies and information as well. The first two are official affiliates of Koei Warriors itself, although I'm unsure about the last one. Miscellaneous-There is not a really defined rubric for creating these biographies. You can make them any size you wish. In fact a short summary of a character's feats is actually preferable in this project, although if you feel more comfortable with making long biographies, that is A-Ok as well. The only other things that should be paid attention to when making your biography is that you make sure you note what kind of bio it is (novel, historical or other). It's also recommended, though not necessary that you use Gryffin's format for bios: Post lifespan, name, style name and post relatives and relationships of the character. If you want to include or not to include other things like notes or a bibliography it's fine as well. |
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| Gryffin | Mar 14 2006, 11:41 PM Post #2 |
Han's Unifier
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 Xiahou Yuan (Miaocai) Lifespan: ?-219 A Relatives: Xiahou Dun (brother), Cao Cao (brother-in-law1), Xiahou Heng2, Xiahou Ba, Xiahou Wei, Xiahou He, Xiahou Hui (sons), Xiahou Ji (grandson), Xiahou Bao (great grandson) Xiahou Yuan was Xiahou Dun's younger brother. When Cao Cao was recruiting men, Xiahou joined him and was made a major. He was appointed Grand Administer of Yinchuan when Cao Cao went to Chen Liu. He took part in the war against Yuan Shao as Colonel who Controls the Army. Yuan Shao was defeated. Miaocai was later ordered to defeat Chang Xi, a rebel. At first, Xiahou didn't prevail. However, he was sent again and struck Chang. Ten villages surrendered, as did Chang. For this achievement, Miaocai was made Colonel who Sets Examples for the Army. He later fought Yellow Turban rebels under Xu He and Sima Ju, defeating them sorely and killing Xu. He also attacked Lei Xu at Lu Jiang and supervised Xu Huang's attack on the Taishan bandits, capturing twenty villages and slaying the bandit leader, Shang Yao. In the west, Miaocai battled Han Sui at Weinan, supervised Zhu Ling's pacification of Yumi Di, and participated in Cao Cao's victory over Yang Qiu at An Ding. Cao Cao returned to Ye, and appointed Miaocai as General-in-Chief, in charge of the Xi Bei area. He defeated Nanshan bandit Liu Xiong, and encircled and beheaded Liang Xing at Hu. Ma Chao was besieging Wei Kang at Ji. Miaocai went to rescue him, but didn't arrive in time. He was unable to defeat Ma in the subsequent engagement. However, a plot by Zhao Qu and Yin Feng forces Ma to flee to Han Zhong. He then returned and attacked Qi Shan. Many thought they should wait for orders from Cao Cao. However, Miaocai said "The Duke [Cao Cao] is in Ye. It is four thousand li3 there and back. Jiang Xu and his forces will be destroyed before any report can reach him. There is no way to bring help when it is needed."B He then attacked Ma and defeated him. He then outmaneuvered and defeated Han Sui. For this victory, Miaocai was given Jie4. Soon after, Miaocai recieved an order to attack a certain Song Jian of the Fuhan. he defeated him in a signle day and installed a new leader for the Fuhan. Hearing this, Cao Cao rewarded him, saying “Song Jian served to cause disorder for 30 years. [Xiahou] Yuan with one stroke exterminated him. Hubu pass is safe and we cannot be beat. To borrow ZhongniZhongni's words, ‘You and I am inferior to him’.”B 5 Miaocai then attacked the Di and Qiang of Wu Du, and assisted in the pacification of Han Zhong. Cao Cao used Xiahou Yuan to make the Qiang and Hu tribes fear him.6 In 218 CE, Liu Bei surrounded Yang Ping, and Miaocai went out to give battle. He defended Nanguo while Zhang He protected Dongguo. Liu bei attacked Zhang he, and worsted him. Miaocai divided his forces to aid Zhang, but Liu Bei raided his forces as he was killed in battle. At first, although [Xiahou] Yuan frequently prevailed, the Grand Ancestor warned him saying, “The commander of an army should sometimes be timid and weak; you cannot rely merely upon your courage. The commander takes courage as the basis, but he must always act wisely and with forethought. If he thinks only of physical bravery, a common fellow can match him."B 1Xiahou Yuan married Cao Cao's sister. However, I found no mention of them being otherwise related. 2In Xiahou Yuan's biography, his eldest son is called Heng. In Xiahou Shang's biography, Shang is listed as Yuan's eldest son. Also, Sima Hui suggested that Shang was Yuan's nephew, but was adopted by Yuan. There is the possibility that Shang's biography mistakenly said Yuan instead of Dun. Also, Heng was apparently exiled following Xiahou ba's defection to Shu, so one of the latter theroies seems more likely. 3A li is approximately 2.07 miles, give or take. 4Jie was essentially permission to undertake expeditions on behalf of the state, without especial approval. It also gave Xiahou permission to execute those who violated military law. 5This is a reference to a quote by Confucius to his most talented student. Cao Cao is hinting that Xiahou Yuan is as wise, capable, an respected, just like said student. Thanks to Lady Wu for explaining that. 6I'm unaware of whether he used Xiahou to physically beat them, or simply as a threat. AKongming's Archives BEmpire Divided 
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| SlickSlicer | Mar 18 2006, 04:10 AM Post #3 |
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[size=14]Ma Chao Historical Biography[/size] Kingdoms Served: Ma Teng, Himself, Zhang Lu, Liu Bei Relatives: Ma Teng (father), Ma Dai (brother), Ma Yuan (legendary ancestor), Ma Cheng (son), daughter of unknown name, ??? Author of Bio: SlickSlicer (Me) [size=7]Ma Chao (Mengqi)[/size] [size=7]馬超 (孟起)[/size] [size=5]Lifespan: AD 175-222[/size]  Ma Chao was born in Maoling in 177 AD and was the son of Ma Teng. It was said of Ma Chao that he had the courage of Han Xin and Ying Bu (1) and that he was popular with the Qiang barbarians. Ma Chao was himself part Qiang because his father was half-Qiang. He was a man of great physical strength and prowess. In fiction he is a crusader seeking to avenge his father's death. In reality though, Ma Chao's father died after official engagements broke out between Cao Cao and the various factions of the Northwest (including Ma Chao's clan). It is unclear whether Ma Chao participated in Ma Teng's attack on the warlord Li Jue although legends say that he slew Li Jue's general Wang Mang in this campaign and took another officer named Li Meng prisoner. Whether Ma Chao accompanied his father or not, he was at this time 17 years old. In 202 AD however, Ma Chao embarked on a more major expedition. At this time, Cao Cao was fighting with the sons of Yuan Shao. Yuan Shang's talented and somewhat cocky general, Guo Yuan, swept through Hedong province and conquered a great deal of commanderies from Cao Cao. Ma Teng was indecisive about whom to support and had messengers meet with officers of both Cao Cao and Guo Yuan. Eventually however, his advisor Fu Gan persuaded him to ally with Cao Cao's general Zhong Yao against Guo Yuan. A well-written letter by Zhong Yao sealed the deal and soon Ma Teng was readying his army in preparation to support Cao Cao. Ma Teng dispatched his son Ma Chao and colonel Pang De with an army of about ten thousand soldiers. This was to be Ma Chao's first battle where he held significant command duty. Following Zhong Yao's plan, Ma Chao and the rest of the allied forces struck at Guo Yuan's flank as Guo Yuan attempted to cross the Fen River. A story of the battle describes Ma Chao being hit in the foot by an arrow but continuing to fight on. Zhong Yao's ploy had in any case caught Guo Yuan by surprise and in the end the allied army was victorious. Amidst the chaos of the fighting, Ma Chao's officer Pang De succeeded in taking Guo Yuan's head. Through this battle, Ma Chao had gained invaluable experience in leading troops. In 210 AD, Ma Teng began to fall out of favor with his former ally Han Sui, who had worked with him in operations against Li Jue. Ma Teng asked Cao Cao to be relocated to Xu Chang and Ma Chao became the head of his father's forces. Zhong Yao was appointed as the governor of the commanderies nearby the border where Ma Chao and various other chieftains ruled. Although Ma Chao kept peace with Zhong Yao, the alliance between the two forces was very uneasy. When Cao Cao launched a Western campaign to defeat Zhang Lu, Ma Chao and the rest of the Northwestern lords felt threatened and allied with each other against Cao Cao. Ma Chao, Han Sui, Hou Xuan, Cheng Yin, Yang Qiu, Li Kan, Zhang Heng, Liang Xing, Cheng Yi & Ma Wan rose up in rebellion and set up a defense at Tong Gate, blocking Cao Cao's attack on Zhang Lu. Cao Cao decided to cross the Yellow River to strike Tong Gate. Cavalry intercepted Cao Cao's army while Ma Chao ordered a volley against Cao Cao's position. While this assault was initially successful, a colonel of Cao Cao's named Ding Fei managed to cross the river and he set free several horses, cows and other creatures being held in stables on the other side. This ploy utterly confused Ma Chao's troops, which began to round up the beasts that had escaped. While Ma Chao's army was distracted, Cao Cao set up an encampment and ordered his men to construct a bridge. Ma Chao's army was skirmished by Cao Cao's troops on several occasions but these small attacks were just diversions. Eventually Ma Chao attempted a night raid on Cao Cao's army but this failed and Ma Chao's army was defeated. Although Ma Chao offered peace to his rival several times, Cao Cao refused on each occasion. Finally though Cao Cao accepted a truce. This was just a trick and soon after Cao Cao's army struck Ma Chao's soldiers once more and defeated them. Ma Chao fled to Lantian where he put up a final stand against Cao Cao. In a number of battles he was defeated however by Xiahou Yuan. Gathering up his remaining men, Ma Chao conquered a multitude of cities west of Long Mountain. Eventually the only city that put up any resistance was Ji city. Ji eventually capitulated as well and Ma Chao slaughtered the Grand Administrator and officials of the city. After this victory, Xiahou Yuan tried to besiege Ji but found little success in this venture. Eventually Xiahou Yuan retreated his exhausted army from the battlefield. The King of the Di tribe, King Qianwan, was impressed with Ma Chao's feats and allied with him. Ma Chao had gained some security by taking Ji but this would not last long. Soon after Chao's successes against Xiahou Yuan, Jiang Xu, Zhao Ang, Yin Feng, and Li Jun (all of which were subordinates of Ma Chao), mutinied against Ma Chao. These rebels conspired with two of Ma Chao's officers within Ji named Liang Kun and Zhao Qu. Yang Fu further supported the whole revolt. When Ma Chao set out to crush the insurgents, Liang Kun and Zhao Qu vowed to protect the city. After their master left to take the field against his enemies however, these two generals took over Ji for themselves and slaughtered Ma Chao's entire family. Ma Chao found out this news too late so he decided to press on and attack Yang Fu and Jiang Xu at Li. Prior to the battle, Ma Chao captured and beheaded Jiang Xu's mother. Zhao Yue, the son of Zhao Ang, had been kept hostage by Ma Chao and was now slain by the enraged commander as well. Ma Chao then met with Yang Fu's forces in battle. Despite the fact that Ma Chao lost the fight, he and his men fought bravely and Yang Fu himself was wounded five times in the melee between the two armies. Ma Chao, defeated, took up refuge with the lord of Hanzhong, Zhang Lu. Now a mere vassal under another warlord, Ma Chao wasted no time beseeching Zhang Lu for troops and asking permission to attack Zhao Ang and Jiang Xu. Zhang Lu gave Ma Chao the things he needed so Ma Chao marched north. Somehow though, Cao Cao's men managed to discover he was leading an attack on his former subordinates. Xiahou Yuan swiftly marched to reinforce Ma Chao's adversaries and together the combined armies drove Ma Chao back to Han Zhong. Ma Chao had lost Zhang Lu's trust upon returning from the North and Zhang Lu's vassals spread rumors about Ma Chao being untrustworthy and useless. Dejectedly, Ma Chao left Zhang Lu's service and settled among local Di barbarians. At around this time, Liu Bei was besieging Cheng Du and trying to take it from the ruler of Shu, Liu Zhang. Ma Chao heard about this and asked Liu Bei if he would allow him into the army. Liu Bei eagerly accepted Ma Chao's assistance and sent both soldiers and supplies to Ma Chao. Ma Chao promptly attacked Chengdu to help Liu Bei. Ma Chao's strike from the north shocked the defenders of the city and demoralized Liu Bei's enemy. In a short while, Jian Yong, an officer of Liu Bei and friend of Liu Zhang, convinced Liu Zhang to surrender the city to Liu Bei to end the needless warring between them (II). For his services in the assault, Ma Chao was given the rank of General Who Subdues the West and Colonel Consultant of the Army. Ma Chao later obtained rank as one of the 5 Tiger Generals of the Shu kingdom. Before his death, Liu Bei asked Ma Chao to pacify the Qiang peoples of the North and introduce Han culture to them. Although Ma Chao was popular with the Qiang tribe and had many connections with them, it is unclear whether or not Ma Chao ever accomplished this mission. (1)-Han Xin and Ying Bu were two distinguished generals who served Liu Bang, the founder of the Han Dynasty. For some reason, Lu Bu rather than Ying Bu is frequently substituted in this quote. Also it is unclear whether Cao Cao or one of Cao Cao's advisors said this about Ma Chao. (2)-Although most of the Riverland generals thought that it was foolish to surrender to Liu Bei and wanted to hold out against Liu Bei's army, Liu Zhang ignored their advice and capitulated after meeting and negotiating with Jian Yong. 
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| Gryffin | Mar 22 2006, 05:41 AM Post #4 |
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Han's Unifier
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 Taishi Ci (Ziyi) Lifespan: 166-206 Relatives: Taishi Heng (son) Taishi Ci, style Ziyi, was born in Donglai. He was fond of learning, and worked as a clerk in the Donglai commandery. However, he was forced to flee to Liaodong following an incident with the provincial office1. The prefect of Bei Hai, Kong Rong, was impressed by what he had heard about Ziyi, and sent his regards to his mother, and made sure she never needed anything. Later, Kong was garrisoned at Duchang to deal with a Yellow Turban uprising. However, he was surrounded by the rebels, who were led by Guan Hai. Ziyi happened to be visiting his mother at the time, and she told him to aid her benefactor. After spending three nights at home, Taishi left for Ducheng. When he arrived, he fonud that the siege had not been properly laid out yet, so he fonud an opening and snuck into the city. He requested troops to fight the rebels, However, Kong Rong refused, deciding instead to wait for outside help. When help didn't arrive, he sought to send a message to Liu Bei, prefect of Ping Yuan. Everyone said it would be too difficult to break out of the siege, but Ziyi offered himself. Kong Rong was reluctant, but eventually approved of Ziyi's actions. Early the next day, Ziyi rode out of the city with two men, who carried archery targets. The rebels all watched as he set up the targets and shot at them. He then rode back into the city. He repeated this the next day, noting that, while some rebels watched, others still slept. The next day, none of them got up, so he whipped his horse and broke through the encirclement. He wasn't followed. At Ping Yuan, he met Liu Bei, who dispatched troops to aid Kong Rong. Hearing of the approach of reinforcements, the rebels lifted the siege. Ziyi then went to visit Liu Yao2, a friend of his from the same commandary. When he arrived, Sun Ce was invading Liu's territory. Some suggested that Liu employ Ziyi, but Liu was unwilling to give Ziyi a high post. One day, while riding alone, Ziyi saw Sun Ce riding with thirteen of men-Han Dang, Huang Gai, and other men of that calibre. Ziyi rode forward and duelled Sun Ce. Sun stabbed his horse, and grasped the short spear Ziyi wore on his back, while Ziyi got a hold of Sun's helmet. Right then, troops appeared for both sides and the fighting ceased.3 Ziyi and Liu were soon forced to flee to Yu Zhang. Liu Yao proclaimed himself Grand Administrator of Dan Yang, and Ziyi went to garrison at Jing. However, Sun Ce captured him, and persuaded him to yield. Liu Yao died soon after, and Sun Ce had Ziyi gather up Liu's former soldiers. Many of Sun's men doubted that Ziyi would return, but he did so. This further elevated him in the eyes of Sun Ce. Liu Pan, a talented nephew of Liu Biao, stirred up trouble on the border, so Sun Ce appointed Ziyi in charge of the defenses against Liu Pan. After that, Liu Pan never caused trouble again. Ziyi was 7 chi 7 cun tall4, and boasted a beautiful beard. Once, he was with Sun Ce fighting the bandits at Mabao. One of the bandits was cursing the attackers from the towers within the fort, and he was holding onto the pillar of the tower with his hand. Taishi Ci drew his bow and shot at him, and the arrow pierced through his hand and pinned it onto the pillar. The tens of thousands of surrounding attackers all cheered and applauded at this featA. Taishi Ci died at the age of 41. His son reached the rank of Colonel of the Elite Cavalry, as well as holding numerous other posts, including imperial secretariat and Grand Administrator of the Wu commandery.
2Liu Yao is known as Liu Yong in Koei games. 3This is one of the only duels in the novel that actually happened. 4One chi is approximately 23.4cm, and a cun is one-tenth of a chi. Taishi Ci was thus approximately 180cm tall. AKongming's Archives Taishi Ci SGZ Biography. 
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| SlickSlicer | Mar 22 2006, 06:35 AM Post #5 |
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[size=14]Pang Tong Historical Biography[/size] Kingdoms Served: Liu Bei Relatives: Pang Degong (Uncle), Pang Lin (brother), Pang Hong (son) Author: SlickSlicer (Me) [size=7]Pang Tong (Shiyuan)[/size] [size=7]龐統 (士元)[/size] [size=5]Lifespan: AD 178-213[/size]  Pang Tong was born in Xiangyang and was styled Shiyuan. His uncle, Pang Degong, who was one of the few people who admired Pang Tong’s talents, gave him the Taoist nickname Young Phoenix. In Pang Tong’s youth, he befriended both Sima Hui and Zhuge Liang. On one occasion, Sima Hui and Pang Tong talked from morning until evening while Sima Hui busily picked mulberries from his tree. Sima Hui thought so highly of both Pang Tong and Zhuge Liang that when Liu Bei asked Sima Hui about scholars, Sima Hui recommended to Liu Bei Zhuge Kongming and Pang Shiyuan, referring to each of them as men of incredible ability. Soon after Zhou Yu assisted Liu Bei in taking part of Jingzhou, Zhou Yu perished and Pang Tong went to attend his funeral. He afterwards became an Attendant Official under Liu Bei and was given a position as an assistant to the prefect of Leiyang. Although Pang Tong was said to have cared for the elderly and the common folk, he nevertheless governed Leiyang County poorly and was dismissed by Liu Bei. In the past, Pang Tong had traveled as an envoy to Wu and was greatly admired by several members of the Wu court. One person who thought highly of him within Wu was Lu Su, and when Lu Su heard of Pang Tong’s apparent failings as a magistrate he wrote to Liu Bei saying, “Pang Shiyuan's talent is much more than one who governs several miles. Make him a member of your personal staff and he will no doubt find his feet.” When Liu Bei’s advisor Zhuge Liang approved Lu Su’s suggestion, Liu Bei met with Pang Tong and conversed with him for a little while, also learning from Pang Tong that prior to the Battle of Red Cliffs Zhou Yu had tried to trap and assassinate Liu Bei. After surmising that Pang Tong was a man of great aptitude, Liu Bei decided to appoint both Pang Tong and Zhuge Liang to positions as Masters of the Army (I), with responsibilities of administration, military discipline and strategic planning. When Cao Cao invaded Hanzhong, the lord of Shu Liu Zhang knew not what to do. His official Zhang Song advised Liu Zhang to invite Liu Bei to come and lead soldiers to defeat Zhang Lu first and take Hanzhong for Liu Zhang in defense against Cao Cao. Liu Zhang agreed with this advice and sent Fa Zheng with 4,000 soldiers to request assistance from Liu Bei. Several generals of the Riverlands (II) objected to this plan however and Wang Lei of Guanghan even hung himself upside down from the gates of Chengdu in protest to Zhang Song’s scheme. Nothing however could change the mind of the stubborn Liu Zhang and so Fa Zheng was quickly dispatched to meet with Liu Bei. When Fa Zheng came to Jing, he harbored traitorous thoughts and commented to Liu Bei, “With your bravery and skill you can take advantage of Liu Zhang’s lack of energy. Zhang Song is like the arms and legs to that province and he would gladly support the overthrow of its’ ruler. With his help you can seize Yi province as easily as you can turn your hand.” Liu Bei was uncertain about this suggestion however and sought advice from Pang Tong. Pang Tong quickly remarked, “Jing Province is in disorder and ruins, the people and the property are all exhausted. In the East there are the Suns and in the North there is Cao Cao. You will find it hard to obtain your ambitions here. Yi however has a population of nearly a million households, the soil is fertile and the people are wealthy. If you can obtain this treasure for yourself then your great designs may be achieved!” Liu Bei was a man of virtue and not one to act to gain a small advantage over his adversaries. “There are two men in the world as mutually antagonistic as fire and water. My opposite is Cao Cao. He is impetuous and I am long suffering; he is cruel and I am humane; he feigns while I am true. In all particulars I act the direct contrary to him. If I take a small benefit from treachery now, yet lose the honor of my name, what good is that?” inquired Liu Bei, replying to Pang Tong’s rather Machiavellian advice. Pang Tong then continued saying, “In times of disorder, one must be able to adapt to changing circumstances. If you take advantage of opportunities presented to you now you will be taking over from the weak and attacking the stupid, and what you seize by rebellion you may hold with obedience. Men of the past have always respected this. Once the matter is settled you can give Liu Zhang a generous fief but if you do not conquer Yi province now, Liu Zhang will simply fall to someone else.” (III) Liu Bei found truth in this advice and so he left Guan Yu, Zhao Yun, Zhuge Liang and others to hold Jing province while he, Pang Tong and others marched to Yizhou. Pang Tong and Zhuge Liang were then given the responsibility to control the movements of Liu Bei’s armies in their respective positions (IV). After meeting with Liu Zhang, Liu Bei was dispatched to Jiameng Pass to deal with the threat of Zhang Lu. Pang Tong gave Liu Bei three different strategies on how to go about taking hold of Yizhou from the clutches of Liu Zhang. “The first plan I suggest is to gather your best soldiers, march night and day to Chengdu, and afterwards launch a surprise attack on the city. Liu Zhang is not a fighting man and he will quickly surrender should a large army come to threaten him. Because the affair can be settled in a single blow, this is probably the best plan. My next ploy is to go forward to Boshui Pass, where Yang Huai and Gao Pei, two notable officers, are in command. I have heard that these two generals objected to the idea of inviting you into Yizhou. Send an envoy to them with the message that Jing is in danger and that you must retreat immediately. They will no doubt be pleased with this and will come to you with a small escort. Then you may arrest them, take over the forces they command and from there turn against Cheng Du. Finally you could also go back to Bodi, join up with the forces of Jing and then scheme to one day return to take Yizhou. This however would be, in my opinion, the worst plan you could utilize,” said Pang Tong. Out of these three policies, Liu Bei approved the middle one and then requested reinforcements from Liu Zhang. When Liu Zhang only sent a paltry sum of troops and supplies, Liu Bei pretended to be enraged and rallied his troops to turn against their former benefactor. Liu Bei summoned Gao Pei and Yang Huai of Boshui and had them arrested and killed, following Pang Tong’s plan of action. He then combined their forces with his own and rushed forward to assault Liu Zhang. Liu Bei besieged Liu Zhang’s city of Luo for more than a year. Pang Tong was the leader of an attack force against the city but he got hit by a stray arrow and died at the age of thirty-six. Both Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang mourned for Pang Tong. Although Pang Tong’s son Pang Hong was at first not given any substantial rank, he was later appointed as the governor of Fu. Pang Tong’s brother Pang Lin went with Liu Bei on the expedition to Wu but following the failure of that campaign he went with Huang Quan to surrender to Wei. Author's Notes: I-They were actually given the rank of Generals of the Gentleman of the Household Masters of the Army but since that particular title, along with many other Han ones are rather wordy, I decided to simply abbreviate it. II-The province of Yizhou is sometimes called Shu and sometimes referred to as the Riverlands. III-“Seize by rebellion and hold by obedience” was a maxim of the ancient statesman Lu Jia and a reference to the actions of King Tang of the Shang dynasty and King Wu of the Zhou dynasty, two rulers who revolted against weak leaders but later governed what they had gained through treachery well and won the hearts of the people through their actions. IV-This is according to commentary by Jonathon Wu in his Pang Tong Comprehensive Biography. A-Pang Tong’s historical personality is perhaps not as interesting as the character Pang Tong in Luo Guanzhong’s Romance of the Three Kingdoms, where Pang Tong’s feats at Chi Bi and other places are somewhat over-exaggerated. I have written a Sanguo Yanyi (Romance of the Three Kingdoms novel) biography about Pang Tong on Kongming Archives that you can find here: http://www.kongming.net/novel/sgyy/pangtong.php 
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| SlickSlicer | Mar 25 2006, 10:26 AM Post #6 |
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[size=14]Lü Bu Historical Biography[/size] Kingdoms Served: Ding Yuan, Dong Zhuo, Wang Yun, Zhang Yang, Yuan Shao, Liu Bei, Independent Relatives: Daughter (name unknown, though Koei presumes the name Lü Lingqi) Author: SlickSlicer (Me) [size=7]Lü Bu (Fengxian)[/size] [size=7]吕布 (奉先)[/size] [size=5]Lifespan: AD 156-198[/size]  Lü Bu was born in Wuyuan and was one of the most famous fighting men of his time. He was a great archer and martial artist and was widely praised for his abilities. During the Late-Han period there was a famous saying about Lü Bu that went: “Among men Lü Bu, among horses Red Hare.” This statement accurately showed how flawless as a warrior was Lü Bu and how great his legendary steed Red Hare was. Although most notably known as a powerful champion of battle, Lü Bu is also known both in legend and historically as a very treacherous man. On more than a few occasions, Lü Bu betrayed a liege or ally. Despite his disloyalty, Lü Bu was still an amazing character and it is incredible that he rose from a man not born of aristocratic lineage or grand status to eventually become a significant warlord of the period able to challenge such important characters as Yuan Shu, Liu Bei and Cao Cao. Ding Yuan was the Inspector of Bing Province and the overlord of Lü Bu’s commandery. He was a fierce man who was a decent rider and archer himself. Ding Yuan greatly admired Lü Bu and appointed him as his Master of Records. Although Ding Yuan trusted Lü Bu, Lü Bu was not particularly fond of his master. In 189 AD Ding Yuan worked with He Jin in operations against the eunuchs and he brought Lü Bu with him on this expedition. Ding Yuan was stationed at the capital and was even made Commander of the Imperial Guard. During the same year however the eunuchs assassinated He Jin. He Jin had summoned general Dong Zhuo from the West before he died however. Dong Zhuo had only a few thousand soldiers with him but wanted to take over the capital. He had his men speak with Lü Bu privately and it was arranged that Lü Bu would kill Ding Yuan so that Dong Zhuo could take over Ding Yuan’s forces at the capital. This affair was successfully managed and Lü Bu was greatly rewarded, receiving the title of Chief Commander of the Cavalry. Dong Zhuo successfully took over the Han court soon after and even deposed Emperor Shao in favor of his more competent brother Xian. A coalition was soon formed against him and Dong Zhuo was forced to fight against a large number of opposing warlords. Dong Zhuo was at first successful on the Eastern and Southern front and he sent Lü Bu to deal with his adversaries in many battles. When Dong Zhuo felt threatened by Sun Jian in the South, he dispatched Hu Zhen as commander against Sun Jian with many thousands of troops. Lü Bu was put in charge of the cavalry but he and several other officers greatly disliked Hu Zhen and planned to deceive him in the fight and put up a weak resistance. Sun Jian easily defeated the army sent against him at Yangren and soon put Dong Zhuo in a very bad position. Dong Zhuo was under pressure of being invaded by Sun Jian to the South and the rest of the allied coalition in the East. In 190 AD, Dong Zhuo planned to move the capital and thousands of citizens to Chang’An in the West. Dong Zhuo burned Luoyang and ordered Lü Bu to loot the tombs and treasures of the Emperors buried in the city. Lü Bu and the rest of Dong Zhuo’s officers were defeated in battle with Sun Jian at Luoyang but managed to flee to Chang’An. After Dong Zhuo had moved the capital he was in constant fear that a political enemy might murder him and so he made the strong Lü Bu his personal bodyguard. Lü Bu and Dong Zhuo fell out of favor though and on one occasion Dong Zhuo even threw a hand-axe at Lü Bu. Although Lü Bu swiftly dodged the weapon, he began to grow fearful of Dong Zhuo’s temper. Lü Bu conspired with Wang Yun to kill Dong Zhuo and accomplished this task in 192 AD. Wang Yun and Lü Bu took over affairs of the court but were soon met by a Dong Zhuo loyalist rebellion led by Li Jue and several others. Dong Zhuo’s death angered many of his former vassals who disliked Wang Yun’s arrogance and felt fearful that they would be slain for aligning themselves with Dong Zhuo in the past. A small civil war erupted in Chang’An and although Lü Bu tried to do battle with Li Jue and the others he could not do anything to beat them and was forced to escape from Chang’An with only a few hundred men. Lü Bu fled to Yuan Shu, who received him warmly but was disgusted at Lü Bu’s betrayal and would not accept him into his ranks. When Lü Bu allowed his men to rob and plunder from the people, Yuan Shu became annoyed and Lü Bu was worried about Yuan Shu’s wrath and so he fled to Zhang Yang of Henei. Li Jue and the rest of the generals at the capital offered a reward for Lü Bu’s head, which made Lü Bu once more afraid. Fearful of getting captured, Lü Bu escaped to the territory of Yuan Shao. Yuan Shao and Lü Bu went together to Changshan to fight against the Black Mountain Bandits and Lü Bu played a leading role in the battle. Yuan Shao was concerned with the way Lü Bu disciplined his troops and treated his enemies however and so Yuan Shao plotted to assassinate Lü Bu. Lü Bu felt uneasy once more and asked for permission to go to Luo Yang. Yuan Shao provided him an escort but he secretly told the men of the escort to try to execute Lü Bu. This attempt on Lü Bu’s life failed however and Lü Bu once more returned to Zhang Yang. On the way there however, Zhang Miao, the governor of Chen Liu under Cao Cao’s authority, and Lü Bu met one another and swore an oath of friendship. Zhang Miao had long planned to rebel against Cao Cao and secretly agreed to mutiny with a number of various officials of Cao Cao who were unsure of their position (I). Chen Gong, who was one such conspirator, invited Lü Bu to seize Yan province from Cao Cao. At the time Cao Cao was fighting a war against Tao Qian and had gone with the majority of his forces to Xu. Some of Cao Cao’s advisors such as Xun Yu thought that Zhang Miao would rebel and Xiahou Dun foolishly led his troops out of his city of Puyang to camp near Chen Liu. While Xiahou Dun was away, Lü Bu occupied the city. Afterwards Lü Bu and Chen Gong conquered every county of Yan except for Juancheng, Fan and Dong’a. Faced with a new internal threat, Cao Cao was forced to give up his campaign in Xu Province and deal with Lü Bu. In defense against Cao Cao, Lü Bu set up outposts west of Puyang. During the night however agents of Cao Cao destroyed these. A battle then ensued at Puyang between Cao Cao and Lü Bu. Cao Cao’s men set fire to the Eastern Gate of Puyang and charged the city but were defeated and forced to retreat (II). Later, in springtime, Cao Cao won against Lü Bu at Dingtao and drove Lü Bu from Yan. Lü Bu fled east to Xu to seek an audience with Liu Bei and was followed by Zhang Miao, who left his younger brother Zhang Chao to cover his rear and defend Yongqiu. On the way to Xu, Zhang Miao was killed by his own soldiers but Lü Bu successfully made his way to Liu Bei’s territory. Lü Bu treated Liu Bei courteously and invited Liu Bei to his tent to drink wine. Lü Bu called Liu Bei his younger brother and ordered his wife to be generous towards Liu Bei. Liu Bei was respectful and pretended to be pleased but in reality he was confused with Lü Bu’s sudden appearance. Liu Bei stationed Lü Bu to the northwest, near the border of Xu and Yan. A while after Lü Bu’s visit though, Liu Bei was attacked by Yuan Shu. Liu Bei went to intercept Yuan Shu’s army while leaving Zhang Fei in defense of Xia Pi. Zhang Fei got into a fight with his subordinate Cao Bao and slew him. This action stirred up discontent and riots were afterwards common throughout the city. At the same time, Yuan Shu promised Lü Bu supplies and troops if Lü Bu could take Xia Pi. Lü Bu was pleased with this and decided to turn against Liu Bei. He struck at Xia Pi and was let into the city by a discontented officer of Liu Bei’s named Xu Dan. Liu Bei was soon defeated by Yuan Shu (III) and asked Lü Bu if he could surrender to him and ally to oust Yuan Shu from Xu. Yuan Shu had not given Lü Bu the things that Lü Bu was promised and so Lü Bu gladly allied with Liu Bei, making Liu Bei the Inspector of Yu Province and asking him to camp at Xiao Pei and prepare for a fight against Yuan Shu. Lü Bu named himself Governor of Xuzhou but it was not long until he met with local opposition. One of Lü Bu’s officers named He Meng led an insurrection in Xia Pi in the middle of the night shortly after Lü Bu had gained control over Xu. Lü Bu fled in simple garments to the camp of his vassal Gao Shun. Gao Shun then defeated He Meng and another officer of Lü Bu’s named Cao Xing subsequently chopped of He Meng’s head. For a time it seemed like Xu province was settled and Yuan Shu even offered a marriage alliance to Lü Bu. Not much later however, Yuan Shu’s general Ji Ling marched against Liu Bei, who was also Lü Bu’s ally, with a massive army at his command. Even though Lü Bu was allied with Yuan Shu, he knew that if Yuan Shu defeated Liu Bei, Yuan Shu could afterwards easily overrun the province. Because of this, Lü Bu marched with soldiers to possibly relieve Liu Bei, although first Lü Bu would try to make peace between Yuan Shu and Liu Bei. Lü Bu invited Ji Ling and his officers as well as Liu Bei to Xiao Pei. There they ate and drank and then Lü Bu made a bet with Ji Ling and Liu Bei that from his position he could hit the small spike of a halberd all the way at the other side of his camp with an arrow shot from his bow. Lü Bu told them that if he could hit it then it was the will of heaven that Ji Ling and Liu Bei should withdraw from their fighting. If, however, Lü Bu missed then Ji Ling and Liu Bei would be permitted to leave the short party, return to their camps and soon afterwards resume their quarrel. Astonishingly, Lü Bu hit the point of the halberd with a well-shot arrow. Ji Ling and Liu Bei were both impressed and agreed to stop their conflict. Lü Bu had mediated between the two sides successfully and thus for the first time he had played peacemaker. It was not long after this incident though that Lü Bu attacked Liu Bei out of fear for the large army that Liu Bei had built up since Yuan Shu had nearly invaded him. Lü Bu later was persuaded by Cao Cao to give up his alliance with Yuan Shu. Although Lü Bu had sent his daughter to wed Yuan Shu’s son, he cancelled the engagement and brought back his daughter to Xia Pi. Moreover, Lü Bu beheaded an envoy of Yuan Shu’s named Han Yin. Yuan Shu responded by dispatching his veteran commanders Qiao Rui and Zhang Xun to attack Lü Bu with newly appointed officers named Han Xian and Yang Feng. Lü Bu however wrote to Han Xian and Yang Feng and persuaded them to defect in battle. When the armies of Lü Bu and Yuan Shu met, shouts from behind Yuan Shu’s ranks were heard as Han Xian and Yang Feng struck at the formation of Yuan Shu’s army from the rear. Lü Bu’s forces then rushed forward to pincer Yuan Shu. In a short period of time, the ranks of Yuan Shu’s grand army were in shambles and Lü Bu was pillaging all the way up to the border where Xu province and Yuan Shu’s territories met. When Yuan Shu went out with an army to personally meet with Lü Bu’s cavalry, Yuan Shu was mocked and taunted. Eventually however Lü Bu and his troops gave this up and returned to Xiapi. It was not long after this that Lü Bu decided to finish off Liu Bei, who was now confined to Xiao Pei. Liu Bei had allied with Cao Cao and although Cao Cao was busy fighting with Zhang Xiu and Liu Biao, Xiahou Dun was sent to support Liu Bei in defense of Lü Bu. Lü Bu sent his two generals Zhang Liao and Gao Shun with Gao Shun’s famous shock troops, to defeat the allied army. Xiahou Dun and Liu Bei were easily beaten and Xiao Pei was captured. Liu Bei and his army made haste towards Cao Cao’s territory. Cao Cao realized the threat of Lü Bu once more and called off his expedition against Zhang Xiu and Liu Biao. The combined forces of Cao Cao and Liu Bei then went forward against Lü Bu and trounced Lü Bu’s army on multiple occasions. Soon Lü Bu decided to lock himself up within Xia Pi and put up a defense there. Cao Cao’s men diverted the Yi and Si rivers to flood Xia Pi and soon Lü Bu was in desperate straits. Lü Bu wanted to keep his officers alert and sober so he prohibited alcohol. But Lü Bu’s generals threw a celebration and wine was flown freely. When Lü Bu denounced this action, Lü Bu’s officers became scared and thought that their master might punish them. Hou Cheng, Song Xian, Wei Xu and a few other officers kidnapped Chen Gong and Gao Shun, arguably two of Lü Bu’s best generals, and surrendered with their men to Cao Cao. Lü Bu’s stand at Xia Pi was now hopeless and he capitulated to Cao Cao as well. Lü Bu was bound tightly and sent to Cao Cao himself. When he was allowed to speak, Lü Bu helplessly asked Liu Bei to put in a good word for him and save him from execution. Rather than do this, Liu Bei said to Cao Cao, “Do you not recall how this man treated Ding Yuan and Dong Zhuo?” Lü Bu glared at Liu Bei and called him a long-eared crook. His insults were to no avail however as Cao Cao was inclined to agree with Liu Bei and had Lü Bu, Gao Shun and Chen Gong all put to death via strangulation. The rest of Lü Bu’s officers however were spared, including Zhang Liao who later went on to serve Wei loyally and even win an incredible victory against Wu in the service of Cao Cao. Lü Bu was untrustworthy and sometimes described as akin to a wild wolf club. He acted erratically in making and breaking alliances and frequently did things without thinking beforehand. Although he was a good general and warrior, Lü Bu’s talents were wasted fighting frivolous wars with former allies and causing disorder wherever he went. Lü Bu fittingly met his end by getting betrayed by his own subordinates. When he wished for nothing but his live, Lü Bu helplessly requested assistance from his former ally, Liu Bei. But just as Lü Bu had betrayed Liu Bei and many others in the past, Liu Bei deceived Lü Bu as well. Author’s Notes: I-These were namely Chen Gong, Zhang Miao’s younger brother Chao, Wang Kai and Xu Si. II-I have listed a minimalist explanation of the battle. More information on the fight can be found here: http://sangokudatabase.tripod.com/id14.html III-Upon hearing that Lü Bu had taken control of his city, Liu Bei decided to try to attack Guangling and set himself up as a ruler there. He was defeated by Yuan Shu at Haixi however and fled back to Xu, where he beseeched Lü Bu to accept his offer to surrender. 
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| SlickSlicer | Mar 27 2006, 03:08 AM Post #7 |
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[size=14]Zhou Yu Historical Biography[/size] Kingdoms Served: Yuan Shu, Sun Ce/Quan Relatives: Zhou ? (father, surname unknown), Zhou Shang (uncle), Zhou Xun (son), Zhou Yin (son) Author: SlickSlicer [size=7]Zhou Yu (Gongjin)[/size] [size=7]周瑜 (公瑾)[/size] [size=5]Lifespan: AD 175-210[/size]  Zhou Yu was born in Shu commandery in Lu Jiang prefecture and was the son of a magistrate from Luo Yang. He was on particularly good terms with Sun Ce, who he had invited to his mansion in Shu prefecture when Sun Ce's father Jian was marching towards Luo Yang against Dong Zhuo. Zhou Yu quickly befriended Sun Ce and later when Sun Ce was leading troops to help his uncle Wu Jing against the rebel Liu Yao, Zhou Yu borrowed troops from his uncle Zhou Shang, the Grand Administrator of Danyang, and went out to help his friend. When Sun Ce saw Zhou Yu and the extra reinforcements and supplies, he was extremely pleased and said to Zhou Yu, "I have finally found you; we are a pair!" Zhou Yu and Sun Ce led troops to take Hengjiang and Danglikou and easily drove Liu Yao's officers Fan Neng and Zhang Ying away. Zhou Yu participated in many of Sun Ce's battles but when he had assembled a large army, Sun Ce realized that Zhou Yu would need to return to his uncle in Danyang and told Zhou Yu to go and help Zhou Shang there. Shortly afterwards however, Yuan Shu dismissed Zhou Shang from office and gave his own son Yuan Yin the position of Grand Administrator at Danyang. Zhou Yu and Zhou Shang went to Yuan Shu's capital at Shou Chun where Zhou Yu petitioned Yuan Shu to employ him as the magistrate of Ju Jiao. Zhou Yu later gave up his post and crossed the Yangzi to follow Sun Ce however. Sun Ce personally welcomed Zhou Yu to his forces and gave him the rank of General of the Household Who Establishes Awe (I) When Yuan Shu died, many of his former followers went to Liu Xun, the Grand Administrator of Lu Jiang. Sun Ce became worried about Liu Xun's enlarged army and decided to launch an attack on Jing and then one against Liu Xun. Sun Ce first conquered Wan and occupied it. At the same time, Liu Xun was in desperate need of supplies for his troops so he attacked the rich city of Shangliao. Before Liu Xun got there with his forces however, the clan leaders that held that city had fled with their resources. Sun Ce found out that Liu Xun had went out with his army to attack and so he stationed Sun Ben and Sun Fu at Pangze with 8,000 men while he and Zhou Yu went with the rest of the army to launch a surprise attack on Liu Xun's city. Zhou Yu and Sun Ce swiftly took the city during Liu Xun's absence and captured several of Liu Xun's followers and family members. Sun Ce gave Zhou Yu the position of Protector of the Army at the Center and the authority to drill and discipline the troops of the army. Later when Sun Ce took Yuzhang, Sun Ce trusted Zhou Yu to hold Baqiu in Yuzhang commandery. One day while he was riding, Sun Ce was shot in the jaw by an arrow shot at him by retainers of Xu Gong, who had been the Grand Administrator of Wu and who Sun Ce had killed. Sun Ce perished soon after this incident and was succeeded by his brother Sun Quan. Zhou Yu left his post at Baqiu after hearing about his friend's death and came with soldiers to attend Sun Ce's funeral. Zhou Yu knew that it would be hard for Sun Quan to govern immediately and so he acted as the Chief of Staff of the armies and both he and Zhang Zhao shared in the responsibilities of government while Sun Quan mourned for his brother. When Lu Su visited the Southlands, Zhou Yu also recommended him to Sun Quan. Later Zhou Yu and some others attacked Ma Tun and Bao Tun. When the Grand Administrator of Jiang Xia, Huang Zu, sent Deng Long to attack Chai Sang, Zhou Yu anticipated this move and beat Deng Long's forces in battle, capturing Deng Long himself. Zhou Yu afterwards also helped Sun Quan to seize Jiangxia. After Liu Zong had surrendered Jing to Cao Cao, Cao Cao advised Sun Quan to surrender to him as well. Several of Sun Quan's ministers suggested that Sun Quan give in to Cao Caofs massive army but Zhou Yu steadfastly held on to the belief that Sun Quan should stand and fight. Sun Quan greatly respected Zhou Yu and disliked the idea that he should capitulate to Cao Cao. He appointed Zhou Yu and Cheng Pu as commanders of the army and ordered them to join forces with Liu Bei against Cao Cao. When Liu Bei was at Fankou, Zhou Yu's ships frequently patrolled the river. Zhou Yu asked to meet with Liu Bei and so Liu Bei rode out in a simple transport vessel to meet with Zhou Yu. Liu Bei was worried about how difficult it would be to oppose the mighty Cao Cao and he asked Zhou Yu how many soldiers he had prepared to deal with his adversary. When Zhou Yu replied that there were only 30,000 troops ready to challenge Cao Cao, Liu Bei was astonished and thought that these would not be enough to fight against Cao Cao's army. After Zhou Yu re-assured Liu Bei that he could easily deal with Cao Cao, Liu Bei was impressed with Zhou Yu's confidence and gave up the argument. When the navies of Sun Quan's and Liu Beifs forces actually met with Cao Cao's forces at Chi Bi, Zhou Yu easily defeated Cao Cao in the first skirmish between the two armies. Following the initial triumph of Zhou Yu, Cao Cao retreated his army to the North of the Yangzi. Huang Gai, a general of Wu, noticed that Cao Cao's ships were chained together and advised that Zhou Yu allow him to launch a fire attack on Cao Cao's navy. Zhou Yu approved this plan and Huang Gai pretended to defect to Cao Cao. When Huang Gai neared Cao's ships however in his boat, he set aflame inflammable materials held aboard the boats he was on and with the assistance of the crisp winds blowing that day, the fire Huang Gai started completely decimated Cao Cao's fleet. Cao Cao escaped through Hua Rong but was pursued by the fiercely aggressive southern armies led by Zhou Yu and Liu Bei. Many of Cao Cao's men died from sickness or from the frequent assaults of their enemies but eventually Cao Cao escaped to the North. Cao Cao ordered Cao Ren and Xu Huang to hold Jiangling. Gan Ning, an officer of Sun Quan's, stormed the city of Yiling and occupied it but Cao Ren quickly besieged him in response. Gan Ning could barely hold back Cao Ren's army and asked for reinforcements from Zhou Yu. Although many officers of the army warned Zhou Yu that dividing the army would be dangerous, Zhou Yu followed the advice of Lu Meng and left Ling Tong to guard Wu outposts near Jiangling while Zhou Yu and Lu Meng went to rescue Gan Ning. Lu Meng, Zhou Yu and Gan Ning did manage to beat back Cao Ren's army and afterwards Zhou Yu decided he would do battle again with Cao Ren and try to decisively defeat him. In battle against Cao Ren's forces, Zhou Yu was hit in the chest by an arrow. Cao Ren heard about this news and expected that without the leadership of Zhou Yu, the armies of the Southlands would easily be defeated. Zhou Yu recognized this too however and so, despite his injury, he came to his troops and rallied and encouraged them. The troops of Zhou Yu were inspired by their leader's dedication and managed to defeat Cao Ren and force him to retreat. Zhou Yu was then appointed to be the Grand Administrator of Nan commandery and handed all the territory south of the Yangzi River in Jing to Liu Bei. Cao Cao was extremely amazed at Zhou Yu's abilities and sought to employ him. Although he sent Jiang Gan, an unrivalled debater and great scholar, to try to win Zhou Yu over, Zhou Yu would not betray his master and when Jiang Gan returned to Cao Cao, he praised Zhou Yu's manners and extraordinary talent and Cao Cao did not try again to bring Zhou Yu over to his side. Many officials and members of the aristocracy from Liu Biao's former clan came to serve Liu Bei in Jingzhou after Cao Cao was defeated at Chi Bi. Liu Bei asked Sun Quan for more territory but Zhou Yu argued against this, warning that Liu Bei was a "cruel and fierce leader with officers like bears and tigers such as Zhang Fei and Guan Yu." Zhou Yu wanted to have Liu Bei kept separated from his brothers and pampered by Sun Quan so he would stay in his service but Sun Quan ignored Zhou Yu's advice. Although Sun Quan would not agree to Zhou Yu's plan, Zhou Yu nevertheless hoped that he could possibly prevent Liu Bei from becoming too powerful by taking Shu. Zhou Yu wanted to seize Yizhou and ally with Ma Chao and then afterwards conquer Xiangyang with forces from the East and West. Sun Quan approved this plan but, sadly, Zhou Yu became very ill and died on the way to Baqiu at the age of only 35. Before Zhou Yu perished, he wrote a memorial to Sun Quan asking his liege to make Lu Su his heir. When Sun Quan learnt that Zhou Yu had died, Sun Quan wept aloud and said, "Zhou Yu had the ability to assist a true king and yet he died so young. Who else can I rely on besides Zhou Yu?" Zhou Yu's daughter was married off to Sun Quan's son Deng while his two sons, Xun and Yin were appointed to high positions in the army. Although Zhou Yu had been wily and sometimes harbored and advised plans of treachery, throughout his lifetime he was always loyal to his best friend Sun Ce and his brother Sun Quan. Zhou Yu was an excellent general and was victorious in nearly all the battles he participated in. He could both inspire and discipline his troops well and was highly trusted by the lords he served, Sun Ce and Sun Quan. Among other things, Zhou Yu was also known during his lifetime as being very handsome. When Zhou Yu came to serve Sun Ce, he was called Young Gentleman Zhou and had a good reputation of being charitable and generous. Zhou Yu is also famous for marrying the beautiful younger daughter of Qiao Xuan, who he was said to have greatly loved. Author's Notes: I-This is an abbreviation for the longer title that Sun Ce actually gave Zhou Yu, General of the Gentlemen of the Household Who Establishes Awe. 
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| Gryffin | Mar 30 2006, 03:31 AM Post #8 |
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Han's Unifier
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 Xiahou Dun (Yuanrang) Lifespan: ?-220 Relatives: Xiahou Yuan (Brother), Xiahou Mao (Son), Xiahou Heng1, Xiahou Ba, Xiahou Wei, Xiahou He, Xiahou Hui (Nephews) Xiahou Dun, style Yuanrang, was born in Qiao county, in Pei prefecture. From boyhood he had a reputation for being righteous but violent2. When Cao Cao first rose to power, Yuanrang served under him, serving as Cao's military advisor at Bai Ma and was later appointed as prefect of Dong prefecture. When Cao Cao attacked Tao Qian, Yuanrang was stationed at Pu Yang. Zhang Miao rebelled and joined Lü Bu. His troops were stationed near Juancheng, where Cao Cao's family lived, so Yuanrang went out with an army to rescue them. En route he encountered Lü Bu's forces. Lü retreated, and seized Pu Yang and Yuanrang's supplies in his absence. Yuanrang was captured by Lü, but was rescued by Han Hao, a subordinate of his3. When Cao Cao returned, Yuanrang joined him in attacking Lü Bu, losing his left eye during the battle. Later, he was promoted to governor of Chen Liu and Ji Y, and given the titles of Jianwu Jiangjun and Duke of Gao An Xiang. During his time in office, there was a drought and a locust problem. Yuanrang blockaded the river and used the fertile riverbed to aid agriculture. He and his soldiers personally aided the labor, and Yuanrang himself carried soil on his back like the peasants. The people benefited from his leadership, and he was made governor of He Nan. After Yuan Shao was conquored, Yuanrang was promoted to Fubo Jiangjun and continued to govern He Nan. He was given the power to enact any ruling he saw fit, and was not restricted by law. Yuanrang was appointed Great General after the ascension of Cao Pi, but passed away shortly after recieving his appointment. Although he was a military man4, Yuanrang personally invited his teacher to his camp in order to continue his studies. He was a prudent man, and generous to others. He despised wealth, and gave away surplus income to the people. Whenever there was a shortage, he took from the treasury. After his death he was entitled Loyal Duke. He was succeeded by Xiahou Mao. 1See Xiahou Yuan's biography for information about Xiahou Heng/Shang. 2In one incident, he killed a man who insulted a favorite teacher of his.
4Xiahou Dun's biography actually describes very few of his military actions. However, he appears to have suffered defeat often, such as losses to Gao Shun at Xia Pi and Liu Bei at Bo Wang Po. AXiahou Dun's KMA SGZ Biography 
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| Gryffin | Apr 4 2006, 03:10 AM Post #9 |
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Han's Unifier
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 Xu Huang (Gongming) Lifespan: ?-227 CE Relatives: Xu Gai (son) Xu Huang, style Gongming, hailed from Hedong county. He joined the General of the Chariots and Cavalry, Yang Feng, to fight Dong Zhuo. Due to his merit, he was promoted to Chief Commandant of the Cavalry. When Li Jue and Guo Si held Chang An, Gongming persuaded Yang Feng to escort the Emperor to Luo Yang. Yang agreed, and when they reached An Yi with the Emperor, Gongming was appointed Marquis of a Chief Commune by the Emperor himself. Upon reaching Luo Yang, Han Xian and Dong Cheng fought for power practically everyday, so Gongming persuaded yang to join Cao Cao. However, Yang later changed his mind. Cao Cao attacked him at Liang, and Gongming joined Cao. He participated in successful campaigns against bandits and Lu Bu, and was promoted to Major General. Gongming and Shi Huan defeated Sui Gu at He Nei, and Gongming then participated in the campaigns against Liu Bei and Yan Liang, taking Bai Ma and Yan Jin, and routing Wen Chou’s troops during the latter. For his achievements he was promoted to Lieutenant General.He and Cao Hong defeated Zhu Bi at Yinjiang, and, with Shi Huan, attacked Yuan Shao’s supplies at Gu Shi. When Cao Cao surrounded Yecheng, the prefect of Yiyang, Han Fan, pretended to surrender, but secretly built up his defenses. Cao ordered Gongming to attack Yiyang. Upon reaching the city, Gongming shot an arrow to Han Fan explaining the pros and cons of surrender. Han then submitted. Gongming said to Cao Cao, “Yuan Tan and Yuan Shang are still not defeated, people are still skeptical. If my lord can accept Yiyang's surrender, many others will follow suit. If my lord decides to massacre the people of Yiyang, other cities will surely fight to the death. Then Hebei will be hard to conquer. I hope My Lord will accept Yiyang's surrender, so that other cities will follow suitA.” Cao agreed. Gongming was ordered to attack Maocheng. He set up an ambush and captured three camps. He then participated in successful battles against Yuan Tan at Nan Pi, bandits at Ping Yuan, and Ta Dun in Youzhou. He was later appointed General who Crosses Wilderness. He followed Cao Cao to Jingzhou, and defeated bandits at Zhonglu, Yinzu, and Yicheng. He and Man Chong attacked Guan Yu at Hanjin and Jiangling, and battled Zhou Yu with Cao Ren. He later beat bandits at Taiyuan, killing their leader. When Ma Chao and Han Sui rebelled, Gongming was sent to garrison at Fenyin and calm the people of Hedong. Upon arriving, he ordered meat and wine to be distributed among the people, and allowed them to pray to their ancestors. When Cao Cao arrived at Tong Pass, he feared that the enemy would ambush them while they crossed the river, and asked Gongming. He replied that the enemy had no able strategists, and proposed that he lead some elite soldiers across as a vanguard to ward off attacks. Liang Xing attacked, but was defeated, despite his superior numbers. Cao Cao was able to cross and subsequently defeated Ma Chao. Gongming was sent with Xiahou Yuan to attack barbarians at Yumi and Qianzhu, and later to defeat Ma Chao’s remnant forces at Fu and Xiayang. Liang Xing was killed and more than 3000 households surrendered. Following successful campaigns against Zhang Lu and barbarians, Gongming was promoted to General who Pacifies Bandits. He and Xiahou Yuan were left to guard against Liu Bei in Han Zhong. Liu sent Chen Shi to block the only road to Han Zhong. However, Gongming defeated him and sent him into hiding in the mountains. Cao Cao praised him greatly for this. Cao Cao sent Gongming to reinforce Cao Ren against Guan Yu. Gongming’s troops were few and generally inexperienced, so he camped at Wan until Cao sent Xu Shang and Lu Qian to reinforce him. The enemies camped at Yan castle. Gongming pretended to dig trenches to show he was preparing to block enemy reinforcements. The enemy set fire to their own camp and fled, allowing Gongming to capture Yan castle. Guan Yu stationed troops at Weitou and Shizhong. Gongming spread a rumor that he intended to attack Weitou, but attacked Shizhong instead. Guan Yu led 5000 men out to fight, but was defeated. Gongming pursued him, and charged into the encirlement, further defeating them. The enemy was terrified, and many drowned themselves in the river Mian. For his exploits here, Cao Cao praised him as superior to Sun Wu (Sun-tzu) and Sima Rangju2. When Cao Pi was king, Gongming was promoted to General of the Right and Marquis of Luxiang. When Cao Pi became Emperor, Gongming was given the title of Marquis of Yang and ordered to attack Liu Bei at Shang Yong with Xiahou Shang. The attack was successful. He was ordered to guard Yangping and was made Marquis of Yangping. During Cao Rui’s rule, he defeated Zhuge Jin. Later, when he was ill, he wished not to have a grand funeral, and to be buried in plain clothing. Xu Gongming was thrifty and cautious. Every battle, he would send scouts over long distances. Often, he would feign defeat, then turn about and, fighting bravely, achieve victory. His troops were often too busy to even eat. Gongming said “People in the past have always complained that they cannot find a virtuous leader. Now that I am fortunate enough to have found one, I will do my best to serve himA.” He did not like to make friends2. He passed away in 227 CE and was posthumously titled Marquis of Zhuang. He was succeeded by Xu Gai. When Xu gai passed away, Xu Ba took over. 1Sima Rangju was a strategist during the Spring and Autumn period. He supposedly wrote the Sima Fa. 2According to the Sanguo Yanyi and Xu Huang’s KMA Biography, he was good friends with Zhang Liao and Guan Yu. However, he readily chose duty over friendship when ordered to attack Guan Yu. AXu Huang’s RTK Frontier SGZ Bio B Xu Huang’s KMA Biography 
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| SlickSlicer | Apr 4 2006, 07:58 AM Post #10 |
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[size=14]Gan Ning Historical Biography[/size] Kingdoms Served: Liu Zhang (very briefly), Huang Zu, Sun Quan Relatives: Gan Huai (son) Author: SlickSlicer [size=7]Gan Ning (Xingba)[/size] [size=7]甘寧 (興霸)[/size] [size=5]Lifespan: AD C. 175-218[/size]  Gan Ning hailed from Nanyang commandery in Jing province and was one of the most famous bandits during the Late-Han to Three Kingdoms era. In his youth, Gan Ning was an outlaw and had an infamous reputation as a murderer. He would always travel with a group of mounted retainers and chariots on land and with a fleet of light ships when he moved across rivers. Gan Ning and his followers, which included several criminals who Gan Ning allowed into his fold, would wear embroidered silk clothing and carry bells with them to distinguish themselves from other kinds of petty criminals of this time period. When Gan Ning and his rowdy men came to a person’s residence and the master of that house would not receive them and allow them to party, Gan Ning and his group would rob and plunder from that person. Gan Ning, a very careless man, would carry with him expensive silks and even use a silken rope sometimes to moor his own ship before he went to go about his business looting. After Gan Ning came back however, he would sloppily cut the silken rope and take off, leaving the rope behind to show how little he cared. Gan Ning was a vassal of Liu Zhang’s when the lord of Chengdu, Liu Yan, died (1). He rebelled against Liu Zhang with several other officers but was defeated and fled with his troops to Jing province. Although he originally led a life of banditry, Gan Ning eventually reformed and became a scholar. He later brought 800 men with him to go serve Liu Biao but was never employed. Gan Ning surmised that Liu Biao, who rarely waged war or went to war unless in defense, would eventually be conquered and his followers scattered. Because of this, Gan Ning wanted to flee to East Wu. Gan Ning tried to reach Wu but was blocked by Huang Zu, who would not let Gan Ning and his soldiers pass through Xiakou, where Huang Zu had his headquarters. Huang Zu forced Gan Ning to stay in his service but greatly distrusted the former bandit and treated him more like a common soldier than a general in the army. Huang Zu was attacked by Sun Quan more than once and in one such instance he was defeated and pursued by Sun Quan’s general Ling Cao. Gan Ning commanded his men bravely and took up rank in the rearguard. An accomplished archer, Gan Ning managed to shoot and kill Ling Cao and because of Gan Ning’s courage, Huang Zu successfully escaped. Despite this incident, Huang Zu still treated Gan Ning poorly. Su Fei constantly urged Huang Zu to promote Gan Ning and eventually Huang Zu did give Gan Ning a position as Chief of Zhu in Jiangxia near the border with Sun Quan. Gan Ning seized on the opportunity however and fled to the East. During his stay in Wu, both Zhou Yu and Lu Meng recommended Gan Ning to Sun Quan. Since Sun Quan treated Gan Ning generously, Gan Ning was persuaded to enter his service and offered advice to his new liege to attack Huang Zu with great haste. Although Zhang Zhao warned Sun Quan that there might be a rebellion in Wu if Sun Quan went to invade Xiakou, Gan Ning argued with him and won over the support of Sun Quan. Sun Quan conquered Xiakou from Huang Zu in 208 AD and Huang Zu was chased and slain in the aftermath of the battle as well. Sun Quan had made two boxes, one for the head of Huang Zu and one for the head of Su Fei prior to the fighting. After Sun Quan was victorious over Huang Zu however, Gan Ning came and remonstrated with Sun Quan saying, “Su Fei showed me favor in the past and had it not been for him I would be neglected bones in a ditch and could never have come to serve you. Although Su Fei might be a man worthy of death, I beseech you to let him keep his head. Su Fei will be indebted to you and will not try to leave your territories and seek his own death if you are generous enough to save him.” At the time that Gan Ning said this, he was teary-eyed and very genuine with his words. Sun Quan was touched and granted Su Fei amnesty. Following this, Gan Ning was given military command. Because Ling Tong, the son of Ling Cao, despised Gan Ning for killing his father, Ling Tong always wanted to kill Gan Ning. Sun Quan ordered Ling Tong not to make trouble and sent Gan Ning away to defend a distant commandery. Sun Quan afterwards allied with Liu Bei against the growing threat of Cao Cao in the North and trounced Cao Cao’s armada in the battle of Chi Bi in 208 AD. This grand accomplishment inspired several of Sun Quan’s commanders to follow up on the victory and defeat Cao Ren who was stationed in Jiangling. Although the Southern armies won quite a few victories versus Cao Ren, they were eventually forced to halt due to strong river currents impeding their path. Gan Ning only had a small contingent of infantry under his command but asked Zhou Yu if he could use an indirect route to seize Yiling. This scheme was accepted and Gan Ning quickly stormed and occupied the city. Cao Ren responded to this immediately however and sent many thousands of troops to besiege Yiling. Gan Ning was outnumbered and hard-pressed and he desperately requested help from Zhou Yu and Lu Meng. Before Zhou Yu led an army to relieve his fellow comrade, Gan Ning had to hold out for several days. Gan Ning was assaulted by a great number of troops and even siege towers and his men began to panic. While he was under attack however, Gan Ning kept his calm and his men together until Zhou Yu lifted the siege. Soon afterwards, Zhou Yu defeated Cao Ren decisively. Gan Ning served under Lu Su when tensions flared up between Sun Quan and Guan Yu in Jing. Guan Yu had selected several men to cross the border and strike Lu Su’s camp but Gan Ning led out an army to confront Guan Yu. When Guan Yu heard Gan Ning was coming, he camped at the river, rather than carrying out his plan of raiding Lu Su’s headquarters in the middle of the night. Much later, Sun Quan attacked Wan (2), which was held by Cao Cao. Gan Ning distinguished himself there too by using a silk rope to scale the walls of the city and entering it before anybody else snuck in. Gan Ning’s men came behind Gan Ning and Lu Meng also followed with well-trained troops. Lu Meng beat a war-drum himself as his troops in high spirits clashed with the men of Zhu Guang, who was defending the city. By breakfast time, Gan Ning and Lu Meng took Wan and Zhang Liao, Cao Cao’s commander who was sent to assist Zhu Guang, retreated once he learned that nothing could be done to save the city. On two separate occasions, at Ruxu and at the second battle of Hefei, Gan Ning would be praised by Sun Quan for his ability. In the first instance, Gan Ning surprised Cao Ren by raiding his camp during the middle of the night and then shortly afterwards re-uniting with his men and defeating his opponent. At Hefei however, Gan Ning defended Sun Quan’s carriage from Zhang Liao after Zhang Liao led an army to destroy Sun Quan when an epidemic had broken out in the camps of the Southland. Because of the efforts of Gan Ning, Ling Tong and Lu Meng, Sun Quan was saved. Gan Ning fell ill and died before Liu Bei’s campaign against Wu. He had one son named Gan Huai who committed a crime and was sent into exile and shortly afterwards perished as well. Before Gan Ning met his demise, Sun Quan praised him by saying, “Cao Cao may have Zhang Liao but I have Gan Ning and therefore we are evenly matched.” Despite the fact that Gan Ning came into conflict with generals like Ling Tong and Lu Meng (3), he rose through the ranks under Sun Quan and was greatly appreciated by his lord Sun Quan, who saw through his rough exterior and realized that Gan Ning was a man of great ability. Gan Ning frequently gave good advice and was well rounded as a good warrior, an adept archer, a well-read scholar and a talented leader, able to inspire his men to perform amazing feats. After Gan Ning reformed himself he came to despise wealth and highly respect men of great aptitude instead. Author’s Notes: I-This is not well known but it is actually recorded in the Zizhi Tongjian and possibly other sources as well. Gan Ning revolted with two other officers named Shen Mi and Lou Fa. When they couldn’t succeed against Liu Zhang they all fled to Jing. II-I’ve seen the name of this city be both translated as Wan and Huan, though it is called Wan in Koei games. III-Gan Ning fought alongside Ling Tong on a few occasions but in general there was a huge rivalry between him and Ling Tong because Ling Tong never forgave Gan Ning for killing his father Ling Cao. During one party when both Gan Ning and Ling Tong were intoxicated from wine, both rose with their swords and almost dueled but Lu Meng separated them with his sword and shield. Gan Ning and Lu Meng almost became enemies on a separate occasion. One of Gan Ning’s servants had erred and fled to Lu Meng for protection. Gan Ning wanted to harshly punish him but Lu Meng made Gan Ning promise not to. After Gan Ning once more had custody over the person however, he tied him to a mulberry tree and drew his bow and shot him. Lu Meng almost led troops against Gan Ning but was dissuaded from this action by his mother. Gan Ning apologized for his abrasiveness and the two ended up feasting together instead of bickering. 
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| SlickSlicer | Apr 8 2006, 05:31 AM Post #11 |
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[size=14]Zhang He Historical Biography[/size] Kingdoms Served: Han Fu, Yuan Shao, Cao Cao/Pi/Rui Relatives: Zhang Xiong (son) Author: Crazypete (I was going to let him post it but he hasn't been on for a while.) [size=7]Zhang He (Junyi)[/size] [size=5]Lifespan: AD 167-231[/size]  Zhang He was a native of Mao. The birth year of Zhang He was not recorded. After the Yellow Turban Rebellion broke out in 184, Zhang He joined the volunteer army under Han Fu, governor of Jizhou to suppress the rebellion. He was appointed as a middle-ranking army commander. Although the rebellion was soon quelled, it led to the flourishing of many regional armies under the control of de facto warlords. After Emperor Ling passed away in 189, one such warlord from Liangzhou, named Dong Zhuo, usurped power and placed in the throne the puppet Emperor Xian. Warlords from eastern China formed a coalition against Dong Zhuo in 190. The attempt did not pull through but did trigger a series of massive civil wars among the warlords themselves. In 191, when Han Fu faced military threats from rival warlord Gongsun Zan, who was based in Youzhou, he decided to turn over Yizhou to his ally Yuan Shao. Zhang He and his troops then came under the command of the new lord. Yuan Shao promoted Zhang He to a high-ranking commanding post and charged him with defending the borders against Gongsun Zan. After he successfully defeated Gongsun Zan, Zhang He was further promoted to a junior general office. By 199, Yuan Shao defeated Gongsun Zan at the decisive Battle of Yijing and gained control of the four regions north of the Yellow River. He then turned his attention to Cao Cao, a rising warlord gaining power in Yanzhou just south of the river. In the autumn of next year, the two sides clashed at Guandu. Yuan Shao had his food supply stored at Wuchao and guarded by Chunyu Qiong. Zhang He advised Yuan Shao to reinforce the defense at Wuchao as Cao Cao would certainly seek to seize the food supply. However, Yuan Shao eventually took the counsel of advisor Guo Tu who suggested concentrating forces on the base camp of Cao Cao should the latter decide to attack Wuchao. Cao Cao indeed led a light force to attack Wuchao under the cover of the night. The food supply was lost and the massive army of Yuan Shao collapsed. The embarrassed Guo Tu then slandered Zhang He before Yuan Shao, accusing the general of taking pleasure in the defeat. The fearful Zhang He decided to defect to Cao Cao along with colleague Gao Lan. Cao Cao was very pleased and compared Zhang He's surrender to those of Wei Zi and Han Xin (1). Henceforth, Zhang He participated in many campaigns Cao Cao waged, including a northern campaign against the heirs of Yuan Shao, a defensive campaign against Ma Chao and Han Sui, and the offensive on Zhang Lu in Hanzhong. For his achievements Zhang He was promoted to General Who Crushes Rebels in 215 and deployed along with Xiahou Yuan to the defense of the greater Hanzhong region against invasions of Liu Bei. In 219, Xiahou Yuan was killed in the Battle of Mount Dingjun and Zhang He retreated to Yangping (northwest of Hanzhong). Xiahou Yuan's deputy Guo Huai threw his weight behind Zhang He, who then took over command of the late general's troops. According to A Brief History of Wei by Yu Huan, although Xiahou Yuan was the overall in command of the defense force of Hanzhong, Liu Bei was really more worried about Zhang He. He was said to have expressed his disappointment that it was Xiahou Yuan instead of Zhang He who was killed in battle. When Cao Cao received news of Xiahou Yuan's death, he personally came to Hanzhong to lead a counterattack against the enemy. Liu Bei held his position in the mountainous terrain and refused to engage in battles. Cao Cao was forced to retreat to Chang'an two months later, giving up the strategic Hanzhong. Zhang He then garrisoned his troops at Chencang to prevent further incursion by Liu Bei. After Cao Cao died in 220, his successor Cao Pi promoted Zhang He to General of the Left. Months later, Cao Pi forced Emperor Xian to abdicate and declared himself the first emperor of the Kingdom of Wei. Zhang He was then enfeoffed as Marquis of Mao. In 221 He was sent together with Cao Zhen to subdue the Lushui Hu and Eastern Qiang raiders in Anding Commandery on the western borders of China and was victorious. After an audience with the emperor in the capital Xuchang, Zhang He, Cao Zhen and Xiahou Shang were deployed south in 222 to seize Jiangling, which was under the control of the Kingdom of Wu. Although initial attacks were successful, an epidemic breakout forced the invaders to retreat. When Cao Pi died in 226, he was succeeded by Cao Rui. Zhang He maintained his position in the south to defend against the Kingdom of Wu. When Chancellor Zhuge Liang of the Kingdom of Shu launched his Northern Expeditions against the Kingdom of Wei in 227, Zhang He was recalled to his old battlefield west of Chang'an to fend off the attack. In the next year, Zhang He scored a brilliant victory against Ma Su at the Battle of Jieting. Zhuge Liang was forced to retreat to Hanzhong and self-demote three grades to take responsibility for the loss of the strategic position. Zhang He also pacified the commanderies of Nan'an, Tianshui and Anding, which were turned over to Zhuge Liang during initial attacks. Zhang He was later sent to assist Sima Yi, who was training a naval force in Jingzhou, to prepare for an assault against the Kingdom of Wu. The waters of Mian River during the winter were too shallow for large ships to sail in and the attack was called off however. Meanwhile, Zhuge Liang launched the second of his expeditions and attacked Chencang. Zhang He was again sent to the rescue. He correctly predicted that the enemy would retreat before he even arrived because of shortage of food supply. He was then recalled to the capital and promoted to General of Chariots and Cavalry Who Campaigns the West. During the year 231, Zhuge Liang launched the fourth of his expeditions. Zhang He was sent to assist Sima Yi in fending off the attack. After initial victories, Zhuge Liang's army again ran short of supplies and had to retreat. Sima Yi then ordered Zhang He to give pursuit, despite Zhang He's warnings of possible ambush. Zhang He was indeed ambushed by crossbowmen as his force entered a narrow defile named Memen Trail . An arrow struck him in his right knee and he died on the battlefield. He was posthumously titled Marquis Zhuang, literally meaning the robust marquis. His son, Zhang Xiong inherited his position. Zhang He had previous merits and deeds so the Brilliant Emperor Cao Rui divided his house; bestowing upon his four sons noble ranks. The sons were given the feudal rank of Marquis of Guan Nei. (2) Author's Notes: (1)-Wei Zi was an advisor to Di Xin but defected to King Wen of Zhou and contributed greatly to the founding of the Zhou Dynasty. Han Xin left Xiang Yu to join Liu Bang, who later founded the Han Dynasty. (2)-The following is a note on where the locations mentioned in this bio can be found, rather than on the sons of Zhang He: Jizhou is present day Southern Hebei, Mao is present day Maozhou Town Hebei, Liangzhou is present day Gansu, Youzhou is present day northern Hebei, Yanzhou is present day Shandong, Guandu is in present day Henan, Wuchao is in the present day Yanjing County of Henan, Anding is in present day Western Gansu and southern Ningxia, the location of Nan'an is unclear and Jingzhou takes up what used to be Hubei and Hunan. 
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| KOEI Warriors | Apr 8 2006, 03:11 PM Post #12 |
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Please discuss the site and the project here, and the main person in charge on this should be Satan (SlickSlicer)... Site URL: http://sangokudatabase.tripod.com/index.html |
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| SlickSlicer | Apr 8 2006, 09:02 PM Post #13 |
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This topic is so that people can talk about what has been done on the three kingdoms project, ask questions, give feedback, etc. This can also be a place for people to talk about what bios they might want to do next or ask for help if they are making a bio. Furthermore if you have a good picture of a character then please share it here. If you find any grammatical mistakes on the site or in the thread on this forum or if you find historical errors then please feel free to point them out. Since Zhuge_Flea's site that's in development will doubtless contain other stuff on the Sengoku-Jidai and Three Kingdoms era besides just character biographies, it would be fine to make suggestions for the upcoming historical section of Koei Warriors or write up information on battles, weapons, legends, etc. on Late-Han to Three Kingdoms generals as well. PS-I'm doing a Liu Bei biography now. I'm currently on his war with Lu Bu... |
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| KOEI Warriors | Apr 8 2006, 09:08 PM Post #14 |
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Please tell me the URL if you havnt deleted the previous post on this so that we can merge them into this topic, Satan, nice job by the way, I've mailed you with some details and I forgot to tell Gryffin, you may have to tell him if you want
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| SlickSlicer | Apr 8 2006, 09:19 PM Post #15 |
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Will do. In the other thread I made about this, the only thing that I posted I copied and pasted in this topic though so merging isn't necessary. I'll check my emails now... |
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| KOEI Warriors | Apr 8 2006, 10:59 PM Post #16 |
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Okay but please sure to ask those your team mates or fans to post the message here instead goin to your mail for discussion
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| Lao Shi Li | Apr 9 2006, 02:00 AM Post #17 |
The Next Ishida!!
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Oh Oh do a Zhang He Bio :lol: please you know me Satan
 so please do a Zhang He one, All your Bios are awesome man n i had fun reading them too also the picture comments you had closing comment: the site is all good!! |
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| SlickSlicer | Apr 9 2006, 02:24 AM Post #18 |
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Thanks Ali. And Crazypete did a Zhang He biography, which I'll put on the site soon. Right now I'm working on Liu Bei though. o_0 |
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| SlickSlicer | Apr 9 2006, 03:22 AM Post #19 |
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Not a problem. By the way, if you have something to say about this project post in the thread under the Koei Warriors Projects board. This topic is for bios. I'll delete your post and mine shortly.
Gan Ning didn't actually die at Yi Ling. That only happened in the novel. Historically he grew sick and died. Ma Chao died of natural causes too I believe. I'm not sure what else to add to their bios... |
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| Crazypete | Apr 9 2006, 03:51 AM Post #20 |
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oh i see.. cool:) hmm no prob it's ok^_^... i'm thinking of starting on Ling Tong.. hmm you know what?.. yes.. coming soon.. the biography of Ling Tong |
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| jayk | Apr 9 2006, 01:43 PM Post #21 |
First Lieutenant
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A while back I wrote a biography about Wei Yan, would you like me to post it? |
 'Alea Iacta Est' with thanks to Blue_Eyes_Oni. | |
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| SlickSlicer | Apr 9 2006, 09:32 PM Post #22 |
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Please do jayk. I'm interested to see it and might post it on the site. 
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| jayk | Apr 9 2006, 09:54 PM Post #23 |
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Wei Yan. (?-234) [Wéncháng] The Novel “Romance of the Three Kingdoms” supports evidence that Wei Yan served under Liu Biao before joining Liu Bei, however there is no historical evidence (Primary or secondary) to proove this at all. When Liu Bei captured the city of Chang Sha in 209 AD Wei yan was recruited into Liu Bei’s army. He climbed the skills ladder very quickly, and within years became a major general of the Shu forces, his talent with the rare Double Voulge weapon helped him to achieve this. Ten years after he joined the forces of Shu; Wei yan was offered the position of “Chief Executive” in the region of Hang Zhong. This promotion made him the 6th General of Shu, Only a place behind the five tiger generals. Sadly, four years later Liu Bei was struck down, leaving Zhuge Liang in control. Zhuge Liang had already warner Liu Bei of Wei Yan’s revolt. But Wei yan was in no danger when the lord was alive, after his death he seeked new rule from Zhuge Liang. Zhuge Liang agreed to send Wei Yan into battle with Wei. But to Wei Yan’s dislike, all of his strategies were rejected by Zhuge Liang. When Shu were loosing to Wei in battle Wei Yan attempted to take Sima Yi’s life, however Zhuge Liang disallowed this, Wei Yan attempted to ignore Zhuge Liang by burning a bridge, causing Shu’s retreat impossible. However Sima Yi surpressed him and he retreated by another path. According to the novel and some other stated sources Zhuge Liang supposedly foresaw the future and gained knowledge of Wei Yan’s revolt. Zhuge Liang foretold this information before he died to Jiang Wei, and ordered for Ma Dai to kill him when he did revolt. Zhuge Liang’s death came as a shock to everyone in the year 234. Wei yan saw his chance and left Shu, gaining all the support he could, ma Dai gained his trust and joined him in his campaign. Then, when encountered by Jiang Wei, Ma Dai killed Wei Yan from behind. Wei Yan wasn’t the most triumphant officer of the three kingdoms era, but he will certainly be remembered for centuries to come. Advice for writing him would be to make him uncaring and monosybollic, even though historically there is no proof to this fact, he did convey as a character who only tlaked when necessary. By: Jamie Watt (jayK), 10th August 2005 Some Information refered to from the novel “Romance of the Three Kingdoms” Other Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wei_Yan with thanks to Uvaduck: July 10th 2005 |
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'Alea Iacta Est' with thanks to Blue_Eyes_Oni. | |
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| SlickSlicer | Apr 9 2006, 10:14 PM Post #24 |
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Hmm...interesting. There are a few glaring spelling mistakes that I would need to correct. Also some things in your biography are notably fiction. Wei Yan did not historically carry around a double voulge, he did not really revolt against Zhuge Liang and some of the other stuff is questionable. The information about Zhuge Liang rejecting Wei Yan's plan is true but what I would specifically add is that Wei Yan suggested that Zhuge Liang should attack Chang'An at one point and this plan was refused by Kongming. Scholars have debated whether this might have succeeded and whether it was good or bad advice for years. I will probably use your biography and a lot of the information incorporated into it but I will need to make a few edits to it and maybe expand what you wrote a bit. You will be fully credited for the biography no matter what I alter but I just want to put in some more content and revise a few historical inaccuracies and grammatical errors. Also excuse me if I do not put it up immediately. I have some other things to attend to as well... |
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| Yang | Apr 10 2006, 01:31 PM Post #25 |
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I've checked!
Hope you guys can do some female characters it will be interesting!
Biography Writers: SlickSlicer Gryffin Crazypete Cool guys, but is SlickSlicer a Satan? |
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6:47 AM Nov 22
