Zhang Fei (167-August 221 AD) was a general serving under Liu Bei during the late Han period and the early Three Kingdoms era. He, Liu Bei, and Guan Yu became sworn brothers in 184 AD, and they swore to die together. However, Guan Yu died at the Battle of Fan Castle in 219 AD after Sun Quan betrayed Liu Bei, and, two years later, Zhang Fei was assassinated by defectors in his army who promptly fled to Sun Quan's lands.
Biography[]
Zhang Fei in 184.
Zhang Fei was born in Zhuo Commandery in present-day Hebei, China, and, in 184 AD, he joined Liu Bei's Han volunteer army before the suppression of the Yellow Turban Rebellion. Zhang Fei befriended Liu Bei and the fearsome warrior, Guan Yu, and the three of them took an oath at a peach garden to become sworn brothers and to die on the selfsame day. Zhang Fei was exceedingly loyal and formidable, never betraying Liu Bei; however, his alcoholism and short temper got him into trouble both on and off the battlefield. In 195 AD, he lost control of Xu Province to Liu Bei's rival, Lu Bu while he was drunk. Zhang Fei would become a trusted general of Liu Bei, however, remaining with him even after Guan Yu was captured by Cao Cao and pressed into his service.
In 208, he distinguished himself at the Battle of Changban, where he held a bridge against several waves of Cao Cao's soldiers by himself. In 211, while Liu Bei campaigned against Liu Zhang in Yi Province, Zhang Fei was left in charge of Jing Province, and he prevented Liu Bei's wife, Sun Shangxiang from fleeing to her brother Sun Quan's court with her and Liu Bei's son, Liu Shan. In 212, he went on to lead reinforcements from Jing to assist Liu Bei in conquering Yi Province. In 215, he defeated Cao Cao's general, Zhang He at Baxi in Hanzhong, and, from 217 to 219, he participated in Liu Bei's conquest of Hanzhong from Cao Cao's forces.
Many people, including Zhang Fei himself, believed that Zhang Fei would be appointed governor of Hanzhong, but Liu Bei chose Wei Yan instead. In 221, Liu Bei founded the state of Shu Han and proclaimed himself emperor, and he made Zhang Fei General of Chariots and Cavalry. That same year, Liu Bei launched a campaign against Sun Quan to avenge his murder of Guan Yu and his conquest of Jing Province, but, during the mobilization, Zhang Fei's subordinates, Fan Qiang and Zhang Da assassinated him in his sleep, decapitated him, and brought his head with them as they defected to Sun Quan's side. Zhang Fei had several children (including some with Xiahou Ji, whom he abducted when she was 13), including Zhang Bao and Xingcai.
