Wei Warrior
Zhang Liao, the Terror of Hefei
張遼169 to 2225 star
In short
Zhang Liao (169 to 222) was a general of Wei, first among the five commanders Chen Shou ranks together. He served Ding Yuan, Dong Zhuo and Lu Bu before surrendering to Cao Cao in 199. In 215, defending Hefei, he attacked Sun Quan's army at dawn with eight hundred picked men, broke into its camp, and days later nearly captured Sun Quan at Xiaoyao Ford.
| Lived | 169 to 222 |
|---|---|
| Name in Chinese | 張遼 |
| Courtesy name | Wenyuan |
| Served | Ding Yuan, Dong Zhuo, Lu Bu, then Cao Cao and Cao Pi |
The history
Zhang Liao was from Mayi in Yanmen commandery, on the northern frontier. He served Ding Yuan as a young officer, passed to Dong Zhuo, and after 192 followed Lu Bu east. When Lu Bu was destroyed at Xiapi in 199, Zhang Liao brought his men over to Cao Cao.
He proved himself quickly. In 207, at White Wolf Mountain, he urged an immediate attack on the Wuhuan and led the charge in which their chief Tadun was killed. He put down mutinies, took hill forts others called unreachable, and was trusted with the eastern front.
In 215 Sun Quan came against Hefei with an army the history gives as a hundred thousand. Cao Cao was far away in Hanzhong and had left a sealed order: Zhang Liao and Li Dian were to go out and fight, Yue Jin to hold the walls. Zhang Liao chose eight hundred men, fed them beef that night, and at dawn rode into the Wu camp shouting his own name, as far as Sun Quan’s banner. Sun Quan climbed a mound and defended himself with a long halberd. The siege failed. When the army withdrew, Zhang Liao struck its rearguard at Xiaoyao Ford, and Sun Quan escaped by jumping his horse over a broken bridge.
He died of illness in 222, still on the Yangtze front.
The novel
Romance of the Three Kingdoms keeps Hefei much as the history has it, and adds a friendship with Guan Yu: it is Zhang Liao who persuades Guan Yu to surrender to Cao Cao in 200. The history does record that Cao Cao sent him to sound out Guan Yu’s intentions.
Zhang Liao in the game
In Warlords of the Three Kingdoms Zhang Liao is the Terror of Hefei: a 5 star warriorof Wei. The game's line for him: “At Xiaoyao Ford his eight hundred broke Sun Quan's host, and in Wu his name was used to quiet crying children.”
| Kingdom | Wei |
|---|---|
| Role | Warrior |
| Rarity | 5 star |
| Base attack and defense | 56 and 46 |
| Where from | Summoned at the Imperial Summon, for Jade. The odds are shown before every summon. |
A warlord sworn to Wei fields him 10% stronger, as every General of their own Kingdom. Wei, Shu or Wu has what the choice changes.
Five star is where he starts. Duplicates become shards, shards add stars, and each star adds a tenth to both numbers.
Questions
What is Zhang Liao famous for?
The defense of Hefei in 215. With about seven thousand men in the city against an army the history puts at a hundred thousand, he led eight hundred out at dawn, fought to Sun Quan's own banner, and then caught the retreating army at Xiaoyao Ford.
Did Zhang Liao serve Lu Bu?
Yes. He followed Lu Bu from 192 until Lu Bu's defeat at Xiapi in 199, then surrendered to Cao Cao, who made him a general.
Is it true his name stopped children crying?
It is an old story. Later collections say that in the lands of Wu a crying child was told Zhang Liao was coming. It is not in Chen Shou's biography, but it shows how the battle was remembered.
How do you get Zhang Liao in Warlords of the Three Kingdoms?
Summoned at the Imperial Summon, for Jade. The odds are shown before every summon.
Sources
The history follows Chen Shou's Records of the Three Kingdoms, written in the third century, with Pei Songzhi's annotations of the fifth, and Fan Ye's Book of the Later Han for the years before the Han court fell apart. What the page calls the novel is Luo Guanzhong's Romance of the Three Kingdoms, of the fourteenth century. Where the two disagree, the page says which is speaking. For more on him, see Zhang Liao on Wikipedia.
Written by Gitkonek Studio, .
Keep reading
- Dian Wei, the Guard at WanchengHe held the camp gate at Wancheng with a halberd in each hand so that his lord could reach the river.
- Guo Jia, the Demon TalentCao Cao's favorite strategist, whose counsel won the north and whose death, Cao Cao said, lost Red Cliffs.
- Xiahou Dun, the One-Eyed GeneralStruck in the eye by an arrow, he pulled it out and ate the eye, saying he would not waste a gift from his parents.
- Xu Chu, the Tiger FoolCao Cao's bodyguard, who once dragged an ox backward by its tail for a hundred paces.
- Cao Cao, the Hero of ChaosXu Shao called him a capable minister in peace and a treacherous hero in chaos; he laughed and took the second.