Zhao Yun

Zhao Yun (died 229), courtesy name Zilong, was a military general who lived in the late Eastern Han dynasty and early Three Kingdoms period. Originally a subordinate of the northern warlord Gongsun Zan, Zhao Yun later came to serve another warlord, Liu Bei, and had since accompanied him on most of his military exploits, from the Battle of Changban (208) to the Hanzhong Campaign (217–219). He continued serving in the state of Shu Han – founded by Liu Bei in 221 – in the Three Kingdoms period and participated in the first of the Northern Expeditions until his death in 229. While many facts about Zhao Yun's life remain unclear due to limited information in historical sources, some aspects and activities in his life had been dramatised or exaggerated in folklore and fiction, most notably in Luo Guanzhong's historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms, in which he was lauded as a member of the Five Tiger Generals under Liu Bei.

Zhao Yun's original biography in the Records of the Three Kingdoms (Sanguozhi), written by Chen Shou in the third century CE, is only 346 Chinese characters long. In the fifth century, Pei Songzhi added annotations from the Zhao Yun Biezhuan (趙雲別傳; Unofficial Biography of Zhao Yun) to Zhao Yun's biography in the Sanguozhi, providing a relatively clearer, though still incomplete picture of Zhao's life.

Zhao Yun displays valour in front of Gongsun Zan, an illustration from a Qing dynasty edition of the historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

Zhao Yun was from Zhending County (真定縣), Changshan Commandery (常山郡), which is located south of present-day Zhengding County, Hebei. The Zhao Yun Biezhuan described his physical appearance as such: eight chi tall (approximately 1.85 metres), with majestic and impressive looks.

The chief administrative officer in Changshan recommended Zhao Yun to serve in the government. Zhao Yun then led a small group of volunteers to join Gongsun Zan, a warlord in You Province who was nominally a General of the Household (中郎將) under the Han central government. Around the time, another warlord Yuan Shao was recently appointed as the Governor (牧) of Ji Province and his fame was steadily rising, so Gongsun Zan was worried that many people in You Province would choose to serve under Yuan instead of him. When Zhao Yun came to join him, he mocked Zhao, "I heard that all those in your home province wanted to serve the Yuans. Why did you have a change of heart, and decide to correct your mistake?" Zhao Yun replied, "The Empire is in a state of chaos and it's unclear who is right and who is wrong. The people are in danger. Those in my home province, after careful deliberation, decided to follow a lord who practises benevolent governance. Therefore, I chose to join you, General, instead of Lord Yuan." He participated in some of Gongsun Zan's battles against rival forces.

Around the early 190s, Liu Bei was taking shelter under Gongsun Zan and he met Zhao Yun during that time. Zhao Yun became very close to Liu Bei and desired to switch his allegiance to Liu. When Gongsun Zan sent Liu Bei to assist his ally, Tian Kai, in a battle against Yuan Shao, Zhao Yun followed Liu Bei and served as a cavalry commander under Liu. Later, when Zhao Yun received news of his elder brother's death, he asked for a temporary leave of absence from Gongsun Zan to attend his brother's funeral. Liu Bei knew that Zhao Yun would not return to Gongsun Zan after leaving, so he held Zhao's hand when he bidding him farewell. Before departing, Zhao Yun said, "I'll not forsake morality."

Around 199, after Liu Bei lost Xu Province to his rival Cao Cao, he fled north and sought refuge under Yuan Shao, Cao Cao's rival. At the same time, Zhao Yun also came to Ye, the administrative centre of Yuan Shao's territories, where he met Liu Bei again. Zhao Yun and Liu Bei shared the same room during their stay in Ye. Liu Bei secretly ordered Zhao Yun to help him recruit hundreds of men who were willing to follow him, and they claimed to be soldiers serving under the General of the Left (左將軍). Yuan Shao was not aware of this. Liu Bei later left Yuan Shao and travelled south to Jing Province to join Liu Biao, the provincial governor. Zhao Yun accompanied him.

Battle of Bowang

In 202, when Cao Cao was away on campaigns in northern China against Yuan Shao's sons and their allies, Liu Bei took advantage of Cao's absence to launch an attack on Cao's territories in central China. Cao Cao sent his general Xiahou Dun and others to lead an army to resist Liu Bei, leading to the Battle of Bowang. Xiahou Dun lost the battle after falling into Liu Bei's ambush, but Liu also withdrew his forces upon seeing the arrival of Xiahou's reinforcements. During the battle, Zhao Yun captured an enemy officer, Xiahou Lan (夏侯蘭), an old acquaintance who was also from the same hometown as him. Zhao Yun requested that Liu Bei spare Xiahou Lan's life and recommended Xiahou to serve as a military judge because he knew that Xiahou was proficient in law. However, he never maintained any close relationship with Xiahou Lan. Chen Shou commented that this incident showed that Zhao Yun was conscientious and careful.

Battle of Changban

A mural depicting Zhao Yun at the Battle of Changban inside the Long Corridor at the Summer Palace in Beijing. The rider in white is Zhao Yun.

After Liu Biao died in 208, his younger son, Liu Cong, succeeded him as the Governor of Jing Province. When Cao Cao launched a campaign later that year to eliminate opposing forces in southern China, Liu Cong voluntarily surrendered and yielded Jing Province to Cao Cao. Liu Bei and his followers headed further south towards Xiakou (夏口; present-day Hankou, Hubei), which was guarded by Liu Biao's elder son Liu Qi and was independent of Cao Cao's control.

Cao Cao sent 5,000 riders to pursue Liu Bei and they caught up with him at Changban (長阪) near Dangyang, resulting in the Battle of Changban. Liu Bei abandoned his family and fled. Zhao Yun carried Liu Bei's young son Liu Shan and protected Liu Bei's wife Lady Gan (Liu Shan's mother) during the battle and eventually delivered them to safety. He was promoted to a General of the Standard (牙門將軍) for his efforts.

Earlier on, after his defeat at the Battle of Changban, Liu Bei heard rumours that Zhao Yun had betrayed him and headed north to join Cao Cao. He refused to believe the rumours, threw a short ji to the ground, and said, "Zilong will never desert me." He was right as Zhao Yun returned to him a short while later.

Guarding Jing Province

Between late 208 and 209, Liu Bei formed an alliance with the southern warlord Sun Quan and they defeated Cao Cao at the decisive Battle of Red Cliffs and the subsequent Battle of Jiangling. Cao Cao retreated north after his defeats and southern Jing Province came under Liu Bei's control.

Zhao Yun assisted Liu Bei in the pacification of the territories in southern Jing Province and was promoted to Lieutenant-General (偏將軍) for his efforts. He was also appointed as the Administrator (太守) of Guiyang Commandery (桂陽郡; around present-day Chenzhou, Hunan), replacing Zhao Fan. Zhao Fan had a widowed elder sister-in-law who was known for her beauty, and he wanted to arrange for a marriage between her and Zhao Yun. However, Zhao Yun declined, "I share the same family name as you. Your elder brother is also like an elder brother to me." There were some people who urged Zhao Yun to accept the marriage, but he said, "Zhao Fan was forced to surrender, so his intentions are unclear. There're so many other women in this world." Not long later, Zhao Fan escaped, and Zhao Yun was able to avoid any association with him because he did not agree to the marriage.

Around 212, Liu Bei led an army west into Yi Province (益州; covering present-day Sichuan and Chongqing) to assist the provincial governor Liu Zhang in countering a rival warlord, Zhang Lu of Hanzhong Commandery. Zhao Yun was appointed as a Major (司馬) of the reserve camp and he remained behind to guard Jing Province. Sometime in 209, Liu Bei married Sun Quan's younger sister, Lady Sun, to strengthen the alliance between him and Sun. Lady Sun also remained in Jing Province when Liu Bei left. Because of her brother's strong influence, Lady Sun was arrogant and she often allowed her close aides to behave lawlessly too. Liu Bei knew that Zhao Yun was a serious and orderly person, so he put Zhao in charge of internal affairs in Jing Province when he was away. When Sun Quan heard that Liu Bei had left for Yi Province, he sent a vessel to fetch his sister back to Jiangdong. Lady Sun attempted to bring Liu Bei's son Liu Shan along with her, but Zhao Yun and Zhang Fei led their men to stop her and retrieved Liu Shan.

Conquest of Yi Province

Liu Bei and Liu Zhang were friendly towards each other in the beginning, but tensions between them gradually increased until the point of armed conflict in 213. Liu Bei was initially stationed at Jiameng Pass (葭萌關), where he was helping Liu Zhang defend the area from Zhang Lu. However, he turned against Liu Zhang later and attacked him. He ordered Zhuge Liang, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun and others to lead reinforcements from Jing Province into Yi Province to help him, while Guan Yu remained behind to defend Jing Province.

The reinforcements marched along the Yangtze River and pacified the commanderies and counties in the surrounding areas. When they reached Jiangzhou (江州; present-day Chongqing), Zhuge Liang ordered Zhao Yun to lead a separate force to attack Jiangyang Commandery (江陽郡; around present-day Neijiang, Sichuan) and take an alternate route, and later rendezvous with Liu Bei and the other armies outside Yi Province's capital, Chengdu. In 215, Liu Zhang gave up resistance and surrendered, concluding Liu Bei's successful takeover of Yi Province. Zhao Yun was appointed as General of the Assisting Army (翊軍將軍).

After taking over Yi Province, Liu Bei held a discussion on how to distribute the households in Chengdu and the fields outside the city among his followers because he wanted to reward them for their efforts in the campaign. Zhao Yun objected, "In the past, Huo Qubing said that there was no home until the Xiongnu had been eliminated. The enemies of the state in our time include not only the Xiongnu, so we shouldn't be complacent. Only when the Empire has been completely pacified and the people have reverted to their peaceful lives, can we truly enjoy ourselves. The war in Yi Province has just ended, so the people in the province should have their lands and homes returned to them. As of now, the people should be allowed to continue their livelihoods in peace, and later we can impose taxes and conscription on them. In this way, we will earn their favour and support." Liu Bei heeded Zhao Yun's advice.

Battle of Han River

In 217, Liu Bei launched the Hanzhong Campaign to seize control of Hanzhong Commandery from Cao Cao because Hanzhong was the northern gateway into Yi Province. Liu Bei's general Huang Zhong killed Cao Cao's general Xiahou Yuan at the Battle of Mount Dingjun in 218-219.

Later, Huang Zhong heard that Cao Cao's forces were transporting food supplies to Beishan (北山), so he led a group of soldiers, including some of Zhao Yun's men, to seize the supplies. Huang Zhong did not return after a long time so Zhao Yun led tens of horsemen in search of Huang. Zhao Yun encountered Cao Cao's forces and engaged them in battle but was outnumbered and was forced to retreat back to his camp, with Cao Cao's men in pursuit. Zhang Yi, one of Zhao Yun's subordinates, wanted to close the gates to prevent the enemy from entering. However, Zhao Yun ordered the gates to be opened, all flags and banners to be hidden, and the war drums silenced. Cao Cao's forces thought that there was an ambush inside Zhao Yun's camp so they withdrew. Just then, Zhao Yun launched a counter-attack and his men beat the war drums loudly and fired arrows at the enemy. Cao Cao's soldiers were shocked and thrown into disarray. Some of them trampled on each other while fleeing in panic, and many of them fell into the Han River and drowned.

The following day, Liu Bei came to inspect Zhao Yun's camp and survey the battlefield. He remarked, "Zilong is full of courage." He then threw a feast to celebrate Zhao Yun's victory and they made merry until nightfall. Zhao Yun was called "General of Tiger's Might" (虎威將軍) in Liu Bei's army.

Battle of Xiaoting

In late 219, Sun Quan broke the alliance with Liu Bei when he sent his general Lü Meng to invade and seize Jing Province, resulting in the capture and execution of Guan Yu. Cao Cao died in early 220 and was succeeded by his son Cao Pi, who forced Emperor Xian to abdicate the throne in his favour later that year. Cao Pi ended the Han dynasty and established the state of Cao Wei, marking the start of the Three Kingdoms period. In 221, Liu Bei declared himself emperor and founded the state of Shu Han, which was intended to be a continuation of the fallen Han dynasty. Sun Quan pledged allegiance to Cao Pi and became a nominal vassal of Wei, ruling under the Wei-granted title "King of Wu".

Liu Bei bore a grudge against Sun Quan for the seizure of Jing Province and wanted to attack Sun. Zhao Yun attempted to dissuade him and said, "Cao Cao is the enemy of the state, not Sun Quan. We should eliminate Wei first, after which Wu will surrender by itself. Cao Cao is already dead but his son Cao Pi has usurped the throne. You should follow the wishes of the masses by conquering Guanzhong and then attack the treacherous enemy via the Wei River. People of righteousness situated east of Hangu Pass will certainly welcome your army with grain and horses. You shouldn't ignore Wei for the moment and wage war against Wu first. Once the war has started, it can't be stopped."

Liu Bei refused to accept Zhao Yun's advice and proceeded with the campaign and left Zhao Yun behind to guard Jiangzhou (江州; present-day Chongqing). He was defeated by the Wu forces at Zigui (秭歸; present-day Zigui County, Hubei) at the Battle of Xiaoting and was forced to retreat back to Shu. Zhao Yun led troops from Jiangzhou to Yong'an (永安; present-day Fengjie County, Chongqing) to help his lord, after which the Wu forces gave up on pursuing Liu Bei.

Liu Bei died in 223 and was succeeded by his son Liu Shan as the emperor of Shu, with the chancellor Zhuge Liang serving as the regent. After his enthronement, Liu Shan appointed Zhao Yun as Central Protector of the Army (中護軍) and General Who Attacks the South (征南將軍), and enfeoffed him as the Marquis of Yongchang Village (永昌亭侯). Zhao Yun was promoted to General Who Guards the East (鎮東將軍) later.

First Northern Expedition

In 227, Zhao Yun followed Zhuge Liang to garrison at Hanzhong. The following year, Zhuge Liang launched the first of a series of Northern Expeditions against Shu's rival state Wei, and he spread news that his army would be passing through Xie Valley (斜谷). In response, the Wei general Cao Zhen led a large army to resist the Shu forces. Zhuge Liang ordered Zhao Yun and Deng Zhi to lead a separate force to resist Cao Zhen and act as a decoy, while he led the main Shu army to attack Mount Qi (祁山). Zhao Yun and Deng Zhi's troops were weaker than the Wei forces so they lost the battle in Ji Valley (箕谷). However, Zhao Yun managed to rally his men into putting up a firm defence, thus minimising their losses. After retreating back to Hanzhong, Zhao Yun was demoted to General Who Guards the Army (鎮軍將軍) because of his failure.

Zhuge Liang later lamented the failure of the first Northern Expedition. He noted, "Our armies at Mount Qi and Ji Valley together were superior to the enemy in numbers, yet we lost the battles. This wasn't because we had insufficient troops, but rather, it was due to one man." Based on the earlier record in Zhao Yun's biography, Zhuge Liang had most probably reserved the elite troops for himself and Ma Su; Zhao Yun and Deng Zhi were given the weaker soldiers. Ma Su lost to the Wei general Zhang He at the Battle of Jieting in 228 due to his incompetency even though he had the better soldiers; Zhao Yun lost the battle at Ji Valley as Cao Zhen's army was far superior.

After returning to Hanzhong, Zhuge Liang asked, "When our troops withdrew from Jieting, they were very disorganised. However, those who retreated from Ji Valley were orderly. Why is it so?" Deng Zhi replied, "Zhao Yun personally covered the retreat. He ensured that no equipment was discarded and that the men retreated in an orderly manner." As Zhao Yun still had some silk left in his army, Zhuge Liang wanted to have the silk distributed among the troops. However, Zhao Yun disagreed, "The expedition was a failure, so why should rewards be given out? Please store the silk in the official treasury now and distribute them among the men later during the tenth month in winter." Zhuge Liang praised Zhao Yun for his suggestion.

Zhao Yun died in 229 and was posthumously honoured as "Marquis Shunping" (順平侯) by Liu Shan in 261.

During Liu Bei's reign, only Fa Zheng received posthumous honours. In Liu Shan's time, only three consecutive heads of government – Zhuge Liang, Jiang Wan and Fei Yi – received posthumous titles. Later, Liu Shan also posthumously honoured Chen Zhi (陳祗), whom he favoured, and Xiahou Ba, a Wei general who defected to Shu. Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Ma Chao, Pang Tong, Huang Zhong and Zhao Yun were also awarded posthumous titles by Liu Shan as well. The receiving of such posthumous titles was regarded as a great honour at the time.

Liu Shan's imperial edict for awarding Zhao Yun his posthumous title read: "Zhao Yun followed the Late Emperor and he made outstanding contributions. I was young then and experienced many difficulties, but I relied on his loyalty and faithfulness to get out of danger. I bestow this posthumous name on him to recognise him for his meritorious service and also because there were others who advised me to do so." The name of Zhao Yun's posthumous title was suggested by Jiang Wei and others – shun (順; literally "obey / follow") because he was virtuous and kind, ping (平; literally "peace / pacify") because he performed his duties up to standard and overcame chaos, so shun and ping became "Shunping".

Zhao Yun's eldest son, Zhao Tong (趙統), served as a military officer in Shu and his highest appointment was an Imperial Guard in the Rapid as Tigers division (虎賁中郎). Zhao Yun's second son, Zhao Guang (趙廣), served as an Officer of the Standard (牙門將) and followed Jiang Wei in the campaigns against Wei and was killed in action in Tazhong (沓中; northwest of present-day Zhugqu County, Gansu).

Chen Shou, who wrote Zhao Yun's biography in the Sanguozhi, commented on Zhao as follows: "Huang Zhong and Zhao Yun were fierce and mighty warriors, just like claws and teeth. Were they the successors to Guan Ying (灌嬰) and the Duke of Teng?"

Many of Zhao Yun's actual exploits were highly dramatised in the historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms by Luo Guanzhong. In the novel, Zhao Yun is portrayed as an almost perfect warrior – one who possesses powerful combat skills, unwavering loyalty to his lord, tremendous courage, keen intelligence, and serene charisma. These traits have often been reflected in nearly all modern materials about Zhao Yun to date.

See the following for some fictitious stories in Romance of the Three Kingdoms involving Zhao Yun:

• Battle of Changban#In fiction
• Battle of Xiaoting#In fiction

Mask of Zhao Yun used in folk opera

Zhao Yun has been featured prominently in Chinese popular culture, literature, art and anecdotes. Zhao Yun was already a relatively well-known hero from the Three Kingdoms period, as folktales about his exploits have been passed down through centuries. He became a household name due to the popularity of the historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

Religion

Zhao Yun sometimes appears as a door god in Chinese and Taoist temples in Henan, usually in partnership with Ma Chao.

Folklore

There is a Chinese folktale about Zhao Yun's death which is not mentioned in the novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms. In this story, Zhao Yun had never been wounded in battle before so there were no scars on his body. One day, while he was taking a bath, his wife pricked him with a sewing needle out of mischief. Zhao Yun began to bleed profusely and eventually died of shock.

Film and television

The 2008 Hong Kong film Three Kingdoms: Resurrection of the Dragon is loosely based on stories related to Zhao Yun in the historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms. It was directed by Daniel Lee and starred Hong Kong actor Andy Lau as "Zhao Zilong". Mainland Chinese actor Hu Jun portrayed Zhao Yun in John Woo's Red Cliff, a two-part epic war film based on the Battle of Red Cliffs.

Notable actors who have portrayed Zhao Yun in television series include: Zhang Shan, in Romance of the Three Kingdoms (1994); Nie Yuan, in Three Kingdoms (2010), Benji Wang in K.O.3an Guo (2010), and Lin Gengxin in God of War, Zhao Yun (2016).

Video games

Zhao Yun is one of the Five Tiger Generals that must be recruited by the player in the NES RPG Destiny of an Emperor.

Zhao Yun appears as a playable character in Koei's Dynasty Warriors and Warriors Orochi video game series. He is usually featured prominently on the cover of each title, and is most often used by the developers in screenshots and other promotional materials for upcoming releases. He also appears in all instalments of Koei's Romance of the Three Kingdoms strategy game series.

The playable champion Xin Zhao in the multiplayer online battle arena game League of Legends is based on Zhao Yun.

Zhao Yun also appears as a playable character in Lost Saga.