The legendary warrior whose greatest enemy was his own temper
In short: He was a titan of the Three Kingdoms, a man feared by entire armies and capable of holding a bridge against Cao Cao’s elite cavalry. Yet, the general who survived countless battles met his end not on the battlefield, but at the hands of his own terrified subordinates.
Zhang Fei, a prominent military general during the late Eastern Han and early Three and Kingdoms periods, was renowned for his immense strength and martial prowess. Serving under the warlord Liu Bei, he was part of a legendary trio that included the statesman Guan Yu. Historical accounts and even contemporary advisors like Cheng Yu described him and Guan Yu as being capable of fighting ten thousand enemies, likening them to tigers among Liu Bei's subjects.
His military career was marked by both brilliant tactical victories and significant failures. He famously led just 20 horsemen to cover Liu Bei's retreat at Changban, using a combination of a destroyed bridge and a terrifying psychological display to halt Cao Cao's pursuit. He also achieved a notable victory in the Baxi Commandery, where he used narrow mountain paths to divide and defeat the forces of the general Zhang He.
However, Zhang Fei's temperament was a profound liability. While he was praised for his righteousness—such as when he released the defiant officer Yan Yan—he was also criticized for being brutal and heartless. This volatility eventually led to his assassination in 221 AD. His subordinates, Fan Qiang and Zhang Da, killed him and presented his head to Sun Quan, driven by the fear of being punished for failing to complete an impossible task involving the design of cavalry saddles.
Despite his violent end, his legacy endured through his lineage and the romanticized accounts in the 14th-century novel, *Romance of the Three Kingdoms*. His descendants continued to hold positions of importance in the state of Shu Han, illustrating the lasting impact of his family's role in Chinese history.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: Zhang Fei
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