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Image:Zhaoyun.jpg|thumb|left|Japanese silk painting of Zhao Yun, from Edo period. Zhao Yun (趙雲; styled Zilong 子龍) was an important commander of the civil wars of the late Han Dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period of China. For most of his career, Zhao Yun served the warlord Liu Bei, playing a part in the establishment of Shu Han. In literature and folklore he is heralded as the third member of the Five Tiger Generals. In 168, Zhao Yun was born in the Zhending (真定) county of Changshan (常山) province (now in hebei, northern China). He was approximately 6?2? tall, good-looking and had a commanding presence. He joined Gongsun Zan, a warlord who was a major player in the region, probably at the end of 191 A.D. or the beginning of 192 A.D. as commander of a small group of county volunteers. In 192 he was placed under the authority of Liu Bei, who at the time had only the rank of a major under Gongsun, as a commander of Liu?s cavalry. Liu Bei had a contingent of several thousand Wuhuan cavalry and Zhao Yun probably was put in charge of this force. Zhao Yun left Gongsun Zan and Liu Bei to attend his elder brother?s funeral soon after. He rejoined Liu Bei in 200 A.D. Evidently Zhao Yun had an extremely close relationship with Liu Bei. The Sanguo Zhi says that they slept in the same bed during the time the two were together in the City of Ye(鄴城). Around the same time Liu Bei sent Zhao Yun to secretly recruit more men to reinforce Liu?s then battered army. From then on, Zhao Yun followed Liu Bei throughout his sojourns around north China. In 208, Zhao Yun distinguished himself at the Battle of Changban. He saved Liu Bei's son Liu Shan, his wife the Lady Gan, (甘夫人) Liu Shan's mother. He was promoted to "General of the Standard" (牙門將軍) after the battle. After the Battle of Red Cliffs he played a role in conquering the territories of Jiangnan (江南) and was recognised as one of Liu Bei's leading lieutenants, being awarded the positions of major-general (偏將軍), Grand Administrator of Guiyang (桂陽太守). When Liu Bei led a force into Yi Zhou (益州, now Sichuan Province, 四川), he appointed Zhao Yun to be in charge of his main base in Gongan (公安, now in Hubei Province, 湖北) as Liu Yin Si Ma (留營司馬). Later, Zhao Yun accompanied Zhuge Liang and Zhang Fei into Shu. He held separate command, marching via Jiangzhou (江州)and Jianwei (犍為)to Chengdu (成都). Zhao Yun was named General Xujun (詡軍將軍) after Liu Bei claimed Chengdu. Upon Liu Shan's succession to the throne in 223 A.D., Zhao Yun was given the title of General Who Conquers the South (征南將軍), and enfeoffment as Marquis of Yongchangting (永昌亭侯). He was soon promoted to the General Who Maintains Peace in the East (鎮東將軍) In 227, Zhao Yun ? now one of the most venerable commanders in Shu - accompanied Zhuge Liang to Hanzhong( 漢中) on the first of the Northern Expeditions. The next spring, Zhao was given the operation of marching through the Yegu (斜谷) as a decoy to the main force, which would travel left through Qishan (祁山). He was opposed in the pass in force by the great Wei commander Cao Zhen (曹真). After a worthy defense against a far superior force, Zhao Yun was able to lead a relatively orderly retreat. He was demoted to the General Who Maintains Peace in the Army (鎮軍將軍). In 229, Zhao Yun died at Hanzhong and was much grieved in the Shu army. He received the posthumous appellation of Shunping Marquis (順平侯) from Liu Shan in 261 A.D. Known to be a great warrior, Zhao Yun also possessed many good qualities unrivaled by heroes of his time. Although Luo Guanzhong's Romance of the Three Kingdoms greatly exaggerated his physical prowess, the real Zhao Yun is worthy of great respects and adulations for not only his courage, but also his wisdom, clear mind, and sense of honor and morality. For example, he distinguished rights and wrongs very well, and wouldn't take anything he didn't deserve. He also attempted to persuade Liu Bei from invading the Kingdom of Wu for revenge, with clear and reasonable arguments. In the novel and perhaps in the real life, Zilong's character would be best described as that of a Western knight. Zhao Yun was survived by two sons, Zhao Tong (趙統) and Zhao Guang (趙廣). The younger son was a suborninate of Jiang Wei( 姜維), and died in combat in Ta Zhong (沓中). Read Zhao Yun's biography at Biography of Zhao Yun. Zhao Yun has become a popular figure in Chinese culture, having been featured prominently in literature, art, anecdotes etc. Already a relatively well-known hero from the Three Kingdoms period told through folklores for centuries, Zhao Yun became a household name after the wide success of the novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms created more than 1000 years after his death. It is said that perhaps Zhao Yun was one of several favorite characters of the author Luo Guanzhong himself. In the novel, Zhao Yun is described as being almost perfect, possessing unparalleled physical power as well as unwavering loyalty to his master, tremendous courage, keen intelligence and serene charisma. Since the novel?s publication, it has been adapted into various literary and art forms (both written and oral) and translated into several other Asian languages, such as Japanese and Korean. As a result, Zhao Yun?s popularity has steadily grown among the general Chinese populace as well as people in those Asian countries. For example, generations of people have become enthralled and mesmerized by his miraculous rescue of Liu Bei?s son Liu Shan at the Battle of Changban (as told by Luo?s novel and many legends, Zhao Yun single-handedly charged through ?one million men? seven times and slaughtered numerous enemy generals and soldiers along the way in order to rescue his young master). Zhao Yun became a legend, and his name a synonym for courage and bravery. Recently Zhao Yun?s popularity has grown tremendously, and has moved well beyond China and Asia into the Western World through various non-conventional media such as the internet and computer games (represented by series of strategy/fighting games created by Koei). Zhao Yun is often portrayed as being youthful and handsome, fearless and invincible, calm and intelligent, genuine and selfless in today?s operas, novels, games, comics and plays. It?s not clear how much such depictions resemble Zhao Yun, who in real life is known perhaps more for his virtues than battle kills. However, it is clear that the legend(s) of Zhao Yun, told and enriched over seventeen hundred years, will continue to be passed on to, and impress, many generations to come. It has been misunderstood by some people that Zhao Yun mainly served as a bodyguard of Liu Bei at the beginning (or throughout his career). However, there are no historical records to support the bodyguard claim, and all evidence points to him being a commander of real combat forces from the beginning to the end. Zhao Yun?s birth year is not known, although 168 AD seems very reasonable. The novel, Romance of the Three Kingdoms contains conflicting accounts of his age, thus cannot be used to determine his birth year. His death year 229 AD has also generated quite a controversy. Some historians have argued he might have passed away in 228 AD. Category:Heroes of the Three Kingdoms This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Zhao Yun".
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