Zhang Liao (169-222), a native of Yanmen Mayi (now Shuozhou, Shanxi). A famous general of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period. He was subordinate to Ding Yuan, Dong Zhuo, and Lu Bu. After the Battle of Xiapi, he returned to Cao Cao. Since then, he has been on the expedition with Cao Cao and has made great achievements. With Guan Yu to solve the White Horse Siege, descend to Changfeng in the East China Sea, attack Yuan Shang in Yecheng, lead the vanguard to kill Wuhuan Shan Yu Yudun in the White Wolf Mountain, and pacify Liaodong Liu Yi, Huainan Meicheng, Chen Lan, etc.

After the Battle of Wet Beard, Cao Cao appointed Zhang Liao, Li Dian, and Le Jin to guard Hefei. Zhang Liao repelled Sun Wu's attacks many times, and in the battle of Hefei in the twentieth year of Jian'an (215), Zhang Liao led 800 soldiers to attack Sun Quan's 100,000 army, and hit Sun Quan's commander, which made Sun Quan frightened and Wu's army was invincible and defeated. Later, he broke the army of 100,000 with 7,000 people and almost captured Sun Quan alive. After this battle, Zhang Liaowei shook Jiangdong and became famous, and "Zhang Liao's cry" has also become a legendary story spread among the people. Zhang Liao was respected by all dynasties and became one of the sixty-four generals in ancient and modern times.

After Cao Pi ascended the throne, he still ordered Zhang Liao to guard the imperial grandson's power. In the second year of the early Huang dynasty (221), Zhang Liaotun was stationed in Yongqiu and contracted a disease. During Zhang Liao's serious illness, Sun Quan was still very jealous of him. In the third year of the early Huang dynasty (222), Zhang Liao lived up to expectations and defeated Wu general Lü Fan despite his illness. In the same year, he died of illness in Jiangdu, at the age of 54. Later generations called him and Le Jin, Yu Ban, Zhang He, and Xu Huang as Cao Wei's "five good generals".

Zhang Liao was originally a descendant of Nie Yi, and his family changed his surname to Zhang in order to avoid resentment. Zhang Liao was already a county official when he was a teenager. At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Ding Yuan, the assassin of Bingzhou, used Zhang Liao's military strength, summoned him to engage in it, and ordered him to lead troops to Kyoto. He Jin sent Zhang Liao to Hebei to recruit troops, and a total of more than 1,000 people were obtained. However, when Zhang Liao's recruitment had not yet returned, He Jin in Beijing had died due to the failure of the eunuch suppression, so all the troops led by Zhang Liao belonged to Dong Zhuo. When Dong Zhuo died, Zhang Liao's troops belonged to Lü Bu and he was transferred to the rank of cavalry captain (equivalent to the captain of the cavalry, slightly lower than the general). Soon, Lü Bu was defeated by Li Dao, Guo Yan and others, and Zhang Liao followed Lü Bu to Yanzhou, where he was defeated by Cao Cao and went to Xuzhou.

In the second year of Jian'an (197), Zhang Liao served as the Taishou of Beidi and Lu Xiang at the age of 28.

In the third year of Jian'an (198), Lü Bu sent Zhang Liao and Gao Shun to break Liu Bei, but then Cao Cao broke Lü Bu in Xiapi, and Zhang Liao led the remnants of Lü Bu's army to surrender, and was worshiped as a Zhonglang general and given the title of Marquis of Guannei.

In the fifth year of Jian'an (200 years), Yuan Shao sent Yan Liang to attack Baima, and Cao Cao ordered Zhang Liao and Guan Yu to be the vanguard of the siege of Baima and break Yuan's army. The number of military exploits has been relocated to the generals. After Cao Cao defeated Yuan Shao's main force, he sent Zhang Liao to pacify the counties of Lu.

In the sixth year of Jian'an (201), Zhang Liao and Xiahou Yuan surrounded Changfeng in the East China Sea, after several months, the grain was about to run out, and everyone discussed leading the army first, but Zhang Liao said to Xiahou Yuan: "These days, every time we inspect the siege of the army, Chang Yuan will stare at me with two eyes. Moreover, the arrows fired by his soldiers became scarcer and scarcer, which must have been Chang Xuan's hesitation, so he did not have the strength to fight. I hope to try him and negotiate with him, if I can successfully lure Chang Feng down the mountain, wouldn't it be great? So he ordered someone to say to Chang Xuan: "Gong Cao has an order, let Zhang Liao come and convey it to you." Chang Xuan really went down the mountain to talk to Zhang Liao. Zhang Liao said: "Cao Gong is wise and brave, and he is using his benevolence to influence the forces of various factions in the Quartet, and those who belong first can be rewarded." So Chang Xuan agreed to surrender. Zhang Liao knew that he was willing to surrender, so he only went to Sangong Mountain, entered Changfeng's house, and greeted his family. Seeing that Zhang Liao was so frank and honest, Chang Feng was happy in his heart, so he went to see Cao Cao.

Cao Cao sent Chang Feng back to the East China Sea first, and then reprimanded Zhang Liao, saying: "Recklessly going to the enemy's lair alone, this is not the general's doing." Zhang Liao replied: "With the prestige of the Ming Gong in the four seas, I have the holy decree, and Chang Xuan will not dare to harm me, so I dare to go." ”

In the seventh year of Jian'an (202), when Zhang Liao was courting Yuan Tan and Yuan Shang in Liyang, he was tired of merit and became a backbone general.

In the eighth year of Jian'an (203), Cao Cao attacked Yuan Shang in Yecheng, Yuan Shang fortified the wall, and Cao's army could not attack it for a long time. Therefore, Cao Cao adopted Guo Jia's strategy to let Er Yuan fight among himself and return to Xudu first, and at the same time ordered Zhang Liao and Le to attack Bayin An and move the local people to the south of the Yellow River.

In the ninth year of Jian'an (204), Zhang Liao once again attacked Yecheng with Cao Cao, and this time finally broke through Yecheng, Zhang Liao was ordered not to patrol Zhao and Changshan, and recruited the thieves in the area of Yuanshan and Sun Qing of Montenegro. After that, he attacked Yuan Tan again with Cao Cao.

In the tenth year of Jian'an (205), after the defeat of Yuan Tan, Zhang Liao was ordered to pacify the coastal area, conquer the Yingzhou assassin Shi Liuyi placed by Gongsun Du, and join forces with Changguang Taishou He Kui to seek peace with thieves and money. Cao Cao presented the emperor of the Han Dynasty, called Zhang Liao, Yu Ban, and Le Jin and said: "The force is strong, the strategy is thorough, the character is loyal, the ethics are noble, every time you fight, you take the lead, you are brave and tenacious, and you are invincible; Beat the drums of war yourself and forget about your tiredness. They led the army alone, commanded the whole army, comforted the soldiers, were disciplined, and did not commit any crimes in the autumn; Decision-making in the face of the enemy, no mistakes. In terms of meritorious service, prominent honors should be given. After recovering Donglai County, Zhang Liao led his army back to Yecheng, and Cao Cao personally went out of the city to greet him, invited him to ride in a car, and appointed him as the general of Dangkou.

In the eleventh year of Jian'an (206), Zhang Liao led the army to attack Jingzhou, pacified Jiangxia counties, and was named the Marquis of Duting.

In the twelfth year of Jian'an (207), Cao Cao wanted to conquer Yuan Shang in Liucheng, and Zhang Liao admonished: "Xu Du is the place where the Son of Heaven is." Now that the son is in Xudu, Cao Gong's expedition to the north is far away, if Liu Biao sends Liu Bei to attack Xu and occupy it to command the Quartet, your situation will be great. Cao Cao Ce decided that Liu Biao would not be able to appoint Liu Bei, so he continued to go on the expedition. Encounter the enemy in the middle of the march. Zhang Liao was full of vigor and urged Cao Cao to engage in the battle, Cao Cao admired Zhang Liao's fighting spirit very much, and saw that Wuhuan's army had not yet formed a formation, so he awarded his banner to Zhang Liao for temporary use, and appointed Zhang Liao as the vanguard to fight, so Zhang Liao led the army to assault, broke Wuhuan, and cut off the order in front of the battle.

In the thirteenth year of Jian'an (208), when Jingzhou was not yet stable, Cao Cao ordered Zhang Liaotun to serve in Changshe. When the army was about to set out, there was a sudden commotion among the rebels, and a fire broke out in the middle of the night, and the whole army was disturbed. At this time, Zhang Liao said to the left and right: "No. This must not be a rebellion of the whole camp, but must be a person who caused a rebellion and wanted to confuse others. So he ordered the army to sit still as long as it was not a rebel. And Zhang Liao led dozens of his own soldiers to stand in the formation. Soon the situation stabilized, and the army immediately captured the mastermind, killed him, and was pacified.

During the Battle of Chibi, Cao Cao and Zhao Yan were the capital governors and protectors, protecting the seven armies of Yu Ban, Zhang Liao, Zhang He, Zhu Ling, Li Dian, Lu Zhao, and Feng Kai.

In the fourteenth year of Jian'an (209), Chen Lan and Mei Cheng, who were from Lujiang, occupied six counties such as Di and rebelled, so Cao Cao sent Yu Ban and Zang Ba to crusade against Mei Cheng, and ordered Zhang Liao to lead Zhang He and Niu Gai to crusade against Chen Lan. At that time, Mei Cheng surrendered to the ban, and the ban led the army back. Unexpectedly, Mei Cheng took the opportunity to take his army to join Chen Lan, and the two of them moved to Lishan to defend themselves. There is Tianzhu Mountain in Lishan Mountain (now Qianshan County, Anhui Province), it is about more than 20 miles high, the road is dangerous and narrow, Chen Lan and other people avoid it, and it is difficult to enter the mountain down. Zhang Liao wanted to climb the mountain and march into the army, but all the generals said: "This mountain road is treacherous, and our army has few soldiers, so it is difficult to use troops in depth." Zhang Liao said: "This is exactly the so-called 'one and one, the brave have the front ear' (only the brave can advance)." So he went to the foot of the mountain and set up camp, raised troops to attack the mountain, and finally beheaded Chen Lan and Mei Cheng, and captured all of them. Cao Cao commented on the merits of the generals, saying: "Climbing the Tianshan Mountain, stepping through the steeps, and successfully winning Chen Lan and Mei CD are the merits of General Dangkou (Zhang Liao)." So he increased his town and made a false festival.

When Cao Cao conquered Sun Quan in vain, he appointed Zhang Liao, Le Jin, Li Dian and other troops to lead more than 7,000 men to guard Hefei.

In the eighteenth year of Jian'an (213), he was the vanguard of the conquest of Xukou with Zang Ba, broke through Sun Quan's Jiangxi camp, and captured Sun Yang, the governor of Sun Quan.

In the nineteenth year of Jian'an (214), Sun Quan's general Lü Mengqi attacked and captured the city of Anhui in Lujiang, and Zhang Liao learned that the city of Anhui was lost on the way to reinforcements, so he was forced to retreat.

In the twentieth year of Jian'an (215 years), Cao Cao went to conquer Zhang Lu, first taught the protector Xue Yi, and paid a book to sign an urgent letter to Hefei to Zhang Liao, with the words "thief to naifa" (the thief army came to open the letter and read it). Soon Sun Quan of Eastern Wu led an army of 100,000 into Hefei to besiege Hefei, and the generals of Hefei jointly opened the letter to see what Cao Cao taught, and the letter said: "If Sun Quan's army comes, General Zhang and Li will go to war; General Le guards the army and is not allowed to fight. The generals were puzzled. At this time, Zhang Liao said: "Cao Gong is on an expedition, and when his rescue comes, the enemy army will definitely have broken us." Therefore, Cao Gong taught me and other generals to attack the enemy army against it when it did not meet, destroy the enemy's sharpness, and calm the hearts of everyone, and then hold on. The opportunity of success or failure, in this battle, why should you wonder? ”

Li Dian also held the same opinion as Zhang Liao. So Zhang Liao recruited men who dared to counterattack the enemy at night, and got a total of 800 people, so he opened the cattle branch to feed the soldiers and prepare for tomorrow's battle. Before dawn, Zhang Liao was armed with a halberd, and he climbed directly into the enemy formation alone, personally killed dozens of Sun Quan's army and 2 generals, and shouted his name in the formation, and then rushed into the heavy fortress until Sun Quan's banner was under the banner. Sun Quan was shocked when he saw this, and his people were at a loss, and they didn't know what to do, so they had to walk on the high hill and only defend themselves with their halberds. Zhang Liao saw that the enemy army was retreating, so he shouted at Sun Quan and provoked him to come down to fight, but Sun Quan was afraid and did not dare to move; Seeing that Zhang Liao's troops were very few, he suddenly gathered several troops to besiege Zhang Liao. Zhang Liao broke through the siege on the left and right of the Wu formation, and attacked sharply forward, and his encirclement couldn't help but rush away, and dozens of people under the command of Zhang Liao's generals were able to escape. But there were still the rest of the people in the formation, and they all called out to Zhang Liao: "Has the general abandoned us!" Zhang Liaofu returned to the siege and rescued the trapped remnants. Sun Quan's people were invincible, and no one dared to resist Zhang Liao.

In the morning of the battle to the middle of the day, the Wu army was captured by Zhang Liao, and the Cao army returned to the city to repair the garrison at this time, and the hearts of the people settled down, and the generals expressed their admiration for what Zhang Liao did. Sun Quan attacked Hefei for more than ten days, but he could not attack it, so he returned the army and retreated, Zhang Liao led the army to pursue and almost captured Sun Quan, and the famous Jiangdong general Chen Wu was also killed in this battle. When Cao Cao heard this, he praised Zhang Liao's performance and worshiped Zhang Liao as the general of the expedition. Zhang Liao's defeat of Sun Quan shocked Sun Wu, and there are seven biographies about this incident in the "Chronicles of the Three Kingdoms: Book of Wu" and Pei's notes. According to the record of "Wei Luo", after this battle, Jiangdong children who refused to stop crying, their parents only scared and said: "Zhang Liao is here, Zhang Liao is here!" "No child will dare to cry.

In the twenty-first year of Jian'an (216), Cao Cao levied Sun Quan again. When the army arrived in Hefei, Cao Cao inspected the place where Zhang Liao fought in the past and admired it for a long time. So he increased the troops for Zhang Liao, and left more troops to migrate to the nest.

In the twenty-second year of Jian'an (217), Cao Cao attacked Xukou, Sun Quan asked to surrender, and Xiahou Dun, Cao Ren, Zhang Liao and other tun lived in the nest.

In the twenty-fourth year of Jian'an (219), Guan Yu besieged Cao Ren in Fancheng, and in due course Sun Quan called the vassal in Wei, in order to let Sun Quan attack Jingzhou with peace of mind, Cao Cao summoned Zhang Liao and all the troops to rescue Cao Ren. Zhang Liao has not yet arrived, and Xu Huang has already defeated Guan Yu. Zhang Liao then joined Cao Cao in Mobi, and Cao Cao came out by car to comfort him and sent him to Chenjun.

In the twenty-fifth year of Jian'an (220), Cao Cao died, Cao Pi ascended the throne of Wei, relocated Zhang Liao to the former general, and divided his brother Zhang Xun and a son Liehou. Soon Sun Quan rebelled again, Zhang Liao returned to Hefei, and entered the capital of the township. Cao Pi gave his mother a chariot to show his honor, and sent soldiers and horses to send his family to the place where he was garrisoning, and announced in advance that Zhang Liao's family was coming, and ordered all the defenders to go out to greet him, and all the sergeants and generals lined up to greet Zhang Liao's family, and those who saw this scene thought it was a very glorious thing. In the same year, Cao Pi proclaimed himself emperor, and then named Zhang Liao as the Marquis of Jinyang, increasing the number of 1,000 households, and the first 2,600 households.

In the second year of the early Huang dynasty (221), Zhang Liao went to the Luoyang Imperial Palace to worship, and Cao Pi led Zhang Liao to meet in the Jianshi Palace, and asked him about the situation when he broke Wu in the past. After Zhang Liao said it, Cao Pi sighed left and right: "It's just an ancient summoning tiger." (Zhaohu is Zhaogong is a general of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty who is as famous as Uncle Fang, Yin Jifu, Qin Zhong, etc.) He was borrowed by Cao Pi as a metaphor because of Pinghuaiyi. So he built a house for Zhang Liao, built a palace for his mother, and followed Zhang Liao to break through the Wu army camp and temporarily recruited a number of foot soldiers, all of whom were sealed as tigers.

In the third year of the early Huang dynasty (222), Sun Quan once again declared himself a vassal to Cao Wei. Zhang Liao was ordered to return to Tunyongqiu, but he fell ill here. Cao Pi sent Liu Ye to take the imperial physician to examine his illness, and ordered the tiger guards to communicate Zhang Liao's illness back and forth, and the messengers who asked Zhang Liao about his illness often met each other on the road. Liang Zhangju's "Circumstantial Evidence of the Three Kingdoms" mentions that "the three princes of the Han Dynasty were sick, and they were sent to Huangmen to ask about the disease." Wei and Jin are Huangmenlang, especially the heavy ones or servants. (Zhang) Liao has not reached the public, and he is in the service, and he is also favored. It can be seen how Cao Pi attaches importance to Zhang Liao.

Zhang Liaozhi's illness was not cured for a long time, Cao Pi ordered someone to take him to his camp, and he drove in person, held his hand, gave him imperial clothes, and the eunuch came to deliver imperial meals every day. After his condition improved slightly, Zhang Liao returned to the garrison where he was stationed and was loyal to his duties.

At that time, Sun Quan betrayed Cao Wei again, and Cao Pi sent Zhang Liao to take a boat and Cao Xiu to Hailing Linjiang to garrison. Sun Quan knew that Zhang Liao was so far, he was very jealous, and ordered the generals to say: "Although Zhang Liao is sick, he is still brave, you must be cautious!" In the same year, Zhang Liao and the generals broke the Wu general Lu Fan. But his condition became more and more serious, and finally died in Jiangdu, and a generation of famous generals fell. Cao Pi was weeping for it, and said that he was just a marquis. His son Zhang Huhei was appointed as his knight.

In the sixth year of the early Huang Dynasty (225 years), Cao Pi remembered Zhang Liao and Li Dian's achievements in Hefei, and said: "In the battle of Hefei, Zhang Liao and Li Dian only had 800 foot soldiers and 100,000 thieves. They have made the thieves still angry and robbed of them, and they can really be described as the minions of the country. Now it is divided into 100 households in Liao and Dianyi, and a viscount is given to the Marquis of Guannei. ”

In the first four years (243), Zhang Liao was enshrined in Cao Cao's temple.

Zhang Liao was a famous general in the Three Kingdoms period, and he made great contributions to Cao Cao's unification of the north and the south, and his life and death. Until his later years, he was still sick and fighting. Zhang Liao spent almost all of his life in war. He successively followed Cao Cao to fight Shandong, fight against Yuan Tan, destroy Yuan Shang, and level Liaodong, and in the extremely chaotic Three Kingdoms era, he ended the situation of heroes rising up and warlords fighting each other, and gradually unified the north, which played a progressive role in history.