The Romance of the Three Kingdoms depicts many vivid heroes, including such a wise and courageous man, who, as a general of Cao Ying, was loyal to the Lord, and at the same time won the trust and respect of the Shu Han Taoyuan Jieyi brothers, he made the People of Eastern Wu feel frightened, this person was Zhang Liao.
Zhang Liao had previously belonged to Lü Bu's army, and later submitted to Cao Cao, making many military achievements. Zhang Liao's official appearance in "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" was in the 11th time. In many battles between Lü Bu and Cao Cao. Zhang Liao often assisted Lü Bu in beating Cao Cao to the point of falling flowers, and even once almost killed Cao Cao thanks to a fire he had lit in Puyang City. In a certain war, Cao Cao captured Lü Bu, and Lü Bu whispered to Cao Cao for forgiveness in front of the White Gate Building, but at this moment, a man stood up and scolded Lü Bu, saying that he was a puppet and that it was not a pity to die. This person is Zhang Liao.
Also captured by Cao Cao, Zhang Liang and Lü Bu behaved very differently. Zhang Liang spoke in public about the Battle of Puyang, which had overwhelmed Cao Cao, and was so angry that Cao Cao wanted to draw his sword and kill him. Liu Bei and Guan Yu saw the situation and hurriedly stopped Cao Cao and saved Zhang Liao's life. It was also Zhang Liao's magnificent righteousness that was later appreciated by Cao Cao. The two went from the initial conflict to the later ice release of the former suspicion, and finally Zhang Liao submitted to Cao Cao, which also paved the way for a series of plots later.
We all know that Guan Yu's temporary return to Cao Ying is a classic passage in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. The intermediary who promoted the relationship between Guan Yu and Cao Cao was Zhang Liao. When Cao Cao confronted Guan Yu, he took a fancy to Guan Yu's martial arts and conduct, and wanted him to submit to him. Just when Cao Cao was worried about how to persuade Guan Yu, a person stood up and said that I had a relationship with Guan Gong, please send me to try it. When everyone looked, that person was Zhang Liao. Later, Zhang Liao ran back and forth between the camps of the two armies, and finally did not dishonor Cao Cao's mission and let Guan Yu submit to Cao's camp.
Later, Guan Yu heard the news of Liu Bei's return and wanted to defect to Liu Bei again. Cao Cao wanted to send someone to send him off, but he was worried that Guan Yu would not take his affection, so he sent Zhang Liao out on horseback to send him off. Because zhang liao and Guan Yu had the deepest friendship in Cao Ying, it was most appropriate for him to go out and practice for Guan Yu.
Guan Yu slashed six generals through five levels, but when he attacked the south, he was pursued and killed by Xiahou Chun's troops. Xiahou Chun was a fierce general under Cao Cao, and he was on a par with Guan Yu, and the battle between the two armies would probably cause both defeats and injuries. It was Zhang Liang who arrived in time to pass Cao Cao's order to release Guan Yu, and Guan Yu was able to escape safely. All this laid the groundwork for Guan Yu's righteous interpretation of Cao Cao on Huarong Road below.
Zhang Liao appeared many times in times of danger, and the depictions in the book were not seen in this person, and he heard his voice first, which not only showed the embarrassment of the battle situation, but also reflected the timeliness of his appearance. Cao Cao's warship was burned in Chibi, Cao Cao could not get out in time, in this critical situation, it was Zhang Liao who fell from the sky, calmly shot Huang Gai with an arrow, and successfully broke the siege and saved Cao Cao. On the way to escape, Cao Cao's troops encountered Guan Yu, who had been waiting for a long time.
Although Cao Cao repeatedly asked Guan Yunian to spare himself for the sake of his old feelings, Guan Yu's heart was shaken, but he never made up his mind to let Go of Cao Cao. At this moment, Zhang Liang did not say a word, mounted a war horse, broke through Guan Yu's heavy obstacles, and led Cao Cao and others through the last barrier of life and death. Since the Battle of Chibi, Cao Cao used Zhang Liao extra heavily, and he delivered the critical place of Hefei to Zhang Liao, and Zhang Liao did not live up to expectations and reached the peak of his life in the Battle of Hefei.
Sun Quan led an army of 100,000 to capture Hefei, at this time the situation was very critical, Zhang Liao stepped forward to turn the tide, fiercely defeated the Wu army, and almost captured Sun Quan alive. Zhang Liao and Li Dian organized a death squad of about 800 people and launched a fierce attack on Sun Quan. Zhang Liao put on his armor and charged into battle, killing dozens of people at once, including two generals. Sun Quan was caught off guard, and an army of 100,000 men was soon forced to a high ground. The battle lasted from early morning to noon, ending with Sun Quan's retreat, and the Battle of Hefei achieved initial victory.
Ten days later, Sun Quan was still unable to capture the city of Hefei, so he ordered the troops to return to the capital. At this time, Zhang Liao discovered the enemy situation and immediately led the guards in the city to rush to Sun Quan's way to withdraw his army, killing him by surprise. Sun Quan escaped under the desperate cover of the general Lü Meng and others, but many of his generals were captured alive or killed. The Battle of Hefei greatly demoralized Eastern Wu and, more importantly, changed the disadvantaged position of the Cao army at the Battle of Chibi. Even after Cao Pi became emperor, Zhang Liao, when he was ill and cao xiu and others were fighting against the Wu army, he wounded the Wu general Lü Fan and repeatedly defeated the Wu army. In this regard, Sun Quan was still very jealous of Zhang Liao, and warned his subordinates that although Zhang Liao was seriously ill, this person was still very powerful, and we must be careful and cautious.
Let's first take a look at who are Liu Bei's Five Tiger Generals? They are Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, Ma Chao, and Huang Zhong. In the Chronicle of the Three Kingdoms, Zhang Liao is listed as the first of the five major generals of Cao Wei, and the author does not hesitate to praise Zhang Liao as the first of Cao Weiduo's famous generals. The editor believes that Zhang Liao's insight and strategy, political foresight, and his loyalty and courage are enough to replace any of Liu Bei's five tiger generals.