In the well-known "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", Zhao Yun was portrayed as a brave and loyal general, and his image is deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. However, there are some discrepancies between the actual historical account and the description in the novel. What is Zhao Yun's status, merits, and moral character in history? Is he really as brave and loyal as in the novel? Let us uncover the mystery of the real Zhao Yun together.
Zhao Yun's official position
When it comes to Zhao Yun, people will naturally think of one of the majestic, heroic and fearless Five Tiger Generals depicted in "Romance of the Three Kingdoms". However, in the real historical records, Zhao Yun's official position is not as prominent as described in the novel.
According to the record of "Chronicles of the Three Kingdoms, Shu Shu, and the Biography of Zhao Yun", Zhao Yun was "eight feet long and majestic", which is undoubtedly a vivid depiction of his heroic appearance. However, regarding his official position, the record in the "Chronicles of the Three Kingdoms" is quite simple: "The county is exemplified, and the righteous officials come down." This shows that Zhao Yun was originally just a local military attaché, and his official position was not too high.
Later, Zhao Yun followed Liu Bei to fight the world and held many official positions, but they were not very prominent. For example, after Liu Bei pacified Yizhou, Zhao Yun was appointed "General Zuo". General Zuo's authority is equivalent to that of a modern deputy commander-in-chief, and his status is still not too high. For another example, after Liu Bei established the Shu Han regime, Zhao Yun was appointed as the "General of the Western Expedition", mainly responsible for the Western Expedition and defense work, and his authority was relatively limited.
In contrast, people such as Guan Yu and Zhang Fei have a much higher official status than Zhao Yun. Guan Yu was once named "Marquis of Wu", and Zhang Fei was also named "Marquis of Hanshou Pavilion". It can be seen that in the Shu Han regime, Zhao Yun's official position is not as prominent as described in the novel.
It is worth mentioning that in the "Chronicles of the Three Kingdoms", the title of "Five Tiger Generals" is not mentioned. This title is actually from the later "Romance of the Three Kingdoms". In the real historical records, Zhao Yun was not crowned with such a resounding title.
Perhaps, it is precisely because Zhao Yun's official position in history is not very prominent that when the "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" was compiled in later generations, the author beatifified and exaggerated him intentionally or unintentionally, thus creating an image of a brave and fearless and high-ranking military general.
However, even if his official status was not too high, Zhao Yun was still an important military general in the Shu Han regime. He led the army to participate in battles many times and made many meritorious achievements. Especially in the battle of Hanzhong, Zhao Yun's performance was particularly good, which we will cover in detail later. It can be seen that even if the official position is not very prominent, Zhao Yun's military ability and combat courage are obvious to all.
Zhao Yun's talent and cultivation
In "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", Zhao Yun gives the impression of undoubtedly a heroic and warlike general. However, in the real historical records, Zhao Yun was not only a military general, but also a talented and cultivated scribe.
According to the records of "Chronicles of the Three Kingdoms", Zhao Yun is not only outstanding in martial arts, but also "good at reading" and has a certain attainment in literature. In the Shu Han regime, Zhao Yun not only served as a military general, but also participated in government affairs many times and made suggestions for the development of the country.
There is an anecdote that can well illustrate Zhao Yun's talent and cultivation. According to records, once Liu Bei convened a meeting of civil and military officials to discuss state affairs, and someone raised a difficult question during the banquet and asked everyone to answer it. There was silence in the audience, and there was no answer. At this moment, Zhao Yun opened his mouth and said: "Someone is shallow in reading, but if it is discussed on this topic, someone is willing to express his own opinion." After that, Zhao Yun made a thorough analysis and answer to this problem, which made everyone present applaud. Since then, Zhao Yun's talent and cultivation have also become well-known among the government and the opposition.
In addition to talent and learning, Zhao Yun is also very concerned about people's livelihood and suffering, and pays attention to self-cultivation. In the area where he was in charge, Zhao Yun insisted on governing with virtue, being diligent and loving the people. He often personally visited the people to understand their sufferings and try to solve their practical difficulties. Once, when Zhao Yun was inspecting, he found a poor family where even food and clothing were a problem. Zhao Yun immediately took out all the money from his side and gave it all to the family, telling them to live a good life. This scene was widely spread by witnesses, and people all praised Zhao Yun's benevolence.
Not only that, Zhao Yun also attaches great importance to his own moral cultivation. He advocated governing the country by virtue, believing that only when the rulers of the country first cultivate themselves and cultivate their temperament and transform the people with virtue can they truly realize the long-term peace and stability of the country and the people's living and working in peace and contentment. Once, Zhao Yun bluntly pointed out at a court meeting that if the rulers of the country do not cultivate virtue, then even the best policies will be unsustainable. He called for strengthening moral education from top to bottom so that an atmosphere of goodness and progress can be formed throughout the country. Zhao Yun's proposition was highly appreciated by Liu Bei.
It can be seen that the real Zhao Yun is not only a general with outstanding martial arts, but also a talented and virtuous scribe. His talent is not only reflected in the battle formation, but also in the political strategy. It is precisely because Zhao Yun has both civil and military talents that he has an important position and outstanding prestige in the Shu Han regime.
Zhao Yun's family background
Although there are not many records of Zhao Yun's family background in historical books, from the limited clues, we can still get a glimpse of some clues of Zhao Yun's family background.
According to the records of "Chronicles of the Three Kingdoms, Shu Shu, and the Biography of Zhao Yun", Zhao Yun's character is Zilong, and his nickname is "Ah Long". "Dragon" was often a good name for talented people in ancient times, which shows that Zhao Yun has had high expectations since he was a child.
What's even more interesting is that Zhao Yun's ancestors may have a relationship with the famous Zhao family. In the "Zizhi Tongjian", there is a record mentioning that Zhao Yun's great-grandfather was named Zhao Yue, a scholar who served in Beijing. If this account is true, then Zhao Yun is a descendant of the famous Zhao family.
However, due to the lack of more historical records, it is difficult for us to fully confirm the family lineage of Zhao Yun. But judging from the limited clues, the possibility that Zhao Yun was born in a famous family is still very high.
Details of Zhao Yun's private life
Regarding Zhao Yun's private life, there are also some sporadic records in the history books.
According to the records of the "Chronicles of the Three Kingdoms", Zhao Yun's wife was named Mrs. Gan, a beautiful and virtuous woman. Once, Zhao Yun went out to fight, and Mrs. Gan was alone at home to take care of the housework. Unexpectedly, a group of robbers suddenly came to the house and committed evil. Seeing this, Mrs. Gan wittily took out all the belongings of the house, placed them in front of the robbers, and said, "Our family is all poor, and these things are all in the house. When the robbers saw this, they felt pity for them, and at last they took nothing, and went away.
In addition, Zhao Yun also has a cute little daughter named Zhao Yun'er. Once, Zhao Yun went out to fight and was seriously wounded on the battlefield. After Zhao Yun'er learned the news of her father's injury, she hurried to the battlefield and burst into tears when she saw her father, who was covered in blood. Seeing this, Zhao Yun comforted his daughter and said, "Father, I'm fine, this little injury is nothing." After Zhao Yun'er heard this, she was relieved.
Zhao Yun's relationship with other generals
As an important military general of Shu Han, Zhao Yun's relationship with people such as Guan Yu and Zhang Fei was also complicated.
Once, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei had a fierce dispute in the army because of some strategic differences. No one on either side let anyone, and the scene was very tense for a while. At this moment, Zhao Yun arrived at the right time, he first calmed the emotions of Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, and then patiently listened to the views and reasons of both sides. In the end, Zhao Yun made a fair ruling, which was recognized by both parties. Since then, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei have looked at Zhao Yun differently and regarded him as a close friend.
On the other hand, the relationship between Zhao Yun and Zhuge Liang is also very delicate. Although the two have cooperated a lot in the military, there are some rivalries and contradictions in private. It is said that once Zhuge Liang proposed a battle plan, but it was strongly opposed by Zhao Yun. The two sides quarreled over this and eventually broke up. However, at the critical moment, the two were still able to put their personal grievances behind them and work together for the interests of the country.
As an important general of Shu Han, Zhao Yun's relationship with other generals was complicated, with both friendship and competition, but in the end, they all fought side by side for a common goal.
Zhao Yun's combat performance
In "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", Zhao Yun is portrayed as a brave and invincible general, and his combat performance is undoubtedly a highlight in the novel. However, in the real historical records, Zhao Yun's combat performance is relatively bland and not as radiant as in the novel.
According to the records of "Chronicles of the Three Kingdoms", Chen Shou did not mention Zhao Yun's performance on the battlefield, which shows that Zhao Yun's actions in the battle were not too prominent at that time. However, in the "Chronicles of the Three Kingdoms, Shu Shu, and the Biography of Zhao Yun", there are still some sporadic records of Zhao Yun's combat performance.
Among them, the most famous passage is about Zhao Yun's performance in the Battle of Hanzhong. At that time, Cao Wei's army transported a large amount of grain and grass to the foot of the North Mountain, and Huang Zhong in the Shu Han army thought this was a good opportunity, so he led his subordinates to intercept it. But Huang Zhong acted too recklessly, and as a result, he was surrounded by Cao's army and fell into a difficult situation.
When Zhao Yun learned of this, he hurriedly led dozens of cavalry to reinforce him. At this time, Cao's army also rushed to the battlefield, and the encounter between the two sides was about to break out. As a pioneer, Zhao Yun personally rushed to the forefront and encountered a fierce confrontation with Cao's army. Despite being outnumbered, Zhao Yun was still well commanded, fighting and retreating in an orderly manner.
At this critical juncture, Zhao Yun found that one of his subordinates was injured and fell to the ground. He made a quick decision and personally rushed into Cao Jun's camp and rescued Zhang Zhu. In this way, under the command of Zhao Yun, although the Shu army suffered heavy casualties, it finally retreated and avoided greater losses.
From this record, we can see that Zhao Yun was indeed a brave and warlike general. But compared with the heroic images of "riding the savior alone" and "seven in and seven out" depicted in "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", Zhao Yun's performance in history is relatively bland.
In addition to the battle of Hanzhong, the record of Zhao Yun's other battles in the "Chronicles of the Three Kingdoms" is even more brief. For example, in the Battle of Jieting, "Three Kingdoms" did not mention Zhao Yun's performance, which shows that his actions in this key battle are not too prominent.
However, despite the relatively uneventful combat performance, Zhao Yun was still an important general in the Shu Han army. He went on many expeditions with the army, made many military exploits, and contributed his strength to the survival of the Shu Han regime. It was precisely because of a group of loyal and brave soldiers like Zhao Yun that Shu Han was able to stand tall in the turbulent era and once competed with Cao Wei.