After Liu Bei entered Shu, he gained a general, and his strength was stronger than Zhang Fei, but unfortunately he was killed by Zhuge Liang. Who is this general? How amazing is his record that he can overpower such a fierce general as Zhang Fei? What was the reason that eventually led him to be beheaded by Zhuge Liang? Today, let us trace the legendary life of this brave and fearless Shuzhong general and explore the reason why he was finally beheaded by Zhuge Liang. His story is destined to become a good story in history, but what will happen to him?
Zhang Ren: A famous general in Shuzhong from the grassroots
Since ancient times, Yizhou has been a fertile land with beautiful mountains and rivers and abundant products. In the turbulent years of the late Eastern Han Dynasty, there were also heroes and bandits rampant here. In order to suppress these criminals, local people of insight have stepped forward one after another to organize militia groups to defend themselves.
In this chaotic era filled with gunpowder, a young man from humble background quickly became a famous local figure with his extraordinary martial arts and courage. He is Zhang Ren, a grassroots Shu lieutenant general.
Zhang Ren's family was poor since he was a child, and his parents died, so he could only rely on part-time work to survive. But he is brave by nature and has had a special love for martial arts since he was a child. Whenever he had free time, he would pick up a stick and practice stick skills in the field. Gradually, Zhang Ren's martial arts became more and more powerful, coupled with his burly figure and infinite strength, he soon became famous in the local area.
Once, Zhang Ren single-handedly repelled a gang of robbers and rescued a captive rich lady. This heroic act made him an instant hit and famous in the local area. Soon, many enthusiastic young people joined him and formed an armed militia to suppress bandits and maintain law and order.
With his outstanding martial arts and talent in leading troops, Zhang Ren soon became the leader of this militia group. Under his command, this militia group defeated the rampant local bandits many times, quelled many heroic and unruly incidents, and made great achievements.
Zhang Ren's name also spread throughout Yizhou. At that time, Liu Yan was gathering troops and horses in Yizhou to prepare to resist Cao Cao's rule. After hearing Zhang Ren's name, Liu Yan personally recruited him into his command and worshiped him as a personal general. Since then, Zhang Ren has become Liu Yan's confidant.
Under Liu Yan, Zhang Ren repeatedly performed miraculous feats, whether it was to quell civil strife or fight against foreign enemies, he showed outstanding military command skills. Especially in the eradication of the Yellow Turban Army and the repulsion of the Southern Barbarian invasion, Zhang Rendu made great achievements and can be described as Liu Yan's most powerful general.
After Liu Yan's death, Zhang Ren served Liu Zhang again and became Liu Zhang's most trusted general. Under Liu Zhang's command, Zhang Ren repeatedly defeated Liu Bei's army, and repeatedly defeated famous generals such as Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, and Huang Zhong, which once put Liu Bei in a desperate situation. It wasn't until Zhuge Liang personally went out that he barely curbed Zhang Ren's sharpness.
Zhang Ren's heroic performance against Liu Bei's entry into Shu
In 212 AD, Liu Bei, instigated by Fa Zheng, Zhang Song and others, took advantage of Liu Zhang's negligence to take precautions, and suddenly launched a sneak attack and captured Guanghan. This move was undoubtedly a public betrayal of Liu Zhang, and it also completely broke the peace in Yizhou.
Liu Zhang, who learned of this, was furious and immediately sent Zhang Ren, the first fierce general in Shu at that time, to Fu County to resist Liu Bei's attack. Although Zhang Ren's troops were far inferior to Liu Bei, he was not afraid at all, but boldly attacked and took the lead.
In the battle of Luofengpo, Zhang Ren personally led the elite to break through Liu Bei's encirclement, smashed the Yellow Dragon, and broke Pang Tong's big battalion. Although Pang Tong had a peerless strategy, he was unable to resist Zhang Ren's onslaught after all, and was finally killed by Zhang Ren's spear and martyred heroically.
After Pang Tong was killed, Liu Bei's army was in turmoil, Zhang Ren took advantage of the victory to pursue, broke several levels in a row, and killed the generals all the way. Wei Yan, Huang Zhong and other famous generals were crushed under Zhang Ren's unstoppable attack and fled in embarrassment. Even Zhang Fei, who was known as an improper man, suffered a big loss under Zhang Ren and was almost captured alive by Zhang Ren.
In the face of Zhang Ren's ferocious murderous aura, Liu Bei's military spirit had almost collapsed. At this time, Zhuge Liang arrived from Jingzhou and personally went out to confront Zhang Ren. However, even a famous general with unparalleled strategy like Zhuge Liang could not solve Zhang Ren's siege in a short period of time.
Zhang Ren's tactics are extremely exquisite, attacking and retreating, so that Zhuge Liang has no way to start. Whenever Zhuge Liang tried to break through, Zhang Ren would immediately retreat, and when Zhuge Liang retreated, Zhang Ren would immediately counterattack and surround Zhuge Liang's army. In this way, the two sides have been circling in the area of Fuxian for several months, and it is difficult to distinguish the winner from the loser.
Seeing that he could not win in a short time, Zhuge Liang offered Liu Bei a plan and suggested bypassing Fuxian, rushing straight to Mianzhu to cut off Chengdu's throat artery. Liu Bei made a plan, so he led the army to smash Mianzhu.
Although Zhang Ren strongly opposed it, Liu Zhang finally listened to the slander of Li Yan and others, and failed to defend Mianzhu with heavy troops. As a result, as soon as Mianzhu was lost, Chengdu immediately fell into a crisis. Zhang Ren had no choice but to give up Fuxian and retreat to Luocheng in order to respond to Chengdu.
However, at this moment, Liu Zhang, at the instigation of his subordinates, made a shocking decision -- to surrender Liu Bei! When Zhang Ren learned of this bad news, his blood immediately surged, and he vomited blood on the spot. This decision is undoubtedly a blasphemy and betrayal of Zhang Ren's hard work and dedication over the years.
Although Liu Zhang had surrendered, Zhang Ren was still unyielding, he designed to lure the enemy and almost captured Zhang Fei alive. In the end, Zhang Ren was captured by the coalition forces of Zhuge Liang, Liu Bei, Zhang Fei and others, and was executed. A generation of fierce generals died heroically in this way, dying for the country and the people.
The other side of Zhang Ren: the heroic nature of both loyalty and bravery
On top of the battle array, Zhang Ren is indeed an invincible general. His courage and fearlessness, his command, and his repeated miraculous feats are admirable. But in addition to these eye-catching achievements, the other side of Zhang Ren is more worthy of our memory.
Zhang Ren's loyalty to Liu Zhang can be described as lingering and unforgettable. When Liu Bei attacked Guanghan, Zhang Ren was the first to strongly oppose it, and he clearly pointed out that although Liu Bei was under the banner of the Han clan, he was actually a tiger hiding murderous intentions, and he must not be invited into Yizhou. It's a pity that Liu Zhang listened to the villain's slander, and finally recruited Liu Bei into Chengdu.
Even so, Zhang Ren never complained about Liu Zhang, but as always, he wholeheartedly assisted Liu Zhang, and respected and loved Liu Zhang as a relative. When Fu County and Liu Bei encountered difficulties, Zhang Ren never had the slightest idea of surrendering, but tried his best to deal with Liu Bei until he was forced to give up Fu County.
Even when Liu Zhang finally made the decision to surrender, Zhang Ren did not waver in the slightest, but was heartbroken and vomited blood with hatred. It is really admirable that a pawn from the grassroots can be so loyal to his lord.
What is even more admirable is Zhang Ren's heroic and fearless spirit at the last moment. Although Liu Zhang had surrendered, Zhang Ren was unmoved, and he set up a trick to almost capture Zhang Fei alive. In the end, Zhang Ren was captured by the coalition forces of Zhuge Liang, Liu Bei, Zhang Fei and others, and in the face of execution, he never bowed his head and begged for mercy, but held his head high and regarded death as home.
It is really awe-inspiring that a pawn from the grassroots can have such a heroic and fearless spirit. In that era when there were many gate valves, Zhang Ren's patriotic sentiment for the country and the people was a rare and valuable quality.
It is not difficult for us to imagine that if Zhang Ren was born in other dynasties, he would definitely become a generation of famous generals and be remembered by the world. It's a pity that he was ill-fated, he was born in troubled times, and he was framed by others, and in the end he could only be martyred and failed to achieve his ambitions. But even so, Zhang Ren's heroic courage and sincere loyalty to his lord are enough to make his name forever in history and become a model admired by future generations.
Analysis of Zhang Ren's tragic ending and causes
Although Zhang Ren was brave and fearless in resisting Liu Bei's entry into Shu and performed many miraculous feats, in the end he could not escape a tragic ending. When Liu Zhang made the decision to surrender at the instigation of his subordinates, Zhang Ren vomited blood with hatred, which shows his loyalty to the lord.
However, Liu Zhang's surrender doomed Zhang Ren to ruin. Surrounded by the combined forces of Liu Bei, Zhuge Liang, Zhang Fei and others, Zhang Ren was finally captured alive and executed. A generation of fierce generals died heroically in this way, dying for the country and the people.
The root cause of Zhang Ren's tragic ending in the end is that he came from a humble background and was not touted. As a military general from the grassroots, Zhang Ren's family was poor since he was a child, and his parents died, so he could only rely on short-term work to survive. Although he is brave by nature and has a special love for martial arts since he was a child, he did become a confidant under Liu Yan and Liu Zhang by virtue of his outstanding martial arts and military leadership, but after all, he could not change his fate from a humble background.
In that era when there were many gate valves, even a military general like Zhang Ren who made great achievements could not escape the fate of being forgotten by the world. In contrast, people such as Liu Bei, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei and others, although their backgrounds are not prominent, they still have some background in the family of gate valves. This makes their fame and deeds easier to be remembered and praised by future generations.
Zhang Ren is different, he is a pure grassroots, and he doesn't even have a famous descendant. As we know, the degree of posterity is directly related to the brilliance of the main line. If there were no cultural celebrities like Confucius to boast about Zhou Gongdan, I am afraid that he would inevitably be forgotten by the world.
In addition to his humble background, another important reason why Zhang Ren was finally forgotten was that the Shu Han history books deliberately discredited his existence. When Liu Bei entered Shu, he did not behave authentically, while playing the banner of the Han family, he was doing things in the same room. In order to cover up his mistakes, Liu Bei could only try his best to discredit Liu Zhang, and piggyback on Liu Zhang's loyal people such as Zhang Yiyi into the cold palace.
What's more, Zhang Ren had defeated many of Liu Bei's generals and killed strategists such as Pang Tong, which had a great impact on Liu Bei's military morale. If Zhang Ren's image is not demonized, wouldn't the performance of Fa Zheng, Li Yan, Zhang Song, and others in the later Shu Han Dynasty be even more shameful?
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Therefore, the smear and ban on Zhang Ren almost became the political correctness of Shu Han from top to bottom. Coupled with Zhang Ren's early death, there are not too many well-known battles to describe, so he can only become an obscure second-rate character in the end, forgotten by the world.