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Zhao Yun
Shu Han general from Zhending who saved Liu Bei's infant son at Changban and later led the decoy force at Jigu in Zhuge Liang's first northern campaign
At dusk on a hilltop, a large tent stands open with a table holding a map marked with small stones inside, a saddled horse tethered outside, and fire stands burning; campfires dot the river plain below, and one tiny sentry stands on the slope.
Also known as Zi Zilong
- Roles
- Commanders
Zhao Yun, courtesy name Zilong, came from Zhending in Changshan and first served Gongsun Zan, who sent him with Liu Bei against Yuan Shao; he stayed with Liu as commander of his horsemen. When Cao Cao's cavalry caught Liu Bei at Changban in 208 and Liu fled leaving his family, Zhao carried the infant Liu Shan and protected Lady Gan, bringing both to safety. The unofficial Biography of Zhao Yun quoted by Pei Songzhi describes him as eight feet tall and tells how he flung open his camp gates on the Han River until Cao's army, fearing an ambush, withdrew, prompting Liu Bei to say that Zilong was courage through and through. In 228, leading a decoy force through the Ji valley in Zhuge Liang's first northern campaign, he was beaten by Cao Zhen but kept his men together, and was demoted. He died in 229 and was posthumously named Shunping in 261.
Life and times
Dates Birth unknown–229 CE