Che Zhou

Historical Record

Records on Che Zhou are extremely scarce; the official history Records of the Three Kingdoms and its related commentaries contain no detailed record of his life, deeds, official appointments, or specific experiences. From a historiographical standpoint, therefore, Che Zhou has almost no presence in history; his deeds were not adopted by official histories or passed down. This makes it impossible for us to construct an objective historical image of Che Zhou from official sources.

In the Novel

In Luo Guanzhong's Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Che Zhou, as a general under Cao Cao, is given a vividly colored literary portrayal of his image and fate. He first appears in Chapter 20, when Cao Cao, having defeated Lü Bu, returned with his army to Xu; passing through Xu Province, the people pleaded for Liu Bei to be left as Governor of Xu Province. To appease the people and at the same time to keep Liu Bei in check, Cao Cao "summoned the General of Chariots and Cavalry Che Zhou to take temporary charge of Xu Province" ^c:6439. This appointment placed Che Zhou in the seat of Inspector of Xu Province, making him Cao Cao's deputy in the province and laying the groundwork for his conflict with Liu Bei.

During his tenure in Xu Province, Che Zhou's main duty was to garrison Xu Province and keep watch over Liu Bei. His fate, however, soon became closely bound up with the political struggle between Cao Cao and Liu Bei. In Chapter 21 of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Cao Cao, fearing that Liu Bei would grow too strong, followed the advice of his strategists and secretly sent an envoy to convey his command to Che Zhou, plotting to do away with Liu Bei. Upon receiving the order, Che Zhou summoned Chen Deng to discuss the matter. On the surface Chen Deng went along with Che Zhou, proposing the scheme of setting an ambush by the barbican wall when Liu Bei returned to the city and cutting him down off guard ^c:3769. In reality, however, this was a counter-plot devised by Chen Deng and his father Chen Gui, and Chen Deng then informed Liu Bei of the matter.

Having learned of Che Zhou's plot, Liu Bei conferred with Guan Yu and Zhang Fei on countermeasures. Guan Yu proposed a clever plan: to disguise as Cao's troops by night, trick open the city gate, lure Che Zhou out, and ambush and slay him ^c:14765. That night, Guan Yu led his troops under Cao Cao's banner to the wall of Xu Province and called for the gate. When the guards on the wall questioned them, Guan Yu's men falsely claimed they were the forces of Zhang Wenyuan sent by Chancellor Cao. On hearing this, Che Zhou wavered, fearing both that suspicion would arise if he did not go out to receive them and that there might be deceit if he did. In the end, amid a chorus of urging to open the gate from outside the wall, Che Zhou had no choice but to don his armor, mount, and lead a thousand soldiers out of the city. As he galloped over the drawbridge and shouted, "Where is Wenyuan?", he saw Guan Yu in the firelight charging straight at him on horseback with blade raised, bellowing, "How dare a common fellow harbor treachery and seek to kill my elder brother!" ^c:14767. Che Zhou was greatly alarmed; after only a few bouts he turned his horse to flee. When he reached the drawbridge, Chen Deng loosed a hail of arrows down from the wall, and Che Zhou fled around the city. Guan Yu pursued closely and at last "with one stroke of his blade cut him down off his horse and took his head" ^c:14767. Che Zhou's death marked Liu Bei's gaining a firm foothold in Xu Province and laid the groundwork for further conflict between Cao Cao and Liu Bei. In the novel, Che Zhou is cast as a tragic figure—loyal to Cao Cao but lacking in cunning, in the end killed in turn by Liu Bei's faction.

Key Relationships

* Cao Wei (serves): In Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Che Zhou is the Inspector of Xu Province appointed by Cao Cao, faithfully carrying out Cao Cao's orders, including the secret plot to assassinate Liu Bei. He represents Cao Cao's power and rule in Xu Province (novel only).
* Liu Bei (conspired with Chen Deng to ambush and kill Liu Bei): There is a direct adversarial relationship between Che Zhou and Liu Bei. On Cao Cao's orders, he attempted to assassinate Liu Bei by ambush, but was ultimately killed in turn by the joint efforts of Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Chen Deng (novel only).
* Chen Deng (made use of): When plotting to assassinate Liu Bei, Che Zhou sought Chen Deng's advice and adopted his scheme. In fact, however, Chen Deng was Liu Bei's inside agent, who exploited Che Zhou's trust and turned about to help Liu Bei do away with Che Zhou (novel only).

Iconic Scenes

* Commissioned to Garrison Xu Province: After defeating Lü Bu, Cao Cao returned with his army to Xu and entrusted Xu Province to Che Zhou to garrison, making him Cao Cao's representative in the province and laying the groundwork for the conflict to come ^c:6439 (novel only).
* Plotting to Assassinate Liu Bei: On Cao Cao's secret order, Che Zhou discussed with Chen Deng a plan to assassinate Liu Bei. This scene displays Che Zhou's loyalty to Cao Cao and his adversarial relationship with Liu Bei ^c:3769 (novel only).
* Killed in the Night Attack on Xu Province: Guan Yu disguised as Cao's troops to attack Xu Province by night; Che Zhou went out to give battle and was cut down off his horse by Guan Yu. This is Che Zhou's final end in the novel and the turning point of his fate, marking the consolidation of Liu Bei's power in Xu Province ^c:14767 (novel only).