Chen Zhen

Historical Record

Chen Zhen, courtesy name Xiaoqi, was a native of Nanyang. When Liu Bei held the post of Governor of Jing Province, Chen Zhen was recruited as an Attendant Officer charged with inspecting the various commanderies. He then followed Liu Bei into Shu. After Yi Province was pacified, he was appointed Commandant of the Northern Division of Shu commandery. When the commandery's name was changed, he transferred to Administrator of Wenshan, and was later moved to serve in Jianwei commandery. In the third year of Jianxing (225 CE), Chen Zhen entered court as a Master of Writing, and was soon promoted to Director of the Masters of Writing. He once received orders to serve as envoy to Eastern Wu. In the seventh year of Jianxing (229 CE), when Sun Quan proclaimed himself emperor, Chen Zhen was appointed Commandant of the Guards and went to congratulate Sun Quan on his accession. In a letter to his elder brother Zhuge Jin, Zhuge Liang mentioned Chen Zhen, praising him: "Xiaoqi's loyal and pure nature grows the firmer with age, and in his praising and harmonizing of east and west, his joy and concord, there is much to be valued."^[1] When Chen Zhen reached the border of Wu, he submitted his documents to the pass.

After Chen Zhen arrived at Wuchang, Sun Quan ascended a high altar with him and smeared their lips with blood to swear an oath, jointly dividing the territories of the realm: it was agreed that Xu Province, Yu Province, You Province, and Qing Province should belong to Wu, while Bing Province, Liang Province, Jizhou, and Yanzhou should belong to Shu, and the land of Si Province should be divided at Hangu Pass. After completing his mission and returning, Chen Zhen was enfeoffed as Marquis of the Chengyang Precinct.^[2] The historical record of Chen Zhen centers chiefly on his service as a Shu Han envoy to Eastern Wu and on the changes in his offices within the Shu Han regime, displaying his image as a loyal and capable official.

In the Novel

In Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Chen Zhen's image is endowed with greater drama and sense of mission, especially in his role as a messenger shuttling among the various powers. He first appears when Guan Yu was in Cao Cao's camp. As Guan Yu was deep in thought, Chen Zhen came to visit, presenting himself as Chen Zhen of Nanyang, a subordinate of Yuan Shao.^[3] He delivered to Guan Yu a letter from Liu Bei, which expressed Liu Bei's longing for and hopes of him. Having read the letter, Guan Yu wept bitterly without ceasing, saying it was not that he was unwilling to seek his elder brother, but that he did not know his whereabouts, and that he would never covet wealth and honor and betray their old oath. Chen Zhen urged Guan Yu to go at once to be reunited with Liu Bei. Guan Yu replied that, having come openly, he must also leave openly, and so he would first write to inform Liu Bei, take his leave of Cao Cao, and escort his two sisters-in-law on the journey together. When Chen Zhen asked what he would do if Cao Cao would not permit it, Guan Yu firmly declared that he would rather die than stay long.^[4] In this mission Chen Zhen successfully brought about the reunion of Guan Yu and Liu Bei, displaying his loyalty and wisdom as a trusted aide of Liu Bei.

Thereafter, Chen Zhen again appeared as an envoy. Yuan Shao, enraged that Liu Bei had not returned, wished to raise troops to punish him. The strategist Guo Tu advised Yuan Shao to first eliminate Cao Cao, and that he might ally with Sun Ce of Jiangdong. Yuan Shao adopted this counsel, wrote a letter, and dispatched Chen Zhen to Eastern Wu to meet Sun Ce.^[5] Upon arriving, Chen Zhen conveyed to Sun Ce Yuan Shao's intent to form an alliance and jointly attack Cao Cao. Sun Ce was greatly pleased and held a banquet to entertain Chen Zhen.^[6] However, during the banquet, the generals one after another went downstairs to pay their respects to "the Immortal Yu," at which Sun Ce was puzzled.^[7] Later, Chen Zhen returned to report to Yuan Shao that Sun Ce had died, that Sun Quan had succeeded him, and that he had already received an enfeoffment as general from Cao Cao and formed an external alliance with Cao Cao. Hearing this, Yuan Shao was enraged and thereupon raised a great army to attack Xu Chang.^[7] In the later part of the novel, when Liu Bei was overcome with grief at the deaths of Guan Yu and Zhang Fei and wished to lead a great army in person to campaign against Wu, and the ministers' remonstrances were of no avail, Chen Zhen proposed at this point that there was a hermit named Li Yi at Mount Qingcheng near Chengdu who could foretell life and death, fortune and misfortune, and suggested summoning him to inquire by divination.^[8] Liu Bei adopted his advice and dispatched Chen Zhen bearing an edict to Mount Qingcheng to summon him. Chen Zhen traveled by night, found Li Yi's immortal manor, and successfully invited Li Yi to come forth. Although Li Yi obscurely foretold the outcome of Liu Bei's campaign against Wu through a drawing, Liu Bei failed to grasp it, instead regarding him as a mad old man.^[9] In the novel, Chen Zhen is not only a loyal messenger but also one who, at critical moments, devised strategies for his sovereign; although the results were at times unsatisfactory, his loyal and pure heart ran through it all.

Key Relationships

* Shu Han (serves): Chen Zhen followed Liu Bei from the time Liu Bei held the post of Governor of Jing Province; after entering Shu he rose to Director of the Masters of Writing, an important official of Shu Han. He repeatedly served as envoy on orders, contributing to the stability and development of the Shu Han regime.^[1]
* Sun Quan (friend_of): Chen Zhen once served as a Shu Han envoy to Eastern Wu, smearing their lips with blood to swear an oath with Sun Quan and jointly dividing the realm, laying the foundation of the Shu-Wu alliance.^[2]
* Yuan Shao's Faction (serves) (Novel only): In Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Chen Zhen briefly served as a subordinate of Yuan Shao and was dispatched as envoy to Guan Yu and Sun Ce.^[3][5]
* Guan Yu (friend_of) (Novel only): Chen Zhen once served as Liu Bei's envoy, going to Cao Cao's camp to persuade Guan Yu to return to Liu Bei, bringing about the reunion of Guan Yu and Liu Bei, and the two thus formed a friendship.^[4]
* Liu Bei (serves): Chen Zhen was a faithful follower of Liu Bei; whether in his offices in history or, in the novel, as an envoy delivering letters and devising strategies, he displayed his loyalty and service to Liu Bei.^[1][8]
* Zhuge Liang (friend_of): In a letter Zhuge Liang praised Chen Zhen as having "a loyal and pure nature that grows the firmer with age," showing the deep trust and friendship between the two.^[1]

Iconic Scenes

* Smearing blood and swearing an oath, jointly dividing the realm: In the seventh year of Jianxing, Chen Zhen, as Shu Han's Commandant of the Guards, was dispatched to Eastern Wu to congratulate Sun Quan on proclaiming himself emperor. At Wuchang he held a solemn blood-oath ceremony with Sun Quan, jointly dividing the territories of the realm and settling the respective spheres of power of Wu and Shu. This scene displays not only Chen Zhen's important standing as a diplomatic envoy but also symbolizes the consolidation and development of the Wu-Shu alliance.^[2]
* Before the lone ride of a thousand li, persuading Guan Yu to return to Liu (Novel only): In Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Chen Zhen, entrusted by Liu Bei, went to Cao Cao's camp to persuade Guan Yu. He delivered to Guan Yu a letter from Liu Bei and successfully persuaded him, prompting Guan Yu to resolve to take his leave of Cao and return to Liu, laying the groundwork for the later "lone ride of a thousand li." This scene highlights Chen Zhen's wisdom and eloquence as a messenger and his loyalty to Liu Bei.^[4]
* Envoy to Eastern Wu, allying with Yuan against Cao (Novel only): When Yuan Shao wished to ally with Sun Ce to jointly attack Cao Cao, he dispatched Chen Zhen as envoy to Eastern Wu. Chen Zhen conveyed to Sun Ce Yuan Shao's intent to form an alliance and took part in the banquet. Although in the end the alliance failed to materialize owing to Sun Ce's death and Sun Quan's succession, this scene displays Chen Zhen's toils and maneuverings as a diplomatic envoy in a troubled age.^[5][6]
* Summoning Li Yi, divining the fortune of the campaign against Wu (Novel only): When Liu Bei was overcome with grief at the deaths of Guan Yu and Zhang Fei and wished to campaign against Wu in person, Chen Zhen advised Liu Bei to summon the Mount Qingcheng hermit Li Yi to divine the fortune of the venture. He went in person bearing an edict to Mount Qingcheng and successfully invited Li Yi to come forth. Although Li Yi's foretelling could not be understood by Liu Bei, this scene displays Chen Zhen's loyalty in striving to the utmost to relieve his sovereign's cares in a moment of crisis.^[8][9]