Zhang Ren

Historical Record

Zhang Ren, a man of Shu Commandery, was of humble origin. From his youth he displayed daring and integrity, and later served as a Department Official in Yi Province^[1]. In the conflict between Liu Bei and Liu Zhang, Zhang Ren, as an important general under Liu Zhang, actively took part in the resistance against Liu Bei's army. In 212 CE, Liu Bei, under the pretext of going to relieve Sun Quan, demanded troops, money, and provisions from Liu Zhang, in fact intending to seize Yi Province. After Zhang Song's secret plot was exposed and the rift between Liu Zhang and Liu Bei grew, Liu Bei beheaded Yang Huai, Liu Zhang's Commander of the Baishui Army, and dispatched Huang Zhong, Zhuo Ying, and others to lead troops in attacking Liu Zhang^[1].

Facing Liu Bei's advance, Liu Zhang dispatched generals such as Liu Gui, Leng Bao, Zhang Ren, and Deng Xian to ward off Liu Bei at Fucheng. However, Liu Zhang's army was defeated in this engagement and was forced to fall back and hold Mianzhu. Liu Zhang then sent Li Yan to command the various armies at Mianzhu, but Li Yan led his men in surrendering to Liu Bei, further strengthening Liu Bei's military force^[1]. As Liu Bei's army split up to pacify the various counties of Yi Province and besieged Luocheng, Zhang Ren's end is not recorded in detail in the historical materials, but it may be inferred that he was unable to turn the tide in the course of Liu Bei's seizure of Yi Province.

In the Novel

In Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Zhang Ren is fashioned as a loyal, valiant, and resourceful general, his deeds given a fuller and more dramatized depiction. He first appears at the banquet between Liu Bei and Liu Zhang, when Pang Tong and Fa Zheng secretly plotted to have Wei Yan dance with his sword and assassinate Liu Zhang. Seeing this, Zhang Ren also drew his sword and danced, to protect Liu Zhang, displaying his loyalty and vigilance^[2].

When Liu Bei attacked Yi Province, Zhang Ren was appointed by Liu Zhang as one of the generals to defend Luocheng, leading an army of fifty thousand together with Liu Gui, Leng Bao, and Deng Xian to ward off the enemy^[3]. In the clashes with Liu Bei's army, Zhang Ren displayed outstanding military ability. He once advised laying an ambush on the small road to the southeast of the city and successfully ambushed Pang Tong's troops. In one engagement, Zhang Ren mistook the white-horse-riding Pang Tong for Liu Bei and directed his troops to shoot him down, causing Pang Tong to be struck by an arrow and die—one of Zhang Ren's best-known "feats" in the novel^[4].

In the attack and defense of Luocheng, Zhang Ren repeatedly came out of the city to give battle and once set a feigned-defeat stratagem, attempting to lure Liu Bei's army into an ambush^[5]. However, after Zhuge Liang arrived in Yi Province, Zhang Ren's schemes were gradually seen through. In the course of pursuing Zhuge Liang, Zhang Ren was trapped by an ambush laid by Zhuge Liang at the Golden Wild Goose Bridge; the bridge was torn down and his line of retreat cut off. In the end, Zhang Ren met an ambush by Wei Yan and Huang Zhong in the reeds, and while fleeing ran into Zhang Fei and was captured alive^[6].

After being taken captive, Liu Bei tried to induce Zhang Ren to surrender, but Zhang Ren "glared and shouted in anger: How can a loyal subject serve two masters?"^[7] He would rather die than surrender, and was finally beheaded by Kongming's order, so as to fulfill his name for loyalty and righteousness. Through these episodes the novel greatly enriches the image of Zhang Ren, making him a tragic and heroic man of loyalty and righteousness.

Key Relationships

* Liu Zhang's faction (serves): Zhang Ren was an important general under Liu Zhang, utterly loyal to him; during Liu Bei's seizure of Yi Province, he held firm to his post throughout and resisted to the death^[1].
* Liu Bei (fights_in): Zhang Ren and Liu Bei were enemies, clashing many times in the struggle for Yi Province, and especially in the Battle of Luocheng, Zhang Ren was one of the chief obstacles to Liu Bei's seizure of Yi Province^[3].
* Liu Zhang (commands_in): Zhang Ren was Liu Zhang's subordinate, taking Liu Zhang's orders and charged with warding off Liu Bei's attacks^[3].
* Pang Tong (enemy_of): In the novel, Zhang Ren was Pang Tong's direct enemy and personally shot Pang Tong down, causing Liu Bei's army to suffer the major loss of an important adviser in the course of taking Yi Province^[4] (novel only).

Signature Scenes

* Dancing with the sword at the banquet to protect his lord: At the banquet between Liu Bei and Liu Zhang, Wei Yan danced with his sword intending to assassinate Liu Zhang, and Zhang Ren at once drew his sword and joined in, to protect Liu Zhang, displaying his loyalty and vigilance^[2] (novel only).
* Shooting Pang Tong: In the attack and defense of Luocheng, Zhang Ren laid an ambush, mistook the white-horse-riding Pang Tong for Liu Bei, and directed his men to shoot him down, causing Liu Bei's army to lose an important adviser^[4] (novel only).
* Capture at the Golden Wild Goose Bridge: Under Zhuge Liang's stratagem, Zhang Ren pursued Zhuge Liang to the Golden Wild Goose Bridge, only to find the bridge already torn down and his retreat cut off, and was finally captured in the reeds by the combined effort of Wei Yan, Huang Zhong, and Zhang Fei^[6] (novel only).
* Refusing to surrender even at the cost of death: After being captured, facing Liu Bei's inducement to surrender, Zhang Ren "glared and shouted in anger: How can a loyal subject serve two masters?"^[7] He would rather die than yield, and was finally beheaded, becoming a symbol of loyalty and righteousness (novel only).