Peng He

Historical Record

As for Peng He, there is no clear record of him in the official history Records of the Three Kingdoms or its related sources. His life and deeds, native place, official rank, and specific role in the Shu Han regime are all absent from the historical record. Therefore, from the standpoint of the historical record, Peng He is an unmentioned figure; whether he existed and what role he played in historical events cannot be confirmed from the surviving biographical materials.

In the Novel

In the literary narrative of Luo Guanzhong's Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Peng He, as a general of Shu Han, plays an important role in the late period of Shu Han, especially at the critical moment when Jiang Wei and Zhuge Zhan resisted the invasion of the great Wei army. According to the description in Chapter 117 of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, when the Wei troops were at the city walls and Shu Han faced a crisis of survival, Zhuge Zhan, seeing within the city that the enemy's momentum had drawn near and the situation was critical, ordered Peng He to undertake a vital task: to fight his way out of the encirclement and go to Eastern Wu to request reinforcements^[1].

Having received his orders, Peng He, undaunted by hardship and danger, successfully broke through the Wei encirclement and reached Eastern Wu. He had an audience with the Wu sovereign Sun Xiu and presented Zhuge Zhan's urgent dispatch. After reading the request for aid, Sun Xiu conferred with his ministers and concluded that Shu Han was in peril and that Eastern Wu could not stand by and watch without coming to its aid. Sun Xiu therefore adopted his ministers' advice and at once appointed the veteran general Ding Feng as commander, with Ding Feng and Sun Yi as his deputies, to lead an army of fifty thousand to relieve Shu Han^[1]. After receiving his orders and setting out, Ding Feng further divided his forces into three columns: Ding Feng and Sun Yi led twenty thousand troops toward Mianzhong, while Ding Feng himself led thirty thousand troops toward Shouchun, thus forming a multi-pronged relief force in hopes of effectively easing Shu Han's plight^[1].

In the novel, Peng He's action not only displays his loyalty, valor, and capacity to carry out orders but also becomes the bridge of mutual support between Shu Han and Eastern Wu in a moment of crisis. Although the fall of Shu Han could not ultimately be averted, Peng He's mission for aid was undoubtedly an effort by Shu Han to seek a thread of hope in a desperate situation, and an artistic embodiment in Romance of the Three Kingdoms of the spirit of loyalty and righteousness among the sovereign and ministers of late Shu Han. It is worth noting that these deeds of Peng He have no record in the official histories and are entirely a literary creation of Romance of the Three Kingdoms to enrich the plot and shape characters.

Key Relationships

Peng He's key relationship is reflected chiefly in his master-subordinate relationship with the important late Shu Han figure Zhuge Zhan. In Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Peng He was a subordinate of Zhuge Zhan and received his order to undertake the vital mission of requesting aid from Eastern Wu^[1]. This relationship highlights Peng He's image as a loyal general who obeyed his commander's orders and carried out a dangerous mission. In addition, Peng He was also indirectly connected with the Wu sovereign Sun Xiu and the relief generals Ding Feng, Ding Feng, and Sun Yi, since his mission for aid directly brought about Eastern Wu's military assistance (novel only).

Iconic Scenes

Peng He's iconic scene is undoubtedly the episode of his "fighting out of the encirclement to Eastern Wu to see Sun Xiu and present the urgent dispatch." In Chapter 117 of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, facing the powerful Wei offensive, Zhuge Zhan, knowing that Shu Han was already in a critical situation, resolutely ordered Peng He to undertake the heavy task of breaking through the enemy encirclement and going to Eastern Wu to fetch reinforcements^[1]. Peng He did not fail his charge; he successfully completed this perilous mission, reached Eastern Wu, and presented Zhuge Zhan's request for aid to the Wu sovereign Sun Xiu. This scene not only displays Peng He's bravery and loyalty but also becomes a symbolic event of Shu Han seeking outside aid in a desperate situation. Upon receiving the urgent dispatch, Sun Xiu immediately decided to send Ding Feng and others to lead fifty thousand troops in relief, further highlighting the importance of Peng He's mission and the chain of consequences it set off (novel only)^[1].