Zhang Ren 張任

In Chapter 60 of the Romance, when Liu Zhang returns from meeting Liu Bei by the Fu River and praises him as a man of benevolence and righteousness, Liu Gui, Leng Bao, Zhang Ren, Deng Xian and others say that Liu Bei has firmness within his gentleness and his heart cannot be fathomed, so they should be on guard against him. Pang Tong too, saying that Liu Zhang's officers Liu Gui, Zhang Ren and others look discontented, urges Liu Bei to kill Liu Zhang at a banquet. At the banquet in Chapter 61, when Pang Tong has Wei Yan perform a sword dance in order to kill Liu Zhang, the Attendant Officer Zhang Ren draws his sword, saying, 'A sword dance must have a partner,' and dances with him, and Liu Bei calms the situation by having everyone throw down their swords. Romance, Ch. 60 §65–67Romance, Ch. 61 §2–3

In Chapter 62, when Liu Bei seizes Fushui Pass, Liu Zhang gives Liu Gui, Leng Bao, Zhang Ren and Deng Xian a great army of 50,000 to defend Luo County. On the way, when Liu Gui proposes asking Zixu Shangren on Mount Jinping about their future, Zhang Ren objects, asking how a true man could consult a man of the mountains and wilds, and after they come down with the oracle he calls it the words of a mad old man. On reaching Luo County, Leng Bao and Deng Xian set up camps in front of the city, and Zhang Ren defends Luocheng together with Liu Gui. Romance, Ch. 62 §27–28 · 31–32

In Chapter 63, Zhang Ren declares that he will personally guard a narrow path in the remote hills southeast of the city and lies in ambush there with 3,000 troops. He lets Wei Yan's troops pass by, and when his soldiers point out the rider on the white horse in Pang Tong's following force as Liu Bei, he has arrows rained on him, and Pang Tong dies under a hail of arrows at Luofengpo. Zhang Ren cuts off Wei Yan's retreat and surrounds Wei Yan from front and rear together with Wu Lan and Lei Tong, and he pursues Liu Bei almost to Fu Pass before being driven back by Liu Feng and Guan Ping. Romance, Ch. 63 §13–16 · 19–22

In Chapter 64 he loses his main camp to Huang Zhong's night raid and withdraws into the city. On the fourth day of Liu Bei's assault on the city, Zhang Ren sends Wu Lan and Lei Tong out by the north gate and himself goes out by the south gate, pursuing Liu Bei alone as his target, but he is blocked by Zhang Fei and Yan Yan, who appear on a mountain path, and falls back into the city. Wu Yi, who has surrendered, tells Zhuge Liang that Zhang Ren is a man of Shu Commandery with great courage and strategy and must not be taken lightly, and Zhuge Liang says he will first capture Zhang Ren and then take Luocheng. Romance, Ch. 64 §3–9 · 16

Zhang Ren goes out of the city together with Zhuo Ying and, seeing that Zhuge Liang's troops are out of order, sneers that he has 'a name but no substance' and pursues him across the Jinyan Bridge. But the bridge is cut by Zhao Yun, and after losing his cavalry to the ambush of Wei Yan and Huang Zhong in the reed beds to the south, he is captured by Zhang Fei on a mountain path. When Liu Bei offers to spare his life if he surrenders, Zhang Ren rails at him, asking to be killed: 'How could a loyal subject serve two masters?' and 'Even if I surrendered today, before long I would not stay surrendered.' Zhuge Liang has him beheaded to preserve his good name, and Liu Bei buries his body beside the Jinyan Bridge to make his loyalty known. Romance, Ch. 64 §19–25