Pan Zhang 潘璋

Pan Zhang, courtesy name Wengui, was a man of Fagan County in Dong Commandery. When Sun Quan was Chief of Yangxian, he first went to follow him. He was unrestrained and dissolute by nature and fond of wine; though he lived in poverty, he liked to buy wine on credit, and whenever creditors came to his gate he would say he would repay them once he became rich. Sun Quan thought him remarkable and was fond of him, and had him recruit men; when he gathered more than a hundred, Sun Quan finally made him a commander. Records, Wu 10 §89

For his merit in attacking the mountain bandits he was made Major of a Separate Command. Later, when he became Inspector of the Great Market of Wu, theft and banditry ceased, and having made his name by this he was transferred to Chief of Xi'an in Yuzhang. While Liu Biao held Jing Province the people had been raided many times, but after Pan Zhang took office the raiders did not enter the territory. When banditry broke out in the neighbouring county of Jianchang, he was moved to take charge of Jianchang and was given the additional post of Commandant of Martial Ferocity (Wumeng xiaowei); within a month he had pacified it completely, and gathering 800 scattered men, he led them back to Jianye. Records, Wu 10 §89–90

When Sun Quan contended with Liu Bei over the three southern commanderies of Jing Province, Lü Meng, after taking the three commanderies, advanced alongside Lu Su's army together with Sun Jiao and Pan Zhang and held off Guan Yu at Yiyang. Before they fought, Cao Cao entered Hanzhong and Liu Bei sued for peace, and the two sides divided Jing Province. Records, Wu 2 §20–21

In the battle of Hefei, when Zhang Liao suddenly fell upon them, the commanders were unprepared: Chen Wu was killed fighting, and Song Qian and Xu Sheng both broke and fled. Pan Zhang, who was at the rear, at once galloped forward, set his horse across their path and cut down two of the fleeing soldiers of Song Qian and Xu Sheng. At this the soldiers all turned back to fight. Sun Quan thought this very brave and made him Lieutenant General, and Pan Zhang, leading a hundred companies, was stationed at Banzhou. Records, Wu 10 §91

In the 24th year of Jian'an (219), when Sun Quan attacked Guan Yu, Pan Zhang went with Zhu Ran to cut off Guan Yu's escape route, reached Linju and camped at Jiashi. In the 12th month (early 220 CE) Pan Zhang's Major Ma Zhong captured Guan Yu, his son Guan Ping, the Area Commander Zhao Lei and others at Zhangxiang. Sun Quan separated the two counties of Wu and Zigui from Yidu Commandery to create Guling Commandery, made Pan Zhang its Administrator and General Who Spreads Awe, and enfeoffed him as Marquis of Liyang. When Gan Ning died, Pan Zhang also took over his troops. Records, Wu 11 §14Records, Wu 2 §28Records, Wu 10 §92

In the 1st year of Huangwu (222), when Liu Bei came with a great army, Sun Quan made Lu Xun Grand Commander and had him resist with 50,000 men including Zhu Ran, Pan Zhang, Song Qian, Han Dang and Xu Sheng. Pan Zhang's men cut down Liu Bei's Protector of the Army Feng Xi and others and killed and wounded a great many, and Pan Zhang became General Who Pacifies the North and Administrator of Xiangyang. When Liu Bei stayed at Baidi, Xu Sheng, Pan Zhang, Song Qian and others vied in submitting memorials asking to attack again, saying Liu Bei could surely be captured, but Lu Xun said that Cao Pi was massing a great army and proposed returning. Records, Wu 13 §17 · 28Records, Wu 10 §92

In the autumn, in the 9th month of the same year, when Cao Zhen, Xiahou Shang, Zhang He and others of Wei besieged Nan Commandery, Sun Quan sent Zhuge Jin, Pan Zhang and Yang Can to relieve it. When Xiahou Shang and others split off their vanguard of 30,000 men to build a floating bridge and crossed onto Baili Islet day after day, Pan Zhang said that Wei's momentum was just at its height and the river was shallow, so they could not yet give battle. He then cut several million bundles of reeds at a place 50 li upstream of the Wei army and bound them into great rafts, intending to set them alight and send them downstream to burn the floating bridge. Just as the rafts were finished and he was waiting for the water to rise, Xiahou Shang withdrew his army, and Pan Zhang went down to guard Lukou. The Biography of Zhu Ran records that Pan Zhang, Yang Can and others came to the rescue but the siege was not lifted. Records, Wu 2 §41–42Records, Wu 10 §93–94Records, Wu 11 §16

In the 6th year of Huangwu (227), when Sun Quan was returning after personally attacking Shiyang, Pan Zhang covered the rear. Setting out at night, the ranks fell into disorder, and when the enemy pursued, Pan Zhang could not hold them back; Zhu Ran turned back to resist the enemy. In the 1st year of Huanglong (229), when Sun Quan assumed the imperial title, Pan Zhang became General of the Right. Records, Wu 11 §19Records, Wu 2 §61Records, Wu 10 §94

Pan Zhang was rough and fierce by character, but his prohibitions and orders were strict and he was eager to achieve merit. The troops and horses he led numbered no more than a few thousand, yet wherever he was it always seemed as if there were ten thousand. Whenever a campaign halted and he camped, he would set up a military market, and goods not found in other armies could all be obtained there in abundance. But he was extravagant by nature, all the more so in his last years, and his clothing and possessions exceeded his station. He sometimes killed wealthy officials and soldiers and seized their property, and repeatedly failed to uphold the law; the supervising officials impeached him, but Sun Quan, valuing his merit, always pardoned him and did not pursue the matter. Records, Wu 10 §95

He died in the 3rd year of Jiahe (234). His son Pan Ping was banished to Kuaiji for his bad conduct. Pan Zhang's wife was settled at Jianye and granted fields and a house, and 50 households of retainers were exempted from labour service for her. That year Sun Quan had Lü Dai take command of Pan Zhang's troops and station them at Lukou. Records, Wu 10 §96Records, Wu 15 §39

In his assessment, Chen Shou called all the commanders of this scroll tiger-like servants of Jiangbiao whom the Sun family treated generously, and wrote that Sun Quan could forget the faults and remember the merits even of a man who did not cultivate his conduct, such as Pan Zhang, so it was fitting that he held and secured the southeast. Records, Wu 10 §109