| Occupation | RNRuler · Administrator of Hanning | Faction | Zhang Lu faction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appears | RN | Biography in | Book of Wei |
| Born | Native place | Pei Commandery Feng County | |
| Existence | Historical | Mentions | R79 |
Zhang Lu, courtesy name Gongqi, was a man of Feng County in Pei State. His family, from the time of his grandfather Zhang Ling, had required those who received their Way to contribute five pecks of rice; he became Major Supervising Righteousness under Liu Yan, Governor of Yi Province, then took Hanzhong and styled himself 'Lord Teacher'. Records, Wei 8 §61–62
He held Ba and Hanzhong for nearly thirty years. In the 20th year of Jian'an (215), when Cao Cao broke through Yangping Pass, Zhang Lu fled to Bazhong, sealing up the storehouses before he left, and in the 11th month of that year he surrendered and was made General Who Guards the South and enfeoffed as Marquis of Langzhong. After his death he received the posthumous title Marquis Yuan. Records, Wei 8 §63 · 66–69Records, Wei 1 §152
In his assessment, Chen Shou, author of the Records, wrote of him together with Zhang Yan and others that they 'abandoned the bands of brigands, joined the ranks of meritorious officials, escaped danger and destruction, and preserved the sacrifices of their ancestral temples'. In the Romance he first appears in Chapter 16 as one of the names Cao Cao dismisses as 'foxes and hares', and he appears in 14 of its 120 chapters. His name does not appear in any chapter title, but he is the opponent Cao Cao attacks in the title of Chapter 67, 'Cao Cao Pacifies the Land of Hanzhong'. Records, Wei 8 §71Romance, Ch. 16 §63Romance, Ch. 67 §1 · 28
Zhang Lu, courtesy name Gongqi, was a man of Feng County in Pei State. His grandfather Zhang Ling, living as a sojourner in Shu, studied the Way on Mount Huming and composed Daoist writings with which he beguiled the common people; since those who received the Way from him had to contribute five pecks of rice, people called them the 'rice bandits'. When Zhang Ling died, his son Zhang Heng practiced his Way, and when Zhang Heng died, Zhang Lu in turn practiced it. Records, Wei 8 §61
According to the Biography of Liu Yan, Zhang Lu's mother practiced the Way of spirits and kept a youthful appearance, and she frequently visited Liu Yan's household. Liu Yan, Governor of Yi Province, made Zhang Lu Major Supervising Righteousness and sent him with a Major of a Separate Command to lead troops against Su Gu, Administrator of Hanzhong; Zhang Lu ambushed and killed the Major of a Separate Command who had gone with him and took over his followers. The Biography of Liu Yan records that Zhang Lu stayed in Hanzhong, cut the plank roads through the valleys and killed the Han envoys. Records, Wei 8 §61Records, Shu 1 §7
When Liu Yan died and his son Liu Zhang succeeded him, Liu Zhang, on the grounds that Zhang Lu was not obedient, killed Zhang Lu's mother and all his household. The Biography of Liu Zhang records that the two thereby became enemies, that Liu Zhang repeatedly sent Pang Xi and others to attack Zhang Lu but was defeated every time, and that because many of Zhang Lu's followers were in Baxi, he made Pang Xi Administrator of Baxi to hold Zhang Lu off. Records, Wei 8 §62Records, Shu 1 §13
Zhang Lu took Hanzhong, taught the people by the Way of spirits and styled himself 'Lord Teacher'. Those who came to study the Way were at first called 'spirit soldiers'; once they had received the Way and their faith was firm they became 'libationers' and led followers, and those who led many became 'great libationers at the head of a parish'. He taught them to be sincere and trustworthy and not to deceive, and had the sick confess their own faults; Chen Shou wrote that on the whole it resembled the Yellow Turbans. Records, Wei 8 §62
The libationers built charity lodges like the post stations of today and hung up rice and meat there, so that travelers could take as much as their bellies required. It was said that if anyone took too much, the Way of spirits would make him ill. Lawbreakers were pardoned three times before being punished; no senior officials were appointed and all governing was done by the libationers, and the people and the non-Han peoples were content with it. In this way he held Ba and Hanzhong for nearly thirty years. Records, Wei 8 §63
The Han court, unable to attack him by force, made Zhang Lu General of the Household Who Pacifies the People and concurrently Administrator of Hanning, and Zhang Lu merely sent tribute. When one of the people found a jade seal in the ground and his subordinates wished to exalt Zhang Lu as King of Hanning, his Officer of Merit Yan Pu admonished him: 'Appointing officials on the emperor's authority already gives you ample power; there is no need for the trouble of calling yourself king. Do not be the first to invite disaster.' Zhang Lu followed this advice. During the rebellion of Han Sui and Ma Chao, tens of thousands of households of the people west of the passes fled to him through the Ziwu Valley. Records, Wei 8 §64–65
In the 3rd month of the 16th year of Jian'an (211), Cao Cao sent Zhong Yao to attack Zhang Lu, on the grounds that he occupied Hanzhong. Liu Zhang, alarmed at this news, followed Zhang Song's advice and sent Fa Zheng to welcome Liu Bei and have him attack Zhang Lu, but Liu Bei, even after advancing to Jiameng, did not attack Zhang Lu at once and instead won over the people. Later, when Ma Chao attacked the commanderies and counties of Longshang, Zhang Lu sent his senior commander Yang Ang to help him, and when Ma Chao, unable to enter Jicheng, fled to Hanzhong, Zhang Lu took him in. The Biography of Ma Chao records that Zhang Lu was not a man with whom great plans could be made, so that Ma Chao was inwardly depressed and secretly asked Liu Bei to accept his surrender. Records, Wei 1 §109Records, Shu 2 §27–29Records, Wei 25 §27 · 32Records, Shu 6 §29
In the 3rd month of the 20th year of Jian'an (215), Cao Cao led a western expedition in person, came out through San Pass, and in the 7th month reached Yangping. Zhang Lu wished to surrender Hanzhong, but his younger brother Zhang Wei would not agree and blocked the pass with tens of thousands of men. According to the Annals of Emperor Wu, Zhang Wei and the commander Yang Ang and others built walls across the mountains for more than ten li; Cao Cao, unable to take them, pretended to withdraw, and when their guard relaxed he made a night attack over the steep ground, routed them and beheaded the commander Yang Ren. Zhang Wei and the others fled by night, and Zhang Lu, his forces broken, fled to Bazhong. Records, Wei 8 §66Records, Wei 1 §146–147
Hearing that Yangping Pass had fallen, Zhang Lu wished to submit, but Yan Pu said, 'If you go now, driven into a corner, your merit will be slight; if you rely on Du Hu, go to Pu Hu and resist, and only then submit, your merit will be great.' So he fled into the Southern Mountains and entered Bazhong. When those around him wished to burn all the treasures and storehouses, Zhang Lu said, 'I originally wished to submit to the state but have not yet been able to carry it out; the treasures and storehouses belong to the state,' and he sealed them up and left. Cao Cao, entering Nanzheng, praised this highly, and since Zhang Lu had originally harbored good intentions, sent men to comfort and persuade him. Records, Wei 8 §67–68
In the 11th month of that year Zhang Lu came out of Bazhong with his whole family and the remainder of his followers and surrendered. Cao Cao received him, appointed him General Who Guards the South, treated him with the courtesy due a guest, and enfeoffed him as Marquis of Langzhong with a fief of 10,000 households. Zhang Lu's five sons, Yan Pu and others all became full marquises, and Cao Cao took Zhang Lu's daughter as a wife for his son Cao Yu. Liu Bei too sent Huang Quan to welcome Zhang Lu, but Zhang Lu had already returned to Nanzheng and surrendered to Cao Cao. Records, Wei 8 §68Records, Wei 1 §152Records, Shu 13 §4
When Zhang Lu died he received the posthumous title Marquis Yuan, and his son Zhang Fu succeeded him. Chen Shou's main text does not record the year of his death. Records, Wei 8 §69
In his assessment, Chen Shou wrote that Zhang Yan and others and Zhang Lu, who abandoned the bands of brigands, joined the ranks of meritorious officials, escaped danger and destruction and preserved the sacrifices of their ancestral temples, did better than Gongsun Zan, Gongsun Du, Tao Qian and Zhang Yang, who, though they held provinces and commanderies, were worse off than common men. Records, Wei 8 §71
In Chapter 16 of the Romance, Cao Cao counts 'Zhang Lu of Hanzhong', together with Yuan Shu of Huainan, Sun Ce of Jiangdong and others, among the foxes and hares, and in Chapter 21, when Liu Bei asks about men such as Zhang Xiu, Zhang Lu and Han Sui, he laughs, 'Are such paltry petty men even worth mentioning?' Romance, Ch. 16 §63Romance, Ch. 21 §14–15
In Chapter 59 the Romance sets out Zhang Lu's background separately. He was a man of Feng County in Pei State; his grandfather Zhang Ling composed Daoist writings on Mount Huming in Xichuan, and those who studied the Way offered five pecks of rice and were called the 'rice bandits'. It describes how the sick were placed in a quiet room to confess their faults, after which three copies of the 'Handwritten Letters to the Three Officials', recording the patient's name and his acknowledgment of guilt, were offered to Heaven, Earth and Water, and how the charity lodges were stocked with rice, firewood and meat. The state, saying the land was too remote to attack, made him General of the Household Who Guards the South and concurrently Administrator of Hanning. Romance, Ch. 59 §45–48
In the same chapter, hearing that Cao Cao has crushed Xiliang, Zhang Lu proposes to declare himself King of Hanning and resist Cao Cao. When Yan Pu says it will not be too late to call himself king after first taking the forty-one districts of Xichuan, Zhang Lu is overjoyed and discusses raising troops with his younger brother Zhang Wei. When this news reaches Xichuan, Liu Zhang's Attendant Officer Zhang Song volunteers to go to Cao Cao, and in Chapter 61, on a report that Zhang Lu intends to attack Jiameng Pass, Liu Zhang sends Liu Bei to hold him off. Romance, Ch. 59 §48–51Romance, Ch. 60 §1–2Romance, Ch. 61 §6
In Chapter 64, when Ma Chao comes to take refuge with him, Zhang Lu intends to give him his daughter and make him his son-in-law, but gives up the idea at the remonstrance of his senior commander Yang Bai. When Huang Quan, sent by Liu Zhang, offers through Yang Song to cede twenty districts, Zhang Lu overrides Yan Pu's objections and agrees to send help, and in Chapter 65 he gives Ma Chao 20,000 troops and sends him to Jiameng Pass. But when Sun Qian moves Yang Song with gold and pearls and a letter is presented in which Liu Bei promises to guarantee Zhang Lu as King of Hanning, Zhang Lu orders Ma Chao to stop fighting; when Ma Chao does not come after being summoned three times, Zhang Lu, following Yang Song's advice, sets three conditions, that within a month he take Xichuan, present Liu Zhang's head and drive back the Jing Province troops, and has Zhang Wei block the roads. Romance, Ch. 64 §47–50Romance, Ch. 65 §1 · 25–28
In Chapter 67, when Cao Cao invades, Zhang Lu sends Zhang Wei and his senior commanders Yang Ang and Yang Ren to Yangping Pass. Yang Ang is killed by Zhang He and Zhang Wei abandons the pass and returns, while Yang Ren, whom Zhang Lu is about to behead, signs a written military pledge, goes out again and is cut down by Xiahou Yuan. On Yan Pu's recommendation Zhang Lu sends out Pang De, but when Yang Song, who has taken Cao Cao's gold, slanders Pang De as having sold out the battle, Zhang Lu wants to behead Pang De, and Pang De is captured and surrenders to Cao Cao. Romance, Ch. 67 §1–2 · 11–15 · 17 · 21–23
When Zhang Wei proposes burning the storehouses and going to Bazhong, Zhang Lu seals them all up, saying the storehouses belong to the state, and slips out through the south gate at night, and Cao Cao, seeing this, takes pity on him. After Zhang Wei is cut down by Xu Chu at Bazhong, Zhang Lu, following Yang Song's advice, goes out to fight, but his rear army flees; when he returns, Yang Song has shut the city gates, and Zhang Lu dismounts and bows. Cao Cao makes him General Who Guards the South and also enfeoffs Yan Pu and others as full marquises, and has Yang Song, who sold out his master, beheaded in the marketplace. Romance, Ch. 67 §24–28
King of Hanning: In Chapter 59 of the Romance, Zhang Lu wishes to declare himself King of Hanning, and Yan Pu advises him to take Xichuan first before calling himself king. In the Records, when a jade seal was found in the ground his subordinates wished to exalt him as King of Hanning, Yan Pu admonished him not to call himself king, and Zhang Lu followed this advice. Romance, Ch. 59 §48–49Records, Wei 8 §64–65
The office granted by the court: In Chapter 59 of the Romance it is General of the Household Who Guards the South. In the Biography of Zhang Lu in the Records it is General of the Household Who Pacifies the People, and 'Guards the South' is the general's title he received after surrendering to Cao Cao. Romance, Ch. 59 §48Records, Wei 8 §64 · 68
Designs on Xichuan: In Chapter 59 of the Romance, Liu Zhang is troubled by news that Zhang Lu intends to attack Xichuan, and Zhang Song steps forward. In the Biography of the First Sovereign in the Records, what Liu Zhang feared was the news that Cao Cao was sending Zhong Yao and others to Hanzhong to attack Zhang Lu, and Zhang Song advised having Liu Bei attack Zhang Lu. Romance, Ch. 59 §49–51Romance, Ch. 60 §1–2Records, Shu 2 §27–28
Relations with Ma Chao: In Chapters 64 and 65 of the Romance, Zhang Lu intends to make Ma Chao his son-in-law but gives up the idea, and sends him with troops to Jiameng Pass, then recalls him and sets three conditions. The Biography of Ma Chao in the Records says only that Zhang Lu was not a man with whom great plans could be made, so that Ma Chao was depressed and secretly asked Liu Bei to accept his surrender, and the Biography of Zhang Lu makes no mention of sending Ma Chao to Jiameng Pass. Romance, Ch. 64 §48Romance, Ch. 65 §1 · 27Records, Shu 6 §29Records, Wei 8 §61–69
The commanders at Yangping Pass: In Chapter 67 of the Romance, Yang Ang is killed by Zhang He, and Yang Ren dies fighting Xiahou Yuan. In the Annals of Emperor Wu in the Records, Cao Cao pretended to withdraw, then made a night attack over the steep ground, routed the defenders and beheaded Yang Ren; there is no mention of Yang Ang's death. Romance, Ch. 67 §11 · 13Records, Wei 1 §147
Zhang Wei's end: In Chapter 67 of the Romance, Zhang Wei is cut down by Xu Chu at Bazhong. The Records say only that Zhang Wei held Yangping Pass and, when it was broken, fled by night. Romance, Ch. 67 §26Records, Wei 8 §66Records, Wei 1 §147
Pang De: In Chapter 67 of the Romance, Pang De fights Cao Cao as Zhang Lu's commander, falls under suspicion through Yang Song's slander, and is captured and surrenders. In the Biography of Pang De in the Records, he followed Ma Chao in fleeing to Hanzhong and served Zhang Lu, and when Cao Cao pacified Hanzhong he surrendered along with the others. Romance, Ch. 67 §21–23Records, Wei 18 §69
Why he went to Bazhong: In Chapter 67 of the Romance, his younger brother Zhang Wei proposes burning the storehouses and holding Bazhong. In the Records, Yan Pu advised that if he went now, driven into a corner, his merit would be slight, and that he should rely on Du Hu, resist and only then submit, and it was those around him who proposed burning the storehouses. Romance, Ch. 67 §24Records, Wei 8 §67
Surrender: In Chapter 67 of the Romance, Zhang Lu, left with nowhere to go when Yang Song shuts the city gates, dismounts and bows to Cao Cao. Yang Song and Yang Bai do not appear in Chen Shou's main text. In the Records, when Cao Cao sent men to comfort him, Zhang Lu came out of Bazhong with his whole family and surrendered. Romance, Ch. 67 §27Records, Wei 8 §60–69Records, Wei 1 §152
Treatment after surrender: Chapter 67 of the Romance goes no further than his appointment as General Who Guards the South and the enfeoffment of Yan Pu and others as full marquises. In the Records, he was enfeoffed as Marquis of Langzhong with a fief of 10,000 households, his five sons also became full marquises, and his daughter became the wife of Cao Cao's son Cao Yu. Romance, Ch. 67 §28Records, Wei 8 §68
Written by 3KDEX (not yet reviewed) — The tags at the end of each paragraph link to the exact passage in the Records volume or Romance chapter it is based on.
The Records score (Chen Shou’s Records of the Three Kingdoms, main text) is the baseline. Each ability compares how the Romance redrew the same person, and the evidence from both sources explains the difference.
RRefrained from claiming kingship, submitted and became a full marquis, and Chen Shou said he preserved his ancestral sacrificesWei 8 §65Wei 8 §68Wei 8 §71
NSought to call himself King of Hanning, and went out to fight despite Yan Pu's dissuasion and was defeatedCh. 59 §48Ch. 67 §27
RTwice accepted the advice of his Officer of Merit Yan PuWei 8 §65Wei 8 §67
NEmployed Pang De on Yan Pu's recommendation, but moved to behead him on Yang Song's slanderCh. 67 §14Ch. 67 §22
RNo direct record — estimated from records of his following Yan Pu's advice on strategyWei 8 §65Wei 8 §67
NTrusted Yang Song's words, drove Ma Chao away and suspected Pang DeCh. 65 §27Ch. 67 §22Ch. 67 §24
RSealed the storehouses as belonging to the state and was praised by Taizu, but ambushed and killed a fellow commanderWei 8 §61Wei 8 §67
NAnswered Liu Zhang's call for help out of greed, but sealed the storehouses as belonging to the stateCh. 64 §50Ch. 67 §25
RAmbushed a fellow commander and took his followers, but the defense of Yangping Pass was left to his brother Zhang WeiWei 8 §61Wei 8 §66
NLost Yangping Pass, and when he went out in person to fight, his rear army fled firstCh. 67 §12Ch. 67 §27
RGoverned Ba and Hanzhong for thirty years, and tens of thousands of households from west of the passes came over to himWei 8 §63Wei 8 §65
NHeld Hanzhong for thirty years, and tens of thousands of people from Xiliang came in through the Ziwu ValleyCh. 59 §47Ch. 59 §49
RNo direct record — estimated from his conduct as a religious leaderWei 8 §61
NNo direct record — estimated from his conduct as a religious leaderCh. 67 §27
RStocked charity lodges with rice and meat and punished only after three pardons, and the people and non-Han peoples were contentWei 8 §62Wei 8 §63
NStocked charity lodges with rice and meat, punished only after three pardons, and had libationers governCh. 59 §46
RNo direct record — estimated from his teaching of the Way inherited from his grandfatherWei 8 §61Wei 8 §62
NNo direct record — estimated from the account of his carrying on his grandfather's WayCh. 59 §45
RNo direct record — estimated from a relationship with the Han court limited to sending tributeWei 8 §64
NNo direct record — estimated from the account of discussing a marriage alliance with Ma ChaoCh. 64 §48
Records Romance Unverified No direct record; scored from their actions (evidence grade C)
3KDEX scoring — the Records use the main text of Chen Shou’s Records of the Three Kingdoms; the Romance uses the 120-chapter Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Click a source tag to open that passage in the reader.
AppearsNot present Chapter list →
| Parents | Zhang Heng(張衡) Novel & History |
|---|---|
| Siblings | Zhang Wei Romance |
Based on Wikidata items for the historical and Romance figures. Relations without the Unverified badge were also confirmed in the Records.
Includes automatic matching from Wikipedia infoboxes and source keywords (unverified).