Zhang Te 張特
| Occupation | RGeneral · Administrator of Anfeng NGeneral · General of the Standard | Faction | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appears | RN | Biography in | |
| Born | Native place | Zhuo Commandery | |
| Existence | Historical | Mentions | R6 |
Profile
Zhang Te appears in Chapter 108 of the Romance as the General of the Standard defending Xincheng. When Zhuge Ke of Wu has besieged Xincheng and attacked it for months without taking it, and the northeast corner of the wall is about to collapse, he sends an eloquent scholar who, citing the law of Wei, deceives Zhuge Ke into waiting a few more days in return for a promise of surrender. In the meantime he repairs the breach, then mounts the wall and roundly curses Wu, declaring that he will not surrender. Romance, Ch. 108 §20 · 22–23
He appears in only one of the Romance's 120 chapters, Chapter 108, and his name is not in any chapter title. He does not appear in Chen Shou's main text and is recorded only in Pei Songzhi's commentary. The Annals of the Three Young Emperors in Chen Shou's main text records that in the 5th month of the 5th year of Jiaping (253), when the Wu Grand Tutor Zhuge Ke besieged the New City of Hefei, an edict ordered the Grand Commandant Sima Fu to resist him, and that Zhuge Ke withdrew in the 7th month of autumn; the Biography of Zhuge Ke records that the attack and defense went on for months but the city did not fall. Romance, Ch. 108 §20Records, Wei 4 §35Records, Wu 19 §44
In the Romance
In Chapter 108 of the Romance, after his victory at Dongxing Zhuge Ke raises a great army of two hundred thousand and sets out to attack the Central Plain, and following Ding Feng's advice that Wei treats Xincheng as the key pass for all routes and should be deprived of it first, he marches straight to Xincheng. The General of the Standard Zhang Te, defending the city, sees the Wu army arriving in force, shuts the gates and holds fast, and Zhuge Ke has his troops surround it on all sides. In Luoyang, the Registrar Yu Song advises Sima Shi that the Wu army has come from afar with many men and little grain, and that they should wait until it is about to flee and then strike. Romance, Ch. 108 §18–20
When Zhuge Ke has attacked Xincheng for months without taking it and orders his generals to attack with combined strength, the northeast corner of the wall is about to collapse. Zhang Te settles on a plan inside the city and has an eloquent scholar carry the registers to the Wu camp to meet Zhuge Ke. The scholar says that under the law of Wei, if the general defending a city has held out for a hundred days and no relief has come, his family is not held liable even if he then leaves the city and surrenders; since the siege has already lasted more than ninety days, if he is granted a few more days, his commander will lead all the soldiers and people out of the city and surrender. Romance, Ch. 108 §22–23
Zhuge Ke believes this completely, pulls back his troops and stops attacking the city. The Romance says that Zhang Te had deceived the Wu army into pulling back with a stalling stratagem. Zhang Te tears down the houses in the city and thoroughly repairs the breach, then mounts the wall and roundly curses them: 'We still have half a year's grain in this city—how could we surrender to the curs of Wu! Fight on as long as you like!' Zhuge Ke, enraged, attacks the city again and, struck in the forehead by one of the arrows raining down from the wall, falls from his horse. With many soldiers falling ill in the sweltering heat and the Area Commander Cai Lin defecting to Wei, Zhuge Ke inspects the sick soldiers in each camp himself and then withdraws his army, but he is pursued by Guanqiu Jian and suffers a great defeat. Romance, Ch. 108 §23–26
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.
Abilities
There is no record in the main text of Chen Shou’s Records, so only the Romance score is given.
- LEA72
- STR45
- INT76
- POL42
- CHA50
- VIR58
- ADP62
- SCH35
- DIP45
- DIS52
Evidence by ability
NAs General of the Standard he held Xincheng firmly for more than ninety daysCh. 108 §20Ch. 108 §22Ch. 108 §23
NNo direct record — estimated from his role as a Wei General of the StandardCh. 108 §20
NBought time with a stratagem promising surrender and repaired the collapsing wallCh. 108 §22Ch. 108 §23
NNo direct record — estimated from his role as a Wei General of the StandardCh. 108 §20
NNo direct record — estimated from his role as a Wei General of the StandardCh. 108 §20
NDeclared he had half a year's grain and never surrenderedCh. 108 §23
NDecided to buy time just as the wall was about to collapseCh. 108 §22Ch. 108 §23
NNo direct record — estimated from his role as a Wei General of the StandardCh. 108 §20
NNo direct record — estimated from his role as a Wei General of the StandardCh. 108 §20
NChose an eloquent scholar and sent him to the Wu campCh. 108 §22
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.
Romance chapters (1)
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