Zhao Yun Zhao Yun ( died 229 ) , Zilong , was a military general who lived in the late Eastern Han Dynasty and early Three Kingdoms period . Originally a subordinate of the northern warlord Gongsun Zan , Zhao Yun later came to serve Liu Bei and had since accompanied Liu on most of his exploits — from the Battle of Changban ( 208 ) to the Hanzhong Campaign ( 217 – 219 ) . He continued serving in the state of Shu Han in the Three Kingdoms period , participating in the first of Zhuge Liang ' s Northern Expeditions , until his death in 229 . While many facts about Zhao Yun ' s life remain unclear due to limited information in historical sources , some aspects and activities in his life had been highly dramatised or exaggerated in folklore and fiction , most notably in Luo Guanzhong ' s historical novel " Romance of the Three Kingdoms " , in which he was lauded as a member of the Five Tiger Generals under Liu Bei . Historical sources on Zhao Yun ' s life . Zhao Yun ' s original biography in the " Records of the Three Kingdoms " ( " Sanguozhi " ) , written by Chen Shou in the third century CE , is only 346 Chinese characters long . In the fifth century , Pei Songzhi added annotations from the " Yun Biezhuan " ( 雲別傳 ; " Unofficial Biography of ( Zhao ) Yun " ) to Zhao Yun ' s biography in the " Sanguozhi " , providing a relatively clearer , though still incomplete picture of Zhao ' s life . Early career under Gongsun Zan . Zhao Yun was a native of Zhending ( 真定 ) , Changshan ( 常山 ) , which is located south of present - day Zhengding County , Shijiazhuang , Hebei . The " Yun Biezhuan " described his physical appearance as such : eight " chi " tall ( approximately 1 . 85 metres ) , with majestic and impressive looks . Zhao Yun was recommended by the chief administrating officer in Changshan to serve in the Han government , so he led a small group of volunteers to join the You Province warlord Gongsun Zan , who was nominally a " General of the Household " ( 中郎將 ) under the Han government . Around that time , another warlord Yuan Shao was recently appointed as the Governor ( 牧 ) of Ji Province ( 兾州 ) and his fame was steadily rising , so Gongsun Zan was worried that many people in You Province would choose to serve under Yuan instead of him . When Zhao Yun came to join him , he mocked the latter , " I heard that all those in your home province wanted to serve the Yuans . Why did you decide to have a change of heart , and choose to correct your mistake ? " Zhao Yun replied , " The Empire is in a state of chaos and it is unclear who is right and who is wrong . The people are in danger . Those in my home province , after careful deliberation , decided to follow a lord who practises benevolent governance . Therefore , I chose to join you , General , instead of Lord Yuan . " He participated in some of Gongsun Zan ' s battles against rival forces . Around the early 190s , Liu Bei was taking shelter under Gongsun Zan and he met Zhao Yun during that time . Zhao Yun became very close to Liu Bei and had the desire of switching his allegiance to Liu . When Gongsun Zan sent Liu Bei to assist his ally Tian Kai in a battle against Yuan Shao , Zhao Yun followed Liu Bei and served as a cavalry commander under the latter . Later , when Zhao Yun received news of his elder brother ' s death , he asked for a temporary leave of absence from Gongsun Zan to attend his brother ' s funeral . Liu Bei knew that Zhao Yun would not return to Gongsun Zan after leaving , so he held Zhao ' s hand when he bid the latter farewell . Before departing , Zhao Yun said , " I ' ll not forsake morality . " Coming to serve Liu Bei . Around 199 , after Liu Bei was defeated in Xu Province by Cao Cao , he fled north and sought refuge under Yuan Shao . At the same time , Zhao Yun also came to Ye , the capital of Yuan Shao ' s territories , where he met Liu Bei again . Zhao Yun and Liu Bei shared the same room during their stay in Ye . Liu Bei secretly ordered Zhao Yun to help him recruit hundreds of men who were willing to follow him , and they claimed to be soldiers from the unit of the " General of the Left " ( 左將軍 ) . Yuan Shao was not aware of this . Liu Bei later left Yuan Shao and travelled south to Jing Province to join Liu Biao , the Governor ( 牧 ) of the province . Zhao Yun accompanied him . In 202 , when Cao Cao was away on campaigns in northern China against Yuan Shao ' s sons and their allies , Liu Bei took advantage of Cao ' s absence to launch an attack on Cao ' s territories in central China . Cao Cao sent his general Xiahou Dun and others to lead an army to resist Liu Bei , leading to the Battle of Bowang . Xiahou Dun lost the battle after falling into Liu Bei ' s ambush , but Liu also withdrew his forces upon seeing the arrival of Xiahou ' s reinforcements . During the battle , Zhao Yun captured an enemy officer Xiahou Lan ( 夏侯蘭 ) , who was an old acquaintance of his and was also from the same hometown as him . Zhao Yun requested for Liu Bei to spare Xiahou Lan ' s life and recommended Xiahou to serve as a military judge because he knew that Xiahou was proficient in law . However , he never maintained any close relationship with Xiahou Lan . This incident showed that Zhao Yun was conscientious and careful . Battle of Changban . Liu Biao died in 208 and was succeeded by his younger son Liu Cong , who surrendered Jing Province to Cao Cao when the latter launched a campaign to attack the warlords in southern China . Liu Bei and his followers headed south towards Xiakou ( 夏口 ) , which was guarded by Liu Biao ' s elder son Liu Qi and was independent of Cao Cao ' s control . Cao Cao sent 5 , 000 riders to pursue Liu Bei and they caught up with him at Changban ( 長阪 ) , Dangyang ( 當陽 ) , igniting the Battle of Changban . Liu Bei abandoned his family and fled . Zhao Yun carried Liu Bei ' s young son Liu Shan and protected Liu Bei ' s wife Lady Gan ( Liu Shan ' s mother ) during the battle , eventually delivering them to safety . He was promoted to " General of the Standard " ( 牙門將軍 ) for his efforts . Earlier on , after his defeat at Changban , Liu Bei was told that Zhao Yun had betrayed him and was heading north to join Cao Cao . He refused to believe , as he threw a short " ji " to the ground and said , " Zilong will never desert me . " He was right as Zhao Yun showed up a short while later . Guarding Jing Province . Between late 208 and 209 , Liu Bei formed an alliance with the Jiangdong warlord Sun Quan and they defeated Cao Cao at the decisive Battle of Red Cliffs and the subsequent Battle of Jiangling . Cao Cao retreated north after his defeats and southern Jing Province came under Liu Bei ' s control . Zhao Yun assisted Liu Bei in the pacification of the territories in southern Jing Province and was promoted to Lieutenant - General ( 偏將軍 ) for his efforts . He was also appointed as the Administrator ( 太守 ) of Guiyang ( 桂陽 ) , replacing Zhao Fan . Zhao Fan had a widowed elder sister - in - law who was known for her beauty , and he wanted to arrange for a marriage between her and Zhao Yun . However , Zhao Yun declined , " I share the same family name as you . Your elder brother is also like an elder brother to me . " There were some people who urged Zhao Yun to accept the marriage , but he said , " Zhao Fan was forced to surrender , so his intentions are unclear . There are so many other women in this world . " Not long later , Zhao Fan escaped , and Zhao Yun was able to avoid any association with him because he did not agree to the marriage . Around 212 , Liu Bei led an army west into Yi Province ( 益州 ; covering present - day Sichuan and Chongqing ) to assist the provincial governor Liu Zhang in countering a rival warlord , Zhang Lu of Hanzhong . Zhao Yun was appointed as a Major ( 司馬 ) of the reserve camp and he remained behind to guard Jing Province . Sometime in 209 , Liu Bei married Sun Quan ' s younger sister , Lady Sun , to strengthen the alliance between him and Sun . Lady Sun also remained in Jing Province when Liu Bei left . Because of her brother ' s strong influence , Lady Sun was arrogant and she often allowed her close aides to behave lawlessly too . Liu Bei knew that Zhao Yun was a serious and orderly person , so he put the latter in charge of internal affairs in Jing Province when he was away . When Sun Quan heard that Liu Bei had left for Yi Province , he sent a vessel to fetch his sister back to Jiangdong . Lady Sun attempted to bring Liu Bei ' s son Liu Shan along with her , but Zhao Yun and Zhang Fei led their men to blockade the river and they retrieved Liu Shan . Conquest of Yi Province . Liu Bei and Liu Zhang were friendly towards each other in the beginning , but tensions between them gradually increased until the point of armed conflict in 213 . Liu Bei was initially stationed at Jiameng ( 葭萌 ) , where he was helping Liu Zhang defend the area from Zhang Lu , and he later turned against Liu Zhang there . He ordered Zhuge Liang , Zhang Fei , Zhao Yun and others to lead reinforcements from Jing Province into Yi Province to help him , while Guan Yu remained behind to defend Jing Province . The reinforcements marched along the Yangtze River and pacified the commanderies and counties in the surrounding areas . When they reached Jiangzhou ( 江州 ) , Zhuge Liang ordered Zhao Yun to lead a separate force to attack Jiangyang ( 江陽 ) and take an alternate route , and later rendezvous with Liu Bei and the other armies outside Yi Province ' s capital Chengdu . In 215 , Liu Zhang gave up resistance and surrendered , concluding Liu Bei ' s successful takeover of Yi Province . Zhao Yun was appointed as " General of the Assisting Army " ( 翊軍將軍 ) . After taking over Yi Province , Liu Bei held a discussion on whether to distribute the houses in Chengdu and the fields outside the city among his followers , so as to reward them for their efforts in the campaign . Zhao Yun objected , " In the past , Huo Qubing said that there was no home until the Xiongnu had been eliminated . The enemies of the state in our time include not only the Xiongnu , so we shouldn ' t be complacent . Only when the Empire has been completely pacified and the people have reverted to their peaceful lives , can we truly enjoy ourselves . The war in Yi Province has just ended , so the people in the province should have their lands and homes returned to them . As of now , the people should be allowed to continue their livelihoods in peace , and later we can impose taxes and conscription on them . In this way , we will earn their favour and support . " Liu Bei heeded Zhao Yun ' s advice . Battle of Han River . In 217 , Liu Bei launched the Hanzhong Campaign to seize control of Hanzhong commandery from Cao Cao because Hanzhong was the northern gateway into Yi Province . Cao Cao ' s general Xiahou Yuan was killed in action at the Battle of Mount Dingjun in 218 - 219 against Liu Bei ' s general Huang Zhong . Later , Huang Zhong heard that Cao Cao ' s forces were transporting food supplies to Beishan ( 北山 ) , so he led a group of soldiers ( including some of Zhao Yun ' s men ) to seize the supplies . Huang Zhong did not return after a long time so Zhao Yun led tens of horsemen in search of Huang . Zhao Yun encountered Cao Cao ' s forces and engaged them in battle but was outnumbered and was forced to retreat back to his camp , with Cao Cao ' s men in pursuit . Zhang Yi , one of Zhao Yun ' s subordinates , wanted to close the gates to prevent the enemy from entering . However , Zhao Yun gave orders for the gates to be opened , all flags and banners to be hidden , and the war drums silenced . Cao Cao ' s forces thought that there was an ambush inside Zhao Yun ' s camp so they withdrew . Just then , Zhao Yun launched a counterattack and his men beat the war drums loudly and fired arrows at the enemy . Cao Cao ' s soldiers were shocked and thrown into disarray . Some of them trampled on each other while fleeing in panic , and many of them fell into the Han River and drowned . The following day , Liu Bei came to inspect Zhao Yun ' s camp and survey the battlefield . He remarked , " Zilong is full of courage . " He then threw a feast to celebrate Zhao Yun ' s victory and they made merry until nightfall . Zhao Yun was called " General of Tiger ' s Might " ( 虎威將軍 ) in Liu Bei ' s army . Battle of Xiaoting . In late 219 , Sun Quan broke the alliance with Liu Bei when he sent his general Lü Meng to invade and seize Jing Province , resulting in the capture and execution of Guan Yu . Cao Cao died in early 220 and was succeeded by his son Cao Pi , who forced Emperor Xian of Han to abdicate the throne in his favour later that year . Cao Pi ended the Han Dynasty and established the state of Cao Wei , marking the start of the Three Kingdoms period . In 221 , Liu Bei declared himself emperor and founded the state of Shu Han , which was intended to be a continuation of the fallen Han Dynasty . Sun Quan pledged allegiance to Cao Pi and became a nominal vassal of Wei , ruling under the Wei - granted title of " King of Wu " . Liu Bei bore a grudge against Sun Quan for the seizure of Jing Province and he wanted to start a campaign against the latter . Zhao Yun attempted to dissuade him , saying , " Cao Cao is the enemy of the state , not Sun Quan . We should eliminate Wei first , after which Wu will surrender by itself . Cao Cao is already dead but his son Cao Pi has usurped the throne . You should follow the wishes of the masses by conquering Guanzhong and then attack the treacherous enemy via the Wei River . People of righteousness situated east of Hangu Pass will certainly welcome your army with grain and horses . You shouldn ' t ignore Wei for the moment and wage war against Wu first . Once the war has started , it cannot be stopped . " Liu Bei refused to accept Zhao Yun ' s advice and proceeded with the campaign and left Zhao Yun behind to guard Jiangzhou ( 江州 ) . He was defeated by the Wu forces at Zigui ( 秭歸 ) at the Battle of Xiaoting and was forced to retreat back to Shu . Zhao Yun led troops from Jiangzhou to Yong ' an ( 永安 ) to help his lord , after which the Wu forces gave up on pursuing Liu Bei . Service under Liu Shan . Liu Bei died in 223 and was succeeded by his son Liu Shan as the emperor of Shu , with the Zhuge Liang serving as the regent . After his enthronement , Liu Shan appointed Zhao Yun as " Central Protector of the Army " ( 中護軍 ) and " General Who Attacks the South " ( 征南將軍 ) , and granted him the title of " Marquis of Yongchang Village " ( 永昌亭侯 ) . Zhao Yun was later promoted to " General Who Guards the East " ( 鎮東將軍 ) . First Northern Expedition . In 227 , Zhao Yun followed Zhuge Liang to garrison at Hanzhong . The following year , Zhuge Liang launched the first of a series of Northern Expeditions against Shu ' s rival state Wei , and he spread news that his army would be passing through Xie Valley ( 斜谷 ) . In response , the Wei general Cao Zhen led a large army to resist the Shu forces . Zhuge Liang ordered Zhao Yun and Deng Zhi to lead a separate force to resist Cao Zhen and act as a decoy , while he led the main Shu army to attack Mount Qi ( 祁山 ) . Zhao Yun and Deng Zhi ' s troops were weaker than the Wei forces so they lost the battle in Ji Valley ( 箕谷 ) . However , Zhao Yun managed to muster his men into putting up a firm defence , hence minimising their losses . After retreating back to Hanzhong , Zhao Yun was demoted to " General Who Guards the Army " ( 鎮軍將軍 ) for his defeat . Zhuge Liang later lamented the failure of the first Northern Expedition . He noted , " Our armies at Mount Qi and Ji Valley together were superior to the enemy in numbers , but yet we lost the battles . This was not because we had insufficient troops , but rather , it was due to one man . " Based on the earlier record in Zhao Yun ' s biography , Zhuge Liang had most probably reserved the elite troops for himself and Ma Su ; Zhao Yun and Deng Zhi were given the weaker soldiers . Ma Su lost to the Wei general Zhang He at the Battle of Jieting in 228 due to his incompetency even though he had the better soldiers ; Zhao Yun lost the battle at Ji Valley as Cao Zhen ' s army was far superior . After returning to Hanzhong , Zhuge Liang asked , " When our troops withdrew from Jieting , they were very disorganised . However , those who retreated from Ji Valley were orderly . Why is it so ? " Deng Zhi replied , " Zhao Yun personally covered the retreat . He ensured that no equipment was discarded and that the men retreated in an orderly manner . " As Zhao Yun still had some silk left in his army , Zhuge Liang wanted to have the silk distributed among the troops . However , Zhao Yun demurred , " The expedition was a failure , so why should rewards be given out ? Please store the silk in the official treasury now and distribute them among the men later during the tenth month in winter . " Zhuge Liang praised Zhao Yun for his suggestion . Death . Zhao Yun died in 229 and was posthumously honoured as " Marquis Shunping " ( 順平侯 ) by Liu Shan in 261 . During Liu Bei ' s reign , only Fa Zheng received posthumous honours . In Liu Shan ' s time , only three consecutive heads of government — Zhuge Liang , Jiang Wan and Fei Yi — received posthumous titles . Later , Liu Shan also posthumously honoured Chen Zhi ( 陳祗 ) , whom he favoured , and Xiahou Ba , a Wei general who defected to Shu . Guan Yu , Zhang Fei , Ma Chao , Pang Tong , Huang Zhong and Zhao Yun were later granted posthumous titles by Liu Shan as well . The reception of such posthumous titles was regarded as a great honour at that time . Liu Shan ' s imperial edict for granting Zhao Yun his posthumous title read : " Zhao Yun followed the Late Emperor and he made outstanding contributions . I was young then and experienced many difficulties , but I relied on his loyalty and faithfulness to get out of danger . I bestow this posthumous title upon him to recognise him for his meritorious service and also because there were others who advised me to do so . " The name of Zhao Yun ' s posthumous title was suggested by Jiang Wei and others — " shun " ( 順 ; literally : " obey / follow " ) because he was virtuous and kind , " ping " ( 平 ; literally : " peace / pacify " ) because he performed his duties up to standard and overcame chaos , so " shun " and " ping " became " Shunping " . Descendants . Zhao Yun ' s eldest son Zhao Tong ( 趙統 ) served as a military officer in Shu and his highest appointment was an Imperial Guard in the " Rapid as Tigers " division ( 虎賁中郎 ) . Zhao Yun ' s second son Zhao Guang ( 趙廣 ) served as an " Officer of the Standard " ( 牙門將 ) and followed Jiang Wei in the campaigns against Wei and was killed in action in Tazhong ( 遝中 ) . Appraisal . Chen Shou , who wrote Zhao Yun ' s biography in the " Sanguozhi " , commented on the latter as follows : " Huang Zhong and Zhao Yun were fierce and mighty warriors , just like claws and teeth . Were they the successors to Guan Ying ( 灌嬰 ) and the Duke of Teng ? " In fiction . Many of Zhao Yun ' s actual exploits were highly dramatised in the historical novel " Romance of the Three Kingdoms " by Luo Guanzhong . In the novel , Zhao Yun is described as being almost perfect , possessing unparalleled physical power as well as unwavering loyalty to his lord , tremendous courage , keen intelligence and serene charisma . These traits have often been reflected in almost all modern material about Zhao Yun to date . The novel portrays him as a courageous , loyal , and heroic warrior , and depicting him surviving insurmountable odds many times single - handedly . See the following for some fictitious stories in " Romance of the Three Kingdoms " involving Zhao Yun : Modern references . Zhao Yun has been featured prominently in Chinese popular culture , literature , art and anecdotes . Zhao Yun was already a relatively well - known hero from the Three Kingdoms period , as folktales about his exploits have been passed down through centuries . He became a household name due to the popularity of the historical novel " Romance of the Three Kingdoms " . Recently , Zhao Yun ' s popularity has moved beyond Asia and into the Western world , through various media , including the Internet and video games . Film and television . The 2008 Hong Kong film " " is loosely based on stories related to Zhao Yun in the historical novel " Romance of the Three Kingdoms " . It was directed by Daniel Lee and starred Hong Kong actor Andy Lau as " Zhao Zilong " . Mainland Chinese actor Hu Jun played Zhao Yun in John Woo ' s " Red Cliff " , a two - part epic war film based on the Battle of Red Cliffs . Notable actors who have portrayed Zhao Yun in television include : Zhang Shan , in " Romance of the Three Kingdoms " ( 1994 ) ; Nie Yuan , in " Three Kingdoms " ( 2010 ) . Video games . Zhao Yun appears as a playable character in Koei ' s " Dynasty Warriors " and " Warriors Orochi " video game series . He is usually featured prominently on the cover of each title , and is most often used by the developers in screenshots and other promotional materials for upcoming releases . He also appears in all 12 instalments of Koei ' s " Romance of the Three Kingdoms " strategy game series . The playable champion Xin Zhao in the multiplayer online battle arena game " League of Legends " is based on Zhao Yun . Zhao Yun also appears as a playable character in " Lost Saga " .