Annotations for the five tiger generals (SGZ)

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Should have done this ages ago but anyway here's some of the annotations, more to come! Many thanks to Florence for assisting me in this task. (Pssst...help me check to see if there's any errors in the translations below, thanks!)

Note: The events stated in brackets showed where the annotations were inserted in the original SGZ by earlier readers like Pei Song Zhi. The annotations include his personal comments as well as findings of events that were not included in the version by Chen Shou, recorded by various (dubious or not) sources. Feel free to agree or disagree with Pei.

Guan Yu
1. (of Guan Yu following Liu Bei around regardless of dangers…) Shu Ji (Records of Shu): When Lord Cao and Liu Bei surrounded Lu Bu at Xiapei, Guan Yu said to the Lord, "Lu Bu has sent Qin Yilu to go for help; I beg to have his wife in marriage." The lord granted him. And right before defeating Lu, he asked the lord several more times. The lord then, suspecting that the woman was of exceptional beauty, had her fetched over first so he could have a look, and he kept her there. Guan Yu was troubled in his heart over that. -- This is the same as what is said in "The Annuals of the Wei Family".

2. (of Guan Yu performing the task of governor at Xiapei city...) Wei Shu: He had Guan Yu rule Xu province.

3. (Cao Cao heard of Guan Yu’s thoughts from Zhang Liao…) Fu Zi: Zhang Liao wanted to pass on the message to the Grand Progenitor (Cao Cao), but he was afraid that Cao Cao would kill Guan Yu. But if he did not pass the message on, that would be contrary to the right way of serving a lord. He sighed and said, "The lord is my ruler and my father; and Yu is just a brother." Thus he told Cao Cao about it. Cao Cao said, "Serving a lord and not forgetting his origins -- he is indeed a righteous man out of all men! When do you think he would depart?" Liao said, "Since Yu is receiving a favour for you, my lord, he would definitely do something to repay you before leaving."

4. (Cao Cao telling his men not to pursue Guan Yu…) Pei Song Zhi says: I, your humble servant, feel that Lord Cao perceived Guan Yu’s reluctance to stay but was impressed by Guan Yu’s aspirations in his heart; he did not send his men to pursue either, to allow Guan Yu fulfil his wish. Thus, if Cao Cao did not have the magnanimity of a king and conqueror, how could he act to such extent? Lord Cao’s gesture was good indeed.

5. (Guan Yu went to Xiakou together with Liu Bei…) Shu Ji (Records of Shu): Earlier, Liu Bei and Cao Cao went on a hunting trip together in the capital. During the hunt when the mass was dispersed, Guan Yu advised Liu Bei to kill Lord Cao. Liu Bei did not heed. When they were at Xiakou, floating on the river waters, Guan Yu said furiously, “During the hunt in the previous occasion, if you had listened to my words, we would not have met the predicament today.” Liu Bei said, “At that point, it was for the country’s sake, if the Heaven’s Will aid the righteous ones, who knows if this may turn out to be a blessing in disguise?”
Pei Song Zhi said, “When Liu Bei plotted together with Dong Cheng and others thereafter (the hunt incident), their plan was leaked out and thus failed. If he had valued Cao Cao for the country’s sake, what did he imply by speaking thus? If Guan Yu had really persuaded Liu Bei but he did not heed the advice, it could be that Liu Bei had considered the fact that Cao Cao’s henchmen were numerous. Moreover, this idea was not planned out carefully enough thus he did not adopt the advice. Although it was possible to slay Cao Cao, but the murderer will definitely not escape alive, so Liu Bei decided to abort this plan. Where did it show that Liu Bei value Cao Cao? This past event was used as a means of justification (of why Liu Bei did not kill Cao Cao).

6. (Guan Yu rejected the marriage of his daughter to Sun Quan’s son…) Dian Lue: When Guan Yu surrounded Fan City, Sun Quan dispatched his messenger to offer help. He instructed the messenger not to approach in haste, but sent a high ranking civil officer (主簿) ahead first to Guan Yu. Guan Yu was angry with the slowness, moreover, he had personally captured Yu Jin, thus he rebuked, “If you little octopuses dare to attack Fan City, do you think I cannot destroy you?” When Sun Quan heard of this, he made out that Guan Yu belittled himself and wrote a false letter of appreciation to Guan Yu, which mentioned requesting Guan Yu free passage in the lands.
Pei Song Zhi said, ”I, your humble servant, feels that although from the outside, Wu and Shu seemed to be in harmony, but internally, there was much suspicions between both parties as they guarded against each other’s intentions. This explains why Sun Quan had invaded Guan Yu and the attack was carried out in secret. According to the records in Lu Meng Zhuan (The Biography of Lu Meng) which says, “Crack troops were set to ambush in the gou lu (a type of large ship) and civilians were instructed to row the ships as they posed as merchants.” As such, Guan Yu did not appeal to Sun Quan for help and neither had Sun Quan the need to ask Guan Yu free passage into the lands. If there was any request for assistance, why was there the need to conceal the troops and their motives?”

7. (Cao Cao dispatched Xu Huang to assist Cao Ren…) Shu Ji (The Records of Shu): Guan Yu and Xu Huang were close friends and they communicated with each other even though they were far apart. However, both men spoke only of mundane matters and never mentioned about military affairs. Immediately, Xu Huang dismounted and announced, “Whoever captures the head of Guan Yunchang will be awarded a thousand taels of gold!” Guan Yu was alarmed and asked Xu Huang, “Elder brother, why do you speak thus?!” Xu Huang replied, “This is the affairs of the state.”

8. (Guan Yu was executed at Lin Ju…) Shu Ji (The Records of Shu): Sun Quan ordered his men to attack Guan Yu and in the process captured both Yu and his son Guan Ping. Sun Quan had desired for Guan Yu to be kept alive for the purpose of fending off Shu and Wei. However, his subordinates petitioned, “To rear the wolf’s cub will breed nothing but trouble in the future. Lord Cao did not kill him and resulted in bringing calamity to himself, to the point of having to decide whether to shift his capital or not. How can we let him live today?” Thus Guan Yu’s execution was ordered.
Pei Song Zhi: I, your humble servant, followed the writings in the Records of Wu (Wu Shu) which says that Sun Quan dispatched his general Pan Zhang to block off Guan Yu’s road and Guan Yu was executed immediately (at that area). The distance between Lin Ju and Jiang Ling is two to three hundred li apart, so how was it possible that Guan Yu was kept alive until the debate between Sun Quan and his officers whether to kill or free him? Also, the statement of ‘Sun Quan had desired for Guan Yu to be kept alive for the purpose of fending off Shu and Wei’ is flawed and merely a means to silence the wise. Wu Li (Chronology of Wu) says, “Sun Quan sent the head of Guan Yu to Lord Cao, while he and his officers held a funeral for the remainder of Guan Yu’s corpse.”

9. (Guan Yu was given a posthumous title of Marquis of Zhuangchou…) Shu Ji (The Records of Shu): When Guan Yu initially set off to surround Fan City, he had a dream of a boar gnawing his foot. Yu Zi Ping commented, “You will meet your downfall this year, and will not return!”
Jiang Biao Zhuan: Guan Yu loved to read Zuo Shi Zhuan, and was able to recite many sarcastic verses from the text.

10. (Guan Xing’s son, Guan Tong, by his concubine, succeeded the title…) Shu Ji (The Records of Shu): Pang De’s son, Hui, followed Zhong Hui and Deng Ai’s army to conquer Shu. Upon entering Shu, he had the Guan family annihilated.

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Zhang Fei:
1. (of Zhang Fei releasing Yan Yan) Huayang Guo Zhi: Previously, when the Former Ruler (Liu Bei) entered Shu and arrived at Ba commandery, Yan Yan stroke his breast and sighed, "This is like what they said – sitting alone on an empty hill and set a tiger to protect oneself!"

Zhao Yun:
1. (Zhao Yun became Liu Bei's main calvary leader in the battle to repel Yuan Shao...) From Zhao Yun Bie Zhuan: Zhao Yun was 8 chi tall (approx 1.89m) and had a commanding appearance. In the earlier days, he held office in a county. In the second year of Chuping (AD 191), Yuan Shao was declared as the governor of Yizhou, and was contested by Gongsun Zan for the same place. The Changshan County appointed Zhao Yun as chief to lead the people to serve Gongsun Zan. However, this gesture of servitude was mocked by Gongsun Zan, who asked why Zhao Yun was offering to serve him instead of Yuan Shao, while the rest of their people supported the latter; and who remarked why they were the only ones who return from the way of delusion. Zhao Yun replied that the world was in turmoil with all the wars raging and it was difficult to differentiate the good from the evil and that in order to serve the people, the Changshan County’s decision was to serve the one who can be benevolent to the people. Hence from then on, Zhao Yun began his service in Gongsun Zan’s ranks. Yet in the same year, Liu Bei also joined Gongsun Zan. Liu Bei was very kindly and friendly toward Zhao Yun and had often assisted him in many matters. Zhao Yun thus viewed Liu Bei as a senior and a confidante and had thoughts of serving under him. Later, Zhao Yun received news of his elder brother’s death and tendered his resignation to return home. Liu Bei was reluctant to let him leave, knowing that he would not come back. When bidding Liu Bei farewell, Zhao Yun declared that he would never betray Liu Bei’s trust and friendship.

In the spring of the fifth year of JianAn (AD 200), Liu Bei was defeated by Cao Cao and had to seek refuge in Yuan Shao’s land. During the time when Liu Bei was escaping alone in dire straits, he chanced upon Zhao Yun in the City of Ye and both shared the same bed. Thereafter, he secretly sent Zhao Yun to recruit some hundred men and declared the troops to be serving under the Left General Liu (Liu Bei). From this point onwards, Zhao Yun served Liu Bei for the rest of his life.

2. (The Former Lord entered Shu and left Zhao Yun in Jingzhou...) From Zhao Yun Bie Zhuan: In the thirteenth year of JianAn (AD 208), Liu Bei was defeated in Changban of Dangyang and someone told Liu Bei that Zhao Yun was heading north to surrender to Cao Cao. Liu Bei reacted by hitting the person with a halberd in his hand and said that Zhao Yun would never abandon him. Not long after, Zhao Yun did return.
After the battle of Chibi, Zhao Yun joined Liu Bei in pacifying the various states and provinces in Jingzhou. Liu Bei gave Zhao Yun the rank of Pian General (Lieutenant-General) and ordered him to replace Zhao Fan as the governor of Guiyang Commandery (present day Hunan Chen Province). Zhao Fan had a widowed sister-in-law that was very beautiful, and he had desired to marry her to Zhao Yun. Zhao Yun refused the proposal, arguing that he and Zhao Fan shared the same surname, thus Zhao Fan’s brother could rightfully be treated like his own brother. At that time, someone continued to persuade Zhao Yun to accept the proposal. In reply, Zhao Yun explained that Zhao Fan was forced to surrender and thus his motives were not known. Besides that, he argued that there are many women around. Not long after, Zhao Fan indeed escaped, and Zhao Yun was not faulted.

Prior to this event during the twelfth year of JianAn (AD 207), General Xiahou Dun from Cao Cao’s camp led an army south to attack Liu Bei. Liu Bei engaged the attackers at Bowang (present day City of Henanfang). During the battle, Zhao Yun captured an enemy general Xiahou Lan. Zhao Yun and Xiahou Lan were actually from the same village and had known each other since young. Zhao Yun proposed to Liu Bei not to execute him. Based on Xiahou Lan’s ability in dealing with military laws, Zhao Yun also proposed that Xiahou Lan be in charge of the army rules, instead of following the normal practice of keeping surrendered generals in one’s personal ranks. This was one of the examples of Zhao Yun’s conscientiousness.

In the fourteenth year of JianAn (AD 209), Liu Bei married the sister of Sun Quan. Lady Sun was a proud and unrestrained lady and she brought along with her much soldiers from Eastern Wu. These soldiers behaved as if they had no regards for the law. Liu Bei felt that Zhao Yun was a strict person by nature and only he could bring those Wu followers into discipline and so, he gave him the responsibility of managing the internal household affairs for him. After Liu Bei set off to Yizhou, Sun Quan sent out many ships to bring back his sister and also instructed her to bring along Liu Shan as hostage, but this was stopped by Zhao Yun and Zhang Fei who stopped the Wu navy with their troops and brought Liu Shan back.

3. The moment Cheng Du was conquered, Zhao Yun was awarded the rank Shan Jun Jiang Jun...) From Zhao Yun Bie Zhuan: At the same time, Liu Bei wanted to distribute the middle class houses in the city as well as the farmlands outside to the generals. Zhao Yun proposed that since Yizhou had just suffered from war, the lands and houses should be given back to the civilians to live in so that the livelihood of the civilians can continue and it would be easier to manage the civilians and also gain their loyalty and support in the future. Liu Bei accepted his proposal.
In the twenty-fourth year of JianAn (AD 219), Zhao Yun went with Liu Bei to attack Hanzhong. After the Shu army had killed Xiahou Yuan, Cao Cao gathered a large army to Hanzhong in response. There was an incident whereby the Cao army was transporting a large supply of grain to the bottom of the Northern Mountain. Huang Zhong saw that as an opportunity to intercept the food supply and he led his followers as well as Zhao Yun’s to attack the food supply chain. When Huang Zhong failed to return by the scheduled time, Zhao Yun brought along some light cavalry to assist Huang Zhong. After a short period of journeying, they met up with Cao Cao’s main force. Zhao Yun fought with Cao Cao’s vanguard but the latter’s troops were quickly reinforced in large amounts, forcing Zhao Yun to beat a retreat. The Cao army had Zhao Yun’s troops surrounded and by the time Zhao Yun managed to break out of the enemies’ lines, he realized that his subordinate Zhang Zhu was injured. Zhao Yun charged back into the enemies’ midst to rescue Zhang Zhu before they retreated back to their camp. At that time, the governor of Mianyang county Zhang Yi was helping to defend the camp. When he saw the size of the Cao army coming, he shut the gates and refused to defend. Zhao Yun realized of the immensity of the enemy’s troops and found it impossible to defend the camp. Thus he ordered for the gates to be opened, the flags taken down and the beating of drums ceased. When the Cao army arrived at the camp, they suspected of a possible ambush and retreated hastily. Zhao Yun then ordered for the drums to be beaten and also arrows be shot. The Cao army was taken by surprise by the sudden noise and was put to disarray and stampeding and many were drowned in the River Han nearby. The next day, Liu Bei came to Zhao Yun’s camp to inspect the outcome of the battle and could not help but praise Zhao Yun for his bravery. From then on, Zhao Yun was nicknamed among the Shu army as General of Tiger Valor (Hu Wei Jiang Jun).

In the first year of ZhangWu (AD 221), Liu Bei commanded his troops to attack Wu. Zhao Yun petitioned that, “The traitor of the country was Cao Cao and not Sun Quan, thus Wei should be annexed first and following that, Wu would surrender willingly. Although Cao Cao had passed away, his son Cao Pi had ascended the throne amidst the wrath of many. Hence, it is best to annex Guanzhong, conquer the Yellow River, Shangyou of the Wei Waters, followed by an eastern expedition to force the Guangdong troops into action. Thus, it was best not to leave Wei untouched in a bid to fight Wu. Should the war between Wu and us start, it would be difficult to cease.” Liu Bei did not heed his advice left him to be in charge of two provinces in Jiangzhou. Liu Bei was defeated at Zi Gui and by the time Zhao Yun’s troops reached Yong An, Wu’s troops had already retreated.

4. The troops retreated and Zhao Yun was demoted to Zhen Jun Jiang Jun...) From Zhao Yun Bie Zhuan: Zhuge Liang asked, “The troops at Jie Ting suffered losses but the troops at Qi Gu came back unscathed. Why is this so?” Deng Zhi answered, “Zhao Yun personally guarded the rear thus neither the military supplies nor the troops suffered losses”. Thus, Zhao Yun’s army had an unused supply of silk and Zhuge Liang instructed for them to be distributed to the ranks but Zhao Yun proposed for it to be kept in the treasury since there was no exploits hence no need for rewards. The store of silk can be distributed during the tenth month to make clothing instead. Zhuge Liang was very satisfied with this proposal.

5. Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Ma Chao, Pang Tong, Huang Zhong and Zhao Yun were given posthumous titles, which was considered a prestige during that time...) From Zhao Yun Bie Zhuan (records from Hou Zhu (Liu Shan)’s edict): “Zhao Yun served Liu Bei in the past and his contributions are commendable. I (Liu Shan) was able to escape dangers owing to his loyalty and dependability. Hence, it is only appropriate to speak of Zhao Yun as an important contributor to the country.” The Commander-in-Chief Jiang Wei and others deduced that since Zhao Yun served Liu Bei in the past and had significant contributions, was law-abiding hence his contributions should be recorded. The feat at Dangyang was a show of loyalty and righteousness. As such, the ruler would be eternally grateful to his subordinate. According to the rules of giving posthumous titles, the gentle, kind and virtuous would be given the character Shun; able to execute task well and able to stamp out disorder would be given the character Ping, hence Zhao Yun was given the posthumous title of Marquis of Shunping.

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Ma Chao
1. (Ma Chao was made Pian Jiang Jun and Marquis of Duting after Ma Teng left for the capital…) Dian Lue: Ma Teng, styled Shoucheng, was a descendent of Ma Yuan. During the reign of Emperor Huan, his father, who was styled Zishuo, was a colonel at Lan’gan at Tianshui. He lost his position later, and stayed behind in in West Long, living together with the Qiang peoples. His family was too poor to have a proper marriage, so he married a Qiang woman, who gave birth to Ma Teng. When Teng was young, he was poor and had no means of living, and so he would often chop firewood from Mount Zhang, and carry it to sell in the cities to support himself. Teng was over 8 chi tall, of a massive build and with an exceptional complexion and nose; he was a kind and generous man, though, and most people respected him. At the end of Emperor Ling’s reign, the Inspector of Liang province, Geng Pi, took to listening to corrupt officials, which caused the rebellion of the commoner Wang Guo along with the Di and Qiang tribes. The province recruited strong men from the commoners in order to quell the uprising, and Ma Teng was in the list. The provincial officials considered him extraordinary, and so they made him an officer in the army, and gave him a command of men. When he obtained merit through defeating the rebels, he was made a major in the army, and later was promoted to lieutenant-general, and then to general of the west. He was often garrisoned between Qian and Long. During the Chuping years, he was made General who Conquers the East. At that time, Xizhou was short of grains, and so Ma Teng requested to move to Chiyang for the harvest, since his soldiers were in lack. Thus he was transferred to the shores of Changping. However, Wang Cheng, a general there, feared that Ma Teng was going to bring him harm, and so he attacked Ma Teng’s camp. Right then Ma Teng was out, and unprepared, and so he was defeated and fled westward. Since the Sanfu area was in chaos at that time, he did not come back east again, but became sworn brothers with Han Sui, General who Keeps the West, and were very close friends at first. However, some time later, due to fighting between their subordinates, they became enemies. Ma Teng attacked Han Sui, and Sui left the area, but regrouped his forces and returned to attack Teng and killed his wife and sons. The fighting between them could not be stopped. At the beginning of the Jian’an reign, the order of the country was disrupted, and so the court sent the Sili Xiaowei (an officer in charge of law and order in the capital), Zhong Yao, and governor of Liang Province, Wei Duan, to reconcile the two sides. Ma Teng was sent to return to his fort in Huaili, and promoted to be General of the Front, given a tiger tally, and made Marquis of Huaili. He guarded against the Hu marauders from the north, and the Bai riders from the east. He treated scholars well, and promoted the worthy. He was sympathetic to the plight of the commoners and sought to help them, and pacified and cared for Sanfu. In the 15th year, Ma Teng was summoned to be the Commandant of the Palace Guard. Seeing that he was getting old, Ma Teng went in the Palace Guard. Formerly, when Lord Cao was the Prime Minister, he recommended Ma Teng’s firstborn, Ma Chao, to serve in office, but he declined. Later, Ma Chao became Sili Xiaowei Dujun Congshi (roughly means a subordinate military officer of Sili Xiaowei), and went to fight Guo Yuan. He was hit by an arrow (on the foot), and so he took a pouch, wrapped his foot in it, and continued fighting. He thus defeated Guo Yuan, and beheaded him. The court made him Inspector of Xu province, and then transferred him to be an Imperial Consultant. When Ma Teng went into the Capital, Ma Chao was made Lieutenant-General, and ordered to take over Ma Teng’s command. The court also made Chao’s younger brother Ma Xiu Chief Commandant of the Charioteers, and Xiu’s younger brother Ma Tie Colonel of the Cavalry. All their families were sent to Ye city, but Ma Chao stayed behind.

2. (Cao Cao made use of Jia Xu to sow discord between Ma Chao and Han Sui, resulting in their great defeat…) Tales of Duke Shanyang: Formerly, when Lord Cao’s army was at Puban, and getting ready to cross over the river to the west, Ma Chao said to Han Sui, “We should counter their troops north of the Wei river. In no more than 20 days, the supplies from east of the River would be exhausted and they would certainly retreat.” Han Sui said, “We should order our men to cross the river too, and attack them midstream – wouldn’t that be even better?” Thus Chao’s strategy was not employed. When Lord Cao heard of this, he said, “If the Ma kid does not die, I know not where I’d be buried.”

3. (Ma Chao heard that Liu Bei had surrounded Liu Zhang in Cheng Du and secretly sent a letter expressing his desire to surrender…) Dian Lue: In the 16th year of Jian’an, Ma Chao rebelled along with Hou Xuan, Cheng Yin, Li Kan, Zhang Heng, Liang Xing, Cheng Yi, Ma Wan, Yang Qiu, Han Sui, totalling 10 commands within the Passes. Their forces numbered one hundred thousand, and were encamped along their holdings on the Yellow River and the Tong area. That year, Lord Cao marched westward, and fought with Ma Chao and company where the Yellow River and the Wei River met, and Chao, defeated, fled. He fled to Anding, and escaped to the Liang province. (Lord Cao) had Chao’s family arrested and executed. Chao lost again upon the Long. After that, he fled to Hanzhong, where Zhang Lu gave him the rank of Du Jiang Ji Jiu (Officer in charge of Military Drills?), and wanted to give his daughter to him as wife. Some said to Zhang Lu, “If a man does not care for his family such as this, how can he care for others?” Thus Zhang did not carry out his plan.

Previously, before Ma Chao rebelled, his younger brother-in-law, Zhong, stayed at Sanfu. When Chao lost, Zhong entered Hanzhong ahead of him. On New Year’s day, Zhong went to wish Chao good health, and Chao, striking his breast and spitting blood, said, “Our family, totalling a hundred people, died in one day. And now would the two of us celebrate?” Afterwards he asked Zhang Lu several times for some troops to regain Liang province in the north. Lu sent him to do that, but nothing did he gain. Furthermore, a general in Zhang Lu’s command, Yang Bai, among others, were plotting evil against him and so Ma Chao escaped to the Di through Wudu, and then turned towards Shu. That year was the 19th of the Jian’an reign.

4. (The entire city was filled with fear and Liu Zhang surrendered…) Dian Lue: When Liu Bei heard that Ma Chao was coming, he said gleefully, “I am going to get Yi province!” Thus he sent an envoy to greet Chao, and secretly supplied him with troops. When Chao arrived, Liu ordered him to garrison north of the city. Chengdu fell within ten days of Chao’s arrival.

5. (After Liu Zhang surrendered, Ma Chao was given the rank of Ping Xi Jiang Jun, put in charge of Lin Ju, and the title of Qian Du Ting Hou…) Tales of Duke Shanyang: Ma Chao, seeing that Liu Bei treated him well, often addressed Liu Bei by his style name when they conversed. Guan Yu got angry over that, and requested to have him killed. Liu Bei said, “He came to me at a time of destitution. How can I show myself (as a magnanimous person) if I allow you to kill him out of anger, over his calling me by my style name?” Zhang Fei said, “If that is so, we should show him proper conduct.” They thus held a party the next day, and invited Ma Chao to attend. Guan and Zhang stood formally with the weapons in hand. Ma Chao glanced around at the seats, and saw that Guan and Zhang were not sitting but rather standing respectfully. Ma Chao was shocked, and never once after that addressed Liu Bei by his style. The day after the party, Ma Chao sighed and said, “I now know why I have lost. Just for calling a lord by his style, I was almost killed by Guan Yu and Zhang Fei!” After that, he treated Liu Bei with full respect.

Pei Song Zhi says: I, your humble servant, believe that there is no reason for Chao to be so arrogant as to call Bei by his style, since Bei accepted his service when he was at the end of his means, and gave him a lordly position. Furthermore, when Liu Bei entered Shu, he left Guan Yu to guard Jing province, and Yu never set foot on the soil of Yi province. That was why, upon hearing Chao’s surrendering, (Yu) wrote to Zhuge Liang asking, “Who may Chao be compared to in terms of talents?” Thus, it cannot be as the document says, that Guan Yu and Zhang Fei stood together. Also, in general, when someone does something, he knows that he could do it; and if he knows that he could not do it, they would desist. Let’s say Chao thinks that it was reasonable for him to address Liu Bei by his style. He could not have overheard Yu’s request to kill him. So how is it that when he saw the two men standing in respect, he could come to the conclusion that he was almost killed by Guan and Zhang, for his calling Liu Bei’s style? This story is illogical and should be refuted. All those recorded by Yuan Wei, Yue Zi and such are crude, random, false and nonsensical as this. Things of this quality cannot be counted.

6. (Ma Chao’s daughter was betrothed to the Prince of An Ping, Liu Li…) Dian Lue: When Ma Chao entered Shu, his secondary wife, Dong, and her son Qiu stayed behind with Zhang Lu. They were captured by Lord Cao upon Zhang Lu’s defeat. Cao thus gave Dong to Yan Fu, and Qiu to Zhang Lu, who killed him by his own hand.

Huang Zhong
No comments from Pei.
I'll post the edited Huang Zhong's SGZ biography here instead.

Huang Zhong, characters Han Sheng, was a native of Nanyang. He was appointed by the Governor of Jingzhou, Liu Biao, as Zhonglang Jiang, and guarded Changsha Province with Liu Biao’s nephew, Liu Pan. When Cao Cao attacked Jingzhou, he feigned allegiance and had the rank of Shan Jiangjun (assistant general) and maintained his official duties, this time under the command of the governor of Changsha, Han Xuan. When Liu Bei united the various southern provinces, Huang Zhong joined his ranks and subsequently participated in the conquest of Shu. Ever since his appointment at Jiameng and the attack on Liu Zhang, Huang Zhong was always the first to charge into the enemy’s ranks and his valour was well-known in the three armies. After Yizhou was pacified, Huang Zhong was appointed as Taolu Jiangjun (General Who Exterminates the Caitiffs). In the twenty fourth year of JianAn (A.D. 219), Huang Zhong confronted Xiahou Yuan’s troops at Dingjun Mountains. Xiahou Yuan’s troops were elite and well-trained, thus Huang Zhong analysed that such a battle-ready troops would be easily provoked, thus ordered his own troops to lure the enemy into the valley. In the midst of the loud war drums and cheering, Huang Zhong’s army killed Xiahou Yuan in the first encounter and Xiahou Yuan’s army was utterly defeated. As a result of this victory, Huang Zhong was appointed ZhenXi Jiangjun (General Who Conquers the West). When Liu Bei became the Prince of Hanzhong, Huang Zhong was appointed as Hou Jiangjun (General of the Rear). Zhuge Liang spoke to Liu Bei that, “Huang Zhong’s fame used to be way too far to be equal to that of Guan Yu or Ma Chao, but ever since this battle, he can be said to be of equal status as them. Ma Chao and Zhang Fei were nearby to witness the battle exploit, hence they could be convinced. However, Guan Yu is currently not with us here and should he hear of this, he would not be too happy.” Liu Bei replied,”I will do the explaining personally.” Thus, Huang Zhong was ranked equal with Guan Yu and the rest (Zhang Fei and Ma Chao) and given the noble title of Marquis of GuanNei. In the coming year, Huang Zhong passed away and he was given a posthumous title of Marquis of Gang. Huang Zhong had a son named Xu but the latter passed away young, thus Huang Zhong did not have a descendant.


Final words commenting the five generals by Chen Shou:
Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, etc were known to be powerful generals who could fight ten thousand men and accredited to be among the best of their times. Guan Yu repaid Lord Cao’s favour, Zhang Fei’s releasing of Yan Yan out of righteousness were deeds held in high esteem in the country. However, Guan Yu was unyielding and overly self-respect, whereas Zhang Fei was hot-tempered and without kindness, their short-comings leading to their defeats. This is common logic indeed. Ma Chao betrayed the minority tribes and lacked courage; he was a disappointment for his people, what a pity! Having been able to rise from rags to riches, is this not better? Huang Zhong and Zhao Yun both strong and valiant were good subordinates of their lord, like the claws and teeth to a beast. Can they not compare to the likes of Guan Yin and Xiahou Yin?