Overview
Liu Zhang was a warlord and Administrator.
IdentityHistorical · Male
Life and dates
Attested activity
Places and affiliations
- Polity Yizhou 益州 · Relation Ruled
Works and attributed material
- Speech · Speaker · Direct quotation
Assessments and attributes
- Assessment incapable of great deeds · Mode named-person-judgment Speaker Zhang Song (張松)
References in the histories
No matching passages.
Records of the Three Kingdoms, Chapter 37Volume 37: Book of Shu 7: Biographies of Pang Tong and Fa Zheng · 16 passages
建安初，天下饑荒，正與同郡孟達俱入蜀依劉璋，久之為新都令，後召署軍議校尉。
Early in Jian’an, famine drove Fa Zheng and fellow townsman Meng Da into Shu under Liu Zhang; years later he became magistrate of Xindu, then acting Colonel for Military Deliberation.
益州別駕張松與正相善，忖璋不足與有為，常竊嘆息。
Provincial Lieutenant Governor Zhang Song befriended Fa Zheng; both concluded Liu Zhang could achieve nothing grand, and Song often groaned in private.
松於荊州見曹公還，勸璋絕曹公而自結先主。
After Song returned from meeting Cao Cao in Jingzhou, he urged Liu Zhang to renounce Cao and ally with Liu Bei.
璋曰：「誰可使者？」
Liu Zhang asked, “Who is fit to go?”
後因璋聞曹公欲遣將征張魯之有懼心也，松遂說璋宜迎先主，使之討魯，復令正銜命。
When Liu Zhang heard Cao Cao might march on Zhang Lu and began to panic, Song argued for inviting Liu Bei to attack Zhang Lu and sent Fa Zheng once more with the summons.
正既宣旨，陰獻策於先主曰：「以明將軍之英才，乘劉牧之懦弱；
Once Fa Zheng delivered the edict, he whispered to Liu Bei: “Given your gifts as commander and Liu Zhang’s weakness,
先主然之，溯江而西，與璋會涪。
Liu Bei accepted the plan, sailed west along the Yangzi, and joined Liu Zhang at Fu.
北至葭萌，南還取璋。
He pushed north to Jiameng, then doubled back south to overpower Liu Zhang.
鄭度說璋曰：
Zheng Du counseled Liu Zhang:
正曰：「終不能用，無可憂也。」
Fa Zheng replied: “Liu Zhang will never use it—you need not worry.”
璋果如正言，謂其群下曰：「吾聞拒敵以安民，未聞動民以避敵也。」
Liu Zhang behaved exactly as Fa Zheng foretold, declaring to his staff: “We resist foes to protect the people—not to harrow the people for fear of foes.”
及軍圍雒城，正箋與璋曰：
During the siege of Luocheng, Fa Zheng sent Liu Zhang a letter:
明將軍本心，正之所知也，實為區區不欲失左將軍之意，而卒至於是者，左右不達英雄從事之道，謂可違信黷誓，而以意氣相致，日月相遷，趨求順耳悅目，隨阿遂指，不圖遠慮為國深計故也。
I understand your heart—you meant no slight to Liu Bei, yet courtiers mistook hero-to-hero dealings: they imagined oaths disposable, traded smooth praise season by season, chased flattery, and never planned for the realm.
各欲遠期計糧者，今此營守已固，谷米已積，而明將軍土地日削，百姓日困，敵對遂多，所供遠曠。
Anyone banking on prolonged logistics should note: our lines are set and granaries full, while your domain shrinks, your people weaken, foes crowd about, and convoys from afar cannot feed you.
本為明將軍計者，必謂此軍縣遠無糧，饋運不及，兵少無繼。
Your advisers assumed Liu Bei’s army was isolated, unfed, outnumbered, unreinforced.
若爭客主之勢，以土地相勝者，今此全有巴東，廣漢、犍為，過半已定，巴西一郡，復非明將軍之有也。
Measured by territory we already own Badong outright, most of Guanghan and Qianwei, and Baxi can no longer be called yours.