About this chapter: This is Chapter 1 of HD Novel’s abridged retelling of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, traditionally attributed to Luo Guanzhong. Written in modern American English, it follows Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei from the Peach Garden Oath through their first campaigns and their departure from Anxi. It combines episodes from Chapters 1 and 2 of the traditional novel and is not a complete, line-by-line translation.
A Troubled Empire
At the end of the Eastern Han dynasty, the empire was coming apart. Corrupt officials grew rich while ordinary families struggled through famine and unrest. The emperor’s authority still carried weight, but people could no longer count on those who claimed to serve him.
In this troubled world, Zhang Jiao and his brothers, Zhang Bao and Zhang Liang, gathered followers and rose against the government. Their supporters wore yellow cloth around their heads, giving the movement its name: the Yellow Turban Rebellion. News of their advance spread from one district to another.
Emperor Ling ordered the imperial armies to suppress the uprising. Among the commanders sent into the field were Lu Zhi, Huangfu Song, and Zhu Jun. Local officials also called for volunteers. In Zhuo County, a recruitment notice went up, inviting men to help defend the country.
Three Strangers Meet
One of the men who stopped to read the notice was Liu Bei, whose courtesy name was Xuande. He came from a poor family and earned his living weaving mats and selling straw sandals. Although he claimed descent from the Han imperial family, he had neither an army nor the wealth to raise one.
He read the notice and sighed. He wanted to help, but wanting was not enough.
A powerful voice sounded behind him. “If you’re a man willing to serve your country, why stand here sighing?”
Liu Bei turned. The stranger had fierce eyes, a bristling beard, and the booming voice of a man used to being heard. His name was Zhang Fei, and his courtesy name was Yide. He owned a farm and sold wine and meat. He also liked meeting men with courage and ambition.
Liu Bei explained that he hoped to defend the people and restore peace, but lacked the means. Zhang Fei answered with an offer: he would use his own resources to recruit volunteers and join Liu Bei. The two went to a village tavern to talk.
While they were drinking, a tall traveler arrived, leaving his cart outside. His face was ruddy, his beard long, and his bearing commanding. He asked for wine before going into town to enlist.
Liu Bei invited him to their table. The traveler introduced himself as Guan Yu, courtesy name Yunchang. Years earlier, he had killed a local bully who abused his power and had been living away from home ever since. Now he wanted to join the fight against the rebels.
The three men soon discovered that they shared a purpose. Liu Bei offered patience and a sense of duty. Guan Yu brought dignity and resolve. Zhang Fei supplied energy, courage, and the money to turn their plans into action.
The Peach Garden Oath
Behind Zhang Fei’s home stood a peach orchard, its trees in full bloom. He proposed that they return there the next morning and swear to become brothers. Their surnames were different, but they could bind themselves to the same cause.
The next day, they prepared offerings, burned incense, and bowed before Heaven and Earth. Beneath the blossoms, the three men pledged to stand together, protect those in distress, serve their country, and bring peace to its people.
They had not been born on the same day, they declared, but they hoped to face death together. If any of them betrayed the bond or forgot the kindness of the others, Heaven and Earth would judge him.
Liu Bei became the eldest brother, Guan Yu the second, and Zhang Fei the youngest. The ceremony turned a chance meeting into a commitment that would shape the rest of their lives.
Afterward, they welcomed local volunteers and shared a feast. Their brotherhood had begun with words; now it needed horses, armor, weapons, and men.
The Brothers Take Up Arms
Two traveling merchants, Zhang Shiping and Su Shuang, arrived with horses. Impressed by Liu Bei’s determination to protect the people, they donated mounts, money, and iron. With this help, the brothers could equip their growing force.
Liu Bei carried a pair of swords. Guan Yu had a long-handled blade made, the Green Dragon Crescent Blade. Zhang Fei chose a long steel spear. Each obtained armor, and more than five hundred volunteers gathered under their command.
The brothers reported to the local authorities and joined the campaign. Soon they faced a Yellow Turban force led by Cheng Yuanzhi. Zhang Fei struck down the enemy’s deputy, Deng Mao. When Cheng Yuanzhi charged forward, Guan Yu met him and killed him with his blade. The rebel line broke, and the brothers won their first victory.
The fighting did not end there. They helped relieve another threatened city, using an ambush to overcome a larger force. Liu Bei was beginning to show that judgment could matter as much as strength, while Guan Yu and Zhang Fei proved themselves formidable warriors.
Victory in Battle, Corruption at Court
Liu Bei then heard that his former teacher, Lu Zhi, was fighting Zhang Jiao at Guangzong. He led his men there to offer assistance. Lu Zhi welcomed him and later sent the brothers toward Yingchuan, where other imperial commanders were battling Zhang Jiao’s brothers.
Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun set fire to the rebels’ camp and drove them into retreat. As the scattered Yellow Turban troops fled, another force blocked their path. Its commander was Cao Cao, courtesy name Mengde, a capable officer whose ambitions would become central to the story.
The brothers arrived after the main action and turned back toward Guangzong. On the road, they encountered soldiers escorting a prisoner in a cart. To Liu Bei’s shock, the prisoner was Lu Zhi.
Lu Zhi explained that an imperial envoy, Zuo Feng, had expected a bribe. When the commander refused to pay, the envoy reported him to the court, turning honest service into an accusation of failure.
Zhang Fei reached for his weapon. He wanted to attack the escort and free Lu Zhi immediately. Liu Bei stopped him. Whatever the injustice, assaulting the emperor’s soldiers would only deepen their trouble. The cart continued on its way.
Before long, the brothers came upon another imperial army in retreat. Its commander, Dong Zhuo, was being driven back by the Yellow Turbans. Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei charged into the fighting and helped rescue him.
Dong Zhuo asked what official positions they held. When he learned that they were merely volunteers, his gratitude vanished. He treated them with contempt.
Zhang Fei was furious again. A man they had saved now looked down on them because they lacked rank. Liu Bei and Guan Yu restrained him, and the brothers left together to join Zhu Jun.
A Small Reward at Anxi
Under Zhu Jun, the brothers continued their campaign against Zhang Bao. Liu Bei wounded him with an arrow, and Guan Yu and Zhang Fei helped drive his troops back. The rebellion’s leaders eventually fell: Zhang Jiao died, Zhang Liang was defeated, and Zhang Bao was killed by one of his own men.
Other Yellow Turban forces still held Wancheng. Zhu Jun attacked the city with help from the brothers and another bold commander, Sun Jian. After hard fighting, the imperial troops took the city and broke the rebel resistance there.
The victorious commanders received honors. Liu Bei’s reward came much more slowly. With few influential supporters at court, he waited while others advanced. Eventually, he received a modest appointment as county commandant at Anxi.
He tried to govern fairly and care for the people. Yet the same corruption he had encountered on campaign soon reached his own office. An inspecting official arrived, expecting gifts and favorable treatment.
Liu Bei did not offer a bribe. The inspector responded by insulting him and pressuring local clerks to bring accusations against him. When Liu Bei tried to speak with the official, attendants refused to let him in.
Zhang Fei Whips the Inspector
Zhang Fei learned what was happening. The thought of an honest man being bullied by a corrupt official was more than he could bear. He stormed into the lodging, seized the inspector, dragged him outside, and tied him to a post.
Then he beat him with willow switches. The inspector, who had used his position to frighten others, now begged for mercy.
Liu Bei came to stop the beating. Guan Yu urged him to consider whether an office obtained in such a corrupt system was worth keeping. The brothers had risked their lives for the empire, yet rank and bribery still counted for more than service.
Liu Bei took off his official seal and hung it around the inspector’s neck. He would give up the appointment. After freeing the man, the brothers left Anxi with a small band of followers and went to seek refuge with Liu Hui.
Their first attempt to serve the state had brought victories, insults, and disappointment. They still had no secure position, but they had each other. The promise made beneath the peach blossoms would carry them into the struggles ahead.
Chapter Summary
During the Yellow Turban Rebellion, Liu Bei meets Zhang Fei and Guan Yu. The three swear brotherhood in a peach orchard and raise a volunteer force. They win early battles, encounter Cao Cao, and discover how bribery and rank distort public service. After Zhang Fei attacks a corrupt inspector at Anxi, Liu Bei resigns, and the brothers leave together.
Characters in This Chapter
| Character | Role in the story |
|---|---|
| Liu Bei (Xuande) | A poor sandal seller with ties to the Han imperial family; the eldest sworn brother. |
| Guan Yu (Yunchang) | A formidable warrior known for resolve and loyalty; the second sworn brother. |
| Zhang Fei (Yide) | A bold, quick-tempered wine and meat seller who helps fund the volunteers; the youngest sworn brother. |
| Zhang Jiao, Zhang Bao, and Zhang Liang | Leaders of the Yellow Turban uprising. |
| Lu Zhi | Liu Bei’s former teacher and an imperial commander accused after refusing a bribe. |
| Cao Cao (Mengde) | An imperial officer introduced during the campaign against the Yellow Turbans. |
| Dong Zhuo | A commander who dismisses the brothers after they save him. |
| Zhu Jun and Sun Jian | Commanders who fight alongside the brothers against the rebels. |
Cultural and Reading Notes
- Taoyuan: The Chinese name means “peach garden.” The Peach Garden Oath is the novel’s famous scene of sworn brotherhood.
- Courtesy names: Xuande, Yunchang, Yide, and Mengde are courtesy names, not additional surnames. This retelling generally uses the characters’ personal names for clarity.
- Sworn brothers: Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei are not biological brothers. Their oath creates a moral bond of loyalty and mutual responsibility.
- The inspector: The official title duyou refers here to a supervisory official. It does not mean a postmaster or postal worker.
- Weapons and measurements: The novel gives legendary descriptions of the heroes’ weapons. Traditional Chinese units should not be read as modern English feet or pounds.
- History and fiction: Romance of the Three Kingdoms blends historical events with literary invention. The oath and the heroes’ exploits are presented here as episodes in the novel.
- Chapter numbering: This site’s abridged Chapter 1 includes material from the traditional novel’s first two chapters, ending with the brothers leaving Anxi.
Romance of the Three Kingdoms: Introduction and Chapter List
