Brotherhood Forged in the Peach Garden

Toward the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty(25-220) China was war-stricken. After a royal edict to recruit soldiers in Zhuozhou, three heroes surfaced. One was Liu Bei, a descendent of Liu Sheng, Prince Jin of Zhongshan during the Han Dynasty. Liu Bei was sighing while reading the posted edict when he heard an impatient voice behind, " What use is just sighing, without a man's devotion to his country?"
Then the man introduced himself: "I'm Zhang Fei and my livelihood is selling wine and slaughtering hogs."
"I do want to devote myself to the country," Liu explained after telling Zhang his name. "But how can I help if I'm empty handed?"
"You needn't worry," said Zhang. "I'm willing to give up my fortune to build an army and embark on this new career with you."
While the two talked merrily over cups in a small restaurant, in came a martial looking, handsome man with a huge build and a red complexion. Liu and Zhang invited him to join them. They learned that the man was named Guan Yu. As he had upheld justice by killing a local tyrant, he had fled home and wandered about for many years. During an amiable conversation the three found that they shared a common ambition and the next day in a peach garden they swore brotherhood to heaven and earth before lit candles and joss sticks, Liu Bei the eldest, Guan Yu the second-oldest and Zhang Fei the youngest. They vowed devotion to China. Later, the three sworn brothers had successful career. Liu Bei ascended to the throne of the State of Shu in 221A.D in present-day Sichuan.

Culturally, due to the popularity of the novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms by Luo Guanzhong, Liu Bei is widely known as the ideal benevolent, humane ruler who cared for his people and selected good advisors for his government. His fictional character was a salutary example of a ruler who adhered to the Confucian set of moral values, such as loyalty and compassion. Historically, Liu Bei was a brilliant politician and leader whose skill was a remarkable demonstration of a Legalist. His political philosophy can best be described by the Chinese idiom "Confucian in appearance but Legalist in substance," a style of governing which had become the norm after the founding of the Han Dynasty.

Zhang Fei was described to be an alcoholic, and his obsession with wine caused his judgement to be affected from time to time. Throughout the novel Three Kingdoms, Zhang Fei was shown as an exceedingly loyal and formidable warrior, but also a short-tempered man, who often got into trouble more often when he was not on the battlefield. Zhang Fei's impulsive and reckless nature was demonstrated in one incident at Gucheng.

Guan Yu (died 220)was a general serving under the warlord Liu Bei during the late Eastern Han Dynasty of China. He played a significant role in the civil war that led to the collapse of the Han Dynasty and the establishment of the state of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms period, of which Liu Bei was the first emperor.