Shen Pei

Shen Pei is a vassal of Yuan Shao. Xun Yu calls him a confident but mediocre strategist. After the death of Yuan Shao, Shen Pei helps to install Yuan Shang as the heir to the Yuan patriarchy. He is captured by Cao Cao's forces, but is unrepentant, and as his last act before being executed, requests to be facing north, the direction of his lord.

Romance of the Three Kingdoms
Shen Pei first appears in the novel at chapter 13, where he successfully warns Yuan Shao not to take in a wandering Lu Bu. Then in chapter 22, he advises Yuan Shao to war against Cao Cao and is assigned a commanding position for the army, which gets him into a quarrel with another adviser, Xu You. When Guan Yu slays Wen Chou in chapter 26, Shen Pei and another strategist speak with Yuan Shao about how Liu Bei, under his employ, might have aided in his prized general's demise.

In chapter 30, during a battle, Shen Pei, commanding ten thousand archers, repelled Cao Cao with Yuan Shao forcing him to flee into Guandu. At this point he offers two plans to attack the encamped enemy: to build up mounds of dirt and attack Guandu from the high vantage points via arrow, and then to dig into the city and go from there. Both of these plots were defeated by Cao Cao, who utilized the intelligence of aide Liu Ye to first build catapults to break the dirt mounds, and then to quickly build a moat to render any digging into the city null.

In chapter 31, he sets himself up to support Yuan Shang as the successor to the Yuans. Shen Pei dissuaded an ill Yuan Shao from leading a defense himself from an attack by Cao Cao in the year 202. Yuan Shang steps up to lead instead. Yuan Shang's defense ends up in a disaster and in chapter 32 his father, disheartened by his previous devastating losses, dies, appointing his youngest son the heir. Shen Pei and Pang Ji officially install him as the General-in-Chief and Imperial Protector of the four northern provinces of Bing, Qing, Ji, and You.

Yuan Shang ends up relying on Shen Pei as his lone strategist once the other, Pang Ji, is executed by Yuan Tan. He is left to defend the capital city of Ji province, Ye, and once his lord flees to Liaodong with Yuan Xi, Shen Pei puts up a staunch defense against Cao Cao.

The Commander of the East Gate of Ye, Feng Li, failed to monitor the night watch because he was intoxicated, and for this Shen Pei severely punished him, leading the commander to sneak out of the city, go to Cao Cao, and reveal a weakness of Ye. Cao Cao adopted the advice and attempted to dig into Ye at night, but Shen Pei, noticing the absence of light outside the capital, had his soldiers crush the passage killing the tunnelers and Feng Li himself.

Soon, Ye's food supply ran short so its defenders had the city's civilians evacuate and come under Cao Cao. During the release, they hid soldiers at the rear but due to Cao Cao's foresight the plan was all for naught.

Xin Pi, a defector to the enemy from the Yuans, hoisted up the seals of office and items Yuan Shang had left behind. Infuriated, Shen Pei put to death the eighty kinsmen of Xin Pi, leading the traitor to weep. Shen Rong, the nephew of Ye's commander and a dear friend to Xin Pi was distraught and shot and arrow out of the city offering a surrender of one of its walls.

Cao Cao took advantage of the surrender and marched his troops into the city, and Shen Pei was captured by Xu Huang who took him to have an audience with Cao Cao. They met Xin Pi on the way who whipped Shen Pei about the head yelling, "Thug! Cutthroat! Today you die!" The prisoner mockingly retorted and regretted how he had not killed Xin Pi.

Face-to-face with Cao Cao, it was revealed that Shen Pei's nephew was the one who surrendered the city. He was asked why so many volleys of arrows were shot at Cao Cao and responded, "Too few! Too few!" Cao Cao asked if the prisoner wanted to become a vassal of his while Xin Pi pleaded for his death.

Shen Pei proudly boasted, "Alive, I served the Yuans. Dead I shall remain their loyal ghost. I'm not one of your fawning, wheedling villains! Ge it over with!" And so he was set up for execution, though his position was facing south.

Therefore, Shen Pei turned and roared to the axeman, "My lord is to the north. I won't die facing south!" After changing his direction he kneeled and presented his neck, and thus he was executed. Cao Cao was chilled by the man's fierce loyalty and buried him north of Ye.