Fa Zheng

Fa Zheng (rōmaji: Hō Sei) was a vassal who first worked for Liu Zhang. After Liu Bei invaded the province, he served his new lord as a master strategist. He was greatly favored by Liu Bei and was considered one of his closest advisors.

In Famitsu's second most wanted Dynasty Warriors character poll, he placed ninth with 76 fan votes.

In Kessen II, his height is 180 cm (close to 5'11").

Role in Games
Fa Zheng mainly appears during the transition stages of power for Shu in the Dynasty Warriors series, such as the Battle of Han Zhong and Battle of Mt. Ding Jun. He used to be a subordinate general under Liu Bei, but he leads his own unit in later titles. In Dynasty Warriors 4: Xtreme Legends, he is among the generals who help Yue Ying test her husband and is presumably one of her possible suitors. The sixth title also has him act as one of the Shu defenders of Jing Province. He leads the resistance with Pang Tong and Wei Yan along the east path in Dynasty Warriors 7.

He appears as an optional general during the Dynasty Tactics series and shares good relations with Pang Tong and Zhang Song. Players can also hire him if they have Huang Zhong or Yan Yan as they generally like his company.

In Kessen II, Fa Zheng is described by the developers as an even tempered yet bold strategist. No one knows exactly what his motives are as he quickly formulates plans at an exceptional rate. Although he proudly stands beside his lord, Liu Zhang, he sadly reports his lord's death to Liu Bei after the conclusion at Cheng Du. On the behest of his master, he then joins Liu Bei as a secondary general, political advisor, and war strategist. During battle, he supports Mei Sanniang, Sun Li, or Zhao Yun with his foot troops. For an officer under the intellectual category, he has a stronger defense than other sorcerers as his Rally and Iron Wall skills help protect morale. He has a high Magic stat, but he doesn't have access to higher leveled spells, limiting his use as an offensive spell caster slightly.

Voice Actors

 * Tony Oliver - Kessen II (English-uncredited)
 * Ryōtarō Okiayu - Kessen II (Japanese)

Quotes

 * "My lord, are you alright? You've been shot!"

Historical Information
Fa Zheng originated from Fufeng Province. His father was Fa Guang and his son was Fa Miao.

Due to a famine that struck his home, he and Meng Da left to serve Liu Zhang in Yizhou. New to the capital and his surroundings, he was not summoned to the court and was appointed to be governor of Xindu. However, since the military lacked mentors, he was quickly demoted as military captain and was sent to advise the junior officers. Although he was talented, Liu Zhang never called upon his services and he felt unappreciated. He and Zhang Song, who he shared good relations with, were dissatisfied with their master's capabilities and judgment.

While Zhang Song was ordered to be messenger for Cao Cao, Fa Zheng was recommended to convince Liu Bei to cooperate with Liu Zhang. Upon meeting Liu Bei, he became impressed with the governor's character and planned to secretly betray his master. He said to Liu Bei, "Your abilities are considered excellent by His Highness's people, yet Liu Zhang is a bright master with no willpower. Rely on Zhang Song for secret connections to others and plunder the plentiful Yizhou for its riches. Follow this plan and it will all be simple." Liu Bei took note of his words and Fa Zheng returned to Liu Zhang. He held secret talks with Zhang Song to discuss their plan.

As Cao Cao invaded to search for Hanzhong, Liu Zhang was frightened until Fa Zheng advised Liu Bei to stop him. He then told Liu Bei to take Hanzhong for himself and went together with him to claim it. From there, Fa Zheng covertly advised the capture of Yizhou. Liu Bei entered Jiameng Pass and was able to gain the upper hand against Liu Zhang's army. After the area was suppressed, Fa Zheng was promoted as the Governor of Shu and army strategist. Fa Zheng became the governor since he favored executing those who participated in rebellious riots –even ones considered trivial by observers– without question, resulting in the deaths of numerous people. Since he was greatly enumerated by Liu Bei for his deeds, not even Zhuge Liang, who controlled internal affairs, could reprimand or stop him. Together with Liu Ba, Yi Ji, and Li Yan, they became the main masterminds under Liu Bei.

In 217, Fa Zheng advised his lord to take Hanzhong and fresh troops were led to conquer the area. He was the army strategist for the campaign. Their invasion apparently went smoothly, as Liu Bei was never forced to retreat from the area or argued with his strategist's plans. When the situation did become disadvantageous to them, both men kept their composure as they ordered a temporary withdraw. In the battle of Mount Dingjun, he advised using deception by building a decoy camp to lead the enemy astray. Xiahou Yuan fell for the trap and Fa Zheng replied to Liu Bei, "Now it is necessary to attack." Taking action, the army commander ordered Huang Zhong to take the field, resulting in a victory for Shu. According to the Huayang Guozhi (華陽國志), Cao Cao apparently said, "I thought I had collected all the deceitful intellectuals in the land, but how could I not have Fa Zheng?"

After Liu Bei declared himself ruler of Hanzhong, he promoted Fa Zheng to be his Chief of Staff and General who Protects the Army. A year after his promotion, however, Fa Zheng died due to illness at age 45. Liu Bei wept endlessly for days after his passing and made him the only person to be given a posthumous rank of marquis by Liu Bei, which was the Marquis of Wing. When Shu suffered their grievous loss at Yiling, Zhuge Liang was said to have wished that Fa Zheng were there, as he would have been able to stop their lord from partaking in the campaign.

Although he was sorely missed by Liu Bei, the historian Chen Shou accessed Fa Zheng only as a man with uncommon talent in strategy and judgment; he found nothing redeeming about his morality or personal character.

Romance of the Three Kingdoms
Fa Zheng first appeared in Chapter 60 of the novel and roughly mirrored the activities of his historical counterpart. He colluded with his friends, Zhang Song and Meng Da, to unseat Liu Zhang and conspired with Liu Bei to take Yizhou. Romance of the Three Kingdoms emphasized that their respective enmity for Cao Cao and admiration for Liu Bei's benevolent character were the main reasons for their defection.

Liu Bei, who was torn between honoring his familial ties and establishing his independence, refused multiple times to concede to their plot. Believing in the young lord's good character, Fa Zheng persevered in his loyalties to Liu Bei and continued with the historical steps for taking Yizhou without Liu Bei's approval. He was so faithful in the younger lord that he sent Liu Zhang a denouncing letter, half-warning and half-taunting the warlord to consider joining forces with Liu Bei to avoid a grisly demise. Prideful and angered by the letter's audacity, Liu Zhang branded Fa Zheng as a traitor and had him imprisoned. After Ma Chao's defection, however, Liu Zhang's influence was crippled severely and he was forced to surrender control of Yizhou to Liu Bei.

Fa Zheng's activities after Liu Bei entered Shu roughly mimics his historical exploits except the novel had him collaborate with Zhuge Liang and Huang Zhong during the Hanzhong Campaign, having him act as a supportive role under them rather than being the main authoritative figure behind their army strategies. When he died in the novel, no one mourned his passing.