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 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

 * 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 appears in Chapter 60 of the novel where he is visited by his close friends Zhang Song and Meng Da. The three of them expressed enmity towards Cao Cao's methods and agreed to aid the more benevolent Liu Bei. To achieve this, they conspired to unseat the inept Liu Zhang by convincing him to invite Liu Bei into Yizhou where the latter could easily launch a hostile takeover from the inside. Though Huang Quan and Wang Lei begged Liu Zhang to reconsider, their warnings went unheeded.

While serving as an emissary between the two parties, Fa Zheng secretly encouraged Liu Bei to take Yizhou for the greater good by assassinating his host, with Pang Tong backing the plot. Liu Bei, who was torn between honoring his familial ties and establishing a kingdom, refused to go along with it despite the urging of his allies. Nonetheless, Fa Zheng continued supporting him through various means such as recruiting Peng Yang to join their cause and providing the geographical terrain of Luoxian. He also sent a letter to his lord saying, "I was sent to Jingzhou to negotiate an alliance, but the opposition of those about you to their lord has resulted in the present situation. However, the ruler of Jingzhou still remembers old friendships and is mindful of the ties of relationships. If you, my master, could reverse your policy and lend your support to your relative, I think you would be generously treated. I hope you will consider this carefully."

After reading its contents, Liu Zhang angrily tore it to pieces and denounced Fa Zheng for his treachery. But eventually, Ma Chao's defection brought Liu Zhang to his knees, forcing him to surrender control of Yizhou to Liu Bei. Fa Zheng was appointed governor of Shu for his contributions in the campaign, yet his acts of retributing those who wronged him resulted in much resentment and anger. Although Zhuge Liang felt too indebted to discipline him, news of these complaints reached Fa Zheng who wisely decided to correct his own faults.

Fa Zheng was also instrumental in the Hanzhong Campaign against Cao Cao in 217. As a military advisor, he persuaded Zhuge Liang not to move Zhang Fei from his post at Langzhong for the sole purpose of confronting Zhang He. Instead, he suggested another general within their ranks to volunteer for the task which led to Huang Zhong rising up to the challenge. After securing Mount Tiandang from Zhang He and convincing Liu Bei to attack Hanzhong, Fa Zheng accompanied Huang Zhong to their destination at Mount Dingjun. Together, the two of them formulated a ruse to provoke Xiahou Yuan into attacking by launching numerous marches and occupying the mountain top. Fa Zheng then gave the signal to attack after observing the level of fatigue displayed by Xiahou Yuan's troops surrounding the mountain.

During the seventh month of 219, Fa Zheng is promoted to Chair of the Secretariat for supporting his lord's ascension as the King of Hanzhong. In Chapter 77, he recommended Wu Yi's younger sister to Liu Bei as his new empress in spite of her previous betrothal to the late Liu Mao. Fa Zheng eventually dies two years before the Battle of Yiling and is not mentioned again in the novel.