Liu Zhang

Liu Zhang (onyomi: Ryū Shō) is a warlord from the late Eastern Han Dynasty and Three Kingdoms era of China. He ruled over Yi Province until Liu Bei usurped his position.

Roles in Games
Portrayed as an incompetent ruler in the Dynasty Warriors series, Liu Zhang's inept leadership brings strife to the people of Chengdu and ultimately convinces Liu Bei to conquer his lands. Dynasty Warriors 8 has him appear in Wei's hypothetical story where he joins Liu Bei's last stand against Cao Cao at Baidi Castle. He and the other officers die fighting the invaders.

In Dynasty Warriors: Unleashed, Liu Zhang serves as the final boss of the Chengdu campaign, sending all kinds of siege weapons and tiger chariots to impede the player's progress.

In Warriors Orochi, Liu Zhang is one of the many officers serving under the Orochi army. The third game, however, has him support the Coalition.

Liu Zhang appears as a sub enemy for Shu in Kessen II. Due to his long-standing friendship with Cao Cao's uncle, Cao Bu, he serves as an ally for Wei. Hoping to avoid war, Liu Bei went in person to negotiate peace terms with the conqueror. However, Liu Zhang reveals that he pities how war has changed Cao Cao and cannot find himself to turn against his friend. Since Liu Bei needs to protect his borders, he reluctantly declares war at Liu Zhang's home, Cheng Du Castle. When defeated, he will give his lands to Shu as well as his adviser, Fa Zheng, before taking his own life. Fa Zheng reports that his lord's last wish was for him to serve Liu Bei. In the following chapter, Liu Bei is given the option to appeal to Liu Zhang's men and recruit them for the Shu forces.

Alternatively, he is also a secondary enemy for Cao Cao in Wei's story. He forms an alliance with the weakened Liu Bei and they fend off Wei's troops together. He loses his life after the battle, presumably due to the wounds he sustained. His territory is then integrated into Wei.

Liu Zhang mostly appears as the Governor of Yi in Romance of the Three Kingdoms. He is given poor stats all-around representing his image as a weak and incompetent ruler with the main highlight being his charisma which falls in the 60's to 70's. He can be found as a member of Liu Yan's faction as early as the Yellow Turban Rebellion and is a free officer in Southern Jing in scenarios after his surrender to Liu Bei.

His character traits in the fourteenth title make him unsuited for battle via increasing the period his unit is inflicted with the restraint ailment (Waverer) and lower his units stats when in retreat (Indolent). He has access to the ranged Goose formation and defensive Crane Formation which allow for him to be deployed in a support role for battle. His administrative policy increases the speed and carry load of transport units (Develop Transport Lv 3).

Voice Actors

 * Michael Lindsay - Dynasty Warriors 7 (English-uncredited)
 * Spike Spencer - Dynasty Warriors 8 (English-uncredited)
 * Paul St. Peter - Kessen II (English-uncredited)
 * Tsuyoshi Takishita - Dynasty Warriors 6 (Japanese)
 * Mahito Ōba - Kessen II (Japanese)
 * Tetsuo Sakaguchi - Romance of the Three Kingdoms drama CD series
 * Naoki Bandō - Youkai Sangokushi (Japanese)

Quotes

 * "Attacked by family, forced to surrender, to give up the land of my fathers... Haa... I am sure to be the laughing stock of future peoples."
 * "Master Liu Zhang... Forgive me... But my ideal has no place for doubt. I shall restore the Han Empire! And it shall all start here in Shu!"
 * Liu Zhang and Liu Bei; Dynasty Warriors 5


 * "It is clear that you were not great enough to rule in this time of strife."
 * "And Liu Bei? He is great enough?"
 * "A benevolent ruler. With Chengdu in his hands, that is what Liu Bei has become.
 * Zhuge Liang and Liu Zhang; Dynasty Warriors 7

Historical Information
Liu Zhang was the fourth and youngest son of Liu Yan, the governor of Yi Province. Together with his brothers Liu Fan and Liu Dan, the three of them served the imperial court in their respective posts. At the time, Li Jue and Guo Si took over the capital of Chang'an after Dong Zhuo had been assassinated. When Liu Yan attempted to oust them from power in 194, they retaliated by torturing and killing his elder sons. Only Liu Zhang escaped their wrath. A different account claims he had been sent to censure his father who in turn prevented him from ever returning to the capital.

After Liu Yan's death, Liu Zhang inherited governorship of Yi and kept it stabilized for a good number of years. Although he did not make any attempts to expand his own territory, this failed to deter Zhang Lu from turning hostile in the year 200.

In response, he had Zhang Lu's family killed and invited Liu Bei to his territory for additional support. However, Zhang Song and his cohorts were weary of his lack of ambition and plotted to replace him with Liu Bei as their new leader. Liu Zhang eventually learned the truth from Zhang Su and fought to maintain control over his territory. By 214, he and his army were surrounded at Chengdu. Not wanting to inflict anymore bloodshed to the people, Liu Zhang surrendered the region to Liu Bei.

He and his eldest son Liu Xun were exiled to Jing Province which later fell to Wu following Guan Yu's defeat at the hands of Lu Meng. Taken in by Sun Quan, he was given back his old title even though the Wu forces made no attempts to claim Yi Province as their own. Liu Zhang died shortly afterwards while his son continued to serve under Sun Quan.

Romance of the Three Kingdoms
Even before his appearance in the novel, Liu Zhang is considered a weak and mediocre ruler by most of the main characters. Despite the protests of his other advisers, he easily falls for Zhang Song's ruse and is betrayed by Liu Bei's deception. Nonetheless, the two of them make peace with one another following Liu Zhang's surrender and exile to Gong'an in Jing.