Peach Garden Oath

The Peach Garden Oath or the Oath in the Peach Garden is one of the iconic moments in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms novel. In the first chapter, Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei meet before they fight the Yellow Turban Rebellion and instantly befriend one another. To ensure their fraternal loyalty, the three men swear brotherhood the following day. They sacrificed a black ox, a white horse, and wine. Once they burned incense, they bowed heads and cited their oath. A translated version of their vow reads as:

"When saying the names Liu Bei, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, although the surnames are different, yet we have come together as brothers. From this day forward, we shall join forces for a common purpose, and come to each other's aid in times of crisis. We shall avenge the nation from above, and pacify the citizenry from below. We seek not to be born on the same day, in the same month and in the same year. We merely hope to die on the same day, in the same month and in the same year. May the gods of heaven and earth attest to what is in our hearts. If we should ever do anything to betray our friendship, may the gods in heaven strike us dead."

After saying this, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei bow to Liu Bei and designate him as the eldest brother. Guan Yu became the second eldest brother and Zhang Fei was the youngest. Their brotherly oath saved them from wishing for death numerous times and kept the three brothers hopeful for the future.

There are no historical records of this oath occurring but the three men were supposedly close in history.

Appearances in the Games

 * Dynasty Warriors series
 * Dynasty Warriors 4 - the brothers join their weapons together and repeat key phrases of the oath.
 * Dynasty Warriors 5 - set during a similar timeframe as the novel while the brothers toast to honor. Guan Ping and Xing Cai additionally swear to share a similar vow. The Empires expansion also features a quirky edit scenario in a peach tree orchard.
 * Dynasty Warriors 6 - oath is spoken after Zhang Jiao's defeat on the battlefield. In Shu's opening movie for Strikeforce, the army walks under peach trees.
 * Dynasty Warriors Mahjong - the final stage for Shu takes place in a similar area. The player is also briefly called "brother" during this segment.
 * Dynasty Warriors: Online - Guan Yu and Guan Ping have their endings set in a peach garden and quote the vow.
 * Romance of the Three Kingdoms game series - often one of the opening shots in the game.
 * Dynasty Tactics - occurs during the first cinematic for Liu Bei.
 * Kessen II - Before Chang Ban, Guan Yu mentions it and it is shown through a flashback.