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 prepared wine. Once they burned incense, they bowed their heads and cited the 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 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. The same oath appears in the Sanguozhi Pinghua as well as several other Three Kingdoms folklore.

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

Appearances in the Games

Dynasty Warriors series
- Dynasty Warriors 3 - Mentioned in passing during Guan Yu's Escape.
- 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 share a similar vow. In the Xtreme Legends expansion, the brothers meet in the same village where they swore their oaths in their Legend Modes. The Empires expansion also features a quirky edit scenario in a peach tree orchard. Five characters walk together, nod, and then perform a pose while facing the player.
- Dynasty Warriors 6 - Oath is spoken after Zhang Jiao's defeat on the battlefield and the brothers put their fists or weapons together. It is referred to various times, such as in Guan Yu's story and Zhuge Liang's ending. Contrary to their individual stories, Liu Bei states that they swore to be brothers amongst the peach blossoms in the strategist's story. The Empires expansion also features a quirky edit scenario in a peach tree orchard. Three characters individually perform different poses and make the bare trees blossom during their finale.
- Dynasty Warriors 7 - Brotherhood mentioned at the start of Shu's Story Mode. The oath itself has its own cinematic in the Campaign Mode in Next.
- 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. The father toasts his comrade while the son joins his weapon with the player character. Players can also become sworn siblings in a peach garden during the later patches.
- Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce - In Shu's cinematics, the army walks under peach trees.
- Dynasty Warriors 9 - The oath is presented in the opening cutscene to Shu's story mode. Zhang Fei's ending has the three reenact the Peach Garden Oath again, albeit in a more lighthearted way as the aforementioned man is already drunk.
Warriors Orochi - Referenced in Liu Bei's R1 Type Action/C1-EX-SP in the first 3 games from Orochi 1-to-Z. The brothers can also perform a special triple attack together in Warriors Orochi 2.
Romance of the Three Kingdoms - Often one of the opening shots in each game for the preset Yellow Turban Rebellion scenario. The Online version also staged an event with a motif that followed the oath as well as a custom emoticon that references the oath (/swear).
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.
Nanatsu no Hikan - Within the second mansion, Ippei sees statues of the oath brothers toasting one another with wine cups. Giving the Zhang Fei statue actual wine grants the protagonist a replica of Zhuge Liang's beloved hat.