Smoke Over the Northern Frontier: The Biography of Zhang Liao

“Though Liaodong is sick, it must not be underestimated.”, Sun Quan “Even the ancient general Shaohu was no greater than this.”, Cao Pi "A man should make his way in the world with a three-foot sword, winning a feat none have ever achieved. This spear has drunk in the windswept sands of the northern desert and cleaved through the misty rain of Jiangdong. That is enough. Though the White Wolf may grow old, its howl still rings beyond Yanmen Pass, resounding with the mountains and rivers." I am Zhang Liao, courtesy name Wen Yuan, come from the sands beyond Yanmen Pass. In this life, I was once a lone wolf on the frontier and later became a sharp blade in the service of Wei. I bore the stigma of a man who changed masters time and again, only to become the “claws and fangs of the state.” My long spear drank in the snows of the northern desert and broke through the mists of Wu. I slew Tadun at White Wolf Mountain and sent shockwaves through Jiangdong at Xiaoyao Ford. Yet I never sought the empty title of God of War. All I wished was for the land behind me to know lasting peace, with the beacon fires forever stilled.