1. Zhou Yu, courtesy name Gongjin, was a Chinese military general and strategist serving under the warlord Sun Ce in the late Eastern Han dynasty of China.
57 Facts About Zhou Yu
1. 2.
Zhou Yu is primarily known for his leading role in defeating the numerically superior forces of the northern warlord Cao Cao at the Battle of Red Cliffs in late 208, and again at the Battle of Jiangling in 209.
3.
Zhou Yu's victories served as the bedrock of Sun Quan's regime, which in 222 became Eastern Wu, one of the Three Kingdoms.
4.
Zhou Yu did not live to see Sun Quan's enthronement as he died at the age of 35 in 210 while preparing to invade Yi Province.
5.
Zhou Yu was from Shu County, Lujiang Commandery, which is present-day Shucheng County, Anhui.
6.
Zhou Yu's father, Zhou Yi, was a prefect of the imperial capital, Luoyang.
7.
Zhou Yu befriended Sun Jian's eldest son, Sun Ce, who was born in the same year as him.
8.
Zhou Yu later travelled to Danyang Commandery to join his uncle Zhou Shang, who was serving as the Administrator of Danyang.
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Zhou Yu then joined Sun Ce in his conquests of Hengjiang and Dangli.
12.
In 198, Zhou Yu arrived in Wu Commandery, where Sun Ce personally received and welcomed him.
13.
Zhou Yu was 23 years old at the time, and he was nicknamed "Zhou Lang" by the people in Wu.
14.
Zhou Yu was garrisoned in Lujiang Commandery and later moved to Niuzhu before assuming his appointment as the Chief of Chungu County.
15.
Zhou Yu accompanied Sun Ce in the conquest of Wan.
16.
Zhou Yu then joined Sun Ce in attacking Xunyang County, where they defeated a minor warlord Liu Xun.
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Zhou Yu later returned to Baqiu and garrisoned there.
18.
Zhou Yu rushed back to Wu Commandery to attend Sun Ce's funeral and remained in Wu Commandery after the funeral.
19.
Zhou Yu then held the appointment of Central Protector of the Army.
20.
Zhou Yu attacked Deng Long, captured him alive, and sent him as a prisoner-of-war to Wu Commandery.
21.
Zhou Yu was assigned as the Chief Commander of the Front Army and he, along with Lu Meng, Ling Tong and others, scored a major victory over the enemy.
22.
Zhou Yu has made four serious mistakes in military strategy, but he still persists in his ways.
23.
Later that night, Zhou Yu came to see Sun Quan and said:.
25.
Zhou Yu wrote a letter to Cao Cao, pretending that he wanted to surrender and defect to Cao Cao's side.
26.
Zhou Yu then ordered an attack on Cao Cao's base and scored a major victory.
27.
Zhou Yu later ordered Gan Ning to station at Yiling.
29.
Zhou Yu was hit on his right side by a stray arrow and had to retreat due to the severity of the wound.
30.
When Cao Ren heard that Zhou Yu was wounded and bedridden, he led his troops to outside Zhou Yu's camp and taunted the Wu troops.
31.
Zhou Yu got out of bed and personally inspected his men and encouraged them to raise their morale.
32.
Zhou Yu's headquarters were at Jiangling County while he was in charge of Xiajun, Hanchang, Liuyang and Zhouling counties.
33.
When Liu Bei later met Sun Quan at Jing, Zhou Yu wrote to Sun Quan:.
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Zhou Yu is definitely not someone who will remain subservient to another lord.
35.
Zhou Yu then headed back to Jiangling County to make preparations for the campaign.
36.
Zhou Yu was 36 years old at the time of his death.
37.
Zhou Yu issued an order allowing Zhou Yu's family to keep retainers.
38.
Sometime between 198 and 199, Zhou Yu joined Sun Ce in the conquest of Wan.
39.
Sun Ce married the elder sister while Zhou Yu married the younger one.
40.
Zhou Yu married Sun Quan's daughter Sun Luban and served as a Cavalry Commandant in Eastern Wu.
41.
Zhou Yu served as the Commandant of Xingye and was placed in command of 1,000 troops and garrisoned at Gong'an County.
42.
Zhou Yu Yin was exiled to Luling Commandery later for committing an offence.
44.
Zhou Yu was described to have strong physique and handsome looks.
45.
When Zhou Yu became close friends with Sun Ce, Sun Ce's mother Lady Wu told Sun Ce's younger brother Sun Quan to treat Zhou Yu like an elder brother.
46.
Zhou Yu was the only and the first person to follow all the formalities and etiquette when he paid respect to Sun Quan.
47.
Zhou Yu was known to be a magnanimous and generous man who won the hearts of many people with his character.
49.
When Jiang Gan later returned to Cao Cao, he told Cao Cao that "Zhou Yu's magnanimity was too great to be described in words".
50.
Zhou Yu was known to be very learned in music from a young age.
51.
Zhou Yu is featured as a major character in the 14th-century historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms, which romanticises the historical events before and during the Three Kingdoms period.
52.
Zhou Yu is depicted to be extremely jealous of Zhuge Liang's talent and relentlessly attempt to outwit the latter on several occasions but never succeeds.
53.
Zhou Yu sustains an arrow wound at the Battle of Jiangling against Cao Ren's forces, and his condition deteriorates after Zhuge Liang makes him angry by foiling his plans on three occasions later.
54.
In Chinese opera, Zhou Yu is cast as a xiaosheng or wusheng, even when he appears together with Zhuge Liang, who was actually younger than he was.
55.
In Kun opera, Zhou Yu appears as a zhiweisheng, as in the scene The Swaying Reeds, in which Zhang Fei captured him but released him later.
56.
Zhou Yu is a playable character in Koei's Dynasty Warriors and Warriors Orochi video game series.
57.
Zhou Yu appears in Koei's Romance of the Three Kingdoms strategy game series and in Capcom's Destiny of an Emperor as an enemy general.