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Deng Zhi, courtesy name Bo Miao, was a native of Xinye County, Yiyang Prefecture (now Xinye County, Henan Province). He was a minister and general of Shu Han during the late Han Dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period.

Deng Zhi was a descendant of Deng Yu, the prime minister of the Eastern Han Dynasty. In his early years, he went to Yizhou to seek an official position, but was not given an important position. He had to join Pang Xi, the prefect of Baxi County, and serve as his staff.

After Liu Bei conquered Yizhou, he appreciated Deng Zhi's talents and promoted him to the position of magistrate of Pi County and governor of Guanghan County.

In the third year of Zhangwu (223 AD), Liu Bei died. Deng Zhi met with Prime Minister Zhuge Liang and proposed that the alliance between Shu and Wu should be strengthened.

Zhuge Liang then sent Deng Zhi to Sun Quan of Wu. Deng Zhi arrived in Wu and persuaded Sun Quan to break off diplomatic relations with Wei and form an alliance with Shu.

In the second year of Jianxing (224 AD), Deng Zhi was sent as an envoy to the State of Wu again, where he was highly appreciated by Sun Quan.

In the sixth year of Jianxing (228 AD), Zhuge Liang led his army to the north and stationed in Hanzhong (now Hanzhong City, Shaanxi Province). Deng Zhi was appointed as the Central Military Supervisor and General Yangwu.
Together with Zhao Yun, he held Jigu (now in the northwest of Hanzhong, Shaanxi) and feinted an attack on Mei County (now a county under the jurisdiction of Baoji City, Shaanxi Province) to cover the main force.

Because Ma Su was defeated at Jieting, the troops led by Deng Zhi and Zhao Yun were attacked by the main force of the Wei army and were defeated.

In the 234th year of Jianxing ( AD), Zhuge Liang passed away. Deng Zhi was promoted to former military advisor, former military supervisor, and governor of Yanzhou, and was granted the title of Marquis of Yangwu Ting. Soon after, Deng Zhi was also in charge of Jiangzhou.

In the sixth year of Yanxi (243 AD), Deng Zhi was promoted to General of Chariots and Cavalry and was granted the title of General of the Imperial Staff. In the eleventh year of Yanxi (248 AD), a rebellion broke out in Fuling.
Deng Zhi led his army to conquer and pacify the rebellion, allowing the local people to settle down. In the 251th year of Yan Xi ( AD), Deng Zhi died.

Sun Quan believed that Deng Zhi was a person who could truly promote the unity and harmony between Shu and Wu. Chen Shou commented that Deng Zhi had been a general for more than 20 years, and he was clear about rewards and punishments and caring for his soldiers.
In official circles, he did not know how to disguise his personal emotions to curry favor with scholars; in life, he also pursued simplicity, serving as an official rather than seeking profit for his family, and was a steadfast and noble person.

Deng Zhi, courtesy name Bo Miao, was born in Xinye County, Yiyang Prefecture (now Xinye County, Henan Province) and was a descendant of Deng Yu, the Minister of the Han Dynasty. During the late Han Dynasty, Deng Zhi went to Yizhou (now Sichuan Province, Chongqing City, southern Shaanxi Province and northwestern Yunnan Province) to seek employment, but was not appreciated and reused by Liu Zhang, the governor of Yizhou.

Deng Zhi heard that Zhang Yu, who was then an official in Yizhou, was good at fortune-telling, so he went to ask him to read his fortune. Zhang Yu predicted that Deng Zhi would be promoted to a general and be granted a title of nobility when he was seventy years old.

Later, Deng Zhi heard that Pang Xi, the governor of Baxi County (now Chongqing City and parts of Sichuan Province), loved talents, so he went to seek refuge with him.
Deng Zhi was the governor of Pi County (now Pi County, Sichuan). When Liu Bei arrived in Pi County, he had a conversation with Deng Zhi and thought highly of him.

He was successively promoted to the position of magistrate of Pi County and governor of Guanghan County (now Guanghan City, Sichuan Province). Because Deng Zhi was an honest and strict official and achieved political achievements wherever he went, he was transferred to the court as a minister.

In April of the third year of Zhangwu (223 AD), Liu Bei died in the palace in Yong'an County. Zhuge Liang assisted Crown Prince Liu Chan to succeed to the throne in accordance with his will.

Previously, Wu Wang Sun Quan had sent envoys to ask for peace. In response, Liu Bei sent Zong Wei, Fei Yi and others to pay a return visit.

Prime Minister Zhuge Liang was worried that if Sun Quan learned of Liu Bei's death, he would have other plans and didn't know what to do.

He told him that the current emperor was young and weak, and had just inherited the throne, and that Shu should send a high-level envoy to Wu to reiterate the two countries' desire for friendly relations.

Zhuge Liang said that he had had this idea for a long time, but he had never been able to find a suitable candidate. But today he finally found one. Deng Zhi asked who this person was.

Zhuge Liang said that it was Deng Zhi himself, so he sent Deng Zhi to meet Sun Quan to strengthen the friendly relations between the two countries.

In October of the same year, Deng Zhi arrived in Eastern Wu. At that time, Eastern Wu had not yet severed diplomatic ties with Wei and was still hesitant about whether to maintain friendly relations with Shu.

Therefore, he did not meet Deng Zhi immediately. Deng Zhi then took the initiative to write a letter to ask for an audience with Sun Quan. He said that he came not only for Shu, but also for Wu.

Sun Quan then met with Deng Zhi and expressed his concerns. Sun Quan said that although he was willing to be friendly with Shu, the current king of Shu was young.
In addition, due to its small land area and limited development, if the Wei army launched an attack, Shu would probably find it difficult to protect itself. In this regard, Deng Zhi analyzed that Wu and Shu had land in four states;

Wu's King Sun Quan had the talent to stabilize the country and maintain peace, and Shu's Zhuge Liang was also a contemporary hero; Shu had many strategic locations around it that could be defended.

Wu State has the Wusong, Qiantang and Puyang rivers to block foreign enemies. If the two countries can combine their respective advantages and form an alliance,

If Sun Quan surrendered to Wei, Wei would definitely ask Sun Quan to go to Luoyang to pay homage.
At least the prince would be asked to serve as a eunuch. If Sun Quan disobeyed, Wei would have a logical reason to send troops to suppress the rebellion and attack Wu.

By then, the Shu army would certainly go down the Yangtze River and look for an opportunity to attack Wu. In this way, the land south of the Yangtze River would no longer belong to Sun Quan.

Sun Quan thought about it for a long time and thought that Deng Zhi's words made sense, so he severed relations with Wei and allied with Shu, and sent envoy Zhang Wen to Shu for a return visit.

In the second year of Jianxing (224 AD), Shu again sent Deng Zhi to Wu. Sun Quan told Deng Zhi that if the world was at peace,

Wouldn't it be a pleasure for the monarchs of Shu and Wu to divide and rule? Deng Zhi said that there are no two suns in the sky, and there will be no two kings on earth.

If, after destroying Wei, Wu still fails to recognize its destiny and submit to Shu, then the rulers will each pursue their own virtues.

The ministers will do their utmost to be loyal, and the generals will beat their hammers and drums, and then the war will start all over again.

Sun Quan laughed and said that Deng Zhi was so honest. In a letter to Zhuge Liang later, Sun Quan said that among the envoys from Shu to Sun Wu,
Ding Xun was extravagant, sinister and not good at speaking. The only person who could truly promote harmony and unity between the two countries was Deng Zhi.

In the sixth year of Jianxing (228 AD), Zhuge Liang planned a northern expedition, preparing to attack Qishan and station in Hanzhong (now Hanzhong City, Shaanxi Province).

Deng Zhi was appointed as the Central Military Supervisor and General Yangwu, and together with Zhao Yun, who was then General Zhendong, he defended Jigu (now in the northwest of Hanzhong, Shaanxi).
He pretended to attack Mei County (now a county under the jurisdiction of Baoji City, Shaanxi Province) to attract the main force of the Wei army led by Cao Zhen. However, as Ma Su was defeated by Zhang He in the Battle of Jieting,
Zhuge Liang's plan was exposed, and the suspected troops led by Deng Zhi and Zhao Yun were attacked by Cao Zhen's main force and were defeated due to the huge disparity in troop strength.

However, because Zhao Yun gathered the people and held on, the battle did not cause any major losses. Afterwards, Zhuge Liang asked Deng Zhi, "Why did we retreat from Jieting?"
The soldiers were scattered and disorganized, and the army was in disarray. Why was it that only during the retreat to Jigu, the soldiers and generals did not get separated from each other? Deng Zhi said,
Only because Zhao Yun personally covered the rear, the military supplies were not lost and the soldiers did not disintegrate. In the 234th year of Jianxing (), Zhuge Liang died. Deng Zhi was promoted to the position of former military advisor, former military supervisor, and governor of Yanzhou (now western Shandong Province and eastern Henan Province).

He was granted the title of Marquis of Yangwuting. Soon after, Deng Zhi was appointed as the military commander of Jiangzhou (now Yuzhong District, Chongqing).

Deng Zhi corresponded with Sun Quan many times to express his condolences, and Sun Quan also gave him generous gifts.

In the sixth year of Yanxi (243 AD), Deng Zhi was promoted to General of Chariots and Cavalry. Later, he was awarded the Imperial Staff by the court.

In the 248th year of Yanxi ( AD), Xu Ju, a prominent family in the vassal state of Fuling (now Pengshui County, Chongqing), rebelled and killed the vassal state commander.

Deng Zhi led his army to suppress the rebellion and killed the leader of the rebels. After the rebellion was quelled, Deng Zhi took measures to move more than 5,000 wealthy families in the area to Shu.
It was directly controlled by the central government of Shu Han, which prevented rebellions by the big families in Fuling from happening again. It also selected brave generals from the local area to manage the army, allowing the people to live in stability.

When Zhang Yu was fortune-telling for Deng Zhi, he predicted that Deng Zhi would be promoted to general and be granted a title of nobility when he was 70 years old. As expected, in 243, Deng Zhi was granted the title of General of Chariots and Cavalry.

This position is equivalent to a general. If Zhang Yu's prediction is correct, then Deng Zhi was born around 171. According to the "Records of the Three Kingdoms",
Zong Yu once criticized Deng Zhi for still holding on to military power at the age of 168. Comprehensive analysis shows that Deng Zhi was born between 177 and 80 and was about years old when he died.

According to "New Interpretation of Selected Works of the Records of the Three Kingdoms" translated by Zhang Dake and Zhu Zhifu, Deng Zhi died at the age of 74, so his birth year should be 177 AD.

Sun Quan, the founding emperor of Wu during the Three Kingdoms period, commented that among the envoys from Shu, Ding Xun was pompous and extravagant in his speech, sinister and not good at speaking, and the only person who could truly promote harmonious and united relations between the two countries was Deng Zhi.

Chen Shou, a historian of the Western Jin Dynasty, commented in the Records of the Three Kingdoms that Deng Zhi served as a general for more than 20 years, and he was clear about rewards and punishments and sympathetic to his soldiers; he did not know how to disguise his personal emotions to curry favor with scholars in official circles;

He also pursues simplicity in life. He serves as an official but does not seek profit for his family. He is a steadfast and noble person.

Modern historian Ji Lianhai commented that Deng Zhi was an upright person who dared to speak the truth.

Because of this quality, he was appreciated by Sun Quan, but because he was too honest and straightforward, he had a bad relationship with his colleagues for many years in office.

Deng Zhi was of an arrogant character, and even General Fei Yi and others had to give him some distance. However, Zong Yu, who was an official with him, refused to bow to him.

Once, Deng Zhi, then General of Chariots and Cavalry, returned to Chengdu from Jiangzhou. When he went to the court to meet the emperor, he asked Zong Yu if people over 60 were no longer allowed to serve in the army according to etiquette.

Why was he able to start commanding the army? Zong Yu replied that Deng Zhi himself had not handed over the military power at the age of 70, so why couldn't he accept the military power at the age of 60.

When Deng Zhi was on a campaign against Fuling, he saw a black monkey climbing a mountain. Deng Zhi loved archery, so he shot the monkey with a crossbow and indeed hit it.

As a result, the monkey pulled out the arrow and stuffed the wound with bark and leaves. Deng Zhi saw this and exclaimed that he had violated the nature of living things.
Therefore, it was time for it to die; another version is that Deng Zhi saw a monkey holding its baby climbing on a tree, so he shot the mother monkey with a bow and arrow.

The son pulled out the arrow for the mother monkey and used tree bark and leaves to plug the wound. Deng Zhi sighed and felt that he deserved death, so he threw the crossbow into the water.

At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the country was in chaos. However, under the governance of Liu Yan and Liu Zhang, the semi-independent Yizhou became a rare pure land in the territory of the Han Empire.
It was probably at this time that Deng Zhi left his hometown and came to Yizhou. Deng Zhi was a descendant of Deng Yu, a famous general of the Eastern Han Dynasty and the leader of the 28 generals of Yuntai.
However, by the time of Deng Zhi's generation, the Nanyang Deng family no longer had much influence, and the Yellow Turban Rebellion had spread to his hometown.

Deng Zhi left without hesitation. He hoped to be valued by Liu Yan, the governor of Yizhou, as he cherished the glory of his family. However, he wasted half his life in Yizhou.

Deng Zhi was not even sure what he would have to eat the next day. Feeling uncertain about his future, he turned to Zhang Yu, who was then an official in Yizhou, hoping that he could give him some advice.

Zhang Yu was an expert in stargazing and physiognomy. He saw that Deng Zhi was extraordinary and predicted: "When you are over seventy years old, you will be promoted to the rank of general and be granted a title of nobility."

However, Deng Zhi knew that opportunities would not come just by waiting, so he became a disciple of Pang Xi, the governor of Baxi, and waited for the opportunity to stand out.
It was not until he learned that Liu Bei was going to enter Yizhou that he decided to join his army. In the 214th year of Jian'an (), Liu Bei persuaded Liu Zhang to surrender and became the governor of Yizhou.

After talking with Deng Zhi, Liu Bei felt that Deng Zhi was a waste of his talent to be the governor of Pidi, so he promoted him to the magistrate of Pidi.
Later, he was promoted to the prefect of Guanghan. Deng Zhi, who regarded Liu Bei as a wise ruler, worked hard and "was strict and achieved good results in his work, and was appointed as the Minister of State", officially entering the ranks of high-ranking officials of Shu Han.

In the first year of Zhangwu (221), after Sun Quan seized Jingzhou, killed Guan Yu and pledged allegiance to Cao Cao, Liu Bei led his army to attack his former ally.
As a result, they were defeated by Lu Xun, and many senior generals of Shu Han died in the battle. However, Liu Bei, who was strong on the outside but weak on the inside, still put great pressure on Sun Quan when he was stationed in Baidi.
This made him ask for peace with Liu Bei again. However, Liu Bei died in Yong'an just after he agreed to a truce between the two countries, leaving Zhuge Liang with a huge mess.

In order to stabilize the capricious Sun Quan, Deng Zhi advised Zhuge Liang to make peace with Eastern Wu again, saying, "The current ruler is young and weak, and has just taken office, so it is appropriate to send an ambassador to reaffirm our friendship with Wu."

Originally, Zhuge Liang was worried that Sun Quan might take advantage of the mourning of Shu Han to tear up the alliance, but after meeting Deng Zhi, Zhuge Liang believed that the veteran in front of him could help him solve this problem.

"To be entrusted with the task at a time of defeat and to be ordered in the midst of danger" is not only a true portrayal of Zhuge Liang, but also the difficult situation of Deng Zhi.

Deng Zhi's sudden visit made Sun Quan suspicious, so he did not meet him immediately. The longer the delay, the more disadvantageous it would be for Shu Han. Deng Zhi, who knew this, put the interests of Dongwu first.

He first praised Sun Quan and Zhuge Liang, saying, "Your Majesty is a hero of the world, and Zhuge Liang is also a hero of his time." Then he pointed out the advantages of the alliance between Shu and Wu.

"Shu has a strategic location and Wu has three rivers to block it." "We are like lips and teeth. If we advance, we can conquer the world; if we retreat, we can stand on three legs. This is the natural course of things." He successfully persuaded Sun Quan to break off the alliance with Wei and sent General Zhang Wen to ally with Shu Han.

In order to express its importance to the peace and its admiration for Zhang Wen, Shu Han sent Deng Zhi back to pay his respects. Sun Quan, who was obviously relieved, expressed his feelings to Deng Zhi: (End of this chapter)