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Zhou Tai (birth and death dates unknown), courtesy name Youping, was a native of Xia Cai, Jiujiang Commandery, Yangzhou (present-day Fengtai County, Huainan City, Anhui Province), and an important general of the Wu Kingdom during the Three Kingdoms period.

When Sun Ce pacified Jiangdong, Zhou Tai and Jiang Qin, both from the same commandery, joined Sun Ce, serving as his bodyguards and repeatedly distinguishing themselves in battle. After Sun Ce conquered Kuaiji Commandery, he appointed Zhou Tai as a separate commander.

He was granted military command. When Sun Quan was stationed in Xuancheng, he was attacked by mountain bandits. Zhou Tai risked his life to protect Sun Quan and was rewarded with promotion to magistrate of Chungu. Later, Zhou Tai followed Sun Ce in attacking Wan County and conquering Jiangxia, and was transferred to be the magistrate of Yichun County.

After the Battle of Red Cliffs, Zhou Tai led his troops to participate in the siege of Cao Ren, who was stationed in Nan Commandery; in the 22nd year of Jian'an (217 AD), Cao Cao attacked Ruxu (north of present-day Wuwei City, Anhui Province).

Zhou Tai led his troops to intercept the enemy and was promoted to General Who Pacifies the Barbarians, in charge of military affairs in Ruxu.

Sun Quan defeated Guan Yu, occupied Jingzhou, and planned to send troops to attack Shu. He promoted Zhou Tai to Prefect of Hanzhong and General of Valiant Might, and enfeoffed him as Marquis of Lingyang.

During the Huangwu era (between 222 and 229 AD), Zhou Tai died of illness. His eldest son, Zhou Shao, died in the second year of the Huanglong era (230 AD), and his second son, Zhou Cheng, inherited the title.

Zhou Tai was seriously injured while protecting Sun Quan, and Sun Quan was deeply grateful to him, showing him great favor and calling him a meritorious official of Wu.

Later generations also gave Zhou Tai a relatively positive evaluation; Chen Shou listed him as a "Tiger General of Jiangdong".
Lu Ji, a writer from the Jin Dynasty, believed that Zhou Tai made great contributions to the foundation of the Sun family's business.

Sun Yuanyan, a poet of the late Tang Dynasty, praised his loyalty and bravery, while Li Zhi, a scholar of the Ming Dynasty, believed that Zhou Tai was as brave and martial as Xu Chu and Zhao Yun.

In his early years, Zhou Tai and Jiang Qin, both from the same county, joined Sun Ce and served as Sun Ce's bodyguards. During his time serving Sun Ce, Zhou Tai was extremely humble and respectful.

He followed Sun Ce in numerous battles and distinguished himself in service. In the first year of Jian'an (196 AD), Sun Ce led his army to capture Kuaiji Commandery and appointed Zhou Tai as a separate commander.

He was granted military command. Sun Quan admired Zhou Tai's character and asked his elder brother Sun Ce to appoint Zhou Tai as his personal guard.

In 197 AD, after Sun Ce captured Kuaiji Commandery, Chen Yu, the governor of Wu Commandery, secretly colluded with mountain bandits such as Yan Baihu and Zu Lang to rebel against Sun Ce.

Sun Ce noticed this and led a large army to attack the mountain bandits and thieves in six counties, including Yan Baihu and Zu Lang.

At that time, Sun Quan was stationed in Xuancheng and had sent fewer than a thousand soldiers to guard his safety. Furthermore, due to Sun Quan's negligence...
Without sending anyone to build protective walls and fences around the military camp, thousands of bandits suddenly emerged from the mountains and attacked Sun Quan's camp.

Sun Quan hurriedly mounted his horse and fled. As soon as he climbed onto the horse, the enemy and his guards were already engaged in a fierce battle. Some of the bandits even slashed at Sun Quan's saddle with their knives.

When the bandits suddenly attacked, everyone panicked and could not calmly defend themselves. Only Zhou Tai bravely resisted, protecting Sun Quan with his body, showing extraordinary courage.

Led by Zhou Tai, his guards then joined the battle. After the bandits were driven back and scattered, Zhou Tai sustained twelve wounds.
He was severely injured and fell into a coma, only regaining consciousness after a long time. Sun Ce was grateful to Zhou Tai for his meritorious service in protecting Sun Quan, and promoted him to the position of magistrate of Chungu County.

In the fourth year of Jian'an (199 AD), Sun Ce attacked Luling Commandery, and Zhou Tai followed the army to attack Wan County (now Qianshan City, Anhui Province), and also participated in the battle to punish Huang Zu of Jiangxia.

On the way back, when attacking Yuzhang Commandery, Sun Ce appointed Zhou Tai as the magistrate of Yichun County. While serving in both Chungu and Yichun counties, Zhou Tai had the right to collect taxes from the local households for his own use.

In the fifth year of Jian'an (200 AD), Sun Ce was assassinated, and Sun Quan succeeded him.

In the eighth year of Jian'an (203 AD), Sun Quan attacked Huang Zu in Jiangxia (present-day Jiangxia District, Wuhan, Hubei Province) and defeated his navy. Zhou Tai made great contributions and was appointed by Sun Quan as the county magistrate with heavy administrative duties, along with Han Dang and others.

In the thirteenth year of Jian'an (208 AD), Cao Cao launched a southern expedition. Sun Quan and Liu Bei formed an alliance to resist Cao Cao and held their positions against Cao Cao's army at Chibi (northwest of present-day Chibi City, Hubei Province).

Zhou Tai, together with the left and right commanders Zhou Yu and Cheng Pu, resisted Cao Cao's army.

After Cao Cao's defeat, he led his army back to the north, leaving Cao Ren to guard Nan Commandery (present-day Jingzhou area, Hubei). Zhou Tai then led his army to participate in the siege of Cao Ren.

After the pacification of Jingzhou, Zhou Tai led his troops to garrison in Cen County (which belonged to Wuling Commandery, now in western Huaihua, Hunan).

In the 22nd year of Jian'an (217 AD), Cao Cao led his army to attack Ruxu (north of present-day Wuwei City, Anhui Province), and Zhou Tai led his army to meet him in battle.

After Cao Cao withdrew his troops, Sun Quan promoted Zhou Tai to the position of General Who Pacifies the Barbarians, who led his generals to garrison Ruxu and was in charge of commanding the troops stationed there.

At that time, generals such as Zhu Ran and Xu Sheng were under the command of Zhou Tai, but because Zhou Tai came from a humble background, they did not obey him. Sun Quan made a special trip to the military camp at Ruxu to inspect the troops, meet with the generals and soldiers, and hold a banquet.
Sun Quan personally poured wine for each of the generals in turn. When he reached Zhou Tai, he specifically asked Zhou Tai to take off his clothes and pointed to the scars on Zhou Tai's body with his finger.
When asked why he was wounded, Zhou Tai recalled the places where he had been wounded in previous battles and answered Sun Quan. After he finished speaking, Sun Quan told him to put his clothes back on.
He and his generals drank and celebrated all night. The next day, he sent an envoy to bestow his own imperial parasol upon Zhou Tai, and had drums and horns sounded to clear the way for him. Zhou Tai had rendered great service.
Sun Quan showed him such favor that Xu Sheng and the others obeyed Zhou Tai's command.

In October of the 24th year of Jian'an (219 AD), Sun Quan launched a surprise attack on Guan Yu and captured Jingzhou.

Sun Quan originally intended to continue westward to conquer Shu and seize Yizhou, so he appointed Zhou Tai as the governor of Hanzhong Commandery and General Fenwei, and enfeoffed him as the Marquis of Lingyang.

During the Huangwu era (between 222 and 229 AD), Zhou Tai died of illness; the exact date of his death is unknown.

Zhou Tai's son, Zhou Shao, was appointed Cavalry Commandant, with the authority to lead troops. Later, when Cao Ren attacked Ruxu, Zhou Shao distinguished himself in the battle.

He then joined the army in defeating Cao Xiu and was promoted to Lieutenant General. Zhou Shao died in the second year of Huanglong (230 AD), and his younger brother Zhou Cheng succeeded him as commander of the army and inherited Zhou Tai's title.

Sun Quan, the Great Emperor of Wu during the Three Kingdoms period, praised Zhou Tai: "You fought like a bear and tiger for my brother and me, risking your life. You were wounded dozens of times, your skin covered in scars as if etched with marks."
How could I, as your sovereign, not treat you with the same kindness as my own flesh and blood, entrusting you with the weighty responsibility of commanding the troops? You are a meritorious official of Wu, and I, as your sovereign, shall share your glory and your misfortune. The Jin Dynasty historian Chen Shou listed Zhou Tai alongside Cheng Pu, Huang Gai, Han Dang, Jiang Qin, Chen Wu, Dong Xi, Gan Ning, Ling Tong, Xu Sheng, and Pan Zhang.

Ding Feng and twelve other Wu generals are listed in the first biography in the Records of the Three Kingdoms. They are praised as tiger generals of Jiangdong and subordinates who should be treated well by the Sun family.

In his essay "On the Fall of the State," Jin Dynasty writer Lu Ji commented: "Gan Ning, Ling Tong, Cheng Pu, He Qi, Zhu Huan, Zhu Ran, and their ilk displayed their power..."

"Han Dang, Pan Zhang, Huang Gai, Jiang Qin, Zhou Tai, and others exerted their strength." This means that Sun Quan made full use of Zhou Tai and others, and the soldiers served with their lives, which enabled him to consolidate his power in Jiangdong.

The late Tang Dynasty poet Sun Yuanyan wrote a poem titled "Wu Zhou Tai": "His name is different from that of other officials, his body is covered with scars. If he does not use the imperial canopy to proclaim his favor, who will believe that the general has rendered meritorious service?"

This means that Zhou Tai's merits were different from those of other generals in Jiangdong. He was covered in wounds while protecting Sun Quan, and Sun Quan specially bestowed upon him a royal umbrella to recognize his merits. Otherwise, no one else would know about Zhou Tai's achievements.

The Ming Dynasty scholar Li Zhi commented: "Zhou Tai of Eastern Wu was no less brave than Xu Chu, a fierce general of Cao Wei, or Zhao Yun, a fierce general of Shu Han. He was truly a heroic and valiant man."

He deserves to be given important responsibilities. Not only did he rescue Sun Quan from the encirclement, but he also turned back and charged into the enemy ranks to rescue Xu Sheng, which was even more remarkable. Sun Quan's report to him also demonstrated his ability to recognize and utilize talent.

Zhou Tai was considered a very senior general within the Sun family group, as he joined Sun Ce's army along with Jiang Qin from the same county in the early stages of Sun Ce's rise to power.

Sun Ce's early entrepreneurial journey was not easy, as he needed to face many powerful enemies to establish his own empire. However,
Sun Ce's nickname "Little Xiang Yu" was not given lightly. His generals, including Zhou Tai, were not to be underestimated. By 196 AD, powerful enemies such as Liu Yao, Xu Gong, Wang Lang, and Yan Baihu had all become his defeated foe.

Zhou Tai's performance on the battlefield pleased Sun Ce, but his younger brother Sun Quan was even happier. After hearing about Zhou Tai's achievements and character,

At the tender age of fifteen, Sun Quan found his older brother and, after much pleading, managed to take Zhou Tai away. From then on, Zhou Tai went from being a warrior to becoming the bodyguard of his boss's younger brother.

The young Sun Quan probably never imagined that his act of "intercepting" his brother's general would be the best decision of his life.
Because he not only gained Zhou Tai, a fierce general, but also "extended" his own lifespan. Why do I say that?
Sun Ce's rapid rise in power attracted considerable attention, particularly displeasing his former lord, Yuan Shu. Therefore,
In order to suppress Sun Ce's development as much as possible, Yuan Shu incited Danyang and other tribes by winning over Zu Lang, a leader of the Yue tribes.

The Yue tribes of Xuancheng, Jing, Lingyang, Shian, Yi, and She counties rebelled together. As we mentioned in a previous column, Zu Lang was an opponent that even Sun Ce dared not guarantee he could easily defeat.

While Sun Ce was fighting against the Yue tribes in various places, Sun Quan, who was defending Xuancheng, encountered a major problem. At that time, the garrison in Xuancheng numbered less than a thousand men.

They also lacked the will to fight, and more importantly, Xuancheng at that time had no defensive fortifications. If a band of over a thousand men were to suddenly attack,
Sun Quan's life was likely in danger. And just as he was worrying about his brother Sun Ce's safety, thousands of bandits swarmed towards him!

The situation was extremely critical, because just as Sun Quan mounted his horse to retreat, the bandits attacked him, even managing to slash his saddle with their blades.

The enemy forces were too strong, and the soldiers in Xuancheng were in chaos, with no one caring about Sun Quan's life or death. At this moment, only Zhou Tai maintained a high fighting spirit.
He slashed at the bandits around him with his sword while protecting Sun Quan with his own body, even as enemy blades were already striking him.
He didn't leave Sun Quan's side for even a moment. Influenced by Zhou Tai, the defending soldiers abandoned their attempts to escape and instead fought alongside the enemy.
Before long, the once-arrogant bandits fled in disarray, leaving behind a trail of corpses. When everyone was cleaning up the battlefield, they discovered that Zhou Tai was covered in blood, with as many as twelve wounds.

The Ming Dynasty thinker Li Zhi once referred to Zhou Tai, Xu Chu, and Zhao Yun as the "Gods of War of the Three Kingdoms," and it seems there was some basis for this assessment.

The fact that he protected Sun Quan in Xuancheng alone shows us that Sun Quan's bodyguard was no ordinary person.

After Sun Quan became the new boss of the group, he made further use of Zhou Tai. As a result, we can see Zhou Tai's figure in many key battles afterward.

In 203 AD, Zhou Tai followed Sun Quan on a western expedition against Huang Zu and distinguished himself in battle; in 207 AD, Sun Quan again led a western expedition against Huang Zu, and Zhou Tai not only distinguished himself in battle once more,

They also abducted a large number of people from Jiangxia; in 208 AD, Sun Quan's last western expedition against Huang Zu was successful, and Zhou Tai once again made meritorious contributions.

In 208 AD, the Battle of Red Cliffs began. Although Zhou Tai was not a core general in this major battle, he still made some contributions. After the Battle of Red Cliffs, Zhou Tai participated in the attack on Cao Ren's Nan Commandery.

In January 213 AD, after Cao Cao pacified the Guanzhong region, he once again personally led a large army south, which led to the Battle of Ruxu between Cao Cao and Sun Quan.

Because of his outstanding performance in the Battle of Ruxu, Sun Quan allowed Zhou Tai to stay and take charge of Ruxu, and appointed him as General Who Pacifies the Barbarians.

By this time, Zhou Tai had become a significant figure within the group. Of course, this also relates to Zhou Tai's receiving of the title...

This caused dissatisfaction among many generals, including Zhu Ran and Xu Sheng, to the point that it affected the normal progress of various tasks. This is not difficult to understand.

People like Zhu Ran and Xu Sheng have deep seniority within the group and have participated in many key battles for the Sun Group. Although Zhou Tai has also fought in many battles,
But after all, he had served as Sun Quan's bodyguard, a position that was far too special. If Zhou Tai had been on the same level as everyone else, it wouldn't have been so bad, but he ended up in a "leadership position," which some people believe is quite normal since he rose to power through Sun Quan's connections.

In 217 AD, after hearing about the situation in Ruxu, Sun Quan became restless, because his heavy reliance on Zhou Tai was indeed suspected of nepotism.

So he immediately went to Ruxu to host a banquet for his generals. At the banquet, Sun Quan personally brought wine to Zhou Tai and asked him to take off his clothes.
Sun Quan then pointed to the wounds on Zhou Tai's body and asked him to explain their details. For each wound shown, Zhou Tai provided a detailed explanation on the spot.

At this moment, Sun Quan grabbed Zhou Tai's arm and said, "Youping, you fought bravely on the battlefield like a bear and a tiger for us Sun brothers."
Yet he never takes care of his body, suffering dozens of injuries. These scars make his skin look like it's been sculpted.
Tell me, how could I not consider you my own flesh and blood? How could I not entrust you with important responsibilities? You are a meritorious official of Eastern Wu, and from this day forward, I, Sun, will share your glory and your shame! Do not let your humble origins make you timid and hesitant.”

It must be said that Sun Quan was very good at playing the emotional card. After he said those words, Xu Sheng and the others no longer had any objections to Zhou Tai.

They began to actively cooperate with the various tasks assigned by this leader. Since the big boss had spoken, they could only keep their opinions to themselves. (End of Chapter)