The sworn brotherhood of Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei, famously known as the Oath of the Peach Garden, is one of the most iconic scenes in the opening chapter of Romance of the Three Kingdoms.
This event not only marks the beginning of their deep camaraderie but also symbolizes the novel’s core values of “loyalty and righteousness”. Their decision to swear brotherhood was influenced by cultural customs, as well as political, emotional, and ideological motivations.
Cultural and Practical Motivations
In ancient times, it was a common folk custom to form sworn brotherhoods to establish trust-based relationships, often seen among gangs, military units, and merchant groups.
The primary reason for Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei’s sworn brotherhood was their shared values and common goal of quelling the peasant uprising. Additionally, they were individually weak and needed to unite to strengthen their forces. Liu Bei, as a descendant of the Han imperial family, possessed inherent political appeal, complemented by his benevolence and leadership qualities. However, he came from a poor background and lacked military and financial resources. Guan Yu and Zhang Fei were exceptionally loyal, brave, and skilled in combat, making them rare talents. Zhang Fei was even wealthy enough to recruit soldiers and purchase horses.
Furthermore, sworn brotherhood allowed them to quickly establish unbreakable trust.
The Double-Edged Sword of Brotherhood
While the sworn brotherhood provided Liu Bei’s faction with unparalleled cohesion and combat capability early on, becoming a core asset for their rise in a chaotic era, it also sowed the seeds for later tragedies where “emotional loyalty overrode strategic rationality”, indirectly contributing to the decline of the Shu state.
Strengths: Cohesion and Trust
In the brutal competition of the late Han Dynasty, the “bond of brotherhood” formed by the Oath of the Peach Garden became Liu Bei’s unique core competitiveness, setting his faction apart from others. The absolute trust it fostered enabled efficient decision-making and execution. The “loyalty and righteousness” at its heart also served as a spiritual symbol for the Shu Han faction, attracting top talents like Zhuge Liang, Zhao Yun, and Huang Zhong.
When civilians chose to follow Liu Bei during Cao Cao’s southern campaign, it was not only due to Cao Cao’s cruelty but also because the “brotherly bond” between Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei projected an image of reliability and trustworthiness. In times of chaos, “emotional loyalty” often provided more reassurance and allegiance than political stratagems.
Weaknesses: Strategic Constraints and Emotional Decisions
The “emotional loyalty” of the Oath of the Peach Garden, while a source of cohesion, also became a constraint on “strategic rationality” due to its “exclusivity” and “emotionality”. As the Shu Han faction expanded, “brotherly loyalty” repeatedly took precedence over “the greater good”, ultimately triggering a chain reaction after the deaths of Guan Yu and Zhang Fei that directly destroyed Liu Bei’s life’s work.
The “brotherly bond” led Liu Bei to prioritize “loyalty over capability” in his appointments, creating an exclusive “Guan-Zhang core” that indirectly limited the opportunities for other talents to shine. While Guan Yu and Zhang Fei were fiercely brave and achieved great military successes, their dominance left little room for other generals to develop, resulting in a “talent gap” after their deaths and weakening Shu Han’s overall combat strength.
Case Studies: Strategic Failures
After Liu Bei entered Shu, he entrusted Jingzhou entirely to Guan Yu, granting him absolute power without any checks and balances. This ultimately led to Guan Yu’s arrogance causing the loss of Jingzhou, depriving Shu Han of its strategic foothold for expanding into the Central Plains. Zhang Fei’s “violent temperament and alcoholism” earlier caused the loss of Xuzhou and the capture of Liu Bei’s family. Although Liu Bei criticized him, he never truly restrained Zhang Fei’s behavior. Later, after Guan Yu’s death, Zhang Fei’s rage and desire for revenge against Wu led to his assassination by his own subordinates, whom he had abused. Liu Bei merely warned Zhang Fei but took no practical measures, such as replacing him or balancing his power.
The Ultimate Tragedy: Emotional Over Strategic
Most critically, the “live and die together” ethos of the Oath of the Peach Garden bound the fate of Liu Bei’s faction inextricably—the personal tragedies of Guan Yu and Zhang Fei directly escalated into disasters for the entire faction. “Allying with Wu to resist Cao” was Zhuge Liang’s core strategy and Liu Bei’s only path to restoring the Han Dynasty. However, the “brotherly loyalty” of the oath caused Liu Bei to abandon strategic rationality after their deaths, plunging into “emotional revenge” that led to the disastrous defeat at Yiling. This cost Shu its elite forces and culminated in Liu Bei’s death in Baidi City.
Conclusion: The Inextricable Link of Brotherhood
From the Oath of the Peach Garden to the Baidi City Entrustment, the fates of Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei were perpetually shaped by emotional loyalty: they rose because of it, united because of it, and ultimately fell because of it.
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