Introduction
Zhou Tai (周泰), courtesy name Youping (幼平), was an Eastern Wu general from Jiujiang and one of the “Tiger Generals of Jiangbiao.” He and his fellow townsman Jiang Qin followed Sun Ce across the river and fought Liu Yao, winning repeated merit. When Sun Ce took Kuaiji he made Zhou Tai Separate Commander and gave him troops; Sun Quan admired Zhou Tai and asked that he be assigned to him, so Zhou Tai stayed at Sun Quan’s side. At Xuancheng (197), when Sun Quan had only a few hundred men and no defences, several thousand Shanyue under Pan Lin attacked; Zhou Tai alone stayed calm, protected Sun Quan with his body, and inspired the troops to fight; he received twelve wounds and took long to recover. Sun Ce made him Magistrate of Chungu. He took part in the attack on Wan, the defeat of Huang Zu at Shayi, and the advance to Yuzhang, and was made Magistrate of Yichun. He campaigned against Huang Zu with Sun Quan (203, 207, 208), fought at Chibi and in the attack on Nan Commandery, and garrisoned at Cen. In 217 at Ruxu he repelled Cao Cao; Sun Quan left him as Commander of Ruxu and General Who Pacifies the Caitiffs. Zhu Ran and Xu Sheng, under his command, were unwilling to accept him; at a feast Sun Quan had Zhou Tai remove his robe, pointed to each scar, and had him tell which battle each came from, then gave him his own royal canopy (御帻青縑蓋) so that the generals would submit. In 219 Sun Quan made him nominal Administrator of Hanzhong, General Who Rouses Might, and Marquis of Lingyang. He died in the early Huangwu period. Chen Shou counted him among the “tigers of Jiangbiao”; Sun Quan said he had fought for the brothers like a bear or tiger and treated him as kin.
Biography
Under Sun Ce: joining and Xuancheng
Zhou Tai was from Xiacai (下蔡), Jiujiang (九江). In 195 he and his fellow townsman Jiang Qin followed Sun Ce and crossed the river to fight Liu Yao; they broke the enemy wherever they went and had repeated merit. In 196 Zhou Tai followed Sun Ce against Yan Baihu and Wang Lang; when Sun Ce had taken Kuaiji and made himself Administrator, he appointed Zhou Tai Separate Commander (別部司馬) and gave him troops. Sun Quan was fond of Zhou Tai’s character and courage and asked Sun Ce to assign Zhou Tai to him; from then on Zhou Tai stayed with Sun Quan.
In 197 Yuan Shu incited the Shanyue leader Zu Lang and others in Danyang, Xuancheng, Jing, Lingyang, Chian, Yi, and She to rise. Sun Ce went to attack the bandits in Jing and Lingyang and left Sun Quan with Zhou Tai and a few hundred men to guard Xuancheng. The defenders had low morale and the walls were not yet built when the Shanyue chief Pan Lin (潘臨), responding to Yuan Shu, led several thousand men against the city. The soldiers were thrown into confusion by the sudden attack; only Zhou Tai remained calm. He fought fiercely to protect Sun Quan, and the others, stirred by him, rallied and drove off the Shanyue. When Sun Ce returned from the campaign he found Zhou Tai with twelve wounds, so severe that he took a long time to recover. Sun Quan had been preserved by Zhou Tai’s efforts. Sun Ce praised Zhou Tai’s courage and made him Magistrate of Chungu (春谷長).
Campaigns and Chibi
In 199, after Yuan Shu’s death, Liu Xun held Lujiang and Wan. Sun Ce attacked Liu Xun; Zhou Tai took part in the attack on Wan. When Sun Ce then went west against Huang Zu and defeated him at Shayi, Zhou Tai was with him. Zhou Tai followed the army to Yuzhang and was made Magistrate of Yichun (宜春長).
In 203 Zhou Tai went with Sun Quan west against Huang Zu and had merit, but the city was not taken and there was trouble in the rear, so they withdrew. In 207 Sun Quan again attacked Huang Zu; Zhou Tai went and had repeated merit, capturing people and returning. In 208 Zhou Tai followed Sun Quan against Huang Zu (Jiangxia). That winter he took part in the campaign against Cao Cao at Chibi under Zhou Yu, Cheng Pu, and Lu Su, and in the subsequent attack on Cao Ren in Nan Commandery. When Jing Province was pacified he led troops to garrison Cen (岑).
Ruxu and the royal canopy
In 217 Cao Cao again attacked Ruxu. Zhou Tai went to resist and drove the enemy back. Sun Quan then left Zhou Tai at Ruxu as Commander (濡須督) and General Who Pacifies the Caitiffs (平虜將軍). Zhu Ran and Xu Sheng were at the time under Zhou Tai’s command and did not accept him. Sun Quan went to Ruxu and held a feast for the generals. He had Zhou Tai unloose his robe and bare his body; he pointed to each scar and asked how Zhou Tai had received it. Zhou Tai named the battle for each wound. Sun Quan took his arm and wept, saying: “Youping, you have fought for us brothers like a bear or tiger, never sparing your body; you have been wounded dozens of times and your skin is as if carved. How can I not treat you as my own flesh and blood and give you the weight of troops? You are a meritorious subject of Wu; I will share glory and disgrace with you.” He then gave Zhou Tai the royal cap and blue-canopy cover (御帻青縑蓋) that he used himself and had horns and drums sounded. Zhu Ran and Xu Sheng thereupon submitted to Zhou Tai.
Late appointments and death
In 219, when Sun Quan attacked Guan Yu and planned to face Shu, he made Zhou Tai nominal Administrator of Hanzhong (漢中太守), General Who Rouses Might (奮威將軍), and Marquis of Lingyang (陵陽侯). Zhou Tai died in the early Huangwu period (222–229). His son Zhou Shao (周邵) was Colonel of Cavalry and led troops; he had merit against Cao Ren at Ruxu and against Cao Xiu at Shiting, was promoted to General of the Side, and died in 230. Zhou Shao’s younger brother Zhou Cheng (周承) led troops and succeeded to the marquisate of Lingyang.
Personality and traits
Zhou Tai was brave and devoted to his lord. At Xuancheng he alone kept his composure and used his body to shield Sun Quan, receiving twelve wounds. Sun Quan’s speech at Ruxu—“you have fought for us brothers like a bear or tiger, never sparing your body; you have been wounded dozens of times and your skin is as if carved”—summed up his service. Sun Quan told him not to hold back because of humble origins (勿以寒門自退).
Political achievements
Under Sun Ce: crossed river and fought Liu Yao; Separate Commander; protection of Sun Quan at Xuancheng (twelve wounds); Magistrate of Chungu; attack on Wan and defeat of Huang Zu; Magistrate of Yichun. Under Sun Quan: campaigns against Huang Zu (203, 207, 208); Chibi and attack on Nan Commandery; garrison at Cen; 217 defence of Ruxu, Commander of Ruxu and General Who Pacifies the Caitiffs; 219 nominal Administrator of Hanzhong, General Who Rouses Might, Marquis of Lingyang.
Relationships
Sun Quan
Sun Quan asked Sun Ce to assign Zhou Tai to him; Zhou Tai stayed at his side and repeatedly saved him (Xuancheng and later, in Romance, at Hefei). Sun Quan honoured him at the Ruxu feast and gave him the royal canopy.
Jiang Qin
Zhou Tai and Jiang Qin were fellow townsmen from Jiujiang and joined Sun Ce together.
Zhu Ran, Xu Sheng
At Ruxu, Zhu Ran and Xu Sheng were under Zhou Tai’s command and did not accept him until Sun Quan displayed Zhou Tai’s scars and gave him the royal canopy.
Anecdotes and allusions
Twelve wounds at Xuancheng
When Pan Lin’s Shanyue attacked Xuancheng, only Zhou Tai stayed calm, protected Sun Quan with his body, and inspired the troops; he received twelve wounds and took long to recover.
Source: Records of the Three Kingdoms
Type: Historical
Scars and the royal canopy at Ruxu
Sun Quan had Zhou Tai remove his robe at a feast, pointed to each scar, and had him name the battle; he then gave Zhou Tai his own royal cap and canopy so that Zhu Ran and Xu Sheng would submit.
Source: Records of the Three Kingdoms
Type: Historical
Romance of the Three Kingdoms
In the novel, Zhou Tai and Jiang Qin are river bandits who join Sun Ce with over three hundred followers. At Xuancheng, Zhou Tai protects Sun Quan and is wounded twelve times; he is saved by the physician Hua Tuo. At Chibi he kills Zhang Nan. When Gan Ning is besieged at Yiling, Zhou Tai breaks in to rescue him. At Hefei, when Sun Quan is surrounded, Zhou Tai fights his way in to save him, then goes back in to save Xu Sheng, receiving many wounds—“skin as if carved.” Cao Cao is said to exclaim that the land of letters and silk has such a tiger general. He takes part in the attack on Guan Yu. At Yiling he kills Shamoke.
Achievements
Documented achievements include: under Sun Ce (crossing the river, Liu Yao; Separate Commander; Xuancheng—protection of Sun Quan, twelve wounds; Magistrate of Chungu; Wan, Huang Zu, Yichun); under Sun Quan (campaigns against Huang Zu; Chibi; Nan Commandery; garrison at Cen; Ruxu 217—Commander and General Who Pacifies the Caitiffs; nominal Hanzhong, General Who Rouses Might, Marquis of Lingyang).
Behind the scenes
Historical sources
Zhou Tai’s biography is in the Records of the Three Kingdoms (三国志), “Biographies of Cheng Pu, Huang Gai, Han Dang, Jiang Qin, Zhou Tai, and others” (吳書·程黃韓蔣周陳董甘凌徐潘丁傳). The Jiangbiao zhuan is cited for the Xuancheng episode (Yuan Shu and Zu Lang).
Chen Shou’s evaluation
“All these generals were tigers of Jiangbiao, and the Sun house treated them with great favour.”
Historical evaluations
Sun Quan
“Youping, you have fought for us brothers like a bear or tiger, never sparing your body; you have been wounded dozens of times and your skin is as if carved. How can I not treat you as my own flesh and blood and give you the weight of troops? You are a meritorious subject of Wu; I will share glory and disgrace with you. Do this with a willing heart; do not hold back because of humble origins.”
Li Zhi
“Eastern Wu’s Zhou Tai is no less than Wei’s Xu Chu or Shu’s Zhao Yun. What a man! Not only did he save [Sun] Quan, he went back and saved Xu Sheng as well—that is matchless. And Zhongmou’s repayment was that of a true friend.”
Legacy
Zhou Tai is remembered as one of the “Tiger Generals of Jiangbiao” who repeatedly risked his life for Sun Quan—most famously at Xuancheng (twelve wounds)—and who was honoured at Ruxu when Sun Quan showed his scars and gave him the royal canopy so that Zhu Ran and Xu Sheng would accept his command.
See also
- Sun Ce — joined him with Jiang Qin
- Sun Quan — protected him at Xuancheng; honoured at Ruxu
- Zhou Shao — son; Colonel of Cavalry; died 230
- Zhou Cheng — son; succeeded to Marquis of Lingyang
- Jiang Qin — fellow Jiujiang native; joined Sun Ce together
- Zhu Ran — under Zhou Tai at Ruxu; submitted after the feast
- Xu Sheng — under Zhou Tai at Ruxu; submitted after the feast
References
- Chen Shou. Records of the Three Kingdoms (三国志), “Biographies of Cheng Pu, Huang Gai, Han Dang, Jiang Qin, Zhou Tai, and others” (吳書·程黃韓蔣周陳董甘凌徐潘丁傳).
- Pei Songzhi. Commentary citing Jiangbiao zhuan.
- Luo Guanzhong. Romance of the Three Kingdoms (三國演義), chapters on Sun Ce, Xuancheng, Chibi, Hefei, and Yiling.