Fa Zheng

Fa Zheng, courtesy name Xiaozhi, was a strategist from Mei in Fufeng. After serving Liu Zhang in Yi Province, he joined Zhang Song in supporting Liu Bei and became one of Liu Bei’s trusted advisers. In Romance of the Three Kingdoms, he works with Huang Zhong before the Battle of Mount Dingjun: a white flag tells the general to wait, while a red flag signals the moment to strike. Huang Zhong’s victory over Xiahou Yuan thus depends on timing as well as courage. Fa Zheng’s political career is recorded in the Records of the Three Kingdoms; the flag signals and their battlefield staging belong to the novel’s account.