Then he appointed the Prime Minister to take care of his son and the two Lands of Rivers. Then the Generals of the Flying Cavalry — Ma Chao and Ma Dai—, together with the General Who Defends the North, Wei Yan, were ordered to guard Hanzhong against Wei. The Tiger General Zhao Yun was to be in reserve and to control the supplies; Huang Quan and Cheng Ji were made Counselors; Ma Liang and Chen Zhen, Recorders; Huang Zhong, the van leader, assisted by the Marching Generals Feng Xi and Zhang Nan; Fu Tong and Zhang Yi, Marching Commanders of the Center Army; Zhao Rong and Liao Chun, the rear guards. The whole army, including the borrowed foreign troops, numbered seven hundred fifty thousand, and high-rank officials amounted several hundred. And the “tiger” day of the seventh month of the first year of Manifest Might was selected as the most propitious day for the start.
As soon as Zhang Fei had got back to his post, he issued orders that his soldiers should be ready to march in three days and the whole body was to be in mourning, white uniforms and whitened arms.
Just after the order appeared, two generals named Fan Jiang and Zhang Da came to their chief, saying, “The time allowed is insufficient to make white flags and armors. Pray give us more time, General.”
“I am hot to avenge my brother,” said Zhang Fei. “My only regret is that I cannot reach the miserable wretch's country tomorrow. Do you dare to disobey my order?”
Zhang Fei called in the lictors, had the two officers bound to trees, and ordered each to receive fifty lashes.
At the close of the flogging, he said, “Now you will be ready tomorrow; if you are not, I will put you to death as an example!”
The two generals returned to their place, spitting blood and hot with anger, and they said one to another, “We have been beaten today; what about tomorrow? This man's temper is unbearable; and if things are not ready, we shall suffer death.”
“Suppose we slay him,” suddenly said Zhang Da, “since if we do not, he will kill us.”
“But how can we get near him?”
“If we are to have a chance to live, he will get drunk and go to bed; if we are to die, he will remain sober.”
They made all their arrangements for the crime. That day Zhang Fei was greatly disturbed in his mind and restless. He told some of his subordinates, saying, “I feel nervous and creepy and shivery and cannot not rest. What does it mean?”
“This is due to too much brooding over the loss of your brother,” said they.
Then Zhang Fei bade them bring in wine, and he drank with his officers. Presently he became quite intoxicated and lay down on a couch in his tent.
Meanwhile the two assassins had followed all his doings, and when they knew he was lying on his couch intoxicated and incapable, they went into the tent, each armed with a water-sharp dagger. They got rid of the attendants by saying they had confidential matters to talk about and so got into the inner rooms.
But even then they dared do nothing, for Zhang Fei slept always with open eyelids, and he lay on his couch as if still awake. However, huge snores soon convinced them that their victim really slept, and they crept to the side of the couch. Then both stabbed simultaneously deep into the body. Zhang Fei uttered one cry and lay still. So he died at the hand of assassins at the age of fifty-five years.
Having done their victim to death, the two murderers hacked off his head and made off for the country of Wu without loss of time; and when the deed was known, they had got too far for capture.
The assassination was reported in a memorial by a commander of Zhang Fei named Wu Ban, who had left Jingzhou to see the First Ruler and then had been sent to serve under Zhang Fei. He wrote a memorial to the First Ruler and bade the eldest son, Zhang Bao, prepare a coffin for the remains. After the ceremony, leaving his younger brother, Zhang Shao, to hold Langzhong, Zhang Bao went to see the Emperor.
