Zhao Bu

Biography & Historical Record

Zhao Bu was a dedicated Eastern Han dynasty imperial official who served as the Administrator (Taishou) of Ba Commandery in Yizhou (governing modern-day Chongqing and eastern Sichuan Province). Documented in official historical texts such as Fan Ye’s Book of Later Han (Hou Han Shu – Annals of Emperor Ling), Chang Qu’s Chronicles of Huayang (Huayang Guo Zhi – Book 5), and Sima Guang’s Zizhi Tongjian, Zhao Bu stands as a prominent high-ranking Han administrator who courageously defended his commandery and perished during the explosive 188 AD Yizhou Yellow Turban Rebellion led by Zhao Zhi and Ma Xiang.

Prior to 188 AD, Zhao Bu was commissioned by the Han imperial court as the Administrator of Ba Commandery, a wealthy, populous, and strategically vital territory in eastern Yizhou. During this era, the Eastern Han central government suffered from widespread administrative decay, while the overall governorship of Yizhou was plagued by the corruption and predatory extortion of Inspector Xi Jian. As a steadfast, traditional administrator, Zhao Bu worked diligently to enforce imperial law, maintain public security, and protect local merchants and peasants from extortion and banditry, earning respect throughout Ba Commandery.

In June 188 AD (the fifth year of the Zhongping era under Emperor Ling of Han), insurgent leaders Zhao Zhi and Ma Xiang secretly organized local peasants under the doctrine of Taiping Dao (Way of Taiping). The rebellion erupted violently in Mianzhu County with the execution of Magistrate Li Sheng. The insurgent army quickly expanded into a massive force of over ten thousand troops, stormed the provincial headquarters at Luo County in Guanghan Commandery, and executed the corrupt Inspector Xi Jian. Buoyed by these triumphs and expanding his army to over one hundred thousand followers, Ma Xiang proclaimed himself Emperor (Tianzi). Ma Xiang and Zhao Zhi then launched a full-scale military campaign toward the east to seize the remaining wealthy territories of the Sichuan Basin, designating Zhao Bu’s Ba Commandery as their primary strategic objective.

As the massive rebel host breached the borders of Ba Commandery, Zhao Bu refused to surrender or abandon his post to flee. He courageously mobilized the local imperial garrison, armed administrative clerks, and called upon local landed gentry clans to form self-defense militias to resist the Yellow Turban advance. However, the insurgent army was vast and heavily supported by local impoverished peasants eager to overthrow Han governance. Despite Zhao Bu’s resolute leadership and fierce defense of the commandery fortresses, the rebel army breached the outer defense lines through sheer numerical superiority. Encircled within his command headquarters during the brutal siege, Zhao Bu fought valiantly beside his loyal officers but was slain on the battlefield by Zhao Zhi’s forces. Following his death, Ba Commandery was overrun and heavily plundered by the insurgent army.

Historically, Zhao Bu’s death in June 188 AD represented a major political loss for the Han court and marked the zenith of the Yizhou Yellow Turban uprising, leaving the entire Sichuan Basin in a state of complete lawlessness. The fall of Ba Commandery panicked local Sichuan gentry clans, driving them to rally behind the veteran officer Jia Long to launch a total counter-offensive. Furthermore, the complete destruction of provincial and commandery leadership caused by the deaths of Zhao Bu, Xi Jian, and Li Sheng cleared all administrative obstacles for Liu Yan, who entered Yizhou shortly thereafter to assume sole governance, absorb the remaining insurgent troops, and establish an autonomous warlord regime for the Liu family.

Role in Romance of the Three Kingdoms

In Luo Guanzhong’s classic novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Zhao Bu does not appear as a named character nor is he featured in any chapter. Luo Guanzhong omitted many localized regional commandery administrators in the southwest frontier to concentrate the literary narrative on primary warlord rivalries in the Central Plains involving Dong Zhuo, Cao Cao, Liu Bei, and Sun Ce. However, Zhao Bu is an authentic historical figure documented in official Han histories, including the Book of Later Han (Hou Han Shu – Annals of Emperor Ling), Chronicles of Huayang (Huayang Guo Zhi – Book 5), and Sima Guang’s Zizhi Tongjian, as the loyal Administrator of Ba Commandery slain in battle during Ma Xiang’s rebellion in 188 AD.

Zhao Bu (趙部) — Historical & Literary Timeline

Key Relationships

Family

• No information

Friends

• Xi Jian (郤俭, Khích Kiệm): Fellow Eastern Han official serving as Inspector of Yizhou; his defeat and execution at Luo County during the initial wave of the 188 AD uprising left regional administrators like Zhao Bu isolated against the rebel host.
• Li Sheng (李升, Lý Thăng): Magistrate of Mianzhu County and fellow regional administrative peer, whose murder by insurgents in 188 AD signaled the violent start of the provincial rebellion.

Enemies

• Zhao Zhi (赵祗, Triệu Chi): Co-leader of the 188 AD Yizhou Yellow Turban Rebellion who directly commanded the insurgent forces that besieged Ba Commandery and killed Zhao Bu in battle.
• Ma Xiang (马相, Mã Tương): Rebel commander who declared himself Emperor in 188 AD and directed the full-scale invasion of Ba Commandery, resulting in Zhao Bu’s defeat and death.

Other

• Emperor Ling of Han (汉灵帝, Hán Linh Đế): Eastern Han sovereign whom Zhao Bu served faithfully as Administrator of Ba Commandery, upholding imperial authority until his death in battle.
• Liu Yan (刘焉, Lưu Yên): Han imperial clan member who was dispatched as Governor of Yizhou to restore order after the deaths of Zhao Bu and Xi Jian left the provincial administration collapsed.