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The Life and Strategy of Zheng Du
Serving as an advisor and attendant officer to warlord Liu Zhang in Yi Province, Zheng Du was a perceptive tactician during the late Han dynasty. He is most renowned for his decisive council during Liu Bei’s invasion of Sichuan between 212 and 214 AD. As Liu Bei’s expeditionary forces pushed deeper into Shu territory, the strategic balance of power in the Three Kingdoms era hung in the balance.
Recognizing the vulnerabilities of the invading army, he devised a devastating scorched-earth tactic known as Jianbi Qingye. He urged Liu Zhang to relocate populations southward across the river, burn granaries, and destroy crops along the enemy route. According to his calculations, Liu Bei’s forces lacked extended supply lines and would starve into retreat within a hundred days. However, Liu Zhang rejected the plan, unwilling to inflict devastation upon his own citizens. When Liu Bei captured Chengdu in 214 AD, he notably refused to employ the strategist due to the severe threat his counsel had posed.
Role in Romance of the Three Kingdoms
In the classic novel, the advisor is portrayed as a loyal and far-sighted strategist whose pragmatic counsel was thwarted only by Liu Zhang’s benevolent hesitation. Liu Bei was initially terrified by Zheng Du’s ruthless proposal until Fa Zheng accurately predicted that the regional governor would never implement such a destructive policy against his own people.
Zheng Du — Historical & Literary Timeline
Scorched Earth Proposal
During the invasion of Yi Province, he presents the scorched-earth strategy to exhaust enemy provisions, though the proposal is ultimately rejected.
Key Relationships
Friends and Masters
- Liu Zhang: Governor of Yi Province whom the advisor served faithfully as an Attendant Officer.
Rivals and Adversaries
- Liu Bei: Founding emperor of Shu Han who feared the scorched-earth plan and later dismissed the advisor after taking Chengdu.
- Fa Zheng: Master strategist who accurately foresaw that Liu Zhang would decline the ruthless anti-invasion stratagem.
In Novel
Chapter 60
- Zheng Du (郑度, Trịnh Độ): Zheng Du serves Liu Zhang in Yi Province and advises him on how to deal with Liu Bei. He proposes a scorched-earth strategy: withdraw the population and supplies from the Chengdu plain and force Liu Bei’s army to fight without provisions. Liu Zhang rejects the plan, and the subsequent campaign eventually leads to Liu Bei’s conquest of Yi Province.
History
Advisor of Liu Zhang
- Zheng Du (郑度, Trịnh Độ) was an adviser serving Liu Zhang (刘璋, Lưu Chương) in Yi Province.
Strategy against Liu Bei
- When Liu Bei (刘备, Lưu Bị) entered Yi Province, Zheng Du proposed abandoning the Chengdu plain, removing its population and supplies, and forcing Liu Bei’s army to advance into an area without adequate provisions.
Rejection of the Plan
- Liu Zhang rejected the proposal because he did not wish to devastate his own territory and population in order to defeat Liu Bei.
Historical Significance
- Zheng Du is remembered chiefly for this strategic proposal, one of the clearest examples of scorched-earth thinking in the struggle for Yi Province.