Zhao Yun was a major military general during the civil wars of the late Han Dynasty during the Three Kingdoms. For most of his career, Zhao Yun served the warlord Liu Bei, playing a part in the establishment of Shu Han. In literature and folklore he is lauded as the third member of the Five Tiger Generals.
Zhao Yun was born in the Zhending (真定) county of Changshan (常山). He joined the warlord Gongsun Zan as commander of a small group of county volunteers. In 192 he was placed under the authority of Liu Bei, who at the time held only the rank of a major under Gongsun Zan, as a commander of Liu Bei’s cavalry forces. Liu Bei had a contingent of several thousand Wuhuan cavalry and Zhao Yun was put in charge of this force. Zhao Yun left Gongsun Zan and Liu Bei to attend his elder brother’s funeral soon after.
Later He rejoined Liu Bei, when Liu Bei was defeated by Cao Cao and fled to Yuan Shao. Liu Bei sent Zhao Yun to secretly recruit more men to reinforce Liu Bei’s then small army under Yuan Shao. From then on, Zhao Yun followed Liu Bei in his sojourns throughout northern China. Zhao Yun is the rider in white.
When Liu Bei was fleeing in the chaos, he left his family behind. Then Zhao Yun disappeared to the north, prompting suspicion that Zhao Yun had surrendered to Cao Cao. When someone reported that to Liu Bei, Liu Bei angrily threw a handaxe and said "Zilong would never desert me". Sure enough, Zhao Yun came back with Liu Bei's infant son Liu Shan in his arms, also bringing back his wife Lady Gan. With this, Zhao Yun was promoted to General of the Standard (牙門將軍).
After the Battle of Red Cliff, Zhao Yun played a major role in conquering territories of Jiangnan for Liu Bei. He was named a major-general (偏將軍) and was appointed the Grand Administrator of Guiyang (桂陽太守)
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