When Cao Cao’s conquest of the north and various gains and losses in the south reach the ears of those who still consider themselves independent (When it suits them), a coalition of western warlords in Liang Province band together, a surge of misguided nationalism masking their own personal ideals and interests. Led by the brutish Ma Teng, the sly Han Sui and the mysterious Zhang Lu, they intend to march upon Chang’an, sowing fear in Han and Wei, few forgetting how many were lost the first time Liang Province fell to lawlessness.
Pang De, styled Lingming, was a native of Huandao county (listed as 獂道 Yuandao county in the Geographical Records of the Book of Jin) in Nan'an commandary (in Qinzhou/Yongzhou). As a youth, he was employed as a minor official in Nan'an commandary and then as an Attendant Officer in the province.
At the beginning of the Chuping era (~190), Pang De accompanied Ma Teng during his campaign against rebelling Qiang and Di peoples. He performed many deeds, and was eventually promoted to be a Colonel.
During the Jian'an era, when Cao Cao was campaigning against Yuan Tan and Yuan Shang at Liyang (202), Yuan Tan sent Guo Yuan, Gao Gan, and others to raid through Hedong commandary. Cao Cao had Zhong Yao lead the armies stationed in Guanzhong to campaign against this thrust. Pang De accompanied Ma Teng's son Ma Chao on this campaign; they opposed Guo Yuan and Gao Gan at Pingyang, where Pang De served in the vanguard. They advanced and attacked Guo Yuan and Gao Gan, greatly routing them, and Pang De personally took Guo Yuan's head. Pang De was appointed as General of the Household Gentlemen and Marquis of a capital district.
(The Weilue states, "Pang De personally took the head of an officer, but he did not know that it was Guo Yuan. After the battle was over, the soldiers of Zhong Yao's army reported that Guo Yuan was dead, but his head was missing. Guo Yuan happened to be Zhong Yao's nephew. Pang De later returned, and pulled out from his quiver the head he had taken. When Zhong Yao recognized it as Guo Yuan, he burst into tears. Pang De apologized to him, but Zhong Yao replied, 'Guo Yuan may have been my nephew, but he was an enemy of the state. Sir, what do you have to apologize about?'")
Later, when White Rider Zhang (Zhang Cheng) rebelled at Hongnong, Pang De once again accompanied Ma Teng on campaign against him. They routed White Rider Zhang at Liangxiao Canyon. In every battle, Pang De was always breaking through the enemy's formation and pushing back the enemy, and his courage surpassed anyone else in Ma Teng's army.
Later, when Ma Teng was summoned to the capital to serve as Commandant of the Guards, Pang De was left behind under Ma Chao's command. When Cao Cao routed Ma Chao south of the Wei River (in 211), Pang De followed Ma Chao to flee into Hanyang and hold out at Jicheng. Later, he further accompanied Ma Chao to flee to Hanzhong, where they took service under Zhang Lu. When Cao Cao conquered Hanzhong (in 215), Pang De surrendered to him along with the rest of Zhang Lu's forces. Cao Cao had heard many stories about Pang De's ferocity and boldness, so he appointed him as his General Who Founds Righteousness and as Marquis of Guanmen Village, with a fief of three hundred households.
When the fighting was over the men of the army all said Guo Yuan was dead, but they could not find his head. Guo Yuan was a nephew of Zhong Yao. After dark, Pang De of Nan'an, a Colonel under Ma Chao, brought out a head from his quiver. Zhong Yao saw it and wept. Pang De apologised to Zhong Yao, but Zhong Yao replied "Guo Yuan was my nephew, but he was also an enemy of the state. Why apologise?" [ZZTJ 202.G in de Crespigny’s To Establish Peace]
Cheng Yin, Hou Xuan and Pang De all came with Zhang Lu to surrender. Duke Cao of WEI restored Cheng Yin and Hou Xuan to official rank, and appointed Pang De as General Who Supports Righteousness.
(Cheng Yin and Hou Xuan were leaders of local forces in Guanzhong. Pang De had been a general under Ma Chao. After the defeats south of the Wei River and at Jicheng, all of these people had fled to Zhang Lu. Pang De's given name is written in this passage as 惪, which is an old version of 德 De.) [ZZTJ 215.Q in de Crespigny's To Establish Peace]
When Hou Yin, Wei Kai, and others rebelled at Wan (218-219), Pang De led his forces to join with Cao Ren; they attacked Wan together and retook it, taking the heads of Hou Yin and Wei Kai.
Pang De then marched south to camp at Fan, where he campaigned against Guan Yu. The other generals at Fan were inclined to be suspicious of Pang De, since his elder brother was at Hanzhong (in service to Liu Bei). But Pang De often said, "I have received the grace of the state, and it would be fighting for me to redeem myself through death. I wish to personally lead the attack against Guan Yu. This very year, either I will slay Guan Yu or he will slay me."
(The Weilue states, "Pang De's cousin, named Pang Rou, was then serving in Shu.")
Later, Pang De personally fought Guan Yu in the heat of battle and struck him in the forehead with an arrow. At the time, Pang De often road a white horse, so the soldiers of Guan Yu's army called him the White Horse General, and they all dreaded him.
Cao Ren had Pang De camp ten li north of Fan. But around that time, a terrible storm broke out, lasting for more than ten days; the Han River suddenly flooded, and the water at Fan rose five or six zhang above the ground. Pang De and the other generals went up on a dyke to get away from the water. But Guan Yu took advantage of the flooding by leading boats to attack them, and he led large ships to surround the dyke and shoot arrows at them from all sides. Pang De put on his armor and grasped his bow to shoot back at them, and every arrow he loosed at the enemy struck true. When the general Dong Heng, the subordinate commander Dong Chao, and others wanted to surrender, Pang De arrested and beheaded them. Pang De kept up the fight from the break of dawn to past noon, fighting hard all the while. But Guan Yu's troops greatly pressed their attack, and when they ran out of arrows, their drew their short blades and closed in for close combat. Pang De said to his subordinate general Cheng He, "I have always heard that a superior general will stand tall in the face of death rather than try to escape, and a martyr will uphold his duty to the bitter end rather than try to save his life. This day will be the day of my death." So his rage kept him going in battle, and his zeal made him stronger. But the floodwaters only became worse, and most of Pang De's officers and soldiers surrendered to the enemy. Pang De led one of his subordinate generals and two of his 五伯s to take bows and arrows with them and get into a small boat, planning to return to Cao Ren's camp. But the floodwaters were so turbulent that the boat capsized; they lost the bows and arrows, and they could only cling to the overturned boat in the midst of the waters. They were captured by Guan Yu.
Pang De stood before Guan Yu and refused to kneel to him. Guan Yu said to him, "Your elder brother is at Hanzhong, and I would like to have you as my own general. Why didn't you surrender earlier?"
But Pang De only denounced Guan Yu, telling him, "You whelp, how can you propose I surrender? The Prince of Wei (Cao Cao) commands an army of a million armored soldiers, and his might stretches across the realm. Your Liu Bei is just some mediocrity; how could he be a match for the Prince? I'd rather be a ghost of my state than serve as a bandit general."
So Guan Yu killed him. When Cao Cao heard that Pang De was dead, he mourned and wept for him, and he appointed two of Pang De's sons as minor Marquises.
Cao Ren stationed the General of the Left Yu Jin with the General Who Supports Righteousness Pang De and others in camps north of Fan.
In the eighth month there were great rains, the Han River broke its banks and the whole plain was covered by water scores of feet deep. Seven armies under Yu Jin and his colleagues were flooded out. Yu Jin and his men climbed high ground to avoid the water, and Guan Yu's soldiers sailed in great ships to attack them. Utterly exhausted, Yu Jin and his followers surrendered.
Pang De was on an embankment. He wore armour and held a bow, and he hit his mark with every shot, maintaining resistance from morning past midday. Guan Yu attacked more and more fiercely, and Pang De's arrows were exhausted, but he continued the struggle hand to hand. Even as the flood continued to rise, Pang De fought on unafraid, but all his men surrendered. Then Pang De took a small boat to go back to Cao Ren's camp, but the water rose still further, and his boat overturned. Having lost his weapons, he held on to the upturned boat alone amongst the waves, and he was captured by Guan Yu.
Pang De carried himself straight and would not bow. Guan Yu said to him, "You have a cousin in Hanzhong, and I should be pleased to have you as one of my officers. Why did you not surrender sooner?"
"Slave," snarled Pang De, "what is this talk of surrender? The King of WEI commands a million men in arms, and his authority shakes the empire. Your Liu Bei is nothing special; how can he match my master? I would rather be a martyr for my state than a leader of rebels." Guan Yu killed him.
When King Cao of WEI heard of this, he said, "I knew Yu Jin for thirty years, and I never believed that when danger came he would show himself inferior to Pang De." He enfeoffed Pang De's two sons as marquises. [ZZTJ 219.O in de Crespigny's To Establish Peace]
After Cao Pi succeeded Cao Cao as Prince of Wei, he sent envoys to visit Pang De's tomb to award him with a posthumous name. The edict stated, "In ancient times, Xian Zhen of Jin died at the head of his army and Wang Zhu of Qi hanged himself rather than serve another master; they gave up their lives in order to uphold their duty, and past ages praised them for it. The late Marquis was useful and bright, stalwart and resolute, and he gained his reputation through facing difficulty head-on. All the world knows of his name, and his sense of righteousness surpasses even the ancients. How greatly do I mourn his loss! He is hereby granted the posthumous name Marquis Zhuang ('the Strong')."
He also appointed Pang De's four sons, including Pang Hui, as Marquises Within The Passes, each with a fief of a hundred households. This Pang Hui was bold and fierce, possessing the same spirit as his father, and he rose in office as high as General of the Household Guards and a minor Marquis.
(Wang Yin's Records of Shu states, "When Zhong Hui was conquering the Shu region, his armies all beat the drums in procession as they escorted Pang De's body back to Ye. And when they opened his tomb, Pang De's body and head both looked as lively as though he had not died."
But I (Pei Songzhi) note that Fan was the place where Pang De died, and when Cao Pi rose to the throne, he was even able to send envoys to visit Pang De's grave. So his burial place could not have been within Shu. This is just one of Wang Yin's empty tales.)
龐德授命叱敵，有周苛之節。
Chen Shou's Comment: Pang De carried out his mission to the end and rebuked his enemy to his face. When it came to keeping faith, he was the equal of Zhou Ke (one of Liu Bang's generals who died rather than surrender to Xiang Yu).
