Pan Zhang (died 234),[1] courtesy name Wengui, was a military general serving under the warlord Sun Quan during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China.
[4] Pan Zhang was a heavy drinker and compulsive gambler, and he had to frequently borrow money to support these habits because his family was poor.
Later, he was appointed as a da shi cijian (大巿刺姧; similar to a police chief) in Wu Commandery (around present-day Suzhou, Jiangsu) and became famous after achieving success in maintaining high standards of security in the area, as bandits activity were ceased.
[7] Around the time, bandits were rampant in Jing Province (covering present-day Hubei and Hunan) and its governor Liu Biao was unable to deal with them.
Lü Meng and Ling Tong took three commanderies by strategy and led their men with Sun Jiao and Pan Zhang to support Lu Su at Yiyang.
When Sun Quan's forces were just setting up their camps outside Hefei, Zhang Liao suddenly led hundreds of troops to attack them, completely catching the enemy off guard.
[12][13] In late 221, Liu Bei launched a campaign against Sun Quan to retake Jing Province, leading to the Battle of Xiaoting of 221–222.
[5] For his achievements during this campaign, Pan Zhang were further promoted to General Who Pacifies the North (平北將軍) and appointed as the Administrator of Xiangyang Commandery.
[16] In response, Sun Quan put Lü Fan in command of five armies to resist Cao Xiu; Zhuge Jin, Pan Zhang and Yang Can (楊粲) were dispatched to relieve the siege on Nan Commandery which was being defended by Zhu Ran while Zhu Huan defended the fortress of Ruxu from Cao Ren.
Zhuge Jin and Yang Can (楊粲) wanted to lead their men to defend the island but were unable to locate the Wei troops' crossing points.
They moved to about 50 li upstream, where Pan Zhang ordered his men to collect thousands of bundles of reeds, attach them onto some large rafts, and set them on fire.
[19] Later, in 227, Pan Zhang followed Sun Quan to a battle against Wei forces at Shiyang County (石陽縣; in present-day Hanchuan, Hubei).
However, Wen Ping suddenly launched a counterattack as the Wu forces retreated, and Pan Zhang, who lowered his guard that night, could not hold up against the enemy when they attacked.
Zhu Ran led reinforcements to resist the enemy's advance until Sun Quan's forces at the front had completely retreated before he withdrew.
[20] In 233, Sun Quan ordered Pan Zhang and Lü Dai to lead their troops to station at Lukou (陸口; at Lushui Lake near present-day Chibi, Hubei).
[25] Hao Jing, a confucian scholar of Yuan dynasty, asserted his evaluation that Pan Zhang lawlessness were tolerated due to his powerful service to Sun Quan.