Records of the Three Kingdoms
Zhang Zhao, courtesy name Zibu, was from Pengcheng. He was one of Sun Ce’s principal civil ministers. Dying, Sun Ce entrusted Sun Quan to him and said that if the younger brother could not bear the charge, Zhang Zhao should take it himself. The line is often quoted. It shows how urgently Sun Ce wanted the regime to survive.
When Cao Cao moved east in 208, Zhang Zhao argued for surrender: Cao held the emperor and the larger army. Lu Su and Zhou Yu argued to fight, and Sun Quan followed them. After Red Cliffs Zhang Zhao remained in civil affairs. He was no longer the voice of military policy.
He took part in the rites when Sun Quan became king of Wu and later emperor. He was blunt and contradicted Sun Quan in court more than once. He opposed the mission to Gongsun Yuan across the sea; Sun Quan sent it anyway, and the envoys were killed. Sun Quan then apologized at Zhang Zhao’s gate, and on another occasion set fire to the door to force him out of a sulk. Those scenes are in the Wu biography and in works quoted by Pei. Zhang Zhao died of illness in 236, at eighty-one. The chancellorship went to Gu Yong and others, not to him.
Romance of the Three Kingdoms
In the novel Zhang Zhao is almost a synonym for the peace party. Before Red Cliffs he and others, including Gu Yong, argue in court for surrender and are talked down by Zhuge Liang. The book puts several ministers into that debate. Zhang Zhao speaks first on the other side.
Later he still appears as the old minister who tells Sun Quan not to underestimate an enemy, or who is stubborn about ritual. The historical quarrels — the burned gate, the failed mission to Gongsun Yuan — take less space. His scenes cluster around Red Cliffs.
Reference: Wikipedia · Zhang Zhao