Early career as Guan Yus subordinate

Liao Hua was from Xiangyang, Jing Province. He was a registrar (主簿) under Guan Yu, a general who served under the warlord Liu Bei and guarded Liu Bei's territories in Jing Province. In late 219, while Guan Yu was away at the Battle of Fancheng, Liu Bei's ally, Sun Quan, broke the Sun–Liu alliance by launching an invasion of Jing Province and conquering most of Liu Bei's territories in the province. Guan Yu was captured and executed by Sun Quan's forces. Liao Hua became a prisoner-of-war of Sun Quan, but he constantly thought of returning to Liu Bei's side, so he faked his own death and succeeded in deceiving his captors and escaping. He brought his elderly mother with him and headed west towards Yi Province (covering present-day Sichuan and Chongqing), where Liu Bei's ___domain was based.

Career in Shu Han

In 221, Liu Bei declared himself emperor and established the state of Shu Han. Later that year, he launched a military campaign against Sun Quan to retake his lands in Jing Province and avenge Guan Yu. Liao Hua and his mother encountered the Shu army at Zigui County. Liu Bei was very pleased to see Liao Hua and he appointed the latter as the Administrator of Yidu Commandery (宜都郡; around present-day Yidu, Hubei). After Liu Bei died in 223, Liao Hua became an army adviser under Zhuge Liang, the Imperial Chancellor of Shu. He was later assigned to be in charge of Guangwu Commandery (廣武郡; around present-day Yongdeng County, Gansu) and was subsequently promoted to Right General of Chariots and Cavalry. He was also appointed as the Inspector of Bing Province even though Bing Province was not under Shu's jurisdiction, and enfeoffed as a Marquis of a Central District. He was known for his fiery personality and determination. His position in the Shu military was equivalent to Zhang Yi while higher than Zong Yu.

During September of the year 238, Liao Hua led his troops to attack the encampment where the Inspector of Yong Province (雍州刺史), at the time Guo Huai stationed along with the main Wei army of the region. In response, Guo Huai dispatched his subordinates Wang Yun (王赟) Administrator of Guangwei (廣魏) along with You Yi (游奕) Administrator of Nan'an (南安) to counter this offensive. The Wei commanders wanted to disperse their forces to encircle the Shu army and occupy the strategic points between the mountains to prevent them from escaping, however at the same time this strategy had the Wei army scattered with many of You Yi's camps exposed in a dangerous position. Liao Hua saw through this and quickly seized the opportunity to defeat them while they were still unprepared. You Yi's army was forced to retreat while Wang Yun was killed in battle by an arrow.

Liao Hua was critical of the Shu general Jiang Wei, who continued Zhuge Liang's aggressive foreign policy against Shu's rival state, Cao Wei, by launching a series of eleven campaigns to attack Cao Wei between 240 and 262. He participated in the third and fourth campaigns in 247 and 249 respectively. In 262, when Jiang Wei was about to embark on the eleventh campaign, Liao Hua remarked: "'One who does not refrain from using military force will end up burning himself.' This is Boyue(Jiang Wei)'s current situation. He is inferior to the enemy in terms of intelligence and military power, yet he keeps attacking them. How can he expect to overcome them? The events of today are exactly as described in this line from the Classic of Poetry: 'Why were these things not before me? Or why were they not after me?'"

Life after the fall of Shu

In late 263, Shu's rival state, Cao Wei, launched a campaign to conquer Shu and succeeded in doing so within a year when the Shu emperor Liu Shan surrendered. After the fall of Shu, Liao Hua was ordered to move out of former Shu territory to the Wei capital Luoyang. He died of illness on the journey.

Liao Hua's birth year could not be determined because his age at the time of his death was not recorded in history. However, it could be deduced that he was in his 70s when he died: Around 261, when Zhuge Zhan took charge of affairs in the Shu imperial court, Liao Hua visited Zong Yu, who said: "Both of us are already above the age of 70, ..."

Sao Mi Zhou

The Sao Mi Zhou (掃迷帚; literally The broom sweeping away superstitions), a novel written by a certain Zhuangzhe (壯者; literally "strong man") during the Qing dynasty, contained a saying about Liao Hua: "There is no young reliable commander in Shu, so old generals like Liao Hua still have to be the vanguard." (蜀中無大將，廖化作先鋒)

It can be interpreted as: Shu was so lacking in young talents in its twilight years that elderly Liao Hua (more than 70 years old at that time) had to lead the vanguard of the Shu army in battle. The proverb is to describe a situation that there is a lack of young talents in a group or company and hence, old but experienced people will have to take the responsibilities themselves.

However, it can also be understood to describe a situation in which a person who is seemingly unfit for a job is forced into doing it, but is willing to face what seems to be insurmountable odds against him/her. This interpretation can be criticized as Liao Hua was adept in military affairs and he was one of a few people who experienced the whole ups and downs of the Shu Han regime. He is regarded one of four cornerstones of the late Shu Han regime in the Hanzhong region, together first with Wang Ping and Ju Fu then with Zhang Yi (Bogong) and him.

Romance of the Three Kingdoms

The 14th-century historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms has a few stories about Liao Hua which are not found in historical records.

In Chapter 27, Liao Hua, a bandit chief and former Yellow Turban rebel, encountered Guan Yu while the latter was on a quest to reunite with Liu Bei. He was thanked by Guan Yu after rescuing Liu Bei's two kidnapped wives, Lady Gan and Lady Mi, from a fellow bandit named Du Yuan, but refused to accept him as a follower owing to his bandit roots. He would only reappear in Chapter 60, joining Guan Yu as he guarded Jing Province, and as Liu Bei was entering Yi Province.

In Chapter 73, Liao Hua took control of the vanguard during Guan Yu's march on Xiangyang. He successfully lured the enemy generals Cao Ren and Zhai Yuan out of their castle, allowing Guan Yu to seize it. In the subsequent Battle of Fancheng, Liao Hua was stationed at Sizhong where he was in mutual support of Guan Ping's encampment at Yancheng. When the enemy general Xu Huang captured both Sizhong and Yancheng, Liao Hua and Guan Ping fought their way south to join Guan Yu. When Guan Yu received news that Liu Bei's territories in Jing Province had been conquered by Sun Quan's army, he retreated to Maicheng (麥城) and was besieged there by Sun's forces. In Maicheng, Liao Hua volunteered to break out of the siege and seek reinforcements from Liu Feng and Meng Da in Shangyong (上庸). However, Liu Feng and Meng Da refused to help Guan Yu, so Liao Hua had no choice but to travel to Chengdu to report the situation to Liu Bei. By then, Guan Yu had been captured in an ambush and executed by Sun Quan.

In his later life and career, Liao Hua actively participated in the Shu campaigns (Zhuge Liang's Northern Expeditions and Jiang Wei's Northern Expeditions) against Wei. One of his most celebrated moments came in Chapter 103, when Sima Yi was retreating from Shangfang Valley. Liao Hua pursued the fleeing general into a dense forest and, being a proficient horseman, was able to catch up and get close enough to strike him down. However, when Sima Yi swerved around a tree, Liao Hua missed the shot and his sword became lodged into the wood, allowing Sima Yi to escape. During the chase, however, Sima Yi dropped his golden helmet. Liao Hua took the helmet and traveled back to Zhuge Liang who rewarded him with the first grade of merit for his attempt. This event angered Wei Yan who felt Liao Hua was being unfairly praised. Zhuge Liang noticed this but said nothing, leading to a mild distaste for Wei Yan's jealousy. The helmet was henceforth used as a means of mocking and provoking the Wei army. Following Zhuge Liang's death, Liao Hua moved up the ranks under Jiang Wei, eventually receiving the second-in-command military rank of General of Chariots and Cavalry. As Jiang Wei's senior general, Liao Hua was often tasked with the most important of duties, such as leading the vanguard and dueling enemy generals. Despite his steadfast loyalty to Shu, Liao Hua disagreed with Jiang Wei's constant invasions of Wei and his attempts to claim victory through overpowering numbers, believing these tactics to be a drain on resources and morale; he let it be known that he would run the military differently if he were in command, and this led to quarrels between Jiang Wei and himself. When Liu Shan eventually submitted to Wei in Chapter 119, Liao Hua succumbed to grief and died.

生平

東漢末年，廖化擔任前將軍關羽的主簿，但因孫吳於建安二十四年（219年）襲取荊州，不久關羽戰敗身亡，廖化被迫從屬孫吳。

由於廖化思歸蜀漢，便用詐死的方式騙過人們，帶著老母親晝夜西行，以圖回到劉備身邊，而人們得知實情之後都對此感到敬佩；此時劉備正好率軍東征（見夷陵之戰），與廖化母子在秭歸相遇，劉備見到廖化歸來而大悅，當場任命其為宜都太守，其後復又任命廖化為別督，隨大軍駐紮於夷陵界，最終劉備被吳將陸遜擊敗而結束此役，宜都郡亦被孫吳收複而失去統治權。

建興元年（223年），丞相諸葛亮開府，舉蔣琬為茂才，蔣琬堅持推讓給劉邕、陰化、龐延、廖化。廖化出任丞相參軍，隨諸葛亮北伐。

建興七年（229年），諸葛亮平定武都、陰平二郡。後令廖化督廣武，領陰平太守。

延熙元年（238年）九月，廖化率兵攻打魏國守善羌侯宕蕈駐守的營寨，魏雍州刺史郭淮派遣廣魏太守王贇、南安太守游奕率兵救援，兩軍沿東西兩面分兵合進，欲夾擊廖化軍。廖化抓住機會各個擊破，游奕軍被擊退，王贇在交戰中中箭身亡。

延熙十年（247年），涼州胡王白虎文、治無戴等率眾叛魏降蜀，為魏將郭淮所破，姜維率軍迎接。次年，姜維令廖化于成重山築城守備，後被魏將郭淮所敗。但成功將胡部遷入繁縣。

延熙十二年（249年），廖化隨姜維進攻雍州，姜維遣廖化在白水南岸紮營與魏將鄧艾對峙，欲牽制鄧艾軍，藉以出兵襲取洮城。但被鄧艾識破，搶先據守洮城，姜維不能攻克，于是隨撤兵退走。

景耀二年（259年），廖化再升為右車騎將軍、假節，領并州刺史，封中鄉侯。其官位與左車騎將軍張翼相當，在鎮軍大將軍宗預之上。

景耀五年（262年），廖化於姜維出兵狄道時表示：「『兵不戢，必自焚』，伯約之謂也。智不出敵，而力少於寇，用之無厭，何以能立？詩云『不自我先，不自我後』，今日之事也。」點出了廖化對姜維連年用兵、耗損蜀漢國力的擔憂。

景耀六年（263年）夏，魏軍大舉伐蜀，廖化與張翼、董厥等率軍抵抗，廖化受命往沓中支援姜維，後隨姜維棄陰平，與張翼、董厥合軍退守劍閣，魏將鍾會始終未能攻破。是年冬，蜀主劉禪降魏，廖化等人得到劉禪投降的敕令，隨姜維在涪縣向鐘會投降，蜀漢亡。

咸熙元年（264年）春，廖化與宗預內徙洛陽，途中病死，年逾七十。

典故

• 「蜀中無大將，廖化作先鋒」

蜀漢末期缺乏年輕的傑出將領，景耀六年（263年）魏軍伐蜀之際，甚至連已過七旬的開朝元老廖化，都還要充當先鋒大將、肩負重要職務率軍抵抗。

此諺語並非出自正史記載，而是出自清末反迷信文學作品《掃迷帚》第二十四回中老儒所言：「好，好，『蜀中無大將，廖化作先鋒』，你這少年，公然充起著述名家來，怪極，怪極。」

• 「時人語曰：『前有王句，後有張廖。』」

此句出自正史《三國志·蜀志第十三·王平傳》裴松之注引《華陽國志》記載，指前期有王平、句扶，後期有張翼、廖化。意指廖化與另外三位蜀漢將領齊名。（「後有張廖」指張翼﹑廖化在時間上比較後。）

• 王平（？－248年），鎮北大將軍，安漢侯。

• 句扶（？－249年），左將軍，宕渠侯。

• 張翼（？－264年），左車騎將軍，領冀州刺史，都亭侯。

• 廖化（？－264年），右車騎將軍，假節，領并州刺史，中鄉侯。

生年

廖化生年比劉備晚，根據《三國志》記載初次登場，已是大約219年關羽敗亡之際。

根據《三國志·宗預傳》記載景耀年間「時都護諸葛瞻初統朝事，廖化過預，欲與預共詣瞻許。預曰：『吾等年逾七十，所竊已過，但少一死耳，何求於年少輩而屑屑造門邪？』」，即廖化於264年死時年過70歲，以71歲～79歲之間計算，即生年在185年～193年之間，219年關羽敗亡之際，廖化應是26歲～34歲之間。

評價

• 《華陽國志·卷七·劉後主志》：「時人語曰：『前有王（王平）、句（句扶），後有張（張翼）、廖（廖化）。』」

• 陳壽《三國志》：「以果烈稱。」

藝術形象

小說形象

《三國演義》中的廖化從184年的黃巾之亂開始，直到264年蜀漢滅亡，經歷八十年的興衰。原是黃巾賊的餘黨，黃巾之亂結束後，搶劫掠奪生存。在關羽千里尋兄之時，廖化山寨的另一個伙伴杜遠，把關羽的兩位嫂嫂搶到山上，打算將二人分作各人的妻子。廖化誓要歸還，但杜遠不聽從，廖化便將其斬殺。歸還劉備嫂嫂給關羽，打算跟隨關羽，但關羽考慮到他之前是黃巾賊，所以就此拜別。直到劉備奪得荊州後，廖化前來投靠，獲任命為關羽的主簿。在樊城之戰，東吳呂蒙襲擊荊州的時候，廖化脫出城池回蜀國找救援。劉備攻打吳國，廖化跟隨。在諸葛亮北伐的時候，曾追擊司馬懿，得其頭盔。諸葛亮死後，仍是北伐的先鋒。後姜維復國詐降鍾會，老將廖化參與姜維的計畫，但最後姜維反亂失敗，劉禪決定投降而蜀漢滅亡，蜀漢併入魏之後不久，年老的廖化病逝。

《三國人物事典》認為廖化可能是同名同姓的兩個人。但亦可能是廖化沒有直接參與黃巾之亂，而是在黃巾之亂平定後加入黃巾殘黨。《三國志·宗預傳》中記載諸葛瞻在景耀年間剛任都護時，宗預提到自己和廖化都年過七十。

《三國演義》中廖化升為「飛衛將軍」是誤用的官名，東漢、三國時代並無此名。

影視形象

• 1985年香港亞洲電視電視劇《諸葛亮》，由張天偉飾演

• 1994年中國中央電視台電視劇《三國演義》，由芒萊、陳之輝、杜文祿飾演

• 1996年台灣華視電視劇《三國英雄傳之關公》，由班鐵翔飾演

• 2001年電視劇《臥龍小諸葛》，由謝苗飾演

• 2010年中國電視劇《三國》，由夏米飾演

漫畫形象

• 《蒼天航路》（王欣太）

• 《火鳳燎原》（陳某）

遊戲

• 破局:三國終章

注釋