Zhou Yu was a close friend and 'sworn brother' to Sun Ce, the founder of the Wu state, and served his successor Sun Quan with absolute loyalty. He was famously known as 'Zhou the Beautiful' for his handsome appearance and exceptional refinement.
During the Battle of Red Cliffs, Zhou Yu stood firm against those who wanted to surrender to Cao Cao. He coordinated the alliance with Liu Bei and, alongside general Huang Gai, executed the devastating fire attack that burned Cao Cao's chained fleet to ashes.
Legend says that Zhou Yu was a master of music. Even after drinking three measures of wine, if a musician played a single wrong note, he would notice it and look at the performer. This led to the famous saying, 'If there is a mistake in the tune, Zhou้ (Master Zhou) will look.'
In the famous novel 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms', he is depicted as having a fierce rivalry with Zhuge Liang, lamenting on his deathbed: 'Since Heaven created Zhou Yu, why did it also create Zhuge Liang?' However, in history, he was a generous and broad-minded leader who died young while planning further conquests.