Is “At the Battle of Red Cliffs, he advocated surrendering to Cao Cao and was refuted by Zhuge Liang in a war of words.” true?
based on fact
According to the Records of the Three Kingdoms, Book of Wu, Biography of Zhang Zhao, Zhang Zhao advocated welcoming Cao Cao because of the disparity in numbers; however, the scene in the novel where he is refuted by Zhuge Liang in the 'debate with the scholars' is fictional.
Zhang Zhao
In official history, Zhang Zhao was a steadfast and outspoken minister who aided the Jiangdong regime; in the novel, he is often portrayed as a scholar who advocated surrender.