In the early Jian'an era (196-220) of the reign of Emperor Xian, when famines broke out, Fa Zheng and his friend Meng Da travelled to Yi Province (益州; covering present-day Sichuan and Chongqing) to join the provincial governor, Liu Zhang.
Their opportunity arrived in 211,[REF] when Liu Zhang became fearful upon receiving news that Cao Cao was planning to attack the warlord Zhang Lu in Hanzhong, a commandery serving as the northern gateway into Yi Province.