Huang Zhong | |
|---|---|
| 黃忠 | |
 AQing dynasty illustration of Huang Zhong | |
| General of the Rear (後將軍) | |
| In office 219 (219) – 220 (220) | |
| Monarch | Liu Bei |
| General Who Attacks the West (征西將軍) (underLiu Bei) | |
| In office 218 (218) – 219 (219) | |
| Monarch | Emperor Xian of Han |
| General Who Attacks Barbarians (討虜將軍) (underLiu Bei) | |
| In office 214 (214) – 218 (218) | |
| Monarch | Emperor Xian of Han |
| Major-General (裨將軍) | |
| In office 208 (208) – 214 (214) | |
| Monarch | Emperor Xian of Han |
| Chancellor | Cao Cao |
| General of the Household (中郎將) (underLiu Biao) | |
| In office ? – 208 (208) | |
| Monarch | Emperor Xian of Han |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Unknown Nanyang, Henan |
| Died | 220[1] |
| Children | Huang Xu |
| Occupation | Military general |
| Courtesy name | Hansheng (漢升) |
| Posthumous name | Marquis Gang (剛侯) |
| Peerage | Secondary Marquis (關內侯) |
Huang Zhong (pronunciationⓘ,pinyin:Huáng Zhōng) (died 220),courtesy nameHansheng, was a Chinese military general serving under the warlordLiu Bei during the lateEastern Han dynasty of China. He is best known for his victory at theBattle of Mount Dingjun in 219, in which his force routed that of an enemy general,Xiahou Yuan, who was killed in action during the raid.[1]
Huang Zhong is portrayed in the 14th-century historical novelRomance of the Three Kingdoms and popular culture as an elderly general with youthful vigour and constitution, and as one of theFive Tiger Generals under Liu Bei.
Huang Zhong was fromNanyang Commandery, which is around present-dayNanyang, Henan. He initially served as a General of the Household (中郎將) underLiu Biao, the Governor ofJing Province. He was tasked to defendChangsha Commandery with Liu Biao's nephew,Liu Pan. Liu Biao died in 208 and his successor,Liu Cong, surrendered Jing Province to the warlordCao Cao. Huang Zhong was appointed as an actingMajor-General (裨將軍) and he continued serving in Changsha underHan Xuan, the commandery administrator.[2]
Following Cao Cao's defeat at theBattle of Red Cliffs in the same year, the victorious allied forces ofLiu Bei andSun Quan gradually took over the various commanderies in southern Jing Province, including Changsha. Han Xuan surrendered Changsha, and Huang Zhong came to serve under Liu Bei. Since receiving a military appointment at Jiameng (葭萌; present-dayZhaohua District,Guangyuan,Sichuan), Huang Zhong had performed well in Liu Bei'sconquest ofYi Province (covering present-daySichuan andChongqing) from 212 to 214, – he was always the first to charge into enemy formations and among the army; none could match his martial prowess and bravery. After Yi Province was taken, Huang Zhong was promoted to General Who Attacks Rebels (討虜將軍).[3]
In 217, Liu Bei starteda campaign to seize control ofHanzhong Commandery, which was under Cao Cao's control. His force encountered resistance led byXiahou Yuan at Yangping Pass. The confrontation dragged on for more than a year until one night in 219, when Liu Bei set fire to the barbed fence around Xiahou Yuan's camp at the foot ofMount Dingjun. Alarmed by the attack, Xiahou Yuan sentZhang He to defend the eastern corner of the camp while he guarded the south. Liu Bei's main force pressed against Zhang He, outmatching the latter. Xiahou Yuan dispatched a fraction of his own troops to help Zhang He. Even though Xiahou Yuan's soldiers were far more experienced, Huang Zhong still rallied his men and accompanied by thundering drums with impressive shouts, they descended upon Xiahou Yuan's force. The battle became a rout and Xiahou Yuan was killed in action. The victory at Mount Dingjun was a major stepping stone to the conquest of Hanzhong. Huang Zhong was promoted to General Who Attacks the West (征西將軍) for his contributions in the Hanzhong Campaign.[4]
In the same year, Liu Bei proclaimed himself "King of Hanzhong" (漢中王) – a symbolic move comparing himself toEmperor Gao, the founding emperor of the Han dynasty. He wanted to appoint Huang Zhong as General of the Rear (後將軍), placing the latter on the same level as three other senior generals:Guan Yu,Zhang Fei andMa Chao. However,Zhuge Liang told Liu Bei: "Huang Zhong's fame is far from that of Guan Yu and Ma Chao. If they are all given equal status, Zhang Fei and Ma Chao will probably not object because they have been with Huang Zhong all this while and have witnessed his contributions, but Guan Yu is stationed far away and he may not agree with this arrangement." Liu Bei answered: "I will handle this myself." and taskedFei Shi with travelling toJing Province to informGuan Yu about his appointment. Then, he elevated all the four generals to the same status. Huang Zhong also received the title of a Secondary Marquis (關內侯).[5]
Huang Zhong died in 220 and his cause of death was not specified. In October or November 260,Liu Shan awarded Huang Zhong theposthumous title "Marquis Gang" (剛侯), which literally means "unyielding marquis".[6] Huang Zhong's son, Huang Xu (黃叙), had already died at a young age before him and did not have any descendants.[7]
Huang Zhong's tomb was first discovered inChengdu during theQing dynasty in 1825. The tomb was repaired and a temple dedicated to him was built next to it. The temple, the statue, the plaques, and the tomb were heavily damaged with its coffin emptied during theCultural Revolution.[citation needed]
Chen Shou, who wrote Huang Zhong's biography in theSanguozhi, commented on the latter as follows: "Huang Zhong andZhao Yun were fierce and mighty warriors, just like claws and teeth. Were they the successors toGuan andTeng?"[8]
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Huang Zhong is featured as a prominent character in the historical novelRomance of the Three Kingdoms byLuo Guanzhong, which romanticises the historical events before and during theThree Kingdoms period. In the novel, Huang Zhong was named one of theFive Tiger Generals byLiu Bei after Liu emerged victorious in theHanzhong Campaign in 219. In the novel, Huang Zhong is portrayed as an elderly warrior highly skilled in archery.
See the following for some fictitious stories inRomance of the Three Kingdoms involving Huang Zhong:
Huang Zhong is featured as a playable character in the video game seriesDynasty Warriors,Kessen II, andWarriors Orochi produced byKoei, as well as in theCapcom gameDestiny of an Emperor released for the originalNintendo Entertainment System.
Huang Zhong is featured on a card in theThree Kingdoms Portal of the card gameMagic: The Gathering.[9]
A Chinese-Canadian youth organization and martial arts club specializing in traditional Chinese cultural arts, the Hon Hsing Athletic Club ofVancouver (雲高華漢升體育會),British Columbia, was established in 1939 under the patronage of the Wongs' Benevolent Association of Canada. It is named after Huang Zhong'scourtesy name, Hansheng (漢升; Cantonese:Hon Hsing).
Huang Zhong is a potential skin for the characterHanzo Shimada in the video gameOverwatch. It was released in 2019 as part of the Chinese New Year event "Year of the Pig".
USSHuang Zhong is the name of anArcher-class scoutship which appears in theStar Trek novelThat Which Divides, byDayton Ward.
Huang Zhong appears inTotal War: Three Kingdoms as a playable character, serving underLiu Biao's faction.