Zhang Bao 張苞 | |
|---|---|
 AQing dynasty portrait of Zhang Bao | |
| Born | Unknown |
| Died | Unknown |
| Children | Zhang Zun |
| Father | Zhang Fei |
| Relatives | Zhang Shao (brother) Empress Jing'ai (sister) Empress Zhang (sister) |
Zhang Bao (fl. third century) was the eldest son ofZhang Fei, a general who served the warlordLiu Bei during the lateEastern Han dynasty and the state ofShu Han during theThree Kingdoms period of China. Little is known about Zhang Bao's life because Zhang Fei's biography in the historical textRecords of the Three Kingdoms only mentioned that he was Zhang Fei's eldest son and that he died early.[1]
Zhang Bao had a son, Zhang Zun (張遵), who served as a Master of Writing (尚書) in the Shu government and was killed in battle atMianzhu in 263 during theConquest of Shu by Wei.[2][3] Zhang Bao also had a younger brother, Zhang Shao (張紹), who inherited their father's peerage and served as a Supervisor of the Masters of Writing (尚書僕射) in the Shu government. After the fall of Shu in 263, Zhang Shao was enfeoffed as a marquis by the Wei government along with many other former Shu officials who surrendered.[4]
Zhang Bao appears as a character in the 14th-century historical novelRomance of the Three Kingdoms, which romanticises the historical events before and during theThree Kingdoms period. He makes his first appearance in the novel when he informsLiu Bei of his father's assassination just before theBattle of Yiling. Zhang Bao meetsGuan Xing, Guan Yu's second son, and competes with him for the position of leading the vanguard force into battle. After nearly coming to blows, Zhang Bao and Guan Xing are stopped by Liu Bei, who forces them to become oath brothers in the same manner he did with their fathers many years ago. The two are regularly depicted together from that moment onwards.
In the novel, Zhang Bao is involved in several military campaigns, including the disastrous Battle of Xiaoting andZhuge Liang'sNorthern Expeditions against Shu's rival stateWei. In the third Northern Expedition, Zhang Bao falls into a gully while pursuing the Wei generalsGuo Huai andSun Li, and later dies from the resulting injuries. When Zhuge Liang learns of Zhang Bao's death, he becomes so upset that he coughs blood and faints.
Zhang Bao is first introduced as a playable character in theeighth instalment ofKoei'sDynasty Warriors video game series. In theninth instalment, his mother isXiahou Ji (Xiahou Yuan's niece and Zhang Fei's only known wife), making him a brother ofXingcai.
Zhang Bao's rivalry with Guan Xing and his involvement in theNorthern Expeditions are depicted in the 2008 filmThree Kingdoms: Resurrection of the Dragon.