Huang Zhong

Huang Zhong (died 220 ), style name Hansheng, was a military general serving under the warlord Liu Bei in the late Eastern Han Dynasty. He is best known for his victory at the Battle 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.

Huang Zhong has always been portrayed in the historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms and popular culture as an elderly general with youthful vigour and constitution, and as one of the Five Tiger Generals under Liu Bei.

Life
Huang Zhong was a native of Nanyang commandery (present-day Nanyang, Henan). He initially served as a "General of the Household" (中郎將) under Liu Biao, the Governor (牧) of Jing Province. He was tasked to defend Changsha commandery (長沙郡) with Liu Biao's nephew Liu Pan. Liu Biao died in 208 and his successor, Liu Cong, surrendered Jing Province to the warlord Cao Cao. Huang Zhong was appointed as an acting Major-General (裨將軍) and he continued serving in Changsha under Han Xuan, the commandery's new Administrator (太守).

Following Cao Cao's defeat at the Battle of Red Cliffs in the same year, the victorious allied forces of Liu Bei and Sun Quan were gradually taking over the various commanderies in southern Jing Province, including Changsha. Huang Zhong actively urged Han Xuan to surrender to Liu Bei, who held strong influence in the province. Han Xuan agreed and Huang Zhong came to serve Liu Bei. Since his appointment at Jiameng (葭萌), Huang Zhong had performed well in Liu Bei's conquest of Yi Province (covering present-day Sichuan and Chongqing) from 212 to 215 — he was often the first to scale the walls of enemy cities and the first to charge into enemy formations. After Yi Province was taken, Huang Zhong was promoted to "General Who Attacks Rebels" (討虜將軍).

In 217, Liu Bei started the Hanzhong Campaign to seize control of Hanzhong commandery, which was under Cao Cao's control. His force met with resistance led by Xiahou 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 of Mount Dingjun. Alarmed by the attack, Xiahou Yuan sent Zhang 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 thus despatched a fraction of his own troops to Zhang He's rescue. Huang Zhong rallied his men and, accompanied by thundering drums, they descended upon Xiahou Yuan's dwindling 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 later conquest of Hanzhong. Huang Zhong was promoted to "General Who Attacks the West" (征西將軍) for his contributions in the Hanzhong Campaign.

In the same year, Liu Bei proclaimed himself "King of Hanzhong" (漢中王), a symbolic move comparing himself to Emperor Gao (the founder 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 and Ma 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 said, "I'll handle this myself." He still elevated all the four generals to the same status. Huang Zhong also received the title of a "Secondary Marquis" (關內侯).

Huang Zhong died in 220 and his cause of death was not specified. He was given the posthumous title of "Marquis Gang" (剛侯), literally meaning "unyielding marquis". His son, Huang Xu (黃叙), died at a young age and did not have any descendants.

Appraisal
Chen Shou, who wrote Huang Zhong's biography in the Sanguozhi, commented on the latter as follows: "Huang Zhong and Zhao Yun were fierce and mighty warriors, just like claws and teeth. Were they the successors to Guan Ying (灌嬰) and the Duke of Teng?"

In fiction
Huang Zhong is featured as a prominent character in the historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms by Luo Guanzhong, which romanticises the historical events before and during the Three Kingdoms period. In the novel, Huang Zhong was named as one of the Five Tiger Generals by Liu Bei after the latter emerged victorious in the Hanzhong Campaign in 219. Huang Zhong is portrayed as an elderly but formidable warrior who is highly skilled in archery.

See the following for some fictitious stories in Romance of the Three Kingdoms involving Huang Zhong:
 * Battle of Changsha (fictional)
 * Battle of Mount Dingjun
 * Battle of Xiaoting

Modern references
Huang Zhong is featured as a playable character in the video game series Dynasty Warriors, Kessen II and Warriors Orochi produced by Koei.

A fraternal organisation and martial arts club, the Hon Hsing Athletic Association of Vancouver, British Columbia, was established in 1939 under the patronage of the Wongs' Family Society of Canada. It is named after Huang Zhong's style name, Hansheng (漢升; Cantonese: Hon-hsing).