Huang Zu
Encyclopedia
Huang Zu was a military general serving under the warlord Liu Biao
during the late Han Dynasty
period of Chinese history
. He was an experienced naval commander, and was most famous for having skillful warriors like Sun Jian
and Ling Cao
killed in battle.
as a Han
bureaucrat when he grew up. After the Han noble Liu Biao
arrived at his post of the governor of Jingzhou
, Huang Zu allied himself with his supposed supervisor, and focused on guarding the West entrance of the province (a powerful warlord, Yuan Shu, had his base West to Jing Province) for Liu Biao. In return, Liu Biao supported Huang Zu's massive navy with financial aid during peace-time, and military assistance during critical moments. But Huang remained largely independent from Liu, and enjoyed autonomy over Jiangxia.
disbanded, the former members of the alliance polarized greatly; Yuan Shao
, the leader of the alliance, feuded against his half brother, Yuan Shu
, and obtained the alliance of Liu Biao. In opposition, Yuan Shu succeed in requesting Sun Jian
of Changsha to attack Liu Biao's territories.
To fight Sun Jian, Liu Biao assigned the defense to his most capable military personnel at the time, Huang Zu, who immediately led his army to counter Sun Jian's offensive around the city of Fan and the city of Dang, but Huang was defeated. Seeing that Sun Jian cannot be defeated on open fields, Huang fled to Xiangyang, Liu's capital, for a final defense. The battle went in Sun Jian's favor until one night; when Huang Zu led a contingent of soldiers to perform a sneak attack on Sun Jian's camp. Although Huang's tactic failed, Sun Jian was shot by a stray arrow when he was pursuing Huang inside a forest. In the historical novel, Romance of the Three Kingdoms
, it is said that Sun Jian was slain due to a ploy by Kuai Liang
and Lü Gong
, two of Liu Biao's subordinates, and Huang Zu was captured by Sun Ce, but released so that Sun Ce could retrieve his father's body in exchange. Historically, Huang Zu was never captured by Sun Ce, and was credited by the Records of the Three Kingdoms to be the sole person responsible for Sun Jian's death.
to the east with the intent of fulfilling his father's legacy. Liu feared Sun Ce, who earned himself the nickname "Little Conqueror" after his conquest of Jiangdong, would become a threat to him. Therefore, he urged Huang to attack Sun Ce at Shaxian, while the latter was fighting the Prefect of Lujiang, Liu Xun
.
Sun Ce quickly defeated Liu Xun and turned his attention to his nemesis, Huang Zu, bringing with him his cousins, Sun Ben
and Sun Fu
, as well as his chief lieutenant, Zhou Yu
, and his trusted general, Taishi Ci
. Huang Zu, on the other hand, sent his son, Huang She, and the nephew of Liu Biao, Liu Pan
, to do battle. Both sides devoted much effort into this war, especially the house of Huang, yet Sun Ce's navy overcame Huang Zu's, taking the heads of tens of thousands, including almost all of Huang Zu's family. Huang fell back to Jiangxia, and Sun Ce expanded a bit of his power into the outskirts of Jing Province during the counterattack.
In the year 200 AD, the Imperial Protector, Cao Cao
, sent the famed scholar, Mi Heng
, to Liu Biao in order to be rid of Mi, who was intolerably rude. Liu Biao was indeed insulted by Mi Heng's lack of respect, and thus he sent Mi to the short-tempered Huang Zu. Huang at first was eager to be in the presence of Mi Heng; however, after being insulted, he beheaded Mi out of pride.
, succeeded him. In 203 AD, Sun Quan launched an attack on Xiakou, just outside of Jiangxia, in an attempt to avenge his father. Ling Cao
, a veteran warrior who gained much fame during the service to Sun Ce, was appointed by Sun Quan as the vanguard; however, with a light but elite force. Ling's small detachment arrived the battlefield before Sun Quan and the main army could arrive, yet he charged ahead of all men, and dashed uninterruptedly to the commanding heart of Huang Zu's army, and all of a sudden Huang's massive army was impaired to function. Totally caught unprepared, Huang Zu ran for his life in a hurry, then the whole army was chasing its commander in retreat. As Huang's army was collapsing, one of Huang Zu's subordinates, Gan Ning
, aimed the ferocious Ling Cao from a corner, and fired an arrow that claimed Ling's life. Thus, the breathless Huang Zu was able to return to the walled city of Jiangxia. Ironically, Gan Ning did not receive any reward from Huang for saving him at such a critical moment; in contrast, the embarrassed Huang Zu even blamed Gan for the loss (Huang blamed the loss as a result of Gan Ning's past as a pirate). The unhappy Gan then heeded the advice of his comrade, Su Fei
, to defect to the Sun's camp.
Sun Quan withdrew his force after losing Ling Cao, and over the years, he had been having battles with Huang Zu from time to time, but none of the battles fought were conclusive or of a large scale, because Sun Quan had been focusing on pacifying rebellions within his domain.
, as the vanguard, and Lu Meng
as the naval commandant. In response, Huang Zu assigned his general Zhang Shuo as the vanguard, and Chen Jiu as the admiral; unlike last time, Huang Zu had learned to avoid personal involvement in the front line, and stayed behind the high walls of Jiangxia city.
Before the battle started, Zhang Shuo led his troop on a large vessel to check out the riverbank, but was located by Ling Tong, who was also checking out the area. At the time, Ling Tong only had tens of his closest warriors on a light vessel, yet he was able to climb Zhang Shuo's vessel probably under the cover of nightfall or the disguise as Zhang's own men, and surprise attacked his enemy. Zhang Shuo was slain by Ling Tong in a duel, and his mariners were captured.
Upon hearing the news that Zhang Shuo was killed, Huang Zu immediately ordered Chen Jiu to block the entrance of MianKou River with two of his largest vessels (Mengchongs) at the choke point. In addition, Huang had strong men and archers ambushed on top of the cliff next to the river to throw down rocks and fire on large enemy vessels. To bring down Huang Zu's Mengchongs, Sun Quan sent out his large vessels, but only to be destroyed by the rocks thrown down from the cliff. After several hours of fighting, Sun Quan realized Huang Zu's arsenals were not that unchecked, and that Sun's own men were exhausted and dealt with casualties by the heavy fire from the elite archers on the Mengchongs. To change the tide of battle, Sun Quan had Ling Tong and Dong Xi
, along with 100 commandos don two suits of armour each and charged towards the enemy despite the rain of rocks from the cliff and heavy fire from the vessels. Through bloody fightings, Ling and Dong finally succeeded in breaking the connections between the two vessels, and the downfall of the Mengchong aspired Eastern Wu forces' fighting spirit. Then, Lu Meng personally led the full assault and scored a complete victory over the massive navy of Chen Jiu. While Lu Meng killed Chen Jiu on a boat, Ling Tong had already breached the city walls of Jiangxia. At the end, Huang Zu was captured when he was trying to flee the city, and was subsequently killed by Sun Quan.
Liu Biao
Liu Biao , style name Jingsheng , was a warlord and the governor of Jing Province during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. He was a member of the extended family of the Han Dynasty emperors...
during the late Han Dynasty
Han Dynasty
The Han Dynasty was the second imperial dynasty of China, preceded by the Qin Dynasty and succeeded by the Three Kingdoms . It was founded by the rebel leader Liu Bang, known posthumously as Emperor Gaozu of Han. It was briefly interrupted by the Xin Dynasty of the former regent Wang Mang...
period of Chinese history
History of China
Chinese civilization originated in various regional centers along both the Yellow River and the Yangtze River valleys in the Neolithic era, but the Yellow River is said to be the Cradle of Chinese Civilization. With thousands of years of continuous history, China is one of the world's oldest...
. He was an experienced naval commander, and was most famous for having skillful warriors like Sun Jian
Sun Jian
Sun Jian was a military general and warlord during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. He allied himself with Yuan Shu in 190 when warlords from eastern China formed a coalition to oust Dong Zhuo, a tyrannical warlord who held the puppet Emperor Xian in his power...
and Ling Cao
Ling Cao
Ling Cao was a military officer serving under the warlord Sun Ce during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. He was the father of Ling Tong.-Early life:...
killed in battle.
Background
Huang was born in an influential family rooted in Jingzhou, and became the Prefect of JiangxiaJiangxia
Jiangxia District is one of the administrative districts within the City of Wuhan. Jiangxia district has an area of 2,009 km² and a population of 680,000....
as a Han
Han
-China:* China , an abbreviation or adjectival modifier for things Chinese* Han Chinese , the dominant majority ethnic group of China and overseas Chinese...
bureaucrat when he grew up. After the Han noble Liu Biao
Liu Biao
Liu Biao , style name Jingsheng , was a warlord and the governor of Jing Province during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. He was a member of the extended family of the Han Dynasty emperors...
arrived at his post of the governor of Jingzhou
Jingzhou
Jingzhou is a prefecture-level city in Hubei Province, People's Republic of China. The city is located on the banks of the Yangtze River.Its population is 5,691,707 at the 2010 census whom 1,154,086 in the built up area made of 3 urban districts.-Geography:Jingzhou occupies an area of...
, Huang Zu allied himself with his supposed supervisor, and focused on guarding the West entrance of the province (a powerful warlord, Yuan Shu, had his base West to Jing Province) for Liu Biao. In return, Liu Biao supported Huang Zu's massive navy with financial aid during peace-time, and military assistance during critical moments. But Huang remained largely independent from Liu, and enjoyed autonomy over Jiangxia.
Battle of Xiangyang
After the alliance against Dong ZhuoCampaign against Dong Zhuo
The Campaign against Dong Zhuo was a punitive expedition initiated by a coalition of regional officials and warlords against Dong Zhuo, Chancellor of State, in 190 during the late Han Dynasty of Chinese history...
disbanded, the former members of the alliance polarized greatly; Yuan Shao
Yuan Shao
Yuan Shao was a warlord during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. He occupied the northern territories of China during the civil war that occurred towards the end of the Han Dynasty and the beginning of the Three Kingdoms era...
, the leader of the alliance, feuded against his half brother, Yuan Shu
Yuan Shu
Yuan Shu was a warlord during the late Han Dynasty era of Chinese history. He rose to prominence following the collapse of the imperial court in 189. He was said to be a younger cousin of the warlord Yuan Shao, but was actually Yuan Shao's younger half-brother...
, and obtained the alliance of Liu Biao. In opposition, Yuan Shu succeed in requesting Sun Jian
Sun Jian
Sun Jian was a military general and warlord during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. He allied himself with Yuan Shu in 190 when warlords from eastern China formed a coalition to oust Dong Zhuo, a tyrannical warlord who held the puppet Emperor Xian in his power...
of Changsha to attack Liu Biao's territories.
To fight Sun Jian, Liu Biao assigned the defense to his most capable military personnel at the time, Huang Zu, who immediately led his army to counter Sun Jian's offensive around the city of Fan and the city of Dang, but Huang was defeated. Seeing that Sun Jian cannot be defeated on open fields, Huang fled to Xiangyang, Liu's capital, for a final defense. The battle went in Sun Jian's favor until one night; when Huang Zu led a contingent of soldiers to perform a sneak attack on Sun Jian's camp. Although Huang's tactic failed, Sun Jian was shot by a stray arrow when he was pursuing Huang inside a forest. In the historical novel, Romance of the Three Kingdoms
Romance of the Three Kingdoms
Romance of the Three Kingdoms, written by Luo Guanzhong in the 14th century, is a Chinese historical novel based on the events in the turbulent years near the end of the Han Dynasty and the Three Kingdoms era of Chinese history, starting in 169 and ending with the reunification of the land in...
, it is said that Sun Jian was slain due to a ploy by Kuai Liang
Kuai Liang
Kuai Liang, style name Zirou , was an advisor to the warlord Liu Biao during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. He was a native of Zhonglu, Nan Commandery...
and Lü Gong
Lü Gong
Lü Gong was a military general serving under the warlord Liu Biao during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. During the Battle of Xiangyang, Lü was responsible for luring Sun Jian into an ambush set by Kuai Liang, which caused Sun's death....
, two of Liu Biao's subordinates, and Huang Zu was captured by Sun Ce, but released so that Sun Ce could retrieve his father's body in exchange. Historically, Huang Zu was never captured by Sun Ce, and was credited by the Records of the Three Kingdoms to be the sole person responsible for Sun Jian's death.
Efforts against Sun Ce's expansion
With Sun Jian gone, Yuan Shu alone was unable to bypass Huang Zu to take over Jingzhou, so Liu Biao could concentrate on building up power in the province. However, as the years passed, Sun Jian's son, Sun Ce grew up, and successfully built an army in Yang ProvinceYangzhou
Yangzhou is a prefecture-level city in central Jiangsu Province, People's Republic of China. Sitting on the northern bank of the Yangtze River, it borders the provincial capital of Nanjing to the southwest, Huai'an to the north, Yancheng to the northeast, Taizhou to the east, and Zhenjiang across...
to the east with the intent of fulfilling his father's legacy. Liu feared Sun Ce, who earned himself the nickname "Little Conqueror" after his conquest of Jiangdong, would become a threat to him. Therefore, he urged Huang to attack Sun Ce at Shaxian, while the latter was fighting the Prefect of Lujiang, Liu Xun
Liu Xun
Liu Xun was the eldest son of the warlord Liu Zhang during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. At one time, Liu Zhang gave permission to Liu Xun to attack Liu Bei at Chengdu, but he ended up being defeated. However, in history Liu Xun actually held off attacks that were led by Liu Bei...
.
Sun Ce quickly defeated Liu Xun and turned his attention to his nemesis, Huang Zu, bringing with him his cousins, Sun Ben
Sun Ben
Sun Ben, style name Boyang , was the eldest son of Sun Qiang and older brother of Sun Fu. He was three years older than Sun Ce. He served Sun Jian first in the campaign against Dong Zhuo. After Sun Jian's death, he took control of the army and went to serve Yuan Shu. He would soon rejoin Sun Ce....
and Sun Fu
Sun Fu
Sun Fu, style name Guoyi , was a military general serving under the warlord Sun Quan during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history.-Biography:...
, as well as his chief lieutenant, Zhou Yu
Zhou Yu
Zhou Yu was a military general and strategist who served his close friend, the warlord Sun Ce, during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history...
, and his trusted general, Taishi Ci
Taishi Ci
Taishi Ci was a military general during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. He served several warlords, including Kong Rong, Liu Yao, and Sun Ce.-Early life:...
. Huang Zu, on the other hand, sent his son, Huang She, and the nephew of Liu Biao, Liu Pan
Liu Pan
Liu Pan was a military general serving under the warlord Liu Bei during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. Liu Pan was the nephew of Liu Biao, governor of Jing Province. Liu Pan at one time led many courageous attacks on Yang and fought against Taishi Ci of Eastern Wu. After the Battle...
, to do battle. Both sides devoted much effort into this war, especially the house of Huang, yet Sun Ce's navy overcame Huang Zu's, taking the heads of tens of thousands, including almost all of Huang Zu's family. Huang fell back to Jiangxia, and Sun Ce expanded a bit of his power into the outskirts of Jing Province during the counterattack.
In the year 200 AD, the Imperial Protector, Cao Cao
Cao Cao
Cao Cao was a warlord and the penultimate chancellor of the Eastern Han Dynasty who rose to great power during the dynasty's final years. As one of the central figures of the Three Kingdoms period, he laid the foundations for what was to become the state of Cao Wei and was posthumously titled...
, sent the famed scholar, Mi Heng
Mi Heng
Mi Heng was a scholar who lived during the late Han Dynasty of China.Mi was a close friend of Kong Rong, who recommended Mi Heng to Cao Cao. Cao Cao summoned Mi Heng to the capital of Xuchang but did not offer Mi Heng a seat...
, to Liu Biao in order to be rid of Mi, who was intolerably rude. Liu Biao was indeed insulted by Mi Heng's lack of respect, and thus he sent Mi to the short-tempered Huang Zu. Huang at first was eager to be in the presence of Mi Heng; however, after being insulted, he beheaded Mi out of pride.
Battle of Xiakou
As a result of an assassination, Sun Ce died, and his younger brother, Sun QuanSun Quan
Sun Quan , son of Sun Jian, formally Emperor Da of Wu, was the founder of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history. He ruled from 222 to 229 as King of Wu and from 229 to 252 as Emperor of Wu....
, succeeded him. In 203 AD, Sun Quan launched an attack on Xiakou, just outside of Jiangxia, in an attempt to avenge his father. Ling Cao
Ling Cao
Ling Cao was a military officer serving under the warlord Sun Ce during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. He was the father of Ling Tong.-Early life:...
, a veteran warrior who gained much fame during the service to Sun Ce, was appointed by Sun Quan as the vanguard; however, with a light but elite force. Ling's small detachment arrived the battlefield before Sun Quan and the main army could arrive, yet he charged ahead of all men, and dashed uninterruptedly to the commanding heart of Huang Zu's army, and all of a sudden Huang's massive army was impaired to function. Totally caught unprepared, Huang Zu ran for his life in a hurry, then the whole army was chasing its commander in retreat. As Huang's army was collapsing, one of Huang Zu's subordinates, Gan Ning
Gan Ning
Gan Ning was a military general serving under the warlord Sun Quan during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. He was born in Linjiang, Ba Commandery .-Early life as a pirate:...
, aimed the ferocious Ling Cao from a corner, and fired an arrow that claimed Ling's life. Thus, the breathless Huang Zu was able to return to the walled city of Jiangxia. Ironically, Gan Ning did not receive any reward from Huang for saving him at such a critical moment; in contrast, the embarrassed Huang Zu even blamed Gan for the loss (Huang blamed the loss as a result of Gan Ning's past as a pirate). The unhappy Gan then heeded the advice of his comrade, Su Fei
Su Fei
Su Fei was a military general serving under the warlord Liu Biao during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. He was a subordinate of Huang Zu and fought in the Battle of Xiakou against Sun Quan's forces...
, to defect to the Sun's camp.
Sun Quan withdrew his force after losing Ling Cao, and over the years, he had been having battles with Huang Zu from time to time, but none of the battles fought were conclusive or of a large scale, because Sun Quan had been focusing on pacifying rebellions within his domain.
Downfall
In the spring of 208 AD, the defected Gan Ning suggested his new lord, Sun Quan to prepare a full assault on Jiangxia with the reasons that Huang was old now and that he had not replenish his arsenal for some time. Sun Quan would take Gan Ning's advice, and this time, he ordered Ling Cao's son, Ling TongLing Tong
Ling Tong was a military general of the state of Eastern Wu during the late Han Dynasty and Three Kingdoms era of Chinese history. He started his service to the Sun family since his childhood, and throughout his entire life, he had been contributing to the foundation and solidification of Eastern Wu...
, as the vanguard, and Lu Meng
Lü Meng
Lü Meng was a military general serving under the warlord Sun Quan during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. He served as the commanding general in the invasion of Jing Province that led to the death of Guan Yu.-Early life:Lü Meng was born in Fupo, Runan Commandery in 178...
as the naval commandant. In response, Huang Zu assigned his general Zhang Shuo as the vanguard, and Chen Jiu as the admiral; unlike last time, Huang Zu had learned to avoid personal involvement in the front line, and stayed behind the high walls of Jiangxia city.
Before the battle started, Zhang Shuo led his troop on a large vessel to check out the riverbank, but was located by Ling Tong, who was also checking out the area. At the time, Ling Tong only had tens of his closest warriors on a light vessel, yet he was able to climb Zhang Shuo's vessel probably under the cover of nightfall or the disguise as Zhang's own men, and surprise attacked his enemy. Zhang Shuo was slain by Ling Tong in a duel, and his mariners were captured.
Upon hearing the news that Zhang Shuo was killed, Huang Zu immediately ordered Chen Jiu to block the entrance of MianKou River with two of his largest vessels (Mengchongs) at the choke point. In addition, Huang had strong men and archers ambushed on top of the cliff next to the river to throw down rocks and fire on large enemy vessels. To bring down Huang Zu's Mengchongs, Sun Quan sent out his large vessels, but only to be destroyed by the rocks thrown down from the cliff. After several hours of fighting, Sun Quan realized Huang Zu's arsenals were not that unchecked, and that Sun's own men were exhausted and dealt with casualties by the heavy fire from the elite archers on the Mengchongs. To change the tide of battle, Sun Quan had Ling Tong and Dong Xi
Dong Xi
Dong Xi was a military general serving under the warlord Sun family of Eastern Wu during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. He hailed from Yuyao county, Kuaiji commandery , and entered Sun Ce's camp when the later pacified Jiangdong...
, along with 100 commandos don two suits of armour each and charged towards the enemy despite the rain of rocks from the cliff and heavy fire from the vessels. Through bloody fightings, Ling and Dong finally succeeded in breaking the connections between the two vessels, and the downfall of the Mengchong aspired Eastern Wu forces' fighting spirit. Then, Lu Meng personally led the full assault and scored a complete victory over the massive navy of Chen Jiu. While Lu Meng killed Chen Jiu on a boat, Ling Tong had already breached the city walls of Jiangxia. At the end, Huang Zu was captured when he was trying to flee the city, and was subsequently killed by Sun Quan.