RHeavily surrounded the attacking Sun Ce and put him in dangerWu 10 §4
NWas defeated by Sun Ce as the great chief of Jing CountyCh. 15 §10
Zu Lang 祖郎
| Occupation | RNGeneral | Faction | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appears | RN | Biography in | |
| Existence | Historical | Mentions | R8 |
Profile
Zu Lang was a mountain bandit of Jing County. When Sun Ce was relying on his maternal uncle Wu Jing, Administrator of Danyang, Wu Jing joined forces with Sun Ce, Sun He and Lü Fan to attack him, and he was defeated and fled. Records, Wu 5 §3
Later, when Sun Ce attacked Zu Lang, he was heavily surrounded, but Cheng Pu, together with a single horseman, shielded and defended Sun Ce so that he could escape. Sun Ce attacked Zu Lang again at Lingyang, and in this battle Zu Lang and others were taken alive. Records, Wu 10 §4Records, Wu 11 §35Records, Wu 6 §31
The Records give him no biography of his own; he appears four times, in the records of Wu Jing, Cheng Pu, Lü Fan and Sun Fu, and neither his courtesy name nor his death is recorded. In the Romance he appears only in a single phrase in Chapter 15, saying that Sun Ce, made Commandant Who Cherishes Righteousness by Yuan Shu, attacked and defeated 'Zu Lang, the great chief of Jing County'; this is the only one of its 120 chapters in which he appears, and he is named in no chapter title. Records, Wu 5 §3Records, Wu 10 §4Records, Wu 11 §35Records, Wu 6 §31Romance, Ch. 15 §10
In the Records
According to the record of Wu Jing appended to the biography of Lady Wu, the wife of Sun Jian, when Wu Jing was made concurrent Administrator of Danyang on Yuan Shu's memorial, he attacked the former Administrator Zhou Xin and took over the commandery. Sun Ce, together with Sun He and Lü Fan, relied on Wu Jing, and they joined forces to attack Zu Lang, a mountain bandit of Jing County. Zu Lang was defeated and fled. Afterwards, pressed by Liu Yao, Wu Jing went north again to rely on Yuan Shu. Records, Wu 5 §3
The biography of Sun Ce likewise records that Sun Ce moved his mother to Qu'e and went with Lü Fan and Sun He to his maternal uncle Wu Jing, gathering several hundred men through his connections. The battle with Zu Lang does not appear there. Records, Wu 1 §25
According to the biography of Cheng Pu, Cheng Pu was transferred to Chief Commandant of Danyang, stayed at Shicheng, and attacked and defeated all the bandits of Xuancheng, Jing, Anwu, Lingyang and Chungu. Sun Ce had once been heavily surrounded while attacking Zu Lang, and Cheng Pu, together with a single horseman, shielded and defended him, spurring his horse, shouting loudly and charging the enemy with his spear, so that the enemy scattered and Sun Ce followed through the gap and escaped. Records, Wu 10 §4
According to the biography of Lü Fan, when Chen Yu of Xiapi styled himself Administrator of Wu Commandery, stayed at Haixi and colluded with the powerful clan leader Yan Baihu, Sun Ce personally attacked Yan Baihu and separately sent Lü Fan and Xu Yi to attack Chen Yu at Haixi. Lü Fan also followed Sun Ce to attack Zu Lang at Lingyang and Taishi Ci at Yongli, and when seven counties had been pacified he was appointed General of the Household Who Conquers Caitiffs. Records, Wu 11 §35
According to the biography of Sun Fu, when Sun Ce attacked the seven counties of Danyang, he stationed Sun Fu to the west at Liyang to hold off Yuan Shu. Sun Fu also followed Sun Ce in attacking Lingyang and took Zu Lang and others alive. Records, Wu 6 §31
In Chen Shou's text the only places where Zu Lang appears are these four records of Wu Jing, Cheng Pu, Lü Fan and Sun Fu, and neither his courtesy name, nor what happened after his capture, nor his death is recorded. Records, Wu 5 §3Records, Wu 10 §4Records, Wu 11 §35Records, Wu 6 §31
In the Romance
In Chapter 15 of the Romance, Yuan Shu, holding a banquet at Shouchun, summons Sun Ce, who has returned victorious from attacking Lu Kang, Administrator of Lujiang, and seats him at his side. The Romance then relates earlier events: Yuan Shu, who was very fond of Sun Ce, would often sigh, 'If I had a son like young Master Sun, I would die without regret!', and made him Commandant Who Cherishes Righteousness, and Sun Ce led troops to attack and defeat Zu Lang, the great chief of Jing County. Seeing Sun Ce's valor, Yuan Shu then sent him to attack Lu Kang. Romance, Ch. 15 §9–10
In the Romance, Zu Lang's name appears only in this one phrase. The account of Sun Ce's pacification of Jiangdong that follows depicts the fight with Taishi Ci and the campaign against Yan Baihu, but there is no scene in which Zu Lang is attacked again or captured. Romance, Ch. 15 §10 · 29–32 · 50
Where the Romance differs
The first fight: In Chapter 15 of the Romance, Sun Ce, after becoming Commandant Who Cherishes Righteousness under Yuan Shu, leads troops to attack and defeat Zu Lang. In the record of Wu Jing in the Records, when Sun Ce was relying on his maternal uncle Wu Jing, he joined forces with Wu Jing, Sun He and Lü Fan to attack Zu Lang, and Zu Lang was defeated and fled. Romance, Ch. 15 §10Records, Wu 5 §3
Commandant Who Cherishes Righteousness: In Chapter 15 of the Romance, Yuan Shu makes Sun Ce Commandant Who Cherishes Righteousness. In the biography of Sun Ce in the Records, the Grand Tutor Ma Midi summoned Sun Ce with due courtesy at Shouchun and submitted a memorial appointing him Commandant Who Cherishes Righteousness. Romance, Ch. 15 §10Records, Wu 1 §25
What Zu Lang is called: Chapter 15 of the Romance calls Zu Lang 'the great chief of Jing County'. The record of Wu Jing in Chen Shou's text calls him 'a mountain bandit of Jing County'. Romance, Ch. 15 §10Records, Wu 5 §3
Sun Ce surrounded: In the Romance the fight with Zu Lang appears only as a victory. In the biography of Cheng Pu in the Records, Sun Ce was heavily surrounded while attacking Zu Lang and escaped only when Cheng Pu, together with a single horseman, shielded and defended him. Romance, Ch. 15 §10Records, Wu 10 §4
Capture: The Romance has no scene of Zu Lang's capture. In the Records, Sun Ce led Lü Fan and others to attack Zu Lang at Lingyang, and Sun Fu, following him, took Zu Lang and others alive. Romance, Ch. 15 §10Records, Wu 11 §35Records, Wu 6 §31
Written by 3KDEX (not yet reviewed) — The tags at the end of each paragraph link to the exact passage in the Records volume or Romance chapter it is based on.
Abilities
The Records score (Chen Shou’s Records of the Three Kingdoms, main text) is the baseline. Each ability compares how the Romance redrew the same person, and the evidence from both sources explains the difference.
Records total369 / 1000Rank 797 of 996 · Top 81%Romance total340 / 1000Rank 959 of 1,113 · Top 87%
Romance adaptation index−29Romance total − Records total
- LEA5040−10
- STR4540−5
- INT3533−2
- POL3131±0
- CHA4235−7
- VIR3535±0
- ADP3833−5
- SCH3131±0
- DIP3131±0
- DIS3131±0
Abilities shaped by the Romance — where it differs from the Records Differences of 10 or more
9 similar abilities — show evidence
RNo direct record — estimated from his conduct as a bandit leaderWu 10 §4
NNo direct record — estimated from his conduct as leader of a bandCh. 15 §10
RNo direct record — estimated from his conduct as a bandit leaderWu 5 §3
NNo direct record — estimated from his conduct as leader of a bandCh. 15 §10
RNo direct record — estimated from his conduct as a bandit leaderWu 5 §3
NNo direct record — estimated from his conduct as leader of a bandCh. 15 §10
RNo direct record — estimated from his leading a followingWu 10 §4
NNo direct record — estimated from his conduct as leader of a bandCh. 15 §10
RRecorded as a mountain bandit of Jing CountyWu 5 §3
NNo direct record — estimated from his conduct as leader of a bandCh. 15 §10
RWas defeated and fled, then was captured at LingyangWu 5 §3Wu 6 §31
NNo direct record — estimated from his conduct as leader of a bandCh. 15 §10
RNo direct record — estimated from his conduct as a bandit leaderWu 5 §3
NNo direct record — estimated from his conduct as leader of a bandCh. 15 §10
RNo direct record — estimated from his conduct as a bandit leaderWu 5 §3
NNo direct record — estimated from his conduct as leader of a bandCh. 15 §10
RNo direct record — estimated from his conduct as a bandit leaderWu 5 §3
NNo direct record — estimated from his conduct as leader of a bandCh. 15 §10
Records Romance Unverified No direct record; scored from their actions (evidence grade C)
3KDEX scoring — the Records use the main text of Chen Shou’s Records of the Three Kingdoms; the Romance uses the 120-chapter Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Click a source tag to open that passage in the reader.
Romance chapters (1)
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