Xing Daorong 邢道榮

In Chapter 52 of the Romance, Liu Bei, having taken Jing Province, Nan Commandery and Xiangyang, follows Ma Liang's advice to attack Lingling first among the four southern commanderies; making Zhang Fei the vanguard and Zhao Yun the rear guard, he forms the central army together with Zhuge Liang and leads 15,000 men and horses. When Liu Du, Administrator of Lingling, consults his son Liu Xian, Liu Xian says that though the enemy have brave generals such as Zhang Fei and Zhao Yun, their own commandery has the senior general Xing Daorong, whose strength is a match for ten thousand men. Liu Du gives Liu Xian and Xing Daorong more than 10,000 troops and has them pitch camp 30 li from the city, backed by the hills and close to the water. Romance, Ch. 52 §11 · 13–15

At the report that Zhuge Liang is coming in person, Xing Daorong goes out carrying his mountain-splitting great axe and shouts, how dare the rebels violate their borders? Zhuge Liang, seated in a four-wheeled carriage, beckons to him with his feather fan and tells him to surrender early, since even Cao Cao's army of a million was cut down by a small stratagem of his until not a scrap of armor returned; Xing Daorong laughs loudly, saying that the battle of Red Cliffs was the scheme of Zhou Lang (Zhou Yu) and had nothing to do with him, and charges at him swinging his great axe. When Zhuge Liang turns his carriage and flees into his lines, Xing Daorong, reckoning that Zhuge Liang must be with the cluster of yellow banners in the center, pursues with his eyes on those banners alone. Romance, Ch. 52 §15–17

As he rounds the foot of a hill, Zhang Fei appears in place of the four-wheeled carriage, and within a few bouts Xing Daorong's strength fails and he flees, only to find his way blocked by Zhao Yun. With nowhere to run, he dismounts and asks to surrender, and when Zhao Yun binds him and brings him in, Liu Bei orders him beheaded. Zhuge Liang stops this and says he will accept his surrender if he captures Liu Xian and brings him back, and Xing Daorong says that if the Army Instructor raids their camp tonight, he will act as an inside accomplice, capture Liu Xian and present him. Liu Bei does not believe him, but Zhuge Liang sends him back, saying, 'General Xing is not a man who tells lies.' Romance, Ch. 52 §18–20

Returning to his camp, Xing Daorong tells Liu Xian truthfully what has happened and urges him to turn the plan back on its makers: to set troops in ambush outside the camp, leave only banners standing inside it, and capture Zhuge Liang when he comes to raid it. That night at the second watch, a band of troops sets fire to the camp entrance and pulls back, and Liu Xian and Xing Daorong pursue for more than ten li but see no troops; hurrying back, they find Zhang Fei bursting out from inside the camp. At Liu Xian's word they turn their troops to raid Zhuge Liang's camp, but before they have gone ten li, Zhao Yun charges out at them from the flank, and with a single thrust of his spear Xing Daorong is run through and falls from his horse. Romance, Ch. 52 §20–22

Liu Xian, taken alive by Zhang Fei, pleads, 'It was Xing Daorong who made me do this; it was truly not my own wish.' Zhuge Liang releases him to urge his father to surrender, and Liu Du comes out of the city bearing his seal and ribbon and surrenders. Xing Daorong's name does not appear again in the Romance after this. Romance, Ch. 52 §22–23