Zang Ba 臧霸

His father Zang Jie was Prison Officer of the county and, upholding the law, refused to put to death a man whom the Administrator wished to have killed for private reasons. The Administrator was enraged and had Zang Jie sent under arrest to the commandery office, escorted by more than a hundred men. Zang Ba, then eighteen, led a few dozen retainers to block the road in the mountains west of Bi County and seized his father back, and the escort dared not move. He fled with his father and hid in Donghai, and from this he became known for his valour. When the Yellow Turbans rose, he followed Tao Qian in defeating them and became Chief Commandant of Cavalry. Records, Wei 18 §20

He then gathered troops in Xu Province and, together with Sun Guan, Wu Dun, Yin Li and others, assembled a following of which he became the leader, and was stationed at Kaiyang. In the 3rd year of Jian'an (198), when Cao Cao attacked Lü Bu, Zang Ba and the others led troops to aid Lü Bu. When Lü Bu was captured, Zang Ba went into hiding, but Cao Cao offered a reward, found him and, pleased on meeting him, had him summon Wu Dun, Yin Li, Sun Guan and Sun Guan's elder brother Sun Kang, all of whom came to Cao Cao. Cao Cao made Zang Ba Chancellor of Langya, Wu Dun Administrator of Licheng, Yin Li Administrator of Dongguan, Sun Guan Administrator of Beihai and Sun Kang Administrator of Chengyang, and he carved out the two provinces of Qing and Xu and entrusted them to Zang Ba. Records, Wei 18 §21Records, Wei 1 §46 · 49

Xu Xi and Mao Hui, whom Cao Cao had made generals while he was in Yan Province, had rebelled during the turmoil in Yan Province, and after Yan Province was pacified they took refuge with Zang Ba. When Cao Cao, through Liu Bei, told him to send the two men's heads, Zang Ba said, 'The reason I have been able to stand on my own is that I do not do such things,' and asked Liu Bei to speak for him, saying that since he owed his life to Cao Cao he would not dare disobey, but that to a lord who would found a royal line he could appeal on grounds of righteousness. Cao Cao sighed and said, 'This is a deed of the men of old, and that you can do it is what I hoped for,' and made both men commandery administrators. Records, Wei 18 §22–23

While Cao Cao was facing Yuan Shao, Zang Ba repeatedly led elite troops into Qing Province, so that Cao Cao could concentrate on Yuan Shao without worrying about the east. The Annals of Emperor Wu record that in the 8th month, in autumn of the 4th year of Jian'an (199), Cao Cao sent Zang Ba and others into Qing Province to defeat Qi, Beihai and Dong'an. When Cao Cao defeated Yuan Tan at Nanpi, Zang Ba asked to send his sons and younger brothers and the fathers, elder brothers and families of the other generals to Ye, but Cao Cao cited the old examples of Xiao He and Geng Chun and said, 'How could I change this?' Records, Wei 18 §24Records, Wei 1 §55

For their merit in upholding righteousness when the eastern provinces were in turmoil and pacifying the land between the sea and Mount Tai, Zang Ba and the others were all enfeoffed as marquises; Zang Ba became Marquis of the Chief Precinct and was given the additional title of General Who Overawes the Caitiffs. Then, for his merit in campaigning with Yu Jin against Chang Xi and with Xiahou Yuan against Xu He and other remnants of the Yellow Turbans, he became Inspector of Xu Province. He esteemed Wu Zhou, Prefect of Xiapi, and visited the prefect's residence in person, and when Wu Zhou arrested a lawless Attendant Officer, interrogated him to the end and passed judgment, Zang Ba thought all the better of him. Records, Wei 18 §25

He followed the campaign against Sun Quan and was first to scale the walls, and twice entered Lake Chao and defeated Juchao. When Zhang Liao was campaigning against Chen Lan, Zang Ba went separately to Wan to attack the Wu general Han Dang so that Sun Quan could not relieve Chen Lan, and after defeating Han Dang's troops at Fenglong and Jiashi he was stationed at Shu County. When the tens of thousands of men Sun Quan had sent came by boat to Shukou and then turned back on hearing that Zang Ba was at Shu County, Zang Ba pursued them through the night for more than a hundred li and struck them front and rear, and a great many threw themselves into the water. As a result the enemy could not relieve Chen Lan, and Zhang Liao defeated him. Records, Wei 18 §26–27

When Sun Quan was attacked at Ruxukou, Zang Ba and Zhang Liao formed the vanguard, but the long rains swelled the waters and the enemy ships drew near, so that officers and men were all uneasy. When Zhang Liao wanted to leave, Zang Ba stopped him, saying, 'His Lordship understands advantage and disadvantage well; how would he be willing to abandon us?' and the next day an order did indeed arrive. When Zhang Liao told Cao Cao of this, Cao Cao made Zang Ba General Who Spreads Might and granted him the staff of authority. Later, when Sun Quan asked to submit and Cao Cao returned, Zang Ba stayed behind with Xiahou Dun and others garrisoning Juchao. Records, Wei 18 §27–28

When Emperor Wen became King, Zang Ba became General Who Guards the East and Marquis of Wu'an Village and commanded the military affairs of Qing Province, and when Emperor Wen took the throne he was enfeoffed as Marquis of Kaiyang and then moved to Marquis of Liangcheng. Together with Cao Xiu he attacked Wu and defeated Lü Fan at Dongpu. The Biography of the Lord of Wu records that in the 11th month of the 1st year of Huangwu (222), after several thousand of Lü Fan's troops drowned in a great storm, Cao Xiu gave Zang Ba 500 light boats and 10,000 men ready to die to raid Xuling, where they burned the siege carts and killed or captured several thousand. Records, Wei 18 §29Records, Wu 2 §46–47

He was summoned to court as Bearer of the Golden Mace and given the rank of Specially Advanced, and whenever there was a military matter, Emperor Wen always consulted him. When Emperor Ming took the throne, his fief was increased by 500 households to 3,500 in all. On his death he received the posthumous title Marquis Wei, and his son Zang Ai succeeded him and rose to Inspector of Qing Province and Privy Treasurer. In the 7th month of the 4th year of Zhengshi (243), the Bearer of the Golden Mace Zang Ba was given a place among those honoured with sacrifices in the ancestral temple of Taizu. Records, Wei 18 §29–30Records, Wei 4 §14

In his assessment Chen Shou said that Li Tong, Zang Ba, Wen Pin and Lü Qian guarded and kept order in provinces and commanderies, and all displayed authority and kindness. Records, Wei 18 §92