Zhao Hong 趙弘

In Chapter 2 of the Romance, Zhu Jun surrounds Yangcheng, and his scouts report that Huangfu Song has beheaded Zhang Liang at Quyang and dug up Zhang Jue's coffin to behead the corpse. When Zhu Jun attacks Yangcheng with all his strength and the bandit commander Yan Zheng stabs Zhang Bao to death and surrenders, Zhu Jun pacifies several commanderies and reports his victory. Just then three more remnants of the Yellow Turbans, Zhao Hong, Han Zhong and Sun Zhong, gather a host of tens of thousands, burning and plundering wherever they go and proclaiming that they will avenge Zhang Jue, and the court orders Zhu Jun to lead his victorious army straight against them. Romance, Ch. 2 §8–10

The bandits are holding Wancheng, and when Zhu Jun attacks, Zhao Hong sends Han Zhong out to fight. Zhu Jun has Xuande, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei attack the southwest corner of the city while he himself drives 2,000 iron-clad cavalry against the northeast corner, and the bandits are badly defeated and flee into Wancheng. When the food in the city runs out Han Zhong asks to surrender, but Zhu Jun refuses; following Xuande's advice, he withdraws the troops on the east and south sides and attacks only the northwest, and Han Zhong abandons the city and flees but is shot dead with arrows. Romance, Ch. 2 §10–14

In the midst of Zhu Jun's pursuit, Zhao Hong and Sun Zhong arrive with a horde of bandits and fight Zhu Jun. Seeing Zhao Hong's great strength, Zhu Jun withdraws his troops for a while, and Zhao Hong seizes the chance to retake Wancheng. Just as Zhu Jun pitches camp 10 li from the city and is about to attack, Sun Jian arrives to help, having gathered more than 1,500 men: young men of his home district, various merchants and picked troops from the Huai and Si rivers. Romance, Ch. 2 §14 · 16

Zhu Jun has Sun Jian attack the south gate and Xuande the north gate while he himself attacks the west gate, leaving the east gate open for the bandits to flee. Sun Jian is the first to mount the wall and cuts down more than twenty bandits, and the bandits break and scatter; Zhao Hong gallops forward thrusting his lance and makes straight for Sun Jian. Sun Jian leaps from the wall, snatches Zhao Hong's lance, stabs him from his horse, then mounts Zhao Hong's horse and rides back and forth slaying bandits. Sun Zhong too, bursting out of the north gate, is struck by Xuande's arrow and tumbles from his horse, and Zhu Jun's main army follows up, taking tens of thousands of heads, so that more than ten commanderies of the Nanyang region are all pacified. The Romance does not say whether Zhao Hong died, and he does not appear after this. Romance, Ch. 2 §17–18