Zhao Rong 趙融
| Occupation | RGeneral · Detached Commander NGeneral | Faction | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appears | RN | Biography in | |
| Existence | Historical | Mentions | R3 |
Profile
Zhao Rong was a general of Shu. He has no biography of his own in the Records; in Chen Shou's main text his name appears once, in the Biography of Lu Xun (Records of Wu 13). When Liu Bei led a great army toward Wu's western border in the 1st year of Huangwu (222), he is listed, together with Fu Kuang, Liao Chun, Fu Tong and others, among those who each served as a detached commander. Records, Wu 13 §17
Chen Shou's main text does not record his courtesy name, his origin, his later career or his death, and the Records contain no assessment of him. In the Romance he first appears in Chapter 81 and appears in 2 of its 120 chapters, but he is not named in any chapter title. In Chapter 81, when the First Sovereign sets out to attack Wu, he commands the rear army together with Liao Chun, and in Chapter 84 he blocks on the road the night raid of Chunyu Dan, sent by Lu Xun. Records, Wu 13 §17Romance, Ch. 81 §12Romance, Ch. 84 §18
In the Records
In the 1st year of Huangwu (222), when Liu Bei led a great army toward the western border, Sun Quan made Lu Xun Grand Commander, granted him provisional credentials (jiajie), and had him lead Zhu Ran, Pan Zhang, Song Qian, Han Dang, Xu Sheng, Xianyu Dan, Sun Huan and others, fifty thousand men in all, to resist him. Records, Wu 13 §17
Liu Bei set up dozens of encampments in a continuous line from the Wu Gorge and Jianping to the border of Yiling, and used gold, brocade, ranks and rewards to entice the various Yi tribes into action. He made the general Feng Xi Grand Superintendent and Zhang Nan commander of the vanguard, and made Fu Kuang, Zhao Rong, Liao Chun, Fu Tong and others each a detached commander. He then first sent Wu Ban with several thousand men to set up camp on level ground, intending to provoke a battle. Records, Wu 13 §17
The generals said that after holding each other off for seven or eight months an attack would bring no advantage, but Lu Xun said that now was the time to strike. He first attacked one camp without success, then had each soldier carry a bundle of thatch grass and took the camp by fire attack. Once the momentum was established, he led all his armies in a simultaneous assault, beheaded Zhang Nan, Feng Xi, the barbarian king Shamoke and others, and broke more than forty camps, while Liu Bei's generals Du Lu, Liu Ning and others, driven into a corner, asked to surrender. Liu Bei's army collapsed with the dead numbering in the tens of thousands, and Liu Bei fled under cover of night and barely managed to reach Baidi City. Records, Wu 13 §20–22
The Biography of Lu Xun names the generals who were beheaded and those who surrendered in this battle, but does not record what became of the detached commander Zhao Rong. This single line is the only place where Zhao Rong appears in Chen Shou's main text; his courtesy name, origin, office and death are not recorded, and the Records contain no assessment of him. Records, Wu 13 §17 · 21
In the Romance
In Chapter 81 of the Romance, the First Sovereign throws to the ground the memorial Zhuge Liang sent up to save Qin Mi, urging him not to attack Wu, and orders the army out. He has the Chancellor Zhuge Liang assist the crown prince and guard the two Chuan, and makes Huang Zhong vanguard commander of the front division, Feng Xi and Zhang Nan deputy generals, Fu Tong and Zhang Yi Guards of the Central Army, and Zhao Rong and Liao Chun the rear army. Together with the hundreds of generals of Xichuan and the tribal commanders of the Five Streams, the troops number seven hundred and fifty thousand, and the bingyin day of the 7th month of the 1st year of Zhangwu is chosen for the army to set out. Romance, Ch. 81 §11 · 12–13
In Chapter 84, Lu Xun gives his junior general Chunyu Dan five thousand men to take the fourth camp south of the river, held by the Shu general Fu Tong, and posts Xu Sheng and Ding Feng five li outside his camp to rescue Chunyu Dan if he comes back defeated. After the third watch Chunyu Dan charges in, Fu Tong bursts out at the head of his troops, and Chunyu Dan, unable to withstand him, turns his horse and flees. Romance, Ch. 84 §17–18
Just then a great shout goes up and a band of troops blocks the road; the general at its head is Zhao Rong. Chunyu Dan fights his way through and flees, losing more than half his men, and then the tribal general Shamoke blocks the road from behind the hill. When Chunyu Dan fights desperately and breaks free, troops from three directions pursue him, but when Xu Sheng and Ding Feng strike from both sides, the Shu troops withdraw. Romance, Ch. 84 §18–19
To Chunyu Dan, who returns with an arrow still in him and asks to be punished, Lu Xun says that he only wanted to test the enemy's strengths and weaknesses, and then gives out his plan to burn the Shu camps with thatch grass, sulphur and saltpetre. After this the Romance does not portray Zhao Rong again. Romance, Ch. 84 §19–20
Where the Romance differs
Posts: In Chapter 81 of the Romance, Huang Zhong is vanguard commander of the front division and Feng Xi and Zhang Nan are deputy generals, while Zhao Rong commands the rear army together with Liao Chun. In the Biography of Lu Xun in the Records, Feng Xi was Grand Superintendent and Zhang Nan commander of the vanguard, and Zhao Rong, together with Fu Kuang, Liao Chun, Fu Tong and others, each became a detached commander. Romance, Ch. 81 §12Records, Wu 13 §17
Chunyu Dan's night raid: In Chapter 84 of the Romance, Zhao Rong blocks on the road Chunyu Dan, whom Lu Xun has sent as a test, and makes him lose more than half his men. The Biography of Lu Xun in the Records says only that Lu Xun first attacked one camp without success, and names neither the general who attacked nor the one who resisted. Xianyu Dan appears in the Records among the generals Lu Xun commanded, but there is no mention of his attacking a camp. Romance, Ch. 84 §17–18Records, Wu 13 §17 · 21
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.
- LEA4552+7
- STR4242±0
- INT3838±0
- POL3231−1
- CHA3838±0
- VIR4545±0
- ADP4040±0
- SCH3131±0
- DIP3333±0
- DIS3333±0
Abilities shaped by the Romance — where it differs from the Records Differences of 10 or more
No ability differs by 10 or more — the Romance portrays this person much as the Records do.
10 similar abilities — show evidence
RNo direct record — estimated from his record as a detached commanderWu 13 §17
NBlocked the road and made Chunyu Dan's night-raiding force lose more than half its menCh. 84 §18
RNo direct record — estimated from his being a military commanderWu 13 §17
NNo direct record — estimated from his being a military commanderCh. 84 §18
RNo direct record — estimated from his deedsWu 13 §17
NNo direct record — estimated from his deedsCh. 81 §12
RNo direct record — estimated from his being a military commanderWu 13 §17
NNo direct record — estimated from his being a military commanderCh. 81 §12
RNo direct record — estimated from his deedsWu 13 §17
NNo direct record — estimated from his deedsCh. 81 §12
RNo direct record — estimated from his deedsWu 13 §17
NNo direct record — estimated from his deedsCh. 81 §12
RNo direct record — estimated from his deedsWu 13 §17
NNo direct record — estimated from his commanding the rear armyCh. 81 §12
RNo direct record — estimated from his being a military commanderWu 13 §17
NNo direct record — estimated from his being a military commanderCh. 81 §12
RNo direct record — estimated from his deedsWu 13 §17
NNo direct record — estimated from his deedsCh. 81 §12
RNo direct record — estimated from his deedsWu 13 §17
NNo direct record — estimated from his deedsCh. 81 §12
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 (2)
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