RNo direct record — estimated from his being Cao Zhen's fellow townsman who served Taizu with himWei 9 §68
NTrampled each other with Cao Zun's troops and fled after a heavy defeatCh. 93 §53Ch. 93 §54
Zhu Zan 朱贊
| Occupation | NGeneral · General Who Sweeps Away Bandits | Faction | Wei |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appears | RN | Biography in | |
| Cause of death | NKilled in battle Unverified | ||
| Existence | Historical | Mentions | R1 |
Profile
Zhu Zan was a fellow townsman of Cao Zhen who, in his youth, served Taizu (Cao Cao) together with Cao Zhen and Cao Zun. He has no biography of his own in the Records and appears once, in the section on Cao Zhen in the Biographies of the Xiahou and Cao Clans in Records of Wei 9. Records, Wei 9 §68
When Cao Zun and Zhu Zan died early, Cao Zhen grieved for them and asked to divide his own fief to enfeoff their sons, and by imperial edict the sons were each made Marquis Within the Passes with 100 households. Chen Shou's main text does not record his courtesy name, his office, or the year and circumstances of his death. Records, Wei 9 §68
In the Romance he first appears in Chapter 93 as 'Zhu Zan, General Who Sweeps Away Bandits,' whom Cao Zhen makes his deputy vanguard, and he appears in 2 of its 120 chapters, Chapters 93 and 94; no chapter has his name in its title. In Chapter 94, pursuing the retreating Shu army, he is run through by Zhao Yun's spear and dies. Romance, Ch. 93 §33Romance, Ch. 94 §22
In the Records
Cao Zhen was a clan nephew of Taizu, and after his father Cao Shao died, Taizu took him in and raised him just like his own sons. In his youth Cao Zhen served Taizu together with his kinsman Cao Zun and his fellow townsman Zhu Zan. Records, Wei 9 §62 · 68
When Cao Zun and Zhu Zan died early, Cao Zhen grieved for them and asked to divide the fief he received in order to enfeoff their sons. The edict said, 'The Grand Marshal has the benevolence of Shuxiang, who cared for orphans, and is steadfast in the loyalty of Yan Pingzhong, who kept old promises. A gentleman helps others achieve what is good,' and it permitted Cao Zhen's fief to be divided so that the sons of Cao Zun and Zhu Zan were granted the rank of Marquis Within the Passes, with 100 households each. Records, Wei 9 §68
This passage is the only place in Chen Shou's main text where Zhu Zan appears, and his courtesy name, office, and the year and circumstances of his death are not recorded. Records, Wei 9 §68
In the Romance
In Chapter 93 of the Romance, when Zhuge Liang comes out to Qishan in the 1st year of Taihe and reaches the west of the Wei River, Cao Rui, following Wang Lang's advice, makes Cao Zhen Grand Commander. Cao Zhen makes his younger kinsman Cao Zun the vanguard and Zhu Zan, General Who Sweeps Away Bandits, the deputy vanguard, sets out with his army in the 11th month of that year, reaches Chang'an and pitches camp west of the Wei River. Romance, Ch. 93 §30–33
After Wang Lang's body has been sent back to Chang'an, the Deputy Grand Commander Guo Huai, reckoning that Zhuge Liang will come to raid the camp while the Wei army is in mourning, proposes a counterplan. Cao Zhen orders the two vanguard commanders Cao Zun and Zhu Zan each to lead 10,000 troops around behind Qishan and, if they see the Shu army heading for the Wei camp, to raid the Shu camp, but not to advance rashly if the Shu army does not move. Romance, Ch. 93 §46–47
Zhuge Liang, having foreseen this, leaves his camp empty. Cao Zun, setting out at dusk, is the first to enter the empty camp, and when fire breaks out his men and Zhu Zan's troops, arriving after him, cut each other down; only when the two meet horse to horse do they realize they have been trampling each other. Blocked in succession by Wang Ping, Ma Dai, Zhang Ni and Zhang Yi, then by Zhao Yun and Wei Yan, they are badly defeated and flee to their own camp, where the guards raise the signal fire, and even the troops of Cao Zhen and Guo Huai fall to cutting each other down. Romance, Ch. 93 §49 · 51–54
In Chapter 94, when the Shu army breaks camp and departs, Guo Huai, saying that it is because of the attacks of the Qiang troops, has them pursue by two routes. The vanguard Cao Zun is cut down by Wei Yan's blade, and the deputy vanguard Zhu Zan, pursuing with his troops, is run through by the spear of Zhao Yun, who suddenly appears, before he can defend himself. Cao Zhen, having lost both his vanguard commanders, grieves without end and asks the court for reinforcements. Romance, Ch. 94 §21–23
Where the Romance differs
Office: Chapter 93 of the Romance calls him 'Zhu Zan, General Who Sweeps Away Bandits' and has him made deputy vanguard. Chen Shou's main text in the Records does not record his office. Romance, Ch. 93 §33Records, Wei 9 §68
His tie to Cao Zhen: In the Records, Zhu Zan was Cao Zhen's fellow townsman and in his youth served Taizu together with Cao Zhen and Cao Zun. The Romance does not mention this tie and portrays him only as Cao Zhen's deputy vanguard. Romance, Ch. 93 §33Records, Wei 9 §68
The Qishan campaign: In Chapter 93 of the Romance, Zhu Zan follows Cao Zhen's campaign in the 11th month of the 1st year of Taihe as deputy vanguard. In the passage of the Biography of Cao Zhen in the Records on Zhuge Liang's advance to Qishan, Emperor Ming has Cao Zhen command the various armies and station them at Mei County, and sends Zhang He, who crushes Ma Su; Zhu Zan does not appear. Romance, Ch. 93 §30 · 33Records, Wei 9 §65
The camp raid: In Chapter 93 of the Romance, Zhu Zan attacks the empty Shu camp together with Cao Zun, and they cut each other down and are badly defeated. The Biography of Cao Zhen in the Records contains no such battle. Romance, Ch. 93 §52–54Records, Wei 9 §61–69
Death: In Chapter 94 of the Romance, Zhu Zan pursues the retreating Shu army and is run through by Zhao Yun's spear. The Biography of Cao Zhen in the Records says only that he died early, without making clear when or how. In the Biography of Zhao Yun in the Records, Zhao Yun was worsted at Jigu in the 6th year of Jianxing (228) while holding off Cao Zhen's main army, and there is no record of his killing Zhu Zan. Romance, Ch. 94 §22Records, Wei 9 §68Records, Shu 6 §38–42
After his death: In Chapter 94 of the Romance, Cao Zhen grieves over the loss of his two vanguard commanders and only asks the court for reinforcements; nothing is said of a surviving son. In the Records, Cao Zhen, grieving for Zhu Zan's early death, asked to divide his own fief to enfeoff his son, and by imperial edict the rank of Marquis Within the Passes with 100 households was granted. Romance, Ch. 94 §23Records, Wei 9 §68
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 total384 / 1000Rank 704 of 996 · Top 71%Romance total334 / 1000Rank 1,000 of 1,113 · Top 90%
Romance adaptation index−50Romance total − Records total
- LEA4230−12
- STR4230−12
- INT3835−3
- POL3531−4
- CHA4535−10
- VIR4545±0
- ADP4035−5
- SCH3131±0
- DIP3331−2
- DIS3331−2
Abilities shaped by the Romance — where it differs from the Records Differences of 10 or more
RNo direct record — estimated from his being Cao Zhen's fellow townsman who served Taizu with himWei 9 §68
NKilled by a single thrust of Zhao Yun's spear before he could defend himselfCh. 94 §22
RNo direct record — estimated from his being Cao Zhen's fellow townsman who served Taizu with himWei 9 §68
NNo direct record — estimated from his career as General Who Sweeps Away Bandits and deputy vanguardCh. 93 §33
7 similar abilities — show evidence
RNo direct record — estimated from his being Cao Zhen's fellow townsman who served Taizu with himWei 9 §68
NNo direct record — estimated from his career as General Who Sweeps Away Bandits and deputy vanguardCh. 93 §33
RNo direct record — estimated from his being Cao Zhen's fellow townsman who served Taizu with himWei 9 §68
NNo direct record — estimated from his career as General Who Sweeps Away Bandits and deputy vanguardCh. 93 §33
RNo direct record — estimated from his being Cao Zhen's fellow townsman who served Taizu with himWei 9 §68
NNo direct record — estimated from his career as General Who Sweeps Away Bandits and deputy vanguardCh. 93 §33
RNo direct record — estimated from his being Cao Zhen's fellow townsman who served Taizu with himWei 9 §68
NNo direct record — estimated from his career as General Who Sweeps Away Bandits and deputy vanguardCh. 93 §33
RNo direct record — estimated from his being Cao Zhen's fellow townsman who served Taizu with himWei 9 §68
NNo direct record — estimated from his career as General Who Sweeps Away Bandits and deputy vanguardCh. 93 §33
RNo direct record — estimated from his being Cao Zhen's fellow townsman who served Taizu with himWei 9 §68
NNo direct record — estimated from his career as General Who Sweeps Away Bandits and deputy vanguardCh. 93 §33
RNo direct record — estimated from his being Cao Zhen's fellow townsman who served Taizu with himWei 9 §68
NNo direct record — estimated from his career as General Who Sweeps Away Bandits and deputy vanguardCh. 93 §33
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)
AppearsNot present Chapter list →
Allegiance history
- Wei · Romance · Romance ch. 93 「魏先锋曹遵、朱赞黄昏离寨」 · Q124455120
Related events (1)
- Zhuge Liang Berates Wang Lang to Death 227 · Appears (Romance scene)
Includes automatic matching from Wikipedia infoboxes and source keywords (unverified).