Zu Mao 祖茂
| Occupation | RNGeneral | Faction | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appears | RN | Biography in | |
| Born | Native place | Wu Commandery Fuchun County | |
| Cause of death | NKilled in battle Unverified | ||
| Existence | Historical | Mentions | R1 |
Profile
Zu Mao was a close commander of Sun Jian. He has no biography of his own in the Records, and in Chen Shou's main text he appears once, in the account of Sun Jian in the Biographies of Sun Jian and Sun Ce (Records of Wu 1). When Sun Jian, who had set out against Dong Zhuo, came under heavy attack from Dong Zhuo's army east of Liang County, Zu Mao put on in his place the red woolen headcloth Sun Jian always wore and drew off Dong Zhuo's cavalry, so that Sun Jian escaped by a side road. He then placed the headcloth on a burnt pillar among the graves and hid lying in the grass, and Dong Zhuo's cavalry realized it was a pillar only when they came close, and left. Records, Wu 1 §16–17
Chen Shou's main text records neither his courtesy name, his origin, his other deeds nor his death, and there is no assessment of him in the Records. In the Romance he appeared only in Chapter 5, and his name appeared in no chapter title. The Romance introduces him as one of Sun Jian's four generals, a man of Fuchun in Wu Commandery with the courtesy name Darong who wielded paired blades, and portrays him putting on Sun Jian's red headcloth in his place and fleeing, then charging out of the woods and being cut down by Hua Xiong. Records, Wu 1 §17Romance, Ch. 5 §22 · 27–28
In the Records
When Emperor Ling died and Dong Zhuo seized control of the court's affairs, the provinces and commanderies raised loyalist troops, and Sun Jian, Administrator of Changsha, also raised troops. When he reached Luyang and met Yuan Shu, Yuan Shu memorialized that Sun Jian be made acting General Who Smashes the Caitiffs and concurrently Inspector of Yu Province. Sun Jian put his troops in order at the city of Luyang. Records, Wu 1 §11 · 13 · 15
When Sun Jian moved to camp east of Liang County and came under heavy attack from Dong Zhuo's army, he broke out of the encirclement with several tens of horsemen. Sun Jian always wore a red woolen headcloth, and he now took it off and had his close commander Zu Mao put it on. Because Dong Zhuo's cavalry vied to chase Zu Mao, Sun Jian was able to escape by a side road. Records, Wu 1 §16–17
Driven into a corner, Zu Mao dismounted, placed the headcloth on a burnt pillar standing among the graves, and himself hid lying in the grass. Dong Zhuo's cavalry, seeing it, surrounded it several layers deep, and only when they came close did they realize it was a pillar, and left. Records, Wu 1 §17
Sun Jian gathered his soldiers again, joined battle at Yangren, inflicted a great defeat on Dong Zhuo's army, and beheaded its Area Commander Hua Xiong and others, displaying their heads. This is the only passage in Chen Shou's main text where Zu Mao appears, and his courtesy name, origin, other deeds and death are not recorded. Records, Wu 1 §17
In the Romance
In Chapter 5 of the Romance, Sun Jian arrived before Sishui Pass leading four generals. After Cheng Pu, Huang Gai and Han Dang, the Romance introduces the fourth general as surnamed Zu, named Mao, with the courtesy name Darong, a man of Fuchun in Wu Commandery who wielded paired blades. Sun Jian fought his way up to the front of the pass, then withdrew to camp at Liangdong. Romance, Ch. 5 §17 · 22–24
When Yuan Shu sent no provisions and Sun Jian's camp fell into disorder, Hua Xiong, following Li Su's plan, came down from the pass under cover of night and attacked Sun Jian's camp. As Sun Jian's soldiers fled in confusion and his generals each fought in the melee, only Zu Mao stayed close behind Sun Jian and broke through the encirclement with him. Romance, Ch. 5 §25–26
When Hua Xiong came in pursuit and even Sun Jian's bow broke, Zu Mao said that his lord's red headcloth caught the eye and let the enemy recognize him, and asked him to take it off and put it on him instead. Sun Jian took off the headcloth, exchanged it for Zu Mao's helmet, and the two fled in different directions; because Hua Xiong's soldiers chased only the man in the red headcloth, Sun Jian escaped by a side road. Romance, Ch. 5 §27
Hard pressed by Hua Xiong, Zu Mao hung the red headcloth on a half-burnt pillar of a house and hid in the woods. Hua Xiong's soldiers, seeing the headcloth in the moonlight, surrounded it on all sides but dared not approach, and only after shooting arrows at it did they realize it was a ruse and take the headcloth. Then Zu Mao charged out from behind the woods, swinging his paired blades to cut down Hua Xiong, but Hua Xiong gave a great shout and cut him from his horse with a single stroke of his blade. Romance, Ch. 5 §28
Grieving deeply over the loss of Zu Mao, Sun Jian sent a messenger through the night to inform Yuan Shao. Afterward Hua Xiong came before the lords' camp with Sun Jian's red headcloth hoisted on a long pole and challenged them to fight, and Guan Yu went out and returned with his head. Romance, Ch. 5 §29 · 31 · 36
Where the Romance differs
Introduction: Chapter 5 of the Romance introduces Zu Mao as a man of Fuchun in Wu Commandery with the courtesy name Darong, one of Sun Jian's four generals, who wielded paired blades. The Records describes him only as Sun Jian's close commander and does not record his courtesy name, origin or weapon. Romance, Ch. 5 §22Records, Wu 1 §17
The pursuit: In Chapter 5 of the Romance, Hua Xiong, following Li Su's plan, raided Sun Jian's camp by night and personally pursued Sun Jian. In the Records, Sun Jian, camped east of Liang County, came under heavy attack from Dong Zhuo's army, and it was Dong Zhuo's cavalry who chased Zu Mao. Romance, Ch. 5 §25–27Records, Wu 1 §16–17
The exchange of headgear: In Chapter 5 of the Romance, Zu Mao himself first asked to be given the red headcloth, and Sun Jian exchanged the headcloth for Zu Mao's helmet. In the Records, Sun Jian took off the headcloth and had Zu Mao wear it. Romance, Ch. 5 §27Records, Wu 1 §17
Where the headcloth was left: In Chapter 5 of the Romance, Zu Mao hung the headcloth on a half-burnt pillar of a house and hid in the woods. In the Records, he dismounted, placed the headcloth on a burnt pillar among the graves and lay down in the grass. Romance, Ch. 5 §28Records, Wu 1 §17
Zu Mao's end: In Chapter 5 of the Romance, Zu Mao charged out from behind the woods to cut down Hua Xiong and was killed by Hua Xiong's blade. In the Records, Dong Zhuo's cavalry merely came close, realized it was a pillar and left, and there is no record of Zu Mao's death. Romance, Ch. 5 §28Records, Wu 1 §17
Hua Xiong's death: In Chapter 5 of the Romance, Hua Xiong, who had killed Zu Mao, came before the lords' camp to challenge them and was cut down by Guan Yu. In the Records, Sun Jian gathered his soldiers again, inflicted a great defeat on Dong Zhuo's army at Yangren, and beheaded its Area Commander Hua Xiong and others, displaying their heads. Romance, Ch. 5 §31 · 36Records, Wu 1 §17
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 total436 / 1000Rank 430 of 996 · Top 44%Romance total440 / 1000Rank 283 of 1,113 · Top 26%
Romance adaptation index+4Romance total − Records total
- LEA4040±0
- STR4548+3
- INT5552−3
- POL3535±0
- CHA4048+8
- VIR6575+10
- ADP5842−16
- SCH3232±0
- DIP3335+2
- DIS3333±0
Abilities shaped by the Romance — where it differs from the Records Differences of 10 or more
8 similar abilities — show evidence
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 (1)
AppearsNot present Chapter list →
Allegiance history
- Sun Jian faction (~192) · Records · 「乃脫幘令親近將祖茂著之」