Deng Zhong

Historical Record

Deng Zhong, son of the Wei general Deng Ai, campaigned alongside his father in the late Cao Wei period and was his important military aide. In the winter, the tenth month of the fourth year of the Jingyuan era (263 CE), Deng Ai led his army deep into the heartland of Shu Han by the Yinping road, passing through great hardship. After reaching Jiangyou and forcing the surrender of the Shu Han defending general Ma Miao, Deng Ai continued his advance. The Shu Han General of the Guards Zhuge Zhan came back from Fu to Mianzhu and drew up his ranks to wait. Deng Ai dispatched Deng Zhong and Sima Shi Zuan to attack respectively from the left and right wings^[1].

Deng Zhong and Shi Zuan, however, fared badly in the first clash and, falling back, reported to Deng Ai that "the rebels cannot yet be attacked." On hearing this Deng Ai flew into a rage, regarding this as a moment that would decide survival or ruin, brooking no retreat; he upbraided Deng Zhong and Shi Zuan, even threatening to behead them. Under Deng Ai's stern urging, Deng Zhong and Shi Zuan were forced to throw themselves into battle again and in the end crushed the Shu army, killing Zhuge Zhan and his Master of Writing Zhang Zun and others, and successfully advancing to Luo County. The Shu Han Later Sovereign Liu Shan then sent an envoy to present the imperial seals and cords, suing for surrender to Deng Ai^[1].

Not long after the conquest of Shu, Deng Ai and his son were arrested and imprisoned through Zhong Hui's false accusation. After Zhong Hui's death, the officers and men of Deng Ai's old command pursued the prison cart, intending to bring Deng Ai back. But on the road to Luoyang, Deng Ai and his son were overtaken in the west of Mianzhu by Tian Xu and others. In the end, Deng Ai and his son Deng Zhong were killed together^[2]. Deng Ai's other sons in Luoyang were all likewise put to death, and his wife and grandsons were banished to the Western Regions.

In the Novel

In *Romance of the Three Kingdoms*, Deng Zhong's image receives richer literary treatment, especially in his father Deng Ai's campaign against Shu, where he plays a more active and concrete role. In the novel, Deng Zhong first appears after Deng Ai had repelled Jiang Wei: for Deng Ai's merit, Sima Zhao raised his rank and titles and enfeoffed his son Deng Zhong as a Marquis of a Village (tinghou)^[3].

Deng Zhong's performance on the battlefield is also striking. In his clashes with Jiang Wei he is portrayed as a young and valiant general, "his face like powdered white, his lips like vermilion," his spearwork "without the slightest slackness"^[4]. He once fought Jiang Wei for thirty or forty bouts without a decision. Jiang Wei tried to lure Deng Zhong into pursuit with a feigned defeat and to wound him with a hidden arrow, but Deng Zhong was "sharp-eyed," dodging the feathered arrow in time, then wheeling about and thrusting his spear at Jiang Wei, displaying his nimble reactions and considerable martial skill. Jiang Wei even sighed, "What a pity! What a pity!"^[4]. Only after this battle did Jiang Wei learn that this young general was Deng Ai's son Deng Zhong. In another encounter, Jiang Wei fought Deng Ai for several dozen bouts without a decision; the next day Jiang Wei issued a challenge, but Deng Ai held his troops in and would not come out, sending Deng Zhong to guard the city while he himself went to relieve Mount Qi^[5].

Deng Zhong also played an important role in Deng Ai's bold feat of stealing across Yinping. When Deng Ai decided to make a surprise strike on Chengdu, he dispatched Deng Zhong to lead five thousand elite troops ahead to open the road, hewing through mountains to cut a path and building bridge-galleries to smooth the way for the army following behind^[6]. At the sheer heights of Motian Ridge, Deng Zhong once wept at the hardship of opening the road, but spurred on by Deng Ai he, together with the soldiers, overcame the difficulty and at last crossed the perilous passage. In the assault on Mianzhu, Deng Ai ordered Deng Zhong and Shi Zuan to lead troops ahead to block the Shu soldiers^[7]. At Mianzhu, however, Deng Zhong and Shi Zuan encountered the "Eight Formations" arrayed by the Shu soldiers and saw a wooden carved likeness of Zhuge Liang seated in a four-wheeled cart; "sweat streamed over their whole bodies," and, mistaking it for Kongming still alive, they retreated without giving battle^[8]. Deng Ai thereupon flew into a rage and wished to behead the two, only desisting after others remonstrated. This episode has no basis in the histories; it is a literary invention of the novel to emphasize Zhuge Liang's miraculous foresight and Deng Zhong's youthful inexperience.

Key Relationships

* Deng Ai (kin_of): Deng Zhong was Deng Ai's son, and in both the histories and the novel he was Deng Ai's important aide and confidant. He campaigned alongside his father, and especially in the conquest of Shu, Deng Ai repeatedly dispatched Deng Zhong to carry out important tasks, such as serving as vanguard at the Battle of Mianzhu^[1] and opening the road along the Yinping route^[6].
* Cao Wei (serves): As Deng Ai's son, Deng Zhong naturally served the Cao Wei regime. He took part in the key campaign of Cao Wei's conquest of Shu, contributing to Cao Wei's cause of unification.
* Jiang Wei (fights_in): In *Romance of the Three Kingdoms*, Deng Zhong clashed with Jiang Wei several times, displaying his valor and resourcefulness^[4]. The combats between the two are among the novel's fine martial set-pieces and also serve to set off Jiang Wei's strength.

Iconic Scenes

* First clash at Mianzhu, crushing the Shu army after his father's rebuke: This is Deng Zhong's most important record in the histories. At the critical juncture of Deng Ai's campaign against Shu, Deng Zhong and Shi Zuan fared badly in the first clash and fell back. Deng Ai angrily rebuked the two, even threatening to behead them, forcing them back into battle, where they finally crushed Zhuge Zhan's force, killing Zhuge Zhan and others and smoothing the way for the Wei army to take Chengdu^[1]. This scene reflects Deng Zhong's performance under military pressure as well as the sternness of Deng Ai's command.
* Single combat with Jiang Wei, spearwork without the slightest slackness, sharp-eyed enough to dodge a feathered arrow (novel only): In *Romance of the Three Kingdoms*, Deng Zhong clashed with Jiang Wei on the battlefield several times. In one of them, Deng Zhong fought Jiang Wei for several dozen bouts without a decision; Jiang Wei feigned defeat to lure him and shot a hidden arrow, but Deng Zhong was "sharp-eyed," dodging the feathered arrow in time and wheeling about to thrust his spear at Jiang Wei^[4]. This scene vividly depicts Deng Zhong's valor and alertness and is the high point of his personal martial prowess in the novel.
* Hewing the road open on the Yinping route, weeping at Motian Ridge, then wrapping himself in felt and sliding down with his father (novel only): In Deng Ai's perilous march stealing across Yinping, Deng Zhong was made vanguard, charged with hewing through the mountains to open the road. At the desperate pass of Motian Ridge, Deng Zhong once wept at the hardship of the road, but spurred on by Deng Ai he, together with the soldiers, overcame the difficulty, even wrapping himself in felt along with his father and rolling down the cliff^[6]. This scene displays Deng Zhong's emotional fluctuations and ultimate toughness in extreme adversity, and highlights the resolve and courage of Deng Ai and his son in the conquest of Shu.
* Mistaking Zhuge Liang's likeness before Mianzhu, retreating without giving battle (novel only): Deng Zhong and Shi Zuan, ordered to go to Mianzhu to block the Shu army, were awed by the "Eight Formations" arrayed by the Shu soldiers and by the wooden carved likeness of Zhuge Liang, mistaking it for Kongming come back to life, and retreated without giving battle, causing Deng Ai to fly into a rage^[8]. In the novel this scene reflects Deng Zhong's youthful inexperience and adds a legendary luster to Zhuge Liang's miraculous foresight.