Han Qiong

Historical Record

According to the surviving source materials, the record of Han Qiong is a blank. In the official histories such as the Records of the Three Kingdoms, no figure named Han Qiong is mentioned, nor are there any related deeds to verify. Therefore, Han Qiong is not a real historical figure; his existence and deeds are entirely the fiction of literary creation.^[1]

In the Novel

Han Qiong is a fictional character in Luo Guanzhong's historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms, first appearing in Chapter Ninety-two of the novel. He was the third son of the Xiliang general Han De, and together with his eldest brother Han Ying, second brother Han Yao, and fourth brother Han Qi, followed his father on campaign against the Shu Han army. Han Qiong was skilled in martial arts, adept with the square-bladed halberd, and accomplished in archery and horsemanship, displaying considerable fighting power.^[1]

At the Battle of Fengming Mountain, Han De led eighty thousand Western Qiang troops against the Shu army. All four of Han De's sons took the field with their father, serving as the vanguard against Zhao Yun. Han Qiong fought bravely on the battlefield: first he watched his eldest brother Han Ying be speared to death by Zhao Yun, then together with his second brother Han Yao and fourth brother Han Qi he besieged Zhao Yun. Even under the combined assault of the three brothers, Zhao Yun's spearwork never faltered, and in the end Han Qi was struck by the spear and fell from his horse.^[1]

When Zhao Yun dragged his spear and made to withdraw, Han Qiong steadied his halberd, took up his bow, and loosed three arrows in succession at Zhao Yun, but all were knocked aside by Zhao Yun's spear. In a rage, Han Qiong seized his square-bladed halberd again and urged his horse in pursuit. However, Zhao Yun, with a backhand shot, struck Han Qiong full in the face, sending him falling from his horse to his death. Han Qiong's death was an important link in the fall of all four of Han De's sons to Zhao Yun's hand, dealing a heavy blow to the morale of the Western Qiang army.^[1]

Key Relationships

* Han De (kin_of): Han Qiong's father, a Xiliang general. Han De had four sons, of whom Han Qiong was one. Father and sons campaigned together against the Shu Han army, and in the end Han De watched all four of his sons fall to Zhao Yun's hand, his liver and gall shattering.^[1] (Novel only)
* Han Ying (kin_of): Han Qiong's eldest brother. At the Battle of Fengming Mountain, Han Ying was the first to fight Zhao Yun and was speared to death within three bouts.^[1] (Novel only)
* Han Yao (kin_of): Han Qiong's second brother. After Han Ying's death, Han Yao, together with Han Qiong and Han Qi, besieged Zhao Yun and was later captured alive by Zhao Yun.^[1] (Novel only)
* Han Qi (kin_of): Han Qiong's fourth brother. Together with Han Qiong and Han Yao he besieged Zhao Yun, and was later struck by the spear and fell from his horse.^[1] (Novel only)
* Zhao Yun (adversary): One of the Five Tiger Generals of Shu Han. Han Qiong and his father and brothers all clashed with Zhao Yun at the Battle of Fengming Mountain, and in the end Han Qiong was shot dead by Zhao Yun with a single arrow.^[1] (Novel only)

Iconic Scenes

Han Qiong's iconic scene is concentrated in the Battle of Fengming Mountain in Chapter Ninety-two of Romance of the Three Kingdoms. In this scene, as the third son of the Xiliang general Han De, he faced the famed Shu Han general Zhao Yun together with his father and brothers.^[1]

After his eldest brother Han Ying was speared to death by Zhao Yun, Han Qiong joined forces with his second brother Han Yao and fourth brother Han Qi to besiege Zhao Yun. Though all three were superb in martial skill, Zhao Yun was "utterly unafraid, his spearwork unbroken," displaying extraordinary personal valor. Then Han Qi was struck by the spear and fell from his horse, and Zhao Yun dragged his spear and made to withdraw. At this point, Han Qiong displayed his archery, loosing three arrows in succession at Zhao Yun, all of which Zhao Yun deftly knocked aside with his spear.^[1]

Han Qiong thereupon flew into a rage and, again brandishing his square-bladed halberd, urged his horse in pursuit, seeking to grapple with Zhao Yun at close range. However, Zhao Yun, amid his retreat, suddenly counterattacked, striking Han Qiong full in the face with an arrow and sending him falling dead from his horse on the spot. This scene is not only the end of Han Qiong's personal fate but also an epitome of the devastating blow dealt to the Han De family on the battlefield, and a powerful proof of Zhao Yun's heroic image of "a single rider with a lone spear, charging back and forth as if into an empty land."^[1] (Novel only)