Zong Bao

Historical Record

Concerning this man Zong Bao, no related deeds or clear record are to be found in the official histories such as the Records of the Three Kingdoms. Therefore, from the standpoint of the historical materials, there is no definite biographical matter for Zong Bao to verify. Whether or not he existed, and the course of his life, are nowhere traceable in the historical documents, so no objective statement can be made about him.

In the Novel

Zong Bao appears in Luo Guanzhong's Romance of the Three Kingdoms as a subordinate general of Kong Rong; his image is entirely a product of literary creation, with no clear basis in the histories. His first and only appearance is in Chapter 11^[1]. At that time Cao Cao was attacking Xu Province, and Tao Qian sought aid from Kong Rong, Administrator of Beihai. Just as Kong Rong was conferring with Mi Zhu on a plan, the Yellow Turban bandit Guan Hai led a host of tens of thousands to besiege the city of Beihai. Alarmed at the news, Kong Rong hurriedly mustered his own troops and went out of the city to give battle. Guan Hai came forth and shouted his demands, requiring Kong Rong to lend him ten thousand piculs of grain, or else he would break the city and slaughter young and old. Kong Rong, as a subject of the house of Han, refused Guan Hai's unreasonable demand with righteous words and rebuked him as a bandit. Enraged at this, Guan Hai spurred his horse, brandished his blade, and made straight for Kong Rong. At this perilous moment, Zong Bao leveled his spear and rode out, trying to protect his lord. However, Zong Bao's martial skill was clearly no match for Guan Hai's; after only a few bouts, Zong Bao was cut down from his horse by a single stroke of Guan Hai's blade and died on the spot^[1]. Zong Bao's death directly led to the rout of Kong Rong's army, so that Kong Rong had to withdraw into the city and was besieged on all four sides by Guan Hai's divided forces. Zong Bao's appearance in the novel serves mainly to set off the ferocity of Guan Hai and the predicament Kong Rong faced; his life was brief and his end heroic, an epitome of the many nameless heroes or victims of an age of chaos.

Key Relationships

In the novel Zong Bao chiefly has key relationships with the following figures:

* Kong Rong: Zong Bao was a subordinate general of Kong Rong. When Guan Hai besieged Beihai, he came forth to try to protect his lord, embodying his loyalty to Kong Rong. Zong Bao's death also directly led to the rout of Kong Rong's army, leaving Kong Rong in a besieged plight^[1]. This lord-subject relationship is the sole background of Zong Bao's existence in the novel.
* Guan Hai: Guan Hai was Zong Bao's direct opponent and the chief cause of Zong Bao's death. Zong Bao's clash with Guan Hai ended with Zong Bao being cut down from his horse by a single stroke of Guan Hai's blade, which highlights Guan Hai's valor and Zong Bao's tragic fate^[1] (novel only).

Signature Scenes

Zong Bao's signature scene, which is also his only appearance in the novel, is the moment when he leveled his spear and went out to fight Guan Hai, and was finally slain and cut down from his horse^[1].

* Fighting Guan Hai hard beneath the walls of Beihai: When the Yellow Turban bandit Guan Hai besieged Beihai and demanded grain of Kong Rong, Kong Rong refused his demand. In a fury, Guan Hai spurred his horse, brandished his blade, and made straight for Kong Rong. At this point Zong Bao leveled his spear and rode out to try to hold off Guan Hai. However, he could not hold for long; after only a few bouts he was cut down from his horse by a single stroke of Guan Hai's blade and died a heroic death. This scene not only displays Zong Bao's loyalty and valor as a subordinate general of Kong Rong but also directly brought about the rout of Kong Rong's army and the perilous siege of the city of Beihai, and is the only and deep imprint Zong Bao left in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms^[1] (novel only).