Zhang Hong

Historical Record

Zhang Hong, courtesy name Zigang, was a native of Guangling. In his youth he studied in the capital, learning the Jing-school Book of Changes and the Ouyang Book of Documents under the Erudite Han Zong, and studying the Han Songs, the Record of Rites, and the Zuo Tradition of the Spring and Autumn Annals under Pu Yang Kai. After completing his studies and returning home, he was recommended as a Cultivated Talent (maocai) and summoned by the three offices of the Grand General He Jin, the Grand Commandant Zhu Jun, and the Minister of Works Xun Shuang, but he declined them all on the pretext of illness^[1].

In the chaos at the end of the Han, Zhang Hong moved to Jiangdong to escape the warfare. When Sun Ce was building his enterprise in Jiangdong, Zhang Hong joined him and was recommended as Colonel of Upright Counsel (zhengyi xiaowei). During Sun Ce's campaign against Danyang, Zhang Hong personally went to the front to direct the fighting. He admonished Sun Ce, pointing out that a commander is the wellspring of strategy and the one on whom the lives of the three armies depend, and so should not rashly venture into danger; he hoped Sun Ce would cherish his own person to meet the hopes of all within the seas, and avoid causing the whole state, high and low, to worry over a commander's venturing into danger^[1].

In the fourth year of Jian'an (199 CE), Sun Ce sent Zhang Hong to bear a memorial to Xu, and Zhang Hong consequently remained in Xu serving as Attendant Censor, and became friends with the Privy Treasurer Kong Rong and others. At that time, when Cao Cao heard that Sun Ce had died and wished to take advantage of the mourning to attack Wu, Zhang Hong admonished Cao Cao, holding that to attack Wu while it was in mourning did not accord with the ancient principles, and that if it did not succeed it would instead make an enemy and forfeit goodwill—better to take the opportunity to treat Sun Quan generously. Cao Cao adopted his advice and forthwith submitted a memorial appointing Sun Quan General Who Subdues Bandits and concurrently Governor of Kuaiji. Cao Cao also hoped that Zhang Hong could assist Sun Quan in submitting to the court, and so appointed Zhang Hong Commandant of the Eastern Section of Kuaiji^[2].

At the beginning of Sun Quan's succession, Zhang Hong, together with Zhang Zhao, took part in planning and handling state affairs; in particular, the drafting of memorials and letters and the building of ties with various parties was often initiated by Zhang Hong and Zhang Zhao. Zhang Hong once composed a memorial eulogy for Sun Ce to make manifest his achievements; reading it, Sun Quan was deeply grieved, and praised Zhang Hong, saying, "He truly understands the lineage and standing of my house." Later, Sun Quan appointed Zhang Hong as Senior Clerk (zhangshi), and he accompanied the campaign against Hefei. As Hefei could not be taken after a long siege, Zhang Hong offered a plan, advising that in besieging the city one side be left open to dissolve the enemy's resolve to fight to the death. When Sun Quan wished to lead light cavalry to charge the enemy formation, Zhang Hong again admonished him, pointing out that a commander should not lightly brave arrows and stones but should give weight to the strategy of a hegemon-king, and Sun Quan adopted his advice and desisted. The following year, when Sun Quan wished to send out troops again, Zhang Hong once more remonstrated, holding that a ruler should value "acting at the right time," that for the present he ought to recuperate and rest, broadly open up cultivation and sowing, employ the worthy and capable, and bring about good government through civil virtue; and so Sun Quan called off the campaign plan^[2].

Zhang Hong once advised Sun Quan to move the capital to Moling, holding that the terrain of Moling possessed the aura of a king and was fit to serve as a capital. Sun Quan adopted this advice but could not carry it out at once. Later, Liu Bei too urged Sun Quan to move the capital to Moling, and Sun Quan sighed, "The minds of the wise think alike," and thereupon moved the capital there^[3]. Zhang Hong fell ill and died on the road while returning to Wu to fetch his family, at the age of sixty. Before his death, he left a written testament to his son Zhang Jing, admonishing that a ruler should thirst for the worthy, never tire of receiving remonstrance, restrain his feelings and reduce his desires, and cut off private affection for the sake of righteousness, so as to accomplish the great enterprise of benevolence and protection. Reading the testament, Sun Quan wept without ceasing^[3].

In the Novel

In the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Zhang Hong is further shaped into an important strategist for both Sun Ce and Sun Quan. He first appears when Sun Ce pacified Jiangdong. Zhou Yu recommended to Sun Ce the "Two Zhangs of Jiangdong," namely Zhang Zhao and Zhang Hong, declaring that both men possessed "talent to order Heaven and Earth"^[4]. Sun Ce went in person to engage them; the two consented, and Zhang Hong was appointed Adviser and Colonel of Upright Counsel. During the attack on Yan Baihu, when Sun Ce wished to venture into danger personally, Zhang Hong admonished him, stressing that a commander is the one on whom the lives of the three armies depend and should not take the enemy lightly; Sun Ce thanked him verbally, but still held that if he did not personally brave arrows and stones, his officers and soldiers would not give their utmost^[5]—differing from the histories, where Sun Ce adopted Zhang Hong's admonition.

In the novel, when Cao Cao wished to take advantage of Sun Ce's fresh mourning to attack Wu, Zhang Hong admonished Cao Cao that such an act was unrighteous and that it would be better to treat Sun Quan generously; Cao Cao adopted his words and sent Zhang Hong, bearing a seal, to Jiangdong^[6]. Sun Quan was greatly pleased at this and ordered Zhang Hong, together with Zhang Zhao, to handle state affairs. Zhang Hong also recommended Gu Yong to Sun Quan, and Gu Yong later became Sun Quan's chancellor^[6].

On the eve of the Battle of Red Cliffs, Zhang Zhao, Gu Yong, Zhang Hong, Bu Zhi, and others together called on Zhou Yu, expressing the view of surrender and holding that Lu Su and Zhuge Liang's urging Sun Quan to resist Cao stemmed from private motives. Zhou Yu outwardly agreed but in fact had other plans^[7]. This contrasts with the historical image of Zhang Hong as one who dared to remonstrate within Sun Quan's faction; here the novel depicts him as taking the same stance as Zhang Zhao and the other advocates of surrender.

During Sun Quan's campaign against Hefei, when Song Qian was killed in battle, Sun Quan wept aloud. The Senior Clerk Zhang Hong again admonished him, pointing out that Sun Quan, relying on the vigor of his prime, made light of a great enemy, chilling the hearts of the three armies, and that beheading generals and seizing banners was the task of a subordinate general, not what befitted his lord—urging him to curb his courage and cherish the strategy of a hegemon-king; Sun Quan acknowledged it as his own fault and pledged to amend it thenceforth^[8]. This accords with the content of Zhang Hong's admonition at the Battle of Hefei in the histories, though the specific circumstances differ.

In the novel, before his death from illness, Zhang Hong still bore the great cause of Jiangdong in mind and left a written testament urging Sun Quan to move the capital to Moling, holding that the mountains and rivers of Moling possessed the aura of an emperor and could serve as an enterprise for ten thousand generations^[9]. This differs from the content of Zhang Hong's testament in the histories; the novel lays greater stress on his proposal to move the capital to Moling.

Key Relationships

* Sun Ce (advises_in): Zhang Hong was an important strategist for Sun Ce, joining him in the early days of his enterprise and devising plans for him. He once admonished Sun Ce not to venture rashly into danger, to preserve the weight of the commander^[1].
* Sun Quan's Faction (serves): After Sun Quan's succession, Zhang Hong, together with Zhang Zhao, assisted Sun Quan and handled state affairs, contributing greatly in particular to the drafting of memorials and letters and the building of ties with various parties. He repeatedly admonished Sun Quan to give weight to the greater situation, not to brave arrows and stones lightly, and advised recuperation and rest, bringing about good government through civil virtue^[2].
* Cao Wei (serves): Zhang Hong once went on a mission to Xu by Sun Ce's order, and was afterward retained by Cao Cao as Attendant Censor. When Cao Cao wished to attack Wu during Sun Ce's mourning, Zhang Hong admonished Cao Cao to treat Sun Quan generously; Cao Cao adopted his words and sent Zhang Hong back to Jiangdong to assist Sun Quan^[2].
* Kong Rong (friend_of): During his service as Attendant Censor in Xu, Zhang Hong became friends with the Privy Treasurer Kong Rong and others^[2].
* Zhang Zhao (colleague_of): Zhang Hong and Zhang Zhao were together called the "Two Zhangs of Jiangdong"; during the times of Sun Ce and Sun Quan they jointly assisted and handled state affairs, forming an important cornerstone of the Eastern Wu regime^[4] (novel only).
* Zhou Yu (colleague_of): In the novel, Zhou Yu once recommended Zhang Hong to Sun Ce, and discussed the war situation with Zhang Hong and others before the Battle of Red Cliffs^[4][7].
* Gu Yong (recommends_in): In the novel, Zhang Hong recommended Gu Yong to Sun Quan, and Gu Yong later became Sun Quan's chancellor^[6].

Iconic Scenes

* Admonishing Sun Ce Against Braving Arrows and Stones: During Sun Ce's campaign against Danyang, Zhang Hong admonished Sun Ce, pointing out that a commander is the wellspring of strategy and the one on whom the lives of the three armies depend, and should not rashly venture into danger, urging him to cherish his own person^[1]. In the novel, during the attack on Yan Baihu, Zhang Hong also offered a similar admonition^[5].
* Advising Cao Cao to Treat Sun Quan Generously: When Cao Cao heard of Sun Ce's death and wished to attack Wu during the mourning, Zhang Hong admonished Cao Cao that the act was unrighteous, that if it failed it would instead create an enemy, and that it would be better to treat Sun Quan generously. Cao Cao adopted his words and appointed Sun Quan General Who Subdues Bandits^[2].
* Admonishing Sun Quan at the Battle of Hefei: During Sun Quan's campaign against Hefei, Zhang Hong offered the plan that in besieging the city one side should be left open, and dissuaded Sun Quan from personally leading light cavalry to charge the enemy formation, pointing out that a commander should not lightly brave arrows and stones but should give weight to the strategy of a hegemon-king^[2]. In the novel, this scene takes place after Song Qian's death in battle, when Zhang Hong again admonished Sun Quan not to take the enemy lightly^[8].
* Proposing to Move the Capital to Moling: Zhang Hong once advised Sun Quan to move the capital to Moling, holding that the terrain of Moling possessed the aura of a king and was fit to serve as a capital. Sun Quan adopted this advice, and later Liu Bei too urged Sun Quan to move the capital to Moling, whereupon Sun Quan moved it there^[3]. In the novel, before his death Zhang Hong still bore the matter of moving the capital to Moling in mind and left a written testament^[9].
* The Deathbed Testament Admonishing the Sovereign: Before his death from illness, Zhang Hong left a written testament admonishing that a ruler should thirst for the worthy, never tire of receiving remonstrance, restrain his feelings and reduce his desires, and cut off private affection for the sake of righteousness, so as to accomplish the great enterprise of benevolence and protection^[3].