Huang Zhong

Huang Zhong
A Qing dynasty illustration of Huang Zhong
General of Liu Bei
Born	(Unknown)
Died	220
Names
Traditional Chinese	黃忠
Simplified Chinese	黄忠
Pinyin	Huáng Zhōng
Wade–Giles	Huang Chung
Courtesy name	Hansheng (simplified Chinese: 汉升; traditional Chinese: 漢升; pinyin: Hànshēng; Wade–Giles: Han-sheng)
Posthumous name	Marquis Gang (simplified Chinese: 刚侯; traditional Chinese: 剛侯; pinyin: Gāng Hóu; Wade–Giles: Kang Hou)

Huang Zhong (died 220), courtesy name Hansheng, was a military general serving under the warlord Liu Bei in the late Eastern Han dynasty. He is best known for his victory at the Battle of Mount Dingjun in 219, in which his force routed that of an enemy general, Xiahou Yuan, who was killed in action during the raid.

Huang Zhong is portrayed in the 14th-century historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms and popular culture as an elderly general with youthful vigour and constitution, and as one of the Five Tiger Generals under Liu Bei.

Huang Zhong was from Nanyang Commandery (南陽郡), which is in present-day Nanyang, Henan. He initially served as a General of the Household (中郎將) under Liu Biao, the Governor (牧) of Jing Province. He was tasked to defend Changsha Commandery (長沙郡; covering parts of present-day Hunan) with Liu Biao's nephew, Liu Pan. Liu Biao died in 208 and his successor, Liu Cong, surrendered Jing Province to the warlord Cao Cao. Huang Zhong was appointed as an acting Major-General (裨將軍) and he continued serving in Changsha under Han Xuan, the commandery's Administrator (太守).

Following Cao Cao's defeat at the Battle of Red Cliffs in the same year, the victorious allied forces of Liu Bei and Sun Quan gradually took over the various commanderies in southern Jing Province, including Changsha. Huang Zhong actively urged Han Xuan to surrender to Liu Bei, who held strong influence in the province. Han Xuan conceded and Huang Zhong came to serve Liu Bei. Since his appointment at Jiameng (葭萌), Huang Zhong had performed well in Liu Bei's conquest of Yi Province (covering present-day Sichuan and Chongqing) from 212 to 215 – he was often the first to scale the walls of enemy cities and the first to charge into enemy formations. After Yi Province was taken, Huang Zhong was promoted to General Who Attacks Rebels (討虜將軍).