Hao Zhao
Encyclopedia
Hao Zhao, style name
Bodao (伯道), was a military general of the state of Cao Wei
during the Three Kingdoms
period of Chinese history
. His single most important victory over the much larger Shu Han
army led by Zhuge Liang
during the Siege of Chencang
made him a celebrity overnight, but he soon died of illness before he could further his exploits.
, and joined the army at a young age. Described as masculine and strong, the physically adept Hao Zhao was soon assigned the post of a commander to a group of militia under the Han Dynasty
's chancellor, Cao Cao
. He gained several deeds during his tenure as a captain, and was granted the lowest ranking of generalship for his diligent effort. Some time later, he was dispatched to Hexi and stayed there for roughly ten years. During his tenure, he had been successful on suppressing some local uprisings, and was feared by both the residents and foreign tribes alike.
, launched his second northern campaign against the rival state of Wei, Cao Zhen
of Wei correctly predicted Zhuge's route of advancement. Cao Zhen recommended Hao Zhao to build fortifications for Chencang, and assured the young emperor Cao Rui
of the defense against probable invasions from Shu. However, Hao Zhao was only assigned 1,000 men for his task.
After his failure in the first expedition on Mount Qi, Zhuge Liang indeed changed his target to Chencang as Cao Zhen foresaw. Thoroughly prepared, Zhuge Liang brought with him a selection of siege weapons and 100,000 troops. Although a few officers including Wei Yan
recommended an alternate route, Zhuge Liang was determined to march through Chencang in order to establish a foothold. When they reached the fortress-city, the defense was apparently not completed as Cao Zhen had not sent additional forces to move in.
Having completed the encirclement, Zhuge Liang sent Jin Xiang, a friend of Hao Zhao, to convince Hao to betray Wei. The first time they spoke, Hao Zhao would hear none of it, saying "The law of Wei is what you practiced; the nature of me is what you know. I have received so much from my country and I can't let down on my family. You ought to say no more, I'll only die defending this city. Go express my gratitude to Zhuge Liang, then ask him to attack!" Jin Xiang told Zhuge Liang what Hao Zhao said, and again Zhuge sent Jin to soften Hao. "Our armies are enormous while you only have a tiny force, what good is it to perish for a futile effort?" said Jin. This time, however, Hao Zhao fitted an arrow and replied "What I said earlier remains solid. As I know you, my arrow doesn't." Upon hearing this, the attack began.
tactic through the use of siege ladders, but Hao Zhao countered with fire arrows, burning the platforms and parched the men upon them. While the ladders were still aflame, the enemies' battering rams designed to breach the city gate had arrived, and Hao Zhao hurriedly chained some great stones and rolled them down, smashing the rams. The quick response and skillful leadership of Hao Zhao greatly shocked Zhuge Liang, as the latter never expected such a determined resistance before.
Zhuge Liang then drew back and rethought on his tactic, and he decided to create more possible attack points. So, the besiegers started to fill the moats and prepared their siege towers. With the moats and entrenchments removed, the siege engines moved upon the walls while foot-soldiers climbed the walls like ants. However, Zhuge Liang was outwitted by Hao Zhao that when he laid his hand on the entrenchment, Hao had already seen through his intention and started building interior walls inside the original walls. As long as the siege towers could not pass the first walls, the soldiers on top of the towers who did overcome the outer walls could not climb the second inner walls. Suffering another defeat, Zhuge Liang attempted an architectural approach. He asked his soldiers to dig tunnels beneath the city, but his method was actually different to the more common mining tactic, which is to excavate beneath the foundations of the walls, and then deliberately collapsing or exploding the tunnel - it is recorded that he wanted to create some underground passages for his armies to enter the city directly. That is a much perilous approach, because defenders can counter-tunnel to cut into the attackers' works and topple them prematurely, killing anyone affected by the collapse, and that is just what Hao Zhao did.
The struggle had been continuing non-stop for 20-odd days and nights, with Zhuge Liang becoming increasingly aggressive. News came of Wei reinforcements being led by Wang Shuang
, and Zhuge Liang was forced to retreat when his army was unable to stop the former from reaching Chencang. Wang Shuang was killed when he attempted a pursuit.
), "your county has produced such a fiery general, what worries should I have?" The emperor intended to assign great tasks to Hao Zhao, but the latter became seriously ill and stayed in Luoyang to receive medication. As the sick man collapsed, he gave his final words to his son Hao Kai as thus:
When the emperor knew Hao Zhao would not recover, he was so saddened that he lost appetite and ordered certain higher officials to reduce meals. Sima Yi
protested that for the emperor to worry about Hao Zhao, who was from a lower origin, to such a degree was beyond the rituals suggested.
Chinese style name
A Chinese style name, sometimes also known as a courtesy name , is a given name to be used later in life. After 20 years of age, the zì is assigned in place of one's given name as a symbol of adulthood and respect...
Bodao (伯道), was a military general of the state of Cao Wei
Cao Wei
Cao Wei was one of the states that competed for control of China during the Three Kingdoms period. With the capital at Luoyang, the state was established by Cao Pi in 220, based upon the foundations that his father Cao Cao laid...
during the Three Kingdoms
Three Kingdoms
The Three Kingdoms period was a period in Chinese history, part of an era of disunity called the "Six Dynasties" following immediately the loss of de facto power of the Han Dynasty rulers. In a strict academic sense it refers to the period between the foundation of the state of Wei in 220 and the...
period of Chinese history
History of China
Chinese civilization originated in various regional centers along both the Yellow River and the Yangtze River valleys in the Neolithic era, but the Yellow River is said to be the Cradle of Chinese Civilization. With thousands of years of continuous history, China is one of the world's oldest...
. His single most important victory over the much larger Shu Han
Shu Han
Shu Han was one of the three states competing for control of China during the Three Kingdoms period, after the fall of the Han Dynasty. The state was based on areas around Sichuan, which was then known as Shu...
army led by Zhuge Liang
Zhuge Liang
Zhuge Liang was a chancellor of the state of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history. He is often recognised as the greatest and most accomplished strategist of his era....
during the Siege of Chencang
Siege of Chencang
The Siege of Chencang was a siege of the Cao Wei stronghold at Chencang by forces of the rival state of Shu Han from December 228 to early 229 during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history. The siege was part of second Northern Expedition led by Shu's chancellor Zhuge Liang to attack Wei...
made him a celebrity overnight, but he soon died of illness before he could further his exploits.
Early career
Hao Zhao was born in an obscure family in TaiyuanTaiyuan
Taiyuan is the capital and largest city of Shanxi province in North China. At the 2010 census, it had a total population of 4,201,591 inhabitants on 6959 km² whom 3,212,500 are urban on 1,460 km². The name of the city literally means "Great Plains", referring to the location where the Fen River...
, and joined the army at a young age. Described as masculine and strong, the physically adept Hao Zhao was soon assigned the post of a commander to a group of militia under the Han Dynasty
Han Dynasty
The Han Dynasty was the second imperial dynasty of China, preceded by the Qin Dynasty and succeeded by the Three Kingdoms . It was founded by the rebel leader Liu Bang, known posthumously as Emperor Gaozu of Han. It was briefly interrupted by the Xin Dynasty of the former regent Wang Mang...
's chancellor, Cao Cao
Cao Cao
Cao Cao was a warlord and the penultimate chancellor of the Eastern Han Dynasty who rose to great power during the dynasty's final years. As one of the central figures of the Three Kingdoms period, he laid the foundations for what was to become the state of Cao Wei and was posthumously titled...
. He gained several deeds during his tenure as a captain, and was granted the lowest ranking of generalship for his diligent effort. Some time later, he was dispatched to Hexi and stayed there for roughly ten years. During his tenure, he had been successful on suppressing some local uprisings, and was feared by both the residents and foreign tribes alike.
As a local defender
Before the regent of Shu, Zhuge LiangZhuge Liang
Zhuge Liang was a chancellor of the state of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history. He is often recognised as the greatest and most accomplished strategist of his era....
, launched his second northern campaign against the rival state of Wei, Cao Zhen
Cao Zhen
Cao Zhen was a military general serving under the warlord Cao Cao during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. He served the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period. He was also a distant nephew of Cao Cao, though the latter treated him like a son. Cao Zhen participated in many...
of Wei correctly predicted Zhuge's route of advancement. Cao Zhen recommended Hao Zhao to build fortifications for Chencang, and assured the young emperor Cao Rui
Cao Rui
Cao Rui , formally known as Emperor Ming of Wei, was the second emperor of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history. He was a son of Cao Wei's first emperor Cao Pi according to Liu Song dynasty historian, Pei Songzhi, but was a son of Yuan Xi according to modern...
of the defense against probable invasions from Shu. However, Hao Zhao was only assigned 1,000 men for his task.
After his failure in the first expedition on Mount Qi, Zhuge Liang indeed changed his target to Chencang as Cao Zhen foresaw. Thoroughly prepared, Zhuge Liang brought with him a selection of siege weapons and 100,000 troops. Although a few officers including Wei Yan
Wei Yan
Wei Yan was a military general of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms era of Chinese history. He became a soldier of Liu Bei when the latter fled Jing Province and seek protection from the eastern warlord, Sun Quan, in 208. In 211, Wei had climbed up the ranks and become a general in Liu Bei's...
recommended an alternate route, Zhuge Liang was determined to march through Chencang in order to establish a foothold. When they reached the fortress-city, the defense was apparently not completed as Cao Zhen had not sent additional forces to move in.
Having completed the encirclement, Zhuge Liang sent Jin Xiang, a friend of Hao Zhao, to convince Hao to betray Wei. The first time they spoke, Hao Zhao would hear none of it, saying "The law of Wei is what you practiced; the nature of me is what you know. I have received so much from my country and I can't let down on my family. You ought to say no more, I'll only die defending this city. Go express my gratitude to Zhuge Liang, then ask him to attack!" Jin Xiang told Zhuge Liang what Hao Zhao said, and again Zhuge sent Jin to soften Hao. "Our armies are enormous while you only have a tiny force, what good is it to perish for a futile effort?" said Jin. This time, however, Hao Zhao fitted an arrow and replied "What I said earlier remains solid. As I know you, my arrow doesn't." Upon hearing this, the attack began.
Siege
The odds were drastically against Hao Zhao - he only had 1,000 men at the time, while the Shu army numbered 100,000. Zhuge Liang's first attempt was to carry out an escaladeEscalade
Escalade is the act of scaling defensive walls or ramparts with the aid of ladders, and was a prominent feature of siege warfare in medieval times...
tactic through the use of siege ladders, but Hao Zhao countered with fire arrows, burning the platforms and parched the men upon them. While the ladders were still aflame, the enemies' battering rams designed to breach the city gate had arrived, and Hao Zhao hurriedly chained some great stones and rolled them down, smashing the rams. The quick response and skillful leadership of Hao Zhao greatly shocked Zhuge Liang, as the latter never expected such a determined resistance before.
Zhuge Liang then drew back and rethought on his tactic, and he decided to create more possible attack points. So, the besiegers started to fill the moats and prepared their siege towers. With the moats and entrenchments removed, the siege engines moved upon the walls while foot-soldiers climbed the walls like ants. However, Zhuge Liang was outwitted by Hao Zhao that when he laid his hand on the entrenchment, Hao had already seen through his intention and started building interior walls inside the original walls. As long as the siege towers could not pass the first walls, the soldiers on top of the towers who did overcome the outer walls could not climb the second inner walls. Suffering another defeat, Zhuge Liang attempted an architectural approach. He asked his soldiers to dig tunnels beneath the city, but his method was actually different to the more common mining tactic, which is to excavate beneath the foundations of the walls, and then deliberately collapsing or exploding the tunnel - it is recorded that he wanted to create some underground passages for his armies to enter the city directly. That is a much perilous approach, because defenders can counter-tunnel to cut into the attackers' works and topple them prematurely, killing anyone affected by the collapse, and that is just what Hao Zhao did.
The struggle had been continuing non-stop for 20-odd days and nights, with Zhuge Liang becoming increasingly aggressive. News came of Wei reinforcements being led by Wang Shuang
Wang Shuang
Wang Shuang , style name Ziquan , was a military general of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history. He initially participated in battles against the eastern warlord, Sun Quan, but was defeated and captured...
, and Zhuge Liang was forced to retreat when his army was unable to stop the former from reaching Chencang. Wang Shuang was killed when he attempted a pursuit.
Death
An imperial decree was passed down to grant Hao Zhao a title of marquis, and he was summoned to the imperial capital by the emperor Cao Rui, who was so eager to meet this new hero of his country and once commented to his trusted aide, Sun Zi (孫資, not to be confused with Sun TzuSun Tzu
Sun Wu , style name Changqing , better known as Sun Tzu or Sunzi , was an ancient Chinese military general, strategist and philosopher who is traditionally believed, and who is most likely, to have authored The Art of War, an influential ancient Chinese book on military strategy...
), "your county has produced such a fiery general, what worries should I have?" The emperor intended to assign great tasks to Hao Zhao, but the latter became seriously ill and stayed in Luoyang to receive medication. As the sick man collapsed, he gave his final words to his son Hao Kai as thus:
When the emperor knew Hao Zhao would not recover, he was so saddened that he lost appetite and ordered certain higher officials to reduce meals. Sima Yi
Sima Yi
Sima Yi was a general and politician of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms era of Chinese history. He is perhaps best known for defending Wei from Zhuge Liang's Northern Expeditions...
protested that for the emperor to worry about Hao Zhao, who was from a lower origin, to such a degree was beyond the rituals suggested.