Guiyang is one of the southern commanderies Xuande’s forces seek to secure as a lasting base. Its capture becomes a test not only of military strength but of judgment and restraint: Zhao Zilong wins the governor’s initial surrender, then takes the city again after uncovering a plot, with the welfare of its ordinary people made part of the account of victory.

Place in the Southern Campaign

After gaining a foothold in Jingzhou, Xuande needs territory that can provide reliable supplies and support. Ma Liang advises securing Jingzhou by raising Liu Qi’s standing, then marching south for Wuling, Changsha, Guiyang, and Lingling. His proposed sequence places Guiyang after Lingling and Wuling, and before the final advance east of the river toward Changsha. Guiyang therefore belongs to a broader plan to consolidate a base, rather than standing as an isolated objective.

Zhao Zilong’s First Advance

When Xuande calls for a volunteer to lead the attack on Guiyang, Zhao Zilong offers immediately. Zhang Fei also wants the command, and their rivalry creates tension; Kong Ming settles the dispute by lots, which select Zhao Zilong. Zhang Fei challenges the choice by claiming he could take the city with only three thousand men. Zhao Zilong answers that he could do the same, and sets out with that force.

The governor, Zhao Fan, knows Zhao Zilong’s reputation and is already inclined to surrender. Chen Ying argues that he should first be allowed to defend the city, reasoning that the governor can still capitulate if the defense fails. Chen Ying rides out with three thousand men, but Zhao Zilong quickly routs them, pursues the fleeing commander, and captures him. Rather than kill him, Zhao Zilong spares him and sends him back to persuade Zhao Fan to surrender. Zhao Fan then personally comes to Zhao Zilong’s camp and yields the city.

A Conspiracy and the Second Capture

The surrender is followed by a personal overture: Zhao Fan tells Zhao Zilong that they share a family name and hometown, Zhending, and claims their families had once belonged to the same line. They swear brotherhood. Zhao Fan then proposes that Zhao Zilong marry his widowed sister-in-law. Zhao Zilong refuses, regarding the proposed match as inappropriate because she would effectively be his sister-in-law, and rejects marriage as an ambition in favor of pursuing fame.

The dispute over the marriage proposal develops into a conspiracy involving Chen Ying and Bao Ling. Zhao Zilong sees through their plan, has them made drunk, and secures a servant’s confession. He then persuades five hundred other men to assist him, offering them food and wine and promising a reward rather than punishment. They return to Guiyang at night and persuade the guards to open the gates by claiming that Chen Ying and Bao Ling have captured and killed Zhao Zilong. Zhao Fan rushes to meet them; the soldiers seize him and open the city to Zhao Zilong’s forces. Thus the commandery changes hands a second time, now through a stratagem that exploits the conspirators’ own story.

Local Consequences

When Zhao Zilong enters Guiyang again, he immediately seeks to reassure the common people that they will be safe. Later, when Xuande and Kong Ming arrive, Kong Ming questions Zhao Fan and learns of the marriage offer, teasing Zhao Zilong about it. Zhao Zilong’s refusal and his concern for the propriety of the proposed relationship sit beside the account of his military conduct: he spares Chen Ying to facilitate surrender, but the later conspirators are executed, and the city is secured through a nighttime deception.

Guiyang’s capture is presented as both territorial consolidation and a question of how a change of rule affects civilians. The account explicitly contrasts this transfer with the violence often associated with conquest: the people rejoice that the city has changed hands without being harmed. Its place in the southern campaign is therefore measured not only by its strategic value as part of Xuande’s proposed supply base, but also by the narrative emphasis on keeping its inhabitants safe.