Han De

Han De is a chieftain of the Qiang tribes who fights for Wei against Shu during Xiahou Mao’s campaign. Introduced as a formidable commander arriving with his four sons, he loses them in succession to Zhao Zilong and is killed while seeking revenge, turning the family’s defeat into a decisive episode in Zhao’s victory.

Identity and Background

Han De appears as a Qiang chieftain leading his four sons and their troops alongside Xiahou Mao’s forces. The account emphasizes his imposing presence and the great battleaxe he carries, presenting him as a serious military opponent rather than a background figure among the allied troops.

His appearance belongs to a wider campaign in which Wei’s effort to resist Shu draws on forces beyond its own central armies. Here, the Qiang contingent enters the story under Han De’s leadership; the evidence identifies his role and family, but gives no further account of his life before the campaign.

Campaign and First Defeat

When the armies meet, Han De’s sons initiate the challenge. Zhao Zilong responds by entering the fight and killing the eldest. The remaining three then engage him: Zhao kills another, wounds one who is rescued by his own men, and captures Han Yao. Han De flees, and his troops retreat with him after suffering heavy losses. The episode is presented as a major victory for Shu.

The family’s losses make the encounter more than a clash between commanders. Zhao’s success is measured through the defeat of Han De’s sons, while Han De survives the first engagement to carry news of the disaster back to Xiahou Mao. A poem in the narrative recalls Zhao’s feat and compares it with his earlier rescue of his lord’s heir at Dangyang, linking this new victory to an established deed in his career.

Revenge and Death

Han De returns to Xiahou Mao and reports the defeat. Xiahou Mao decides to take the field himself, and the armies meet again the next day. Han De rides out to avenge his fallen sons, carrying his battleaxe and directing his attack at Zhao. After only a few exchanges, Zhao kills him.

With Han De dead, Zhao turns toward Xiahou Mao, who flees. The day again ends in victory for Shu. Han De’s final attack is thus both a personal response to the loss of his sons and a renewed military challenge; its failure removes the Qiang chieftain from the campaign and leaves Xiahou Mao’s forces defeated once more.

Narrative Role

Han De’s brief arc is organized around a sharp reversal: he enters with his sons as a formidable allied force, but the first battle scatters them, and his effort to avenge them ends in his own death. The episode also establishes Zhao Zilong’s continuing prowess in old age. When Deng Zhi later congratulates Zhao on being seventy and still courageous, Zhao pointedly recalls that he had been discounted because of his age and says he had to demonstrate what he could still do. Han De’s defeat therefore serves not only as a loss for Wei’s campaign but as evidence of the veteran general’s enduring battlefield authority.