Pang Tong

Pang Tong

A Qing dynasty portrait of Pang Tong
Adviser of Liu Bei
Born 179[1]
Died 214 (aged 35)[1]
Names
Traditional Chinese 龐統
Simplified Chinese 庞统
Pinyin Páng Tǒng
Wade–Giles P'ang T'ung
Courtesy name Shiyuan (Chinese: 士元; pinyin: Shìyuán; Wade–Giles: Shih-yüan)
Posthumous name Marquis Jing (Chinese: 靖侯; pinyin: Jìng Hóu; Wade–Giles: Ching Hou)
Other names "Fledging Phoenix" (simplified Chinese: 凤雏; traditional Chinese: 鳳雛; pinyin: Fèngchú; Wade–Giles: Feng-ch'u)
This is a Chinese name; the family name is Pang.

Pang Tong (179–214),[1][2] courtesy name Shiyuan, was an adviser to the warlord Liu Bei in the late Eastern Han dynasty. Originally a minor official in Nan Commandery in Jing Province (covering present-day Hubei and Hunan), Pang Tong came to serve Liu Bei in 209 after the latter was appointed as the provincial governor. In the early 210s, he accompanied Liu Bei on a military campaign to seize control of Yi Province (covering present-day Sichuan and Chongqing) from the warlord Liu Zhang, but was killed by a stray arrow in a battle at Luo County (north of present-day Guanghan, Sichuan) in 214.

Early life

Pang Tong was from Xiangyang Commandery (襄陽郡; present-day Xiangyang, Hubei). In his youth, he looked plain and simple, so he was not highly regarded. When he reached adulthood (around 19 years old), he visited Sima Hui, who was famous for spotting and recommending men of talent. They came to a mulberry tree, where Sima Hui climbed up to get the fruit while Pang Tong sat below, and they chatted for a whole day until nightfall. Sima Hui felt that Pang Tong was an extraordinary person and called Pang "the crown of learned men in Jing Province". Subsequently, Pang Tong started gaining more recognition among the scholar-gentry.[3] Pang Tong was nicknamed "Fledging Phoenix" (鳳雛; also translated as "Young Phoenix") by his uncle Pang Degong (龐德公).[4]

Pang Tong later served as an "Officer of Merit" (功曹) in Nan Commandery (南郡; in present-day Jingzhou, Hubei). He was an appraiser, and his reviews of persons focused more on their personal virtues rather than their abilities. He was fond of ethical lessons and consistently strove to maintain his moral standards. He usually overpraised when he was asked to assess a person. At times, people were puzzled so they questioned him on why he did that, to which he replied, "The country is currently in a state of disorder. Good people are overwhelmed by the evil. I desire to change the social norm through encouraging good people by giving them a better (exaggerated) reputation, so they can serve as role models for others."[5]

In 209, Zhou Yu, a general under the warlord Sun Quan, occupied Nan Commandery after the Battle of Jiangling. Zhou Yu was appointed as the Administrator (太守) of Nan Commandery, and Pang continued to serve as a minor official under Zhou. When Zhou Yu died in 210, Pang Tong travelled to Jiangdong to attend Zhou's funeral, where he was warmly received by many people, who had heard of him before. Pang Tong met Lu Ji, Gu Shao (顧劭) and Quan Cong, and he appraised each of them. They were all very pleased with Pang Tong's comments and befriended him.[6]

Serving Liu Bei in Jing Province

Pang Tong became a subject of Liu Bei after the latter assumed governorship of Jing Province in late 209. He initially served as an "Assistant Officer" (從事) and as the Prefect (令) of Leiyang County (耒陽縣; present-day Leiyang, Hunan), but was later dismissed from office due to poor performance. Sun Quan's general Lu Su wrote to Liu Bei, recommending Pang Tong as a talent. Liu Bei's strategist Zhuge Liang also recommended Pang Tong, so Liu Bei recruited Pang to be an "Assistant Officer in the Headquarters Office" (治中從事). Liu Bei's treatment towards Pang Tong was second to that of Zhuge Liang. He later appointed both Pang Tong and Zhuge Liang as "Military Advisor Generals of the Household" (軍師中郎將).[7]

Assisting Liu Bei in the conquest of Yi Province

Around the early 210s, Pang Tong successfully persuaded Liu Bei to seize Yi Province (covering present-day Sichuan and Chongqing) in western China and use its resources to compete with Cao Cao for supremacy over China. Liu Bei heeded Pang Tong's suggestion.[8] In 211, Liu Bei led an army from Jing Province into Yi Province on the pretext of helping Yi Province's governor Liu Zhang counter an invasion from the warlord Zhang Lu in Hanzhong. Zhuge Liang remained behind to guard Jing Province while Pang Tong followed Liu Bei to Yi Province.[9]

Liu Zhang received Liu Bei at Fu County (涪縣; in present-day Fuling District, Chongqing). Pang Tong urged Liu Bei to use the opportunity to capture Liu Zhang and force the latter to hand over Yi Province, but Liu Bei refused on the grounds that he was new to Yi Province and had yet to establish a strong reputation there. Liu Zhang later returned to Yi Province's capital Chengdu.[10]

Pang Tong outlined three plans for Liu Bei to choose from:

Liu Bei chose the middle plan and executed it – he killed Yang Huai and Gao Pei, led his forces towards Chengdu and conquered several of Liu Zhang's territories along the way.[11]

When Liu Bei expressed joy during a banquet in Fu County to celebrate his victory over Liu Zhang so far, Pang Tong chid him, saying that "celebrating the invasion of others' territory is not what a man of ren should do". The drunk Liu Bei retorted angrily, "King Wu of Zhou also rejoiced after his victory over King Zhou of Shang. Is he not an example of a man of ren? You're wrong, so get out now!" After Pang Tong left, Liu Bei regretted his words so he invited Pang back. Pang Tong returned to his seat and did not say anything, so Liu Bei asked, "When that quarrel happened just now, whose fault do you think it was?" Pang Tong replied, "It was both yours and mine." Liu Bei laughed and the banquet continued.[12]

Death

Pang Tong later participated in a battle against Liu Zhang's forces at Luo County (雒縣; north of present-day Guanghan, Sichuan). He was hit by a stray arrow while attacking the city and died from his wound. He was 36 years old (by East Asian age reckoning) at the time of his death. Liu Bei was deeply saddened by Pang Tong's death and he would weep whenever Pang was mentioned. Pang Tong was posthumously granted the titles of a "Secondary Marquis" (關內侯) and "Marquis Jing" (靖侯) after Liu Bei founded the state of Shu Han in 221.[13]

Liu Bei had a shrine and tomb constructed for Pang Tong near Luo County. The shrine and tomb is located in present-day Baimaguan Town (白馬關鎮), Luojiang County, Deyang, Sichuan. On 25 May 2006, it became a Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level.[14]

Family and descendants

After Pang Tong's death, Liu Bei appointed Pang's father – whose name was not recorded in history – as a Consultant (議郎) and later promoted him to a "Counsellor Remonstrant" (諫議大夫).[15]

Pang Tong had a younger brother, Pang Lin (龐林), who served as an Assistant Officer in Jing Province's Headquarters Office (荊州治中從事). He participated in the Battle of Xiaoting in 221–222 together with the general Huang Quan and was tasked with defending the northern flank from possible attacks by Shu's rival state, Wei. After Liu Bei was defeated by Sun Quan's general Lu Xun at Xiaoting, Pang Lin and Huang Quan were separated from Liu Bei's remaining forces and could not return to Shu, so they brought along their troops and surrendered to Wei. Pang Lin served as the Administrator (太守) of Julu Commandery (鉅鹿郡) in Wei and received a marquis title.[16]

Pang Tong had a son, Pang Hong (龐宏), whose courtesy name was "Jushi" (巨師). Pang Hong, who served in the Shu government, was known for being frugal, upright and outspoken. He offended Chen Di (陳袛), the Director of the Imperial Secretariat (尚書令), and was repressed in his career by the latter. He died in office while serving as the Administrator (太守) of Fuling Commandery (涪陵郡).[17]

In fiction

Pang Tong is featured as a character in the historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms by Luo Guanzhong, which romanticises the historical events before and during the Three Kingdoms period. In the novel, Pang Tong was portrayed as a brilliant military strategist who equalled Zhuge Liang. Sima Hui recommended Pang Tong and Zhuge Liang as talents to aid Liu Bei through the following lines: "Hidden Dragon and Young Phoenix. If you can get either of them, you will be able to pacify the empire."[18]

In Chapter 47, prior to the Battle of Red Cliffs, Pang Tong was introduced by Jiang Gan to Cao Cao and he presented a "chain links strategy" (連環計) to Cao. The plan involved linking Cao Cao's battleships together with strong iron chains, so as to make the ships more stable when they were sailing, as well as to reduce the chances of Cao's soldiers falling seasick due to excessive rocking. This contributed to Cao Cao's defeat as his battleships were unable to separate from each other during the fire attack in the battle, and when one ship is set aflame, the other ships linked to it caught fire as well.[19]

Pang Tong's death during the war between Liu Bei and Liu Zhang was highly dramatised in Chapter 63. At the outset of the battle at Luo County (雒縣; present-day Guanghan, Sichuan), before Liu Bei and Pang Tong would split forces for a two-pronged attack, Pang Tong's horse reared and threw him off its back. This was regarded as a bad omen. Liu Bei then let Pang Tong borrow his famous steed, Dilu (的盧). However, Dilu was also said to bring bad luck to its rider despite saving Liu Bei's life earlier. Liu Zhang's general Zhang Ren, who planned an ambush near Luo County, recognized Dilu and mistook its rider to be Liu Bei, so he ordered his archers to fire at the rider. Pang Tong was hit by several arrows which pierced through his body and he died on the spot. His place of death was called "Valley of the Fallen Phoenix".[20]

Modern references

Pang Tong is featured as a playable character in Koei's Dynasty Warriors, Warriors Orochi and Dynasty Tactics video game series.

In Koihime Musou, Pang Tong appears as a shy and reserved young girl called Hinari Shigen Houtou. First appearing in episode 10 of Shin Koihime Musou, Hinari lives with Zhuge Liang / Shuri Koumei Shokatsuryou teacher.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 The Sanguozhi stated that Pang Tong died at the age of 36 (by East Asian age reckoning) in 214 CE. By calculation, his birth year should be around 179.
  2. ↑ de Crespigny, Rafe (2007). A biographical dictionary of Later Han to the Three Kingdoms (23–220 AD). Brill. p. 689. ISBN 978-90-04-15605-0.
  3. ↑ (...襄陽人也。少時樸鈍，未有識者。潁川司馬徽清雅有知人鑒，統弱冠往見徽，徽採桑於樹上，坐統在樹下，共語自晝至夜。徽甚異之，稱統當為南州士之冠冕，由是漸顯。) Sanguozhi vol. 37.
  4. ↑ (襄陽記曰：諸葛孔明為卧龍，龐士元為鳳雛，司馬德操為水鏡，皆龐德公語也。) Xiangyang Ji annotation in Sanguozhi vol. 37.
  5. ↑ (後郡命為功曹。性好人倫，勤於長養。每所稱述，多過其才，時人怪而問之，統荅曰：「當今天下大亂，雅道陵遲，善人少而惡人多。方欲興風俗，長道業，不美其譚即聲名不足慕企，不足慕企而為善者少矣。今拔十失五，猶得其半，而可以崇邁世教，使有志者自勵，不亦可乎？」) Sanguozhi vol. 37.
  6. ↑ (吳將周瑜助先主取荊州，因領南郡太守。瑜卒，統送喪至吳，吳人多聞其名。及當西還，並會昌門，陸績、顧劭、全琮皆往。統曰：「陸子可謂駑馬有逸足之力，顧子可謂駑牛能負重致遠也。」謂全琮曰：「卿好施慕名，有似汝南樊子昭。雖智力不多，亦一時之佳也。」績、劭謂統曰：「使天下太平，當與卿共料四海之士。」深與統相結而還。) Sanguozhi vol. 37.
  7. ↑ (先主領荊州，統以從事守耒陽令，在縣不治，免官。吳將魯肅遺先主書曰：「龐士元非百里才也，使處治中、別駕之任，始當展其驥足耳。」諸葛亮亦言之於先主，先主見與善譚，大器之，以為治中從事。親待亞於諸葛亮，遂與亮並為軍師中郎將。) Sanguozhi vol. 37.
  8. ↑ (九州春秋曰：統說備曰：「荊州荒殘，人物殫盡，東有吳孫，北有曹氏，鼎足之計，難以得志。今益州國富民彊，戶口百萬，四部兵馬，所出必具，寶貨無求於外，今可權借以定大事。」備曰：「今指與吾為水火者，曹操也，操以急，吾以寬；操以暴，吾以仁；操以譎，吾以忠；每與操反，事乃可成耳。今以小故而失信義於天下者，吾所不取也。」統曰：「權變之時，固非一道所能定也。兼弱攻昧，五伯之事。逆取順守，報之以義，事定之後，封以大國，何負於信？今日不取，終為人利耳。」備遂行。) Jiuzhou Chunqiu annotation in Sanguozhi vol. 37.
  9. ↑ (亮留鎮荊州。統隨從入蜀。) Sanguozhi vol. 37.
  10. ↑ (益州牧劉璋與先主會涪，統進策曰：「今因此會，便可執之，則將軍無用兵之勞，而坐定一州也。」先主曰：「初入他國，恩信未著，此不可也。」璋旣還成都，先主當為璋北征漢中，...) Sanguozhi vol. 37.
  11. ↑ (...統復說曰：「陰選精兵，晝夜兼道，徑襲成都；璋旣不武，又素無預備，大軍卒至，一舉便定，此上計也。楊懷、高沛，璋之名將，各杖彊兵，據守關頭，聞數有牋諫璋，使發遣將軍還荊州。將軍未至，遣與相聞，說荊州有急，欲還救之，並使裝束，外作歸形；此二子旣服將軍英名，又喜將軍之去，計必乘輕騎來見，將軍因此執之，進取其兵，乃向成都，此中計也。退還白帝，連引荊州，徐還圖之，此下計也。若沈吟不去，將致大困，不可乆矣。」先主然其中計，即斬懷、沛，還向成都，所過輒克。) Sanguozhi vol. 37.
  12. ↑ (於涪大會，置酒作樂，謂統曰：「今日之會，可謂樂矣。」統曰：「伐人之國而以為歡，非仁者之兵也。」先主醉，怒曰：「武王伐紂，前歌後舞，非仁者邪？卿言不當，宜速起出！」於是統逡巡引退。先主尋悔，請還。統復故位，初不顧謝，飲食自若。先主謂曰：「向者之論，阿誰為失？」統對曰：「君臣俱失。」先主大笑，宴樂如初。) Sanguozhi vol. 37.
  13. ↑ (進圍雒縣，統率衆攻城，為流矢所中，卒，時年三十六。先主痛惜，言則流涕。 ... 追賜統爵關內侯，謚曰靖侯。) Sanguozhi vol. 37.
  14. ↑ 昭化古城001 [Zhaohua Gucheng 001] (4 June 2014). "庞统祠墓 [Pang Tong Shrine and Tomb]". zhjmg.com (in Chinese). Retrieved 1 January 2015.
  15. ↑ (拜統父議郎，遷諫議大夫，諸葛亮親為之拜。) Sanguozhi vol. 37.
  16. ↑ (統弟林，以荊州治中從事參鎮北將軍黃權征吳，值軍敗，隨權入魏，魏封列侯，至鉅鹿太守。) Sanguozhi vol. 37.
  17. ↑ (統子宏，字巨師，剛簡有臧否，輕傲尚書令陳袛，為袛所抑，卒於涪陵太守。) Sanguozhi vol. 37.
  18. ↑ Sanguo Yanyi ch. 35.
  19. ↑ Sanguo Yanyi ch. 47-50.
  20. ↑ Sanguo Yanyi ch. 63.
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