Han Tao
| Han Tao | |
|---|---|
| Water Margin character | |
| Nickname | "General of Hundred Victories" 百勝將 |
| Rank | 42nd, Majestic Star (地威星) of the 72 Earthly Fiends |
| Tiger Cub Scouting General of Liangshan | |
| Origin | Imperial drill instructor from Chenzhou |
| Hometown | Dongjing (present-day Kaifeng) |
| First appearance | Chapter 55 |
| Weapon | Lance (棗木槊) |
| Names | |
| Simplified Chinese | 韩滔 |
| Traditional Chinese | 韓滔 |
| Pinyin | Hán Tāo |
| Wade–Giles | Han T'ao |
Han Tao is a fictional character in the Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. He ranks 42nd of the 108 Liangshan heroes and 6th of the 72 Earthly Fiends. He is nicknamed "General of Hundred Victories".
Background
Han Tao is from Dongjing (present-day Kaifeng, Henan). He wields a lance and excels in martial arts. He serves the imperial court as a drill instructor in Chenzhou (present-day Huaiyang County, Zhoukou, Henan). He is nicknamed "General of Hundred Victories" for his might and expertise in warfare.
Becoming an outlaw
Grand Marshal Gao Qiu is furious with the Liangshan outlaws after they captured the city of Gaotangzhou (present-day Gaotang County, Shandong) and killed his cousin Gao Lian. He requests for the emperor to send an army to quell the outlaws. The emperor appoints Huyan Zhuo in charge of the army, with Han Tao and Peng Qi serving as Huyan's deputies and leaders of the vanguard army. Han Tao fights with Liangshan's Qin Ming but is no match for Qin. He barely escapes when Huyan Zhuo joins in and covers him from Qin Ming's attacks.
Huyan Zhuo deploys his superior chain-linked armoured cavalry formation to attack the outlaws and score a complete victory. Tang Long recommends his cousin Xu Ning to Song Jiang and Xu trains Liangshan's infantry in using the hooked spear. Liangshan forces eventually overcome Huyan Zhuo's cavalry formation and defeat the imperial army. Huyan Zhuo and Han Tao escape in a frenzy. Han Tao is lured into a trap set by Liu Tang and Shi Qian, where he is captured and sent to Liangshan. Song Jiang treats Han Tao with respect and succeeds in persuading Han to join the Liangshan cause of "delivering justice on Heaven's behalf".
Campaigns and death
Han Tao becomes one of the leaders of the Liangshan cavalry after the Grand Assembly. He follows the heroes on their campaigns against the Liao invaders and rebel forces after they have been granted amnesty by the emperor. During the Fang La campaign, Han Tao is assigned to lead an attack on the enemy city of Changzhou. He engages the enemy general Gao Keli in a fight. Gao Keli fires an arrow at Han Tao, which hits him in the face, and Han falls off his steed. Zhang Jinren then spears Han Tao in the throat and kills him.
References
- (Chinese) Li, Mengxia. 108 Heroes from the Water Margin, page 85. EPB Publishers Pte Ltd, 1992. ISBN 9971-0-0252-3.
- Buck, Pearl. All Men are Brothers. Moyer Bell Ltd, 2006. ISBN 9781559213035.
- Zhang, Lin Ching. Biographies of Characters in Water Margin. Writers Publishing House, 2009. ISBN 978-7506344784.
- Shibusawa, Kou. Bandit Kings of Ancient China, pages 91–93. KOEI, 1989.
- (Japanese) Ichisada, Miyazaki. Suikoden: Kyoko no naka no Shijitsu. Chuo Koronsha, 1993. ISBN 978-4122020559.
- Miyamotois, Yoko. Water Margin: Chinese Robin Hood and His Bandits.
- Keffer, David. Outlaws of the Marsh.