Zhang Bao (Yellow Turban)
| Zhang Bao | |||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 張寶 | ||||||||
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| Simplified Chinese | 张宝 | ||||||||
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Zhang Bao (died 184) was a Yellow Turban rebel leader during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. He was a younger brother of Zhang Jiao and older brother of Zhang Liang, the other two key leaders of the rebellion. He was the proclaimed General of Land according to Zhang Jiao's doctrine.
After the death of Zhang Jiao in the winter of 184, the task of leading the rebels went to Zhang Bao and Zhang Liang, whose leadership was less effective. Zhang Liang was defeated and killed by the imperial general Huangfu Song at Guanzhong. Shortly after, Huangfu attacked Zhang Bao at Xiaquyang (present-day Jinzhou), and beheaded him.
In fiction
In Luo Guanzhong's historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Zhang Bao fought with imperial forces led by Zhu Jun, Liu Bei, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei. He was depicted as a sorcerer and was able to summon a thunderstorm, which created an apparition of an army of dark warriors.
Ultimately shortly after Zhang Liang was captured and executed, Zhang Bao began making more reckless decisions and was hard pressed by government forces in Yang Province. His men began to fear for their lives and he was eventually assassinated by one of his own men, Yan Zheng during an attack on the castle of Yangcheng. With this the Yellow Turbans degenerated into a force of bandits militarily. By 205 they ceased most of their rebellious activities and the remaining followers mostly joined the Celestial Master Sect.
It is said that Zhang Bao and his brothers were the grandsons of Zhang Daoling.