Tao Bao (died 22 January 340),

courtesy name A courtesy name ( zh, s=字, p=zì, l=character), also known as a style name, is an additional name bestowed upon individuals at adulthood, complementing their given name. This tradition is prevalent in the East Asian cultural sphere, particula ...

Anbu, was a military general of

Later Zhao Zhao, briefly known officially as Wei (衛) in 350 AD, known in historiography as the Later Zhao (; 319–351) or Shi Zhao (石趙), was a dynasty of China ruled by the Shi family of Jie ethnicity during the Sixteen Kingdoms period. Among the ...

during China's

Sixteen Kingdoms The Sixteen Kingdoms (), less commonly the Sixteen States, was a chaotic period in Chinese history from AD 304 to 439 when northern China fragmented into a series of short-lived dynastic states. The majority of these states were founded b ...

period. Being one of Shi Le's Eighteen Riders, his most notable activities were his battles with

Zu Ti Zu Ti (266 – October 321), courtesy name Shizhi, was a Chinese military general of the Jin dynasty. Between 313 and 321, he commanded an expeditionary force to reclaim territory in northern China that were lost during the Upheaval of the Fi ...

, in which he defended the city of Pengguan (蓬關, in modern-day

Chenliu Chenliu () is a town situated in Kaifeng County, Kaifeng in the province of Henan, China. See also *List of township-level divisions of Henan This is a list of township-level divisions of the province of Henan, People's Republic of China (PR ...

Henan Henan; alternatively Honan is a province in Central China. Henan is home to many heritage sites, including Yinxu, the ruins of the final capital of the Shang dynasty () and the Shaolin Temple. Four of the historical capitals of China, Lu ...

) and also helping Shi Le during his final push against Liu Yao in 328. He served up to Shi Hu's reign before dying in January 340. His name can be rendered as Yao Bao.

Life

Tao Bao was from

Fanyang Commandery Zhuo Commandery ( zh, 涿郡) or Fanyang Commandery ( zh, 范陽郡) was a commandery in imperial China from Han dynasty to Tang dynasty, located in modern Hebei and Beijing. Han dynasty Zhuo Commandery was established during Emperor Gao of Han's ...

and was known in his hometown for his bravery and skill at horse riding. Once, Tao Bao boastingly declared, "A man who has met Wei Taizu and not be a marquis of 10,000 households or among his top generals is not a real man." Those with him at the time laughed at him but Tao Bao raised his voice at them, "You sons of rats, how could you possibly comprehend the aspirations of a lordly man who transforms like a leopard?” Like all those who joined Shi Le in 304, he became one of his Eighteen Riders and roamed the land as a bandit. When Shi Le occupied Julu and

Changshan (; ), also known as (), and (), is a form of , Chinese robe, which was derived from the Qing dynasty , the traditional dress of the Manchu people, which were worn by Manchu men. The was actually developed by the Han Chinese through the modi ...

, Tao Bao became one of his "talon and teeth" (爪牙) together with Zhi Xiong,

Kong Chang Kong Chang ( 309–321) was a military general of China's Later Zhao dynasty during the Sixteen Kingdoms period. He was one of Shi Le (Emperor Ming)'s more active generals during Shi's career in the Han-Zhao dynasty as well as his early reign ...

Kui An Kui An (died October 340) was a Tianzhu military general and minister of Later Zhao during the Sixteen Kingdoms period. He was one of Shi Le's earliest followers as a member of his Eighteen Riders (十八騎). He later became a partisan of Shi ...

and Lu Ming (逯明). In 313, Tao Bao was made Administrator of

Wei Commandery Wei Commandery ( zh, 魏郡) was a historical commandery of China, located in modern southern Hebei and northern Henan. The commandery was created during Emperor Gaozu of Han's reign, with its seat at Ye. In late Western Han, it administered 18 ...

after Shi Le conquered Yecheng. He was later replaced by Shi Le's nephew Shi Hu. During Zu Ti's northern expedition in 319, he attacked the Administrator of Chenliu, Chen Chuan (陳川) at Pengguan after Chen betrayed him. Shi Le sent Tao Bao to reinforce Chen Chuan, and Tao Bao managed to drive back Zu Ti to

Huainan Huainan () is a prefecture-level city with 3,033,528 inhabitants as of the 2020 census in north-central Anhui province, China. It is named for the Han-era Principality of Huainan. It borders the provincial capital of Hefei to the south, Lu' ...

. Tao Bao guarded the city while Shi Hu relocated Chen Chuan and his followers to Xiangguo (襄國, in modern

Xingtai Xingtai ( zh, s= , t=邢臺, p=Xíngtái , w=Hsing2-tʻai2), formerly known as Xingzhou and Shunde, is a prefecture-level city in southern Hebei province, People's Republic of China. It has a total area of and administers 4 districts, 2 coun ...

Hebei Hebei is a Provinces of China, province in North China. It is China's List of Chinese administrative divisions by population, sixth-most populous province, with a population of over 75 million people. Shijiazhuang is the capital city. It bor ...

). Going into the following year, Zu Ti's general Han Qian (韓潛) occupied the eastern half of the city while Tao Bao held the western one. Tao Bao and Han Qian held on to their part of the city for 40 days. Tao Bao's men were starting to become hungry, so they raided one of Zu Ti's supply convoy. The transporters simply abandoned the rice, and when Tao Bao's men discovered the excess amount of rice they were carrying, they believed that Zu Ti's men were better fed and started to worry. Supplies from the Later Zhao general Liu Yetang (劉夜堂) was intercepted by Zu Ti, leaving Tao Bao with little to no rations. Tao Bao fled Pengguan to camp at

Dongye Dongye may refer to: * Eastern Ye, chiefdom in northeastern Korean peninsula from roughly 3rd-century BC to around early 5th-century AD Towns in China *Dongye, Wutai County Dongye () is a town in southwestern Wutai County, Xinzhou city, Shanxi ...

instead, but Zu Ti ordered Han Qian to pressure him while they occupy Pengguan. The loss of Pengguan placed a strain on Later Zhao's borders, so Shi Le negotiated peace with Zu Ti. In 328, Shi Le campaigned against his rival

Liu Yao Liu Yao (died 329), courtesy name Yongming, was the final emperor of the Xiongnu-led Han-Zhao dynasty of China. He became emperor in 318 after most other members of the imperial Liu clan were massacred by Jin Zhun in a coup. However, the empi ...

Former Zhao The Han-Zhao ( zh, s=汉赵, t=漢趙, p=Hàn Zhào; 304–329 AD), or Former Zhao ( zh, s=前赵, t=前趙, p=Qián Zhào), was a dynastic state of China ruled by the Liu ( Luandi) clan of Chuge-Xiongnu ethnicity during the Sixteen Kingdoms per ...

. Tao Bao led his forces to

Xingyang Xingyang () is a county-level city in Zhengzhou, Henan Province, South Central China. It is under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Zhengzhou. It is situated 15 kilometers to the west of Zhengzhou city proper. The population of ...

to join Shi Le in his assault on

Luoyang Luoyang ( zh, s=洛阳, t=洛陽, p=Luòyáng) is a city located in the confluence area of the Luo River and the Yellow River in the west of Henan province, China. Governed as a prefecture-level city, it borders the provincial capital of Zheng ...

. Shi Le captured Liu Yao while his sons Liu Yin and Liu Xi were killed by Shi Hu the following year. Tao Bao's last contribution would be 338, during Later Zhao and Former Yan's assault on the

Duan Tribe The Duan () was a tribe of Xianbei ethnicity during the era of Sixteen Kingdoms in China. They were a powerful tribe in the Liaoxi region and played a key role during the fall of the Western Jin dynasty. Unlike the Xianbei tribes of the steppe, ...

. Tao Bao was made General Who Traverses The Sea and ordered to attack from Piaoyu Crossing (漂渝津, around present-day

Cangzhou Cangzhou; Jilu Mandarin, locally pronounced as is a prefecture-level city in eastern Hebei province of China, province, People's Republic of China. At the 2020 Chinese census, 2020 census, Cangzhou's built-up (''or metro'') area made of Yunh ...

). On 22 January 340, Tao Bao died, holding the office of Grand Guardian.( ��康五年��二月，丁丑，趙太保桃豹卒。) Zizhi Tongjian, Volume 96

References

* Fang, Xuanling (ed.) (648). ''

Book of Jin The ''Book of Jin'' is an official Chinese historical text covering the history of the Jin dynasty (266–420), Jin dynasty from 266 to 420. It was compiled in 648 by a number of officials commissioned by the imperial court of the Tang dynasty, ...

'' (''Jin Shu''). * Sima, Guang (1084).

Zizhi Tongjian The ''Zizhi Tongjian'' (1084) is a chronicle published during the Northern Song dynasty (960–1127) that provides a record of Chinese history from 403 BC to 959 AD, covering 16 dynasties and spanning almost 1400 years. The main text is ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tao, Bao Former Zhao generals Later Zhao generals 340 deaths