Ling Tong

Ling Tong (onyomi: Ryō Tō) is Ling Cao's son. He is popular with the common folk and a highly respected retainer of Sun Quan, accredited to have been his lord's savior at Hefei. Romance of the Three Kingdoms emphasizes his historical grudge and later friendship towards Gan Ning.

Before his playable appearance, he was formally a Wu NPC since Dynasty Warriors 2. Gamecity's Dynasty Warriors 7 character popularity poll has his Dynasty Warriors persona placed at eighth place with fans; he was fifteenth place in Dynasty Warriors 8: Xtreme Legends popularity poll. The latest poll for the eighth installment puts him in twenty-fifth. The character poll for overseas fans puts him in tenth place for the Wu division. His Dynasty Warriors counterpart has an image song titled Not So Bad and shares a duet with Gan Ning called Taste of Victory.

Role in Games

 * "Handsome and strong... What more could I want?"
 * Okuni; Warriors Orochi

Dynasty Warriors
In Dynasty Warriors 5, he fights beside his father to help conquer the Wu territory for Sun Ce. While they succeed in their duty, their lord soon passes away and is replaced with Sun Quan. From there, father and son aid their lord's desire to avenge his father by slaying Huang Zu. During the battle, Ling Cao is slain by Gan Ning in an ambush and Ling Tong swears to avenge him. Though he has his doubts of the former pirate's capabilities, he continues to begrudgingly perform his service, such as guarding Zhuge Liang at Chi Bi and attacking Wei at He Fei. As they fight in more battles together, Ling Tong notices Gan Ning's capabilities and grows to respect him when he is saved by him. In his ending, he meets with his rival to "completely crush him" in a friendly game of Weiqi.

His Legend Mode in Dynasty Warriors 5: Xtreme Legends has him and four other Wu generals partake in the Battle of Ru Xu Kou. Ling Tong starts in the same location as Zhou Tai in the south-western part of the map. He doesn't have any particularly special events during the stage. After the battle, he comments that the battle went as he expected and is ready continue his kingdom's goal of unification.

Ling Tong's ending scene in Dynasty Warriors: Online has him see the player feeding a stray puppy. Chiding the warrior for their innocence, he also admits to liking that part of them and recounts how many times they saved him. For that, he is forever indebted to them as a friend.

He appears during Gan Ning's storyline in the following title. He's a man who has little faith in the former pirate's abilities and is frustrated by his hotheaded attitude. Lu Meng sympathizes with his concern and asks him to observe Gan Ning for a while longer to better evaluate his comrade's worth. Ling Tong complies and comes to understand his personality better. He's there to see Gan Ning off when he leaves Wu.

When Ling Tong gains his own story mode in Dynasty Warriors 6: Special, his reasons for being displeased with Gan Ning are explored in depth and his father's death is mentioned. He continues to observe Gan Ning and is continuously ordered to work with him. Zhou Yu shares Gan Ning's past with him, which seems to gradually loosen his harsh judgment. He understands his rival's good reputation when Gan Ning saves him from an ambush. It isn't until Lu Meng passes away that their aggression towards one another weaken and Ling Tong begins to sympathize with him. In his ending, he swears to oversee the new land of peace on behalf of his friend and father.

In Dynasty Warriors 7, Ling Tong is first seen under Wu in the Battle of Xiakou. When facing Gan Ning, Ling Tong pleads with Sun Quan to allow him to fight, but the pirate taunts the both of them, stating that he'll take both of them on. However, when Huang Zu is defeated and Gan Ning joins the Wu army, Ling Tong's hatred for him has somehow vanished. But throughout their battles, they develop a rivalry with each other and Lu Meng usually steps in to stop their bickering. Ling Tong is seen in Wu's ending, as he enjoys the temporary peace with Sun Quan and the other Wu officers.

In his first Legendary Battle, Ling Tong decides to take his revenge on Gan Ning and fights fellow Wu officers who are trying to stop him. In the end, however, Ling Tong allows Gan Ning to live. His second Legendary Me has Ling Tong cooperating with Gan Ning in the Battle of Hefei as they lead the Wu army to defeat Cao Cao.

Dynasty Warriors Next has Ling Tong begin his service to Wu in the third chapter. He does not have much prominence in the story until the sixth chapter where he comes to his father's aid. The player controls him as he flees from the area while slaying his pursuers. During the Battle of Xiakou, he secretly attacks one of the enemy's bases on his own to kill Gan Ning until Sun Quan pacifies him. Although Ling Tong cannot agree to his lord's decision in recruiting his father's killer, he vows to respect it upon hearing the latter's reason for doing so.

In Dynasty Warriors 8, Ling Tong mainly reprises his role from the previous installment. In the hypothetical route, he assists the allied attacks at Xuchang and joins the banquet of the peace between all three kingdoms. In the Xtreme Legends expansion, he appears at Xiangyang to assist Sun Quan in taking the area from Liu Cong. He still appears at the revised Yiling stages and at the defense of Jiangling.

In Dynasty Warriors: Unleashed, Ling Tong's bond story starts off with him agreeing to bring the drunken Chen Qin home after a banquet. What should have been a simple night ends up turning deadly as Chen Qin verbally abuses Ling Tong, calling him and his deceased father thugs who only love to fight. The outraged warrior is provoked into chasing the drunkard which inadvertently leads to the latter's demise.

This incident shames Ling Tong so much that he nearly endangers his own life on the battlefield as atonement for what happened to Chen Qin. Fortunately, the loyalty of his men as well as Sun Quan's intervention help him move past his feelings of regret. Though he mourns for the troops who died for him at Hefei, he is determined to honor their sacrifice by continuing to live and serve under Wu.

Warriors Orochi
During Orochi's story mode, Ling Tong acts as the northern defender for Wu's defenses against the Orochi army lead by Zhuge Liang. After his defeat, he is one of the few generals who escapes capture from the serpent king's army.

He appears as a regular member of the anti-Orochi resistance in Warriors Orochi. During Wu's story, he defies Sun Ce and has a bout with him. He runs into Nobunaga's army at Guan Du and assists Zhang Jiao and the Oda Army in defeating Da Ji. He then joins Nobunaga's army and aids them at Fan Castle.

In Warriors Orochi 2, he and Okuni returned to the Wu forces and is seen warding off against the Dong Zhuo Forces in Kanegasaki. He also shares a dream mode with Mitsuhide and Yue Ying at Shikoku, where they battle against Masamune's hotheadedness with calm analysis from Ieyasu until Tadakatsu and Zhang He arrives. After the defeat, Ling Tong hilariously considered both of his teammates as "wet blankets".

Warriors Orochi 3 had Ling Tong fighting in the name of Wu after Orochi's second defeat to pacify various sections of the dimensional realm. When he was away from Wu, he was attacked by the serpent forces and saved by Sanzang. To repay the debt, he helps her search for Sun Wukong. Ling Tong joins the coalition when Goemon and company find the duo at Tao River.

Ultimate gives Ling Tong a scenario in which he, Muneshige, and Xiaoqiao lead their troops to find a way out of the Divine Mirror. They successfully escape after subduing a mirror image of Lu Bu.

Ling Tong was a part of Kaguya's bodyguards upon his arrival in the new world in Warriors Orochi 4. When Kaguya is attacked by Da Ji's forces, Ling Tong and Gan Ning struggle to keep up against the Cyclops and Griffins brought by the demon army. After being rescued, they, alongside Kaguya, officially join the Coalition.

Romance of the Three Kingdoms
In the Romance of the Three Kingdoms series, Ling Tong appears as an officer of Sun Quan's faction roughly just prior to his father's death and serves with distinction up to the year of 237, the games in the series opting to follow the mistaken death year recorded in the Sanguozhi. Possessing high marks in War landing just short of 90 while his Leadership and Charisma rank in the 70's, Ling Tong ranks among the better officers Wu has to offer. The events depicting his exploits at Hefei as well as his ending of hostilities with Gan Ning are depicted as in-game events.

Personality
Ling Tong is an intelligent yet sarcastic vassal of Wu. He doesn't break a sweat under pressure, which makes him seem rather relaxed compared to his comrades. However, he's easily irritated by his enemies and often wants to end battles in a quick and efficient manner. He's willing to follow any orders even if it means collaborating with Gan Ning.

Like the novel, he also bares a grudge against Gan Ning and openly belittles his rival by acting conceited or spiteful. He befriends his rival in a similar manner except with considerably less malice behind his words. In his story for Dynasty Warriors 6 Special, he sees Gan Ning in a significantly better light and mourns his passing. In his ending, Ling Tong toasts a drink to honor the death of his good friend.

He has special conversations with Okuni, Goemon, Mitsuhide, Magoichi, Motochika, and Sanzang in the Warriors Orochi series.

Character Symbolism
Ling Tong's weaponry follows an aquatic naming theme in his Dynasty Warriors appearances. His third weapon conjures the power of a giant wave while his fourth weapon is named after an angry storm splashing against the shore. The English names for his weapons in the sixth title are roughly true to their Asian counterparts. The particular imagery tied to these armaments are likely tied to the ambient, calm, and sporadically furious nature of water described in hundreds of myths and legends around the world.

As a dominant ruler in Dynasty Warriors 5: Empires, he calls his five greatest warriors "Heaven's Five Generals".

His personal item in the Asian ports of Warriors Orochi is "Zhongmou's Coat". It refers to Ling Tong's historical near death experience caused by Zhang Liao's attack at Hefei, in which Ling Tong had to swim across a river to escape. His closest subordinates died in the attack and he mournfully wept for them. Sun Quan used his own sleeve to wipe away his vassal's tears and expressed his gratitude of having Ling Tong alive and well beside him.

Voice Actors

 * Lex Lang - Dynasty Warriors 5, Warriors Orochi series; first and second games only (English-uncredited)
 * David Lodge - Dynasty Warriors 6~8 (English-uncredited)
 * Chris Khole - Dynasty Warriors 9 (English)
 * Chenguang Wang - Dynasty Warriors 9 (Chinese)
 * Hong Beom-gi - Dynasty Warriors 5 (Korean)
 * Kang Ho-cheol - Dynasty Warriors: Unleashed (Korean)
 * Kim Taeyeong - Romance of the Three Kingdoms: The Legend of Cao Cao (Korean)
 * Keisuke Baba - Dynasty Warriors 4 (Japanese)
 * Taiki Matsuno - Dynasty Warriors 5~9, Warriors Orochi series (Japanese)
 * Kazutaka Ishii - Sangokushi Legion
 * David Beron - Dynasty Warriors 4 (English)
 * Kiyono Yasuno - Youkai Sangokushi (Japanese)
 * Kōhei Tanaka - Sangokushi Hadou (Japanese)

Live Action Performers

 * Yuya Tominaga - Butai Shin Sangoku Musou Sekiheki no Tatakai

Quotes

 * See also: Ling Tong/Quotes


 * "Father! I shall be there soon!"
 * "Please allow me to avenge my father."
 * "My thanks to all who voted for me. Being like this is pretty exciting."


 * "All right, today's the day we settle our little score. Right here and now!"
 * "Fine by me! Just don't go crying to momma when it's over."
 * "Huh?! You forget I kicked your butt the other day? Who was it that knocked the Go table over and ran away?"
 * "Yeah, well I totally trounced you the time before that."
 * Gan Ning and Ling Tong; Dynasty Warriors 7


 * "Are you getting along with Gan Ning? If you keep fighting, you won't work well together on the battlefield."
 * "Yeah, yeah. You don't have to worry."
 * "Really? I saw you two arguing in the middle of the night."
 * "We were just trading insults. It's a good way to let off stress."
 * "I'm not sure that counts as getting along."
 * Lu Meng and Ling Tong; Dynasty Warriors 8


 * "Master Sun Ce, I am sorry about Master Sun Jian. It must have been hard, seeing that happen right in front of you."
 * "It was. I felt so powerless. All I could do was watch him fade, even as I held him in my arms."
 * "Indeed. I only have to imagine what losing my own father would be like. You must want revenge."
 * "I do. Huang Zu will be mine. But I'm not thinking about just revenge."
 * "You're not?"
 * "My father is gone, but for the sake of those left behind I have to carry on. We aren't finished yet."
 * "To carry on... I'm not sure if I could do that."
 * Ling Tong and Sun Ce; Dynasty Warriors: Godseekers


 * "What is it you plan to do with all this ill-gotten gold, Ling Tong?"
 * "Gee, I dunno. Maybe I'll take you away on a nice holiday, just the two of us."
 * "Oh, how wonderful! In fact, Izumo is quite delightful this time of year!"
 * Okuni and Ling Tong; Warriors Orochi


 * "Whew... Fighting these hotheads sure takes a lot out of you..."
 * "But we used their rashness against them and achieved complete victory."
 * "During battle, one must always retain discipline and remain focused on the job at hand."
 * "Well, I should have expected you two to be wet blankets, but... we won, so lighten up!"
 * Ling Tong, Mitsuhide, and Yue Ying; Warriors Orochi 2 - Victory scene after battle of Shikoku


 * "Um... Lady Sanzang? You're from what I'd call the future, right? If you're suggesting I enjoy myself now, does that mean..."
 * "That I know you're going to die young? Is that what you're thinking?"
 * "Not exactly... But hey, why not? I'll enjoy my time now with you, Lady Sanzang."
 * Ling Tong and Sanzang; Warriors Orochi 3


 * "Ling Tong, you use a three section staff?"
 * "That's right. It suits me nicely. Why do you ask?"
 * "I was just impressed by you, that's all. Hideyoshi uses the same weapon, but I just can't seem to get a handle on it myself."
 * "Toshiie, you're too straightforward in personality. Rather than thinking and acting in response to circumstances, you're better off pushing your own ideas through."
 * "What? Yeah, I guess you might be right."
 * "This kind of weapon wouldn't be suited to you, then. And I couldn't use a spear like you. Stopping, hesitating, thinking, it would dull its tip. Everyone has their own thing, basically."
 * "Yeah, that makes sense! I'd still love to watch you train though, just to see!"
 * "No dice. I'm not going to let anyone see that."
 * "Heh, I thought not. I'm the same as you. I'll just watch you in battle, then."
 * Toshiie and Ling Tong; Warriors Orochi 4

Gameplay

 * See also: Ling Tong/Movesets‎‎

Weapons

 * See also: Ling Tong/Weapons

Dynasty Warriors 8
Ling Tong now uses the three sectional staff as his default weapon in this title.

Historical Information
Ling Tong was fifteen at the time of his father's death. Because of Ling Cao's valiant exploits and death at service, Ling Tong was spoken of favorably by many, and as such, was promoted by Sun Quan as Major of a Separate Command and acting Colonel who Routs the Caitiffs, taking over Ling Cao's former position. Once under Sun Quan's campaign against bandits, Ling Tong and other commanders were left with ten thousand men to attack Ma garrison. Before the date set for the attack, Chen Qin, one of the men set equal to Ling Tong in rank for the campaign, attended a banquet with Ling Tong. Chen Qin had a temper, but was ironically assigned charge of keeping order at the festivities. He abused his powers, bullying everyone around, and so Ling Tong confronted Chen Qin about it. He was immediately met with insults, some of which subjected his father to verbal abuse as well. In tears, Ling Tong did not respond. Everyone left the gathering. On the road, Chen Qin again mocked Ling Tong, yet this time was struck by Ling Tong, who was not able to bear offense any longer. When the day of attack came, Ling Tong said, "Only by death can I wipe out my transgression!" He rallied the men under him, and charged ahead of them braving both arrow and rock. The side of the garrison which Ling Tong attacked was overcome quickly, and the other generals, roused by the success, defeated the enemy swiftly. Ling Tong turned himself in to the disciplinary officer during the army's return, yet was pardoned by Sun Quan on account of the achievements.

During the campaign against Jiangxia, Ling Tong served as leader of the van. He sailed in the same boat with tens of his closest men, and would at many times sail ahead of the main force by tens of li. After the beheading of Zhang Shuo, the defeat of Huang Zu's navy, and the taking of Jiangxia, Ling Tong was made Chief Commandant who Brings Forth Prowess. Following that, Cao Ren was defeated by Ling Tong, and so the latter was promoted to a colonel. He showed himself to be a true minister of state by viewing his wealth lightly, and upholding the ways of correct conduct and friendships.

Sun Quan also led a conquest for Wan, and made Ling Tong conquer three territories with Lu Meng in the west. After the two returned to another city and then Hefei, Sun Quan retreated. The van however, had already left, and so Zhang Liao and the other generals charged for the ford. Sun Quan sent someone to send a message for reinforcements, but the van was too far away to come as reinforcements. Ling Tong led three hundred of his personal troops, and charged into the encirclement to protect Sun Quan so he could escape. The bridge for withdrawal had been broken, with a plank left on either side. Sun Quan leaped over the gap, and made it to safety. Ling Tong, however, had already killed a few score of enemy troops at the cost of many deep wounds and the slaughter of his men. He then stripped off his armor and waded over to a boat, figuring his lord had made it to safety. Soon, Ling Tong made it to Sun Quan's boat, and was met with joy. However, spurred into a melancholy rage at the loss of his closest men, he wept. Sun Quan wiped Ling Tong's face with his own sleeve. Sun Quan said, "Gongji, let those who have died go. As long as you are alive, should you worry about not having men under you?" Thus, Ling Tong was granted the rank of Lieutenant-General with a command double the number of his previous one.

Someone recommended a man named Chen Xian to Sun Quan, mentioning he was more virtuous and upright compared to Ling Tong. Sun Quan summoned Chen Xian, although he was in bed already, Ling Tong heard of his arrival, and went out to lead Chen Xian by the hand. It was noted how kind Ling Tong was towards others, not bearing negative thoughts toward them.

Ling Tong proposed that the people of the hills, being of strong and brave nature, could be lured into service by impressing them with military might and potential rewards. Thus, Sun Quan ordered him to go east and carry out the plan to appeal to the hill people. A decree was sent ahead commanding that all of Ling Tong's requests were to be sent out, fulfilled first, and reported to him later. Men wished to join Ling Tong, knowing he treated everyone kindly. Some ten thousand elite troops joined him. When passing by his home prefect, Ling Tong walked into the office there, and seeing the clerks carrying registry records, treated them with great humility and respect. He also showed bountiful love for relatives and old friends. After finishing his affairs there, Ling Tong left, but died of illness later at the age of forty-nine. When Sun Quan found out about Ling Tong's death, he sat clenching his couch, weeping uncontrollably and fasting in mourning for several days.

His surviving two sons, Ling Lie and Ling Feng were only a few years of age at this time. They were taken in by Sun Quan and raised as if they were his own kids. When guests would come to pay respect, Sun Quan would show-off the two sons saying, "These are my tiger cubs!" Around age eight or nine, Ge Guang taught them how to read, and horsemanship was taught every ten days to them. Ling Tong was granted a posthumous title of Marquis of Lieting, and his former troops were given to his sons.

Historically, Ling Tong also never forgave Gan Ning for his father's death until Ling Tong himself passed away; his grudge towards him however, did not interfere with their cooperation in battle and his overall duties.

Trivia

 * In Dynasty Tactics 2, instead of a red-colored model representing his allegiance to Wu, by mistake he dons the colors of Shu.

Gallery
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