Zhang Hu (Wei)

Not to be confused with Zhang Hu.

Zhang Hu (onyomi: Chō Ko) is Zhang Liao's son who served Wei as a general. Not much is historically written for him. After his father passed away, Zhang Hu was entitled the Marquis of Inner Affairs and later titled as Secondary General. When he died, his son, Zhang Tong, became his successor. His role is expanded in the games and the novel.

Role in Games
He recently appeared in the Dynasty Warriors series as a minor officer in Wei during the mid to late battles for the kingdoms, such as Shi Ting and Ru Xu Kou. Dynasty Warriors 5 has him usually acting as a subordinate officer under other Wei generals, but he's reused from the Zhang Hu who served Liu Biao rather than his own generic model. In the sixth title, he follows his father into several of his campaigns, even when Zhang Liao serves under Lu Bu. Zhang Hu supports and directs his father's defense at Hefei during Wei's Story Mode in Dynasty Warriors 7.

His appearance in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms series echoes his Dynasty Warriors counterpart, as he has been added only recently into the games.

Romance of the Three Kingdoms
He is introduced in chapter 98 as Zhang Liao's son and is among the Wei generals at Wuzhang Plains. When Sun Li proposed his plan to attack Zhuge Liang with deception, Zhang Hu was ordered to assist him as the leader of the vanguard. He and Yue Chen were told by Cao Zhen to wait for a signal fire to alert their invasion of Shu's camp. When they followed their orders according to plan, Sun Li's troops were routed and the enemy camp was empty. Withdrawing to better access their situation, they were ambushed by Hu Ban and Wu Yi. Both of the Wei generals fought their way out and were able to escape.

When Sima Yi was challenged by Zhuge Liang with his Eight Arrays formation, Zhang Hu was called to be one of the three generals and a total of 90 men to march through it. Leading the other generals, he followed Sima Yi's instructions but became lost and confused within the many gates. He and his comrades were defeated and captured. Zhuge Liang promised to spare their lives if they left their weapons, horses, and armor behind. As the generals stripped off their equipment and returned to their camp in shame, Sima Yi was infuriated by the loss.

Pairing with Yue Chen for the rest of his novel appearances, their troops caused Hu Ban's drowning and they later saved their allies from Ma Dai. His last mention is being one of the generals to cut off Gongsun Yuan's escape.