He Zong

Romance of the Three Kingdoms XIV portrait

He Zong (何宗, onyomi: Ka Sō) was a scholar and official who served under Liu Zhang and Liu Bei. With most info about him being lost, the Shu writer Chen Shou was unable to write a biography for him in the Sanguozhi.

Roles in Games

Romance of the Three Kingdoms presents He Zong as an above-average official serving under Liu Zhang early on, and later Liu Bei. His domestic skills are decent, with balanced stats in the low to high 60s. His military stats on the other hand, are one of the worst in the game, with leadership and war scores of 8 and 9, so keeping him away from the battlefield is a must.

Historical Information

He Zong, style name: Yanying (彥英), was a native of Pi County, Shu commandery in Yi province. In his younger years, he was classmates with famous astrologer and diviner Du Qiong, with the two studying under the renowned scholar Ren An. Under Ren An's guidance, He Zong excelled greatly and became more famous later on than Du Qiong. Liu Zhang, who was the governor of Yi province at the time, appointed He Zong as the "Administrator of Qianwei Commandery (犍為郡)". Later in the year 214, after Liu Bei won control of Yi province from Liu Zhang, he recuited He Zong to his political staff an appointed him as an "Assistant officer" and "Libationer (從事祭酒)".

In 221, after the Han Dynasty was replaced by Wei. He Zong was one of the many officials avising Liu Bei to declare himself Emperor and challenge Wei's legitimacy as a successor. Liu Bei followed through and ascended the throne as Shu's first Emperor, he later appointed He Zong as his "Minister Herald (大鴻臚)". He Zong would later pass away between the years 223-237 during Liu Shan's reign. His son, He Shuang (何雙), style name: Han'ou (漢偶) was known for his humour and wit, and served as the "Chief of Shuangbai County". He died at a young age.

Romance of the Three Kingdoms

He Zong is briefly mentioned in Chapter 80 where he is one of the present officials urging Liu Bei to become Emperor.