Following Cao Cao's defeat at the
Battle of Red Cliffs in the same year, the victorious allied forces of
Liu Bei and
Sun Quan gradually took over the various commanderies in southern Jing Province, including Changsha. Han Xuan surrendered Changsha, and Huang Zhong came to serve under Liu Bei. Since receiving a military appointment at Jiameng (葭萌; present-day
Zhaohua District,
Guangyuan,
Sichuan), Huang Zhong had performed well in Liu Bei's
conquest of
Yi Province (covering present-day
Sichuan and
Chongqing) from 212 to 214, – he was always the first to charge into enemy formations and among the army; none could match his martial prowess and bravery. After Yi Province was taken, Huang Zhong was promoted to General Who Attacks Rebels (討虜將軍).
Success in the Hanzhong Campaign In 217, Liu Bei started
a campaign to seize control of
Hanzhong Commandery, which was under Cao Cao's control. His force encountered resistance led by
Xiahou Yuan at Yangping Pass. The confrontation dragged on for more than a year until one night in 219, when Liu Bei set fire to the barbed fence around Xiahou Yuan's camp at the foot of
Mount Dingjun. Alarmed by the attack, Xiahou Yuan sent
Zhang He to defend the eastern corner of the camp while he guarded the south. Liu Bei's main force pressed against Zhang He, outmatching the latter. Xiahou Yuan dispatched a fraction of his own troops to help Zhang He. Even though Xiahou Yuan's soldiers were far more experienced, Huang Zhong still rallied his men and accompanied by thundering drums with impressive shouts, they descended upon Xiahou Yuan's force. The battle became a rout and Xiahou Yuan was killed in action. The victory at Mount Dingjun was a major stepping stone to the conquest of Hanzhong. Huang Zhong was promoted to General Who Attacks the West (征西將軍) for his contributions in the Hanzhong Campaign. In the same year, Liu Bei proclaimed himself "King of Hanzhong" (漢中王) – a symbolic move comparing himself to
Emperor Gao, the founding emperor of the Han dynasty. He wanted to appoint Huang Zhong as General of the Rear (後將軍), placing the latter on the same level as three other senior generals:
Guan Yu,
Zhang Fei and
Ma Chao. However,
Zhuge Liang told Liu Bei: "Huang Zhong's fame is far from that of Guan Yu and Ma Chao. If they are all given equal status, Zhang Fei and Ma Chao will probably not object because they have been with Huang Zhong all this while and have witnessed his contributions, but Guan Yu is stationed far away and he may not agree with this arrangement." Liu Bei answered: "I will handle this myself." and tasked
Fei Shi with travelling to
Jing Province to inform
Guan Yu about his appointment. Then, he elevated all the four generals to the same status. Huang Zhong also received the title of a Secondary Marquis (關內侯). ==Death==