Xing Daorong (2010 TV Series)

### Why Do People Love The Character?

Xing Daorong's actions when he encountered Liu Bei's force despite he is outmatched by Zhang Fei and Zhao Yun and outsmarted by Zhuge Liang

### Type of Ensemble Dark Horse

General

**Xing Daorong** is a minor character of the 2010 live-action television series *Three Kingdoms* adopted from the novel *Romance of the Three Kingdoms*.

He is portrayed by Wang Wentao.

## What Makes Them an Ensemble Dark Horse?

* While Xing Daorong is not an original character of *Three Kingdoms* as Xing Daorong already appeared in *Romance of the Three Kingdoms* as an original character, Wang Wentao's portrayal of Xing Daorong in Three Kingdoms has been considered as the factor of the character becoming a regional Internet meme.
* Though Xing Daorong only appears in *Three Kingdoms* for the length of less than an episode, nearly all of his appearances become funny moments, and some of his funny moments are not from the original *Romance of the Three Kingdoms*.
	+ Xing Daorong's first appearance is him informing Liu Du, the governor of Lingling, that Liu Bei's force is invading Lingling. Xing Daorong bravely claims that he could effortlessly defeat Liu Bei's force with Pear Blossoms Mountain-Slicing Axe, his personal weapon.
	+ When confronting Liu Bei's force, Xing Daorong dramatically introduces himself to Liu Bei's force and refutes Zhuge Liang's claims before attacking Liu Bei's force with his soldiers.
	+ However, Xing Daorong is casually defeated by Zhang Fei and Zhao Yun, and is captured. The captured Xing Daorong starts to beg for mercy, which is ironic due to Xing Daorong's overconfidence minutes ago.
	+ When Xing Daorong is released from Liu Bei's force, returns to Lingling and meets Liu Du, Xing Daorong claims that he had rejected Liu Bei's offer despite Liu Bei said that he would arrange marriage between Liu Bei's daughter and Xing Daorong, as well as high, if Xing Daorong decided to join Liu Bei's force. Xing Daorong's claims of Liu Bei admiring him and attempting to recruit him are obviously false.
	+ Xing Daorong tells that the reason why Zhuge Liang releases him is because they expected Xing Daorong to betrayal Liu Du and surrender.. Xing Daorong then suggests that he could ambush Liu Bei's invading force, and even says that once their force succeed, they could completely occupy the region Liu Bei's force once occupied. Liu Xian starts to suspect that Xing Daorong is secretly with Liu Bei's force, and Xing Daorong dramatically attempts to show his loyalty. Xing Daorong does actually not betray Liu Du's force and Liu Du believes Xing Daorong's claim. Ironically, the reason why Liu Du believes Xing Daorong is that he believes that Xing Daorong is not intelligent enough to come up with a tactic.
	+ When Zhang Fei, leading some soldiers, comes to Lingling, Xing Daorong ambushes Zhang Fei and his soldiers, and manages to kill a person he and Liu Xian believes to be Liu Bei, only to be reveal that the person is not Liu Bei, and Xing Daorong's ambush plan has already been predicted by Zhuge Liang. The prepared Liu Bei's force defeats Liu Du's force and captures Liu Xian, leading to Liu Du's surrender. Unlike Xing Daorong's original *Romance of the Three Kingdoms* counterpart, the fate of *Three Kingdoms* Xing Daorong is left unknown.
* A possible reason why Xing Daorong becomes a regional Internet meme is that Xing Daorong is viewed as the one who *dares* to challenge the strength of Zhang Fei and Zhao Yun, and the intelligence of Zhuge Liang.