Han Tao

Han Tao (韩滔) is a character in the "Water Margin".

Han Tao was from Dongjing and proved to be excellent in martial arts. He wielded a long spear, and served as a military instructor in Chenzhou. He was nicknamed the 'Ever-victorious general' (百胜将).

Gao Qiu was furious with the Liangshan heroes when they conquered Gaotangzhou and killed his cousin Gao Lian, so he sought help from the emperor, asking the emperor to send an army to subdue the outlaws. The emperor sent Huyuan Zhuo, along with Han Tao and Peng Qi as the vanguards to attack Liangshan. Han Tao fought with Qin Ming, but could not resist Qin's blows and barely escaped under Huyuan's protection.

Huyuan Zhuo then deployed his chain-linked armoured cavalry to attack the heroes and won a complete victory. However, Tang Long suggested to Song Jiang to get help from Xu Ning, who had the strategy to win Huyuan Zhuo's cavalry. Indeed, Xu Ning did overcome Huyuan Zhuo's cavalry, and defeated the imperial troops. Huyuan Zhuo and Han Tao escaped in a frenzy. Later, Han Tao entered a shop opened by Liu Tang and Shi Qian by mistake, and was caught, then sent to Liangshan. Song Jiang treated Han Tao with respect and managed to persuade the latter to join the Liangshan band.

Han Tao became one of the leaders of the Liangshan cavalry and 72 Earthly Fiends. He followed the heroes on their campaigns against the Liao Tartars and southern rebels, making invaluable contributions. During the Fang La campaign, Han Tao was assigned to attack Changzhou. He was shot in the face with an arrow by Gao Keli, and fell off his horse. Then, Zhang Jinren speared Han Tao in the throat, killing him.