Zhao Defang (; c. 959âÂÂ981) was an imperial prince of imperial China's Song dynasty. He was the fourth son of Emperor Taizu and the younger brother of Zhao Dezhao.
He was the 3rd great-grandfather of Emperor Xiaozong of Song.
In 976, Zhao Defang had his first official appointment as the Defense Commissioner of Guizhou, which was quickly followed by appointments of Prefect of Xingyuan (èÂÂå Â, today's Hanzhong), Military Commissioner of Shannanxi Circuit (å±±åÂÂ西éÂÂ, around today's Sichuan) and chancellor. In the winter of 978 he was named Grand Commandant of Inspection (檢校太å°Â). He died in 981 from an unnamed illness at the young age of 23. Emperor Taizong, his uncle, visited his coffin in tears and cancelled imperial court meetings for 5 days to commemorate him.
In popular stories, including the Generals of the Yang Family legends and Seven Heroes and Five Gallants, Zhao Defang is known as the "Eighth Prince" (å «çÂÂçº) or "Eighth Virtuous Prince" (å «è³¢çÂÂ), but this character seems to be a "merger" between Zhao Defang and Zhao Defang's cousin Zhao Yuanyan.
The breakdown:
The "Eighth Virtuous Prince" in Seven Heroes and Five Gallants was clearly based on the historical Zhao Yuanyan, who