Huyan Zan (呼延贊) (died 1000) was a Chinese military general in the early years of the Northern Song dynasty. He participated in the Northern Song's conquest of the Later Shu in 964-965 and the Northern Han in 979. Later he helped defend Song's northern border against the Khitan-ruled Liao dynasty. His surname Huyan suggests Xiongnu origins. A fierce warrior, Huyan Zan is known for tattooing the words "fervently kill the Khitans" (赤心殺契丹) all over his body, as well as on that of his wife and servants. Military career Born in a military family, Huyan Zan started his career as a cavalryman in the Song Dynasty army. Emperor Taizu of Song recognized Huyan's talent and promoted him to the rank of a commissioner of the imperial cavalry (驍雄軍使). In 964, Huyan followed general Wang Quanbin (王全斌) to invade the Later Shu Kingdom as a vanguard general. He was wounded several times in battle and later promoted to deputy command commissioner (副指揮使) for his contributions in ending Later Shu. During the reign of Emperor Taizong, Huyan was further promoted to a command commissioner of armoured cavalry (鐵騎軍指揮使). In the campaign to invade the Northern Han Kingdom in 979, Huyan charged ahead of his men and was among the first to climb the defensive wall of Northern Han's capital Taiyuan. He fell from the wall 4 times and was injured, but he continued attempting to scale the wall. For his bravery, Huyan was rewarded with gold and silk by Emperor Taizong in the imperial court. In 982, Huyan assisted Cui Han (崔翰) in defending Dingzhou against the Liao Dynasty. He demonstrated great courage, fully committed to die in battle. At the recommendation of Cui, Huyan was appointed deputy armed leader of cavalry and infantry (馬步軍副都軍頭) in 987. During marches, he often presented self-drawn maps to the commander, while providing advice on setting up camp. He constantly expressed his desire to be sent to the frontier. Emperor Taizong summoned Huyan Zan and ordered him to perform his skills in front of him. Huyan Zan and his four sons - all with the words "forget family for the nation outside of home" (出門忘家為國) and "disregard death for the emperor in battle" (臨陣忘死為主) tattooed behind both ears - dressed up in full armour and performed martial arts in front of an audience. Emperor Taizong was very pleased and he rewarded them with gold and expensive garments.