Quan Cong 全琮 Zihuang 子璜

Contents

Introduction

Quan Cong (全琮), courtesy name Zihuang (子璜), was an Eastern Wu general from Wu Commandery. As a youth he distributed his father’s grain to refugees and was praised by Pang Tong for “loving to give and seeking renown.” He rose to Colonel Who Inspires Awe, General of the Side (garrison at Niuzhu), and in 219 proposed attacking Guan Yu—Sun Quan had already agreed with Lü Meng, but after Guan Yu’s fall he enfeoffed Quan Cong as Marquis of Yanghua. He fought at Dongkou (killed Yin Lu), Shiting (with Lu Xun against Cao Xiu), and Quebei (241, as supreme commander vs Wang Ling); married Sun Quan’s daughter Sun Luban; remonstrated against campaigns to Zhuya and Yizhou (epidemic) and for Sun Deng not to lead the army. He became Right Grand Marshal and Left Army Supervisor. In the Two Palaces conflict he sided with Sun Ba; his sons Quan Xu and Quan Ji slandered Gu Tan, Gu Cheng, and Zhang Xiu over Quebei merit. Chen Shou wrote that he had “talent for his time and was honoured in his day” but “did not restrain his treacherous sons and so incurred criticism and ruined his name.”

Biography

Early life: distributing grain and rise to office

Quan Cong was from Qiantang (钱唐), Wu Commandery (吴郡). His father Quan Rou (全柔) had been Filial and Incorrupt and served as a court official; after Dong Zhuo’s disorder he returned home and was later Chief Clerk and then Chief of the Eastern Section of Kuaiji under the provincial authorities. When Sun Ce raised troops, Quan Rou joined him and was made Chief of Danyang. Under Sun Quan he became Long History and after Chibi Administrator of Guiyang.

Quan Rou once sent Quan Cong to deliver several thousand hu of grain to Wu for trade. Quan Cong distributed the grain to those in need and returned with empty boats. Quan Rou was angry; Quan Cong explained that he had treated the scholars’ pressing hardship as more urgent than trade and had failed to report first. Quan Rou was moved and admired him. When Pang Tong went to Wu to escort Zhou Yu’s funeral, he met Quan Cong at Changmen and said he was “fond of giving and sought renown, like Fan Zizhao of Runan; though not greatly clever, he was one of the finest of the day.” Refugees from the north came to Quan Cong in the hundreds; he shared all he had and shared hardship with them, so that his name spread far and wide.

Sun Quan made him Colonel Who Inspires Awe (奮威校尉) and gave him several thousand troops to attack the Shanyue. Quan Cong recruited and obtained over ten thousand picked troops and garrisoned Niuzhu. He was promoted to General of the Side (偏將軍).

Proposal to attack Guan Yu and enfeoffment

In 219, when Guan Yu besieged Cao Ren at Fancheng and Xiangyang, Quan Cong submitted a plan to attack Guan Yu, judging his rear empty. Sun Quan had already secretly agreed with Lü Meng to attack; to keep the plan secret he did not reply. After Guan Yu was captured and killed, Sun Quan held a feast at Gong’an and said to Quan Cong: “You had raised this before; though I did not respond, today’s success is also your achievement.” He enfeoffed Quan Cong as Marquis of Yanghua (陽華亭侯).

Dongkou, promotion, and Jiujiang

In 222, when Cao Xiu led a large naval force to Dongkou, Sun Quan sent Lü Fan to lead Xu Sheng, Quan Cong, Sun Shao, and others to resist. The Wu fleet was scattered by a great wind; ships drifted to the northern shore and were attacked by Zhang Liao, Wang Ling, and others. Quan Cong kept his armour on and defended; he and Xu Sheng repelled the enemy and killed the Wei general Yin Lu. Quan Cong was promoted to General Who Pacifies the South (綏南將軍) and enfeoffed as Marquis of Qiantang (錢塘侯). In 223 he was given acting tally and made Governor of Jiujiang (九江太守).

Shiting and Dong’an

In 228 Sun Quan went to Wan; he had Quan Cong and Lu Xun attack Cao Xiu and they defeated him at Shiting. Bandits in Danyang, Wu, and Kuaiji were attacking cities and counties. Sun Quan created Dong’an Commandery from the dangerous parts of the three commanderies and made Quan Cong its Administrator. Quan Cong enforced clear rewards and punishments and induced the bandits to surrender; within a few years over ten thousand had submitted. Sun Quan recalled him to Niuzhu and abolished Dong’an.

General of the Guard, marriage, and remonstrance

In 229 Quan Cong was made General of the Guard (衛將軍), Left Protector of the Army (左護軍), and Governor of Xu Province (徐州牧), and married Sun Quan’s daughter Sun Luban (孫魯班, 全公主). He had two sons by her: Quan Yi (全怿) and Quan Wu (全吳).

When Sun Quan sent the heir Sun Deng on campaign and Sun Deng had already set out as far as Anle, no one dared to remonstrate. Quan Cong submitted a secret memorial: since ancient times the heir did not personally lead a non‑main force; in the field he should “comfort the army,” in defence “oversee the state.” For the heir to lead an army east was against precedent. Sun Quan agreed and recalled Sun Deng. Contemporaries thought Quan Cong had fulfilled a minister’s duty.

On another occasion Sun Quan planned to send troops against Zhuya and Yizhou. He asked Quan Cong; Quan Cong said that although the court’s might could conquer anywhere, those places were cut off by the sea with strange soil and miasma; troops would fall ill and spread disease, and the gain would not justify the cost. Sun Quan did not listen; the army went out for years and eight or nine in ten of the soldiers died of illness. Sun Quan later regretted it. When the topic came up again, Quan Cong said: “Those who did not remonstrate at that time—I consider them disloyal.”

Quebei (241) and the merit dispute

In the spring of 241 Sun Quan sent Quan Cong (as supreme commander) to attack Huainan, breach the Dongxing dike to flood Wei positions, and burn the storehouses at Ancheng. Quan Cong fought Wang Ling at Quebei (芍陂). The Wu lu says that at first the Wu army had the upper hand; then Wang Ling and Sun Li counterattacked, the Wu army was in difficulty, and the Wei forces killed the five camp commanders including Qin Huang. Zhang Xiu and Gu Cheng fought hard and halted the Wei advance. When the Wei army had encamped, Quan Cong’s sons Quan Xu and Quan Duan, who were also generals, attacked; Wang Ling’s army withdrew. When merit was assessed, “holding the enemy” was ranked above “driving the enemy back,” so Zhang Xiu and Gu Cheng were made full generals while Quan Xu and Quan Duan received only subordinate rank. Quan Cong and his son Quan Ji (全寄) were resentful.

Two Palaces conflict and death

In the Two Palaces conflict Quan Cong’s family supported the Prince of Lu Sun Ba. According to the Wu lu, Quan Cong and his sons slandered Gu Tan, Gu Cheng, and Zhang Xiu, claiming they had colluded with the Army Supervisor Chen Xun to inflate their merit at Quebei. This led to the exile of Gu Tan, Gu Cheng, and Zhang Xiu and to Zhang Xiu’s being ordered to commit suicide.

In 246 Quan Cong was promoted to Right Grand Marshal (右大司馬) and Left Army Supervisor (左軍師). He was courteous and skilled at reading others and offering remonstrance without giving offence. He died in 247 (or 249 in some sources). His son Quan Yi succeeded to the marquisate. Later Quan Yi went to relieve Zhuge Dan at Shouchan and, after Zhong Hui’s ruse, surrendered to Wei with other kinsmen.

Personality and traits

Generosity and renown

Quan Cong’s early distribution of his father’s grain and his support for refugees won him Pang Tong’s praise and a reputation for “loving to give and seeking renown.” Even after marrying Sun Luban and receiving heavy rewards, he was said to receive scholars modestly and without arrogance.

As a general

The Wu shu says that as a general he was “very brave and decisive; facing the enemy in difficulty he did not spare himself,” and that when he became a supreme commander he “nurtured authority and was cautious,” often used strategy, and did not chase small gains. At Liuan (233) he refused to split his army to chase scattered people, saying he would rather take blame than seek merit at the state’s expense.

Chen Shou’s verdict

Chen Shou: “Quan Cong had talent for his time and was honoured in his day; however, he did not restrain his treacherous sons and so incurred criticism and ruined his name.”

Political achievements

Military and civil offices

Quan Cong served as Colonel Who Inspires Awe, General of the Side (Niuzhu), General Who Pacifies the South, Governor of Jiujiang, Administrator of Dong’an, General of the Guard, Left Protector of the Army, Governor of Xu Province, and Right Grand Marshal with Left Army Supervisor. He fought at Dongkou (222), Shiting (228), and Quebei (241) and pacified bandits in Dong’an.

Relationships

Sun Quan and Sun Luban

Sun Quan employed him from early on, enfeoffed him after Guan Yu’s fall and again after Dongkou, gave him his daughter Sun Luban in marriage, and promoted him to Grand Marshal. Quan Cong remonstrated on Sun Deng’s campaign and on Zhuya–Yizhou; Sun Quan accepted the first and regretted ignoring the second.

Gu Tan, Gu Cheng, Zhang Xiu

At Quebei, Zhang Xiu and Gu Cheng’s “holding” of the enemy was rewarded above Quan Xu and Quan Duan’s “driving back.” Quan Cong and Quan Ji resented this; in the Two Palaces conflict Quan Cong’s faction slandered Gu Tan, Gu Cheng, and Zhang Xiu, leading to their exile and Zhang Xiu’s death.

Lu Xun and others

Quan Cong fought under Lü Fan at Dongkou and alongside Lu Xun at Shiting. Sun Deng listed him with Zhuge Jin, Bu Zhi, Zhu Ran, and others as “loyal to the state and versed in governance.”

Anecdotes and allusions

Distributing the grain

Quan Cong was sent to take grain to Wu for trade but gave it all to refugees and returned with empty boats. His father was angry until Quan Cong explained; then Quan Rou admired him. Pang Tong later compared him to Fan Zizhao for “loving to give and seeking renown.”

Source: Records of the Three Kingdoms, Pang Tong’s biography
Type: Historical

“Today’s success is also your achievement”

After Guan Yu’s death Sun Quan told Quan Cong that although he had not replied to his memorial, the victory was also Quan Cong’s achievement, and enfeoffed him as Marquis of Yanghua.

Source: Records of the Three Kingdoms
Type: Historical

Romance of the Three Kingdoms

In the novel, Quan Cong appears at the battle of Shiting (ch. 96) as Right都督 under Lu Xun with Zhu Huan as Left都督; he attacks the Wei camp from the rear and defeats Xue Qiao. In ch. 105 he leads troops to Badong to support Shu after Zhuge Liang’s death.

Achievements

Quan Cong’s documented achievements include:

Distributing his father’s grain to refugees; praise from Pang Tong; refugees gathering around him
Proposing the attack on Guan Yu; enfeoffment as Marquis of Yanghua
At Dongkou (222), resisting the Wei attack and killing Yin Lu; General Who Pacifies the South, Marquis of Qiantang
At Shiting (228), with Lu Xun defeating Cao Xiu
As Administrator of Dong’an, pacifying over ten thousand bandits
Marrying Sun Luban; remonstrating on Sun Deng’s campaign and on Zhuya–Yizhou
At Quebei (241) as supreme commander; his sons Quan Xu and Quan Duan counterattacking after Zhang Xiu and Gu Cheng held the line
Rising to Right Grand Marshal and Left Army Supervisor

Behind the scenes

Historical sources

Quan Cong is recorded in the Records of the Three Kingdoms (三国志) in the “Biographies of He Qi, Quan Cong, Lü Dai, Zhou Fang, and Zhongli Mu” (吳書·賀全呂周鍾離傳). The Wu lu (in the annotation to Gu Tan’s biography) states that Quan Cong and his sons were the ones who slandered Gu Tan, Gu Cheng, and Zhang Xiu.

Chen Shou’s evaluation

“Quan Cong had talent for his time and was honoured in his day; however, he did not restrain his treacherous sons and so incurred criticism and ruined his name.” (全琮有当世之才，贵重于时，然不检奸子，获讥毁名云。)

Historical evaluations

Contemporary

Pang Tong: “You are fond of giving and seek renown, like Fan Zizhao of Runan. Though your wisdom is not great, you are one of the finest of the day.”

Sun Deng: Listed Quan Cong with Zhuge Jin, Bu Zhi, Zhu Ran, Zhu Ju, Lü Dai, Wu Can, Kan Ze, Yan Jun, Zhang Cheng, and Sun Yi as “loyal to the state and versed in governance.”

Wu shu: “As a general he was very brave and decisive; facing the enemy in difficulty he did not spare himself. When he became a supreme commander he nurtured authority and was cautious; whenever he led the army he relied on strategy and did not chase small gains.”

Chen Shou

“Quan Cong had talent for his time and was honoured in his day; however, he did not restrain his treacherous sons and so incurred criticism and ruined his name.”

Legacy

Quan Cong is remembered as a major Eastern Wu general who married Sun Luban and rose to Right Grand Marshal, and whose early generosity and military service were overshadowed by his and his sons’ role in the Two Palaces conflict—slandering Gu Tan, Gu Cheng, and Zhang Xiu over the Quebei merit dispute and supporting Sun Ba.

References

Chen Shou. Records of the Three Kingdoms (三国志), “Biographies of He Qi, Quan Cong, Lü Dai, Zhou Fang, and Zhongli Mu” (吳書·賀全呂周鍾離傳).
Pei Songzhi. Annotations (Wu lu, Jiangbiao zhuan, etc.).
Luo Guanzhong. Romance of the Three Kingdoms (三國演義), chapters 96, 105.