Xu Sheng 徐盛 Wenxiang 文向

Contents

Introduction

Xu Sheng (徐盛), courtesy name Wenxiang (文向), was an Eastern Wu general from Ju County in Langye and one of the “Tiger Generals of Jiangbiao.” He fled north China’s turmoil and settled in Wu. In 200 Sun Quan made him Separate Commander with five hundred men and Magistrate of Chaisang to oppose Huang Zu. When Huang Zu’s son Huang She led several thousand against him, Xu Sheng had fewer than two hundred but inflicted over a thousand casualties, then opened the gates and attacked and routed Huang She. He was promoted to Colonel and Magistrate of Wuhu; after pacifying bandits in Lincheng and Nan’e he became General of the Household and supervised the army. At Hefei (215) he was wounded in Zhang Liao’s raid and lost his standard (recovered by He Qi). At Ruxu (217) he at first feared Jiang Qin would take revenge for an earlier dispute (Xu Sheng had once arrested Jiang Qin’s officer and asked to execute him); when Jiang Qin repeatedly praised him to Sun Quan, Xu Sheng was won over. At a feast Sun Quan had Zhou Tai bare his scars so that Xu Sheng and Zhu Ran would respect him. When Wu’s mengchong were blown to the enemy bank in a gale, Xu Sheng alone led troops ashore and inflicted heavy losses; Sun Quan “greatly lauded him.” In 221, when the Wei envoy Xing Zhen came to enfeoff Sun Quan as King of Wu and behaved arrogantly, Xu Sheng said in tears that he could not bear his lord treating with such a man; Xing Zhen remarked that with such generals and ministers Wu would not long stay under others. Xu Sheng was made General Who Builds Martial Might, Marquis of Capital Township, and Administrator of Lujiang. He took part in the attack on Liu Bei’s camps after Yiling and in the defence at Dongkou (222), where he gathered the remnants and held the line with few against many. He was promoted to General Who Pacifies the East and Marquis of Wuhu. In 224 he proposed building a hundred li of false walls and dummy towers along the river at Jianye; Cao Pi reached Guangling, saw the defences, and withdrew. He died in the Huangwu period; his son Xu Kai succeeded. Jiang Qin called him “loyal, diligent, strong, with daring and ability—fit to command ten thousand”; Chen Shou counted him among the “tigers of Jiangbiao.”

Biography

Early service and Chaisang

Xu Sheng was from Ju County (莒縣), Langye (琅邪), in Xu Province. Because of chaos in the north he went to Wu Commandery to take refuge. When Sun Quan succeeded Sun Ce in 200, he appointed Xu Sheng Separate Commander (別部司馬) and gave him five hundred troops to guard Chaisang (柴桑) as Magistrate (長), opposing Huang Zu of Liu Biao’s Jiangxia. Huang Zu’s son Huang She (黃射) once led several thousand men south to attack Xu Sheng. Xu Sheng had fewer than two hundred but killed and wounded over a thousand of the enemy; then he opened the gates, went out to fight, and routed Huang She, who did not dare invade again. Sun Quan promoted him to Colonel (校尉) and Magistrate of Wuhu (蕪湖令). At the time Jiang Qin was camped at Xuancheng and was away on campaign against bandits in Yuzhang; Xu Sheng arrested an officer under Jiang Qin’s camp and memorialised to have him executed. Sun Quan did not permit it because Jiang Qin was leading troops at a distance. Xu Sheng then feared that Jiang Qin would hold a grudge. Later, for merit in attacking bandits at Lincheng and Nan’e (臨城南阿), Xu Sheng was made General of the Household (中郎將) and put in charge of supervising the army (督校兵).

Hefei and loss of the standard

In 215 Sun Quan attacked Hefei. Zhang Liao launched a dawn raid; Chen Wu was killed and Xu Sheng was wounded. Xu Sheng’s standard-bearer dropped the army’s main standard (牙旗); He Qi, coming up from the rear, recovered “the spear [or standard] Xu Sheng had lost” (得盛所失矛 / 得盛所失牙). The episode is recorded in He Qi’s and Xu Sheng’s biographies.

Ruxu: reconciling with Jiang Qin and the storm

In 217 Cao Cao attacked Ruxu. Jiang Qin and Lü Meng held overall command of the forces; Xu Sheng was afraid Jiang Qin would use the opportunity to harm him. Jiang Qin, however, often praised Xu Sheng to Sun Quan. Xu Sheng came to admire and trust Jiang Qin, and contemporaries spoke well of it. Sun Quan had Xu Sheng and Zhu Ran under Zhou Tai at Ruxu. Xu Sheng and Zhu Ran were unhappy at serving under Zhou Tai, who was of humbler origins. Sun Quan went to the Ruxu fort, gave a feast for the generals, and had Zhou Tai remove his robe; he pointed to Zhou Tai’s many scars, recounted his deeds, and rewarded him. Xu Sheng and Zhu Ran were then won over. When Wei forces made a strong push against Hengjiang (橫江), Xu Sheng and other generals went to meet them. The mengchong they were on met a great wind and was driven to the enemy-held shore. The generals were afraid and none dared go out. Xu Sheng alone led his troops ashore and attacked the enemy in force; the enemy suffered heavy casualties and fled. When the wind dropped he returned to the Wu camp. Sun Quan “greatly lauded him” (權大壯之).

Xing Zhen and “we cannot long stay under others”

In 221 Sun Quan submitted to Wei and was enfeoffed as King of Wu. The Wei envoy Xing Zhen (邢貞) came to confer the title. Sun Quan went to the capital pavilion to receive him. Xing Zhen showed arrogance and did not dismount. Zhang Zhao was angry; Xing Zhen then hurried to apologise to the assembled officials. Xu Sheng was even more incensed and said to his colleagues: “We cannot rise and give our lives for the state to swallow Xu and Luo and Ba-Shu, yet we have let our lord make a covenant with this man—is this not shame?” He wept. Xing Zhen said to his retinue: “With such generals and ministers in Jiangdong, they will not long stay under others.”

Sun Quan promoted Xu Sheng to General Who Builds Martial Might (建武將軍), enfeoffed him Marquis of Capital Township (都亭侯), made him Administrator of Lujiang (廬江太守), and gave him Lincheng (臨城縣) as a fief.

Yiling and Dongkou

When Liu Bei invaded (Yiling, 221–222), Xu Sheng attacked and took several of Liu Bei’s camps and won merit. In 222, when the Wei general Cao Xiu advanced to Dongkou (洞口), Xu Sheng crossed the river with Lü Fan and Quan Cong to resist. They met a great wind and lost several thousand men. Xu Sheng gathered the remainder and faced Cao Xiu across the river. The Wei army came by boat to attack; Xu Sheng resisted with few against many and the enemy could not prevail. When He Qi’s relief force arrived, they drove Cao Xiu back. Xu Sheng was promoted to General Who Pacifies the East (安東將軍) and enfeoffed Marquis of Wuhu (蕪湖侯).

Hundred-li false walls and Cao Pi’s retreat

In 224 Cao Pi led a large army south intending to cross the Yangtze. Xu Sheng proposed building a long fence (圍) around the outskirts of Jianye, setting up dummy towers (假樓) on it, and placing boats in the river. The other generals thought it useless, but Xu Sheng insisted and the work was done. When Cao Pi reached Guangling (廣陵), he saw the wall stretching for hundreds of li and was taken aback. The river was in flood. Cao Pi gave up the crossing and withdrew. The generals then acknowledged Xu Sheng’s foresight.

Death and succession

Xu Sheng died sometime in the Huangwu period (222–229). His son Xu Kai (徐楷) succeeded to his rank and troops.

Personality and traits

Xu Sheng was “loyal and diligent, strong and brave, with daring and practical ability”—in Jiang Qin’s words, “fit to command ten thousand” (好萬人督). He was known for standing firm with few against many (Chaisang, Hengjiang, Dongkou) and for the stratagem of the false walls that deterred Cao Pi. The Xuzhou xianxian zan says he was “known for stern integrity and courage” and that “when the King of Wei [Cao Cao] went out to Ruxu, whenever Sun Quan chose men to go out and fight, Xu Sheng was always among the first.”

Political achievements

Under Sun Quan: Separate Commander, Magistrate of Chaisang (resisted Huang She with under 200, inflicted 1000+ casualties); Colonel, Magistrate of Wuhu; General of the Household, supervised army (Lincheng–Nan’e bandits); 215 Hefei (wounded, standard lost then recovered); 217 Ruxu (reconciled with Jiang Qin, respected Zhou Tai after feast, alone attacked when ships blown to enemy shore); 221 General Who Builds Martial Might, Marquis of Capital Township, Administrator of Lujiang (Xing Zhen incident); Yiling (took Liu Bei’s camps); 222 Dongkou (gathered remnants, held with few against many); General Who Pacifies the East, Marquis of Wuhu; 224 false walls at Jianye (Cao Pi withdrew from Guangling).

Relationships

Jiang Qin

Xu Sheng once arrested an officer under Jiang Qin’s camp and asked Sun Quan to execute him; Sun Quan refused. Xu Sheng feared Jiang Qin would seek revenge. At Ruxu, when Jiang Qin and Lü Meng commanded, Jiang Qin repeatedly praised Xu Sheng to Sun Quan. Xu Sheng was moved and came to respect Jiang Qin; the episode was cited as a good example.

Zhou Tai

At Ruxu, Xu Sheng and Zhu Ran were under Zhou Tai’s command and were unwilling to accept a commander of humbler birth. Sun Quan’s feast at which Zhou Tai showed his scars and received rewards made Xu Sheng and Zhu Ran submit.

Sun Quan

Sun Quan employed Xu Sheng from 200, promoted him after Chaisang and after Ruxu (“greatly lauded him”), and after the Xing Zhen incident made him General Who Builds Martial Might and Administrator of Lujiang. He adopted Xu Sheng’s plan for the false walls in 224.

Anecdotes and allusions

“We cannot long stay under others”

When Xing Zhen behaved arrogantly at Sun Quan’s enfeoffment as King of Wu, Xu Sheng said in tears: “We cannot rise and give our lives for the state to swallow Xu and Luo and Ba-Shu, yet we have let our lord make a covenant with this man—is this not shame?” Xing Zhen told his retinue: “With such generals and ministers in Jiangdong, they will not long stay under others.”

Source: Records of the Three Kingdoms
Type: Historical

Hundred-li false walls

Xu Sheng proposed building a long fence with dummy towers along the river at Jianye. Other generals thought it pointless. When Cao Pi reached Guangling and saw the wall stretching hundreds of li, he was startled and, with the river in flood, withdrew. The generals then praised Xu Sheng’s foresight.

Source: Records of the Three Kingdoms
Type: Historical

Romance of the Three Kingdoms

In the novel, Xu Sheng often appears with Ding Feng. In the 224 campaign against Cao Pi, Xu Sheng and Ding Feng defend Guangling with reed dummies and then set fire to oil-soaked reeds on the Huai to burn Cao Pi’s fleet—a dramatic expansion of the historical “false walls” stratagem.

Achievements

Documented achievements include: Chaisang (few against many, repelled Huang She); Colonel, Magistrate of Wuhu; General of the Household, pacification of Lincheng–Nan’e bandits; 215 Hefei; 217 Ruxu (storm, alone attacked enemy shore); 221 General Who Builds Martial Might, Marquis of Capital Township, Administrator of Lujiang; Yiling (took Liu Bei’s camps); 222 Dongkou (remnants, few against many); General Who Pacifies the East, Marquis of Wuhu; 224 false walls (Cao Pi withdrew).

Behind the scenes

Historical sources

Xu Sheng’s biography is in the Records of the Three Kingdoms (三國志), “Biographies of Cheng Pu, Huang Gai, Han Dang, Jiang Qin, Zhou Tai, Chen Wu, Dong Xi, Gan Ning, Ling Tong, Xu Sheng, Pan Zhang, and Ding Feng” (吳書·程黃韓蔣周陳董甘凌徐潘丁傳). The Beitang shuchao and Taiping yulan cite a version where He Qi recovered “the standard [牙] Xu Sheng had lost” rather than “the spear [矛]”; the broader point is that He Qi restored what was lost in the Hefei rout. Xu Sheng’s death falls in Huangwu (222–229); sources sometimes give c. 227 or 228.

Chen Shou’s and others’ evaluation

Chen Shou: “All these generals were tigers of Jiangbiao, and the Sun house treated them with great favour.” Jiang Qin: “Xu Sheng is loyal and diligent, strong and brave; he has daring and practical ability—he is fit to command ten thousand.” Liu Xianqing’s Xuzhou xianxian zan: “He was known for stern integrity and courage. When the King of Wei went out to Ruxu, whenever Sun Quan chose men to go out and fight, Xu Sheng was always among the first.”

Historical evaluations

Mao Zonggang (Romance commentary)

“Xu Sheng had the style of a Sima Rangju or Sun Wu”—i.e. a commander who could impose order and win by stratagem.

Legacy

Xu Sheng is remembered as one of the “Tiger Generals of Jiangbiao” who repeatedly held the line with few against many (Chaisang, Hengjiang, Dongkou), who spoke out when Sun Quan was humiliated by the Wei envoy, and whose “hundred-li” false walls at Jianye deterred Cao Pi’s invasion in 224.

References

Chen Shou. Records of the Three Kingdoms (三国志), “Biographies of Cheng Pu, Huang Gai, Han Dang, Jiang Qin, Zhou Tai, Chen Wu, Dong Xi, Gan Ning, Ling Tong, Xu Sheng, Pan Zhang, and Ding Feng” (吳書·程黃韓蔣周陳董甘凌徐潘丁傳).
Pei Songzhi. Commentary.
Luo Guanzhong. Romance of the Three Kingdoms (三國演義), including chapter 86 (Guangling, false walls and fire).