Jin Xuan 金旋
| Occupation | RNOfficial · Administrator of Wuling | Faction | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appears | RN | Biography in | |
| Born | Native place | Jingzhao Commandery | |
| Cause of death | NKilled in battle Unverified | ||
| Existence | Historical | Mentions | R3 |
Profile
Jin Xuan was the Administrator of Wuling Commandery in Jing Province. He has no biography of his own in the Records and appears only in a single line of the Biography of the First Sovereign, which says that when Liu Bei campaigned south against four commanderies after the battle of Chibi, he surrendered together with the Administrator of Changsha Han Xuan, the Administrator of Guiyang Zhao Fan and the Administrator of Lingling Liu Du. Records, Shu 2 §23–24
In the Romance he first appears in Chapter 52 as the Administrator of Wuling whom Zhang Fei boasts he will capture alive and present, and he appears in 2 of its 120 chapters, and his name is in the title of none of them. In Chapter 53 he rejects the Attendant Officer Gong Zhi, who urges him to surrender, and faces Zhang Fei himself but flees; at the edge of the city a single arrow strikes him full in the face, he falls from his horse, and the soldiers cut off his head and present it to Zhang Fei. Romance, Ch. 52 §44Romance, Ch. 53 §2–4
In the Records
When Cao Cao came down into Jing Province, Liu Bei was driven from Changban in Dangyang and went to Xiakou, and he sent Zhuge Liang to ally with Sun Quan. Together with the naval forces of Zhou Yu, Cheng Pu and others sent by Sun Quan, he crushed Cao Cao at Chibi and burned his ships, and advancing by water and land side by side with the army of Wu, he pursued as far as Nan Commandery. As an epidemic broke out and many of the northern troops died, Cao Cao led his army back. Records, Shu 2 §22–23
Liu Bei memorialized to make Liu Biao's eldest son Liu Qi Inspector of Jing Province, and also campaigned south against four commanderies. Thereupon the Administrator of Wuling Jin Xuan, the Administrator of Changsha Han Xuan, the Administrator of Guiyang Zhao Fan and the Administrator of Lingling Liu Du all surrendered. The Annals of Emperor Wu also record that after Cao Cao fought Liu Bei at Chibi without success, Liu Bei at last took possession of Jing Province and the commanderies south of the Yangtze. Records, Shu 2 §23–24Records, Wei 1 §105
In Chen Shou's main text Jin Xuan's name appears only in this one place. His courtesy name and origin, what he did after his surrender, and his death are not recorded in the main text. Records, Shu 2 §24
In the Romance
In Chapter 52 of the Romance, when Zhao Yun takes Guiyang, Zhang Fei loudly protests that Zilong alone gets to win merit, and declares that if he is given just 3,000 men he will take Wuling Commandery and capture its Administrator Jin Xuan alive and present him. In Chapter 53 Zhuge Liang makes him sign a written military pledge, as Zhao Yun had done when he went to take Guiyang, and after signing it Zhang Fei leads 3,000 men through the night toward the border of Wuling. Hearing that Zhang Fei is coming, Jin Xuan gathers his officers, inspects his picked troops and weapons, and prepares to leave the city to meet him. Romance, Ch. 52 §44Romance, Ch. 53 §1
The Attendant Officer Gong Zhi remonstrates that Liu Xuande is an Imperial Uncle of the great Han whose benevolence and righteousness are known throughout the realm, and that Zhang Yide is matchless in valor, so the best course is not to resist but to surrender. Jin Xuan, enraged, asks whether he means to collude with the rebels and stir up trouble from within, and orders his guards to take him out and behead him. When the officials say that beheading one of their own first would bode ill for the army, Jin Xuan rebukes Gong Zhi and sends him away, and leads the troops out himself. Romance, Ch. 53 §2
He meets Zhang Fei 20 li from the city, but his lieutenants are all afraid and none of them comes forward. When Jin Xuan himself spurs his horse and charges with his blade, Zhang Fei lets out a roar like thunder, and Jin Xuan, turning pale, dares not engage, turns his horse and flees. When he reaches the edge of the city, arrows pour down from the walls, and Gong Zhi, standing on the wall, says 'You did not follow the times of Heaven and brought ruin upon yourself', and declares that he will surrender to Liu together with the people. Romance, Ch. 53 §3–4
Before Gong Zhi has finished speaking, an arrow strikes Jin Xuan full in the face and he falls from his horse, and the soldiers cut off his head and present it to Zhang Fei. When Gong Zhi comes out of the city and surrenders, Liu Bei, greatly pleased, has Gong Zhi take over Jin Xuan's post, and comes to Wuling in person to settle the people. Romance, Ch. 53 §4–5
Where the Romance differs
Jin Xuan's end: In Chapter 53 of the Romance, Jin Xuan faces Zhang Fei but flees and is killed by an arrow at the edge of the city, and the soldiers cut off his head. The Biography of the First Sovereign in the Records says that the Administrator of Wuling Jin Xuan surrendered together with the Administrators of Changsha, Guiyang and Lingling. Romance, Ch. 53 §3–4Records, Shu 2 §24
Who attacked Wuling: In Chapters 52–53 of the Romance, Zhang Fei signs a written military pledge and takes Wuling with 3,000 men. The Biography of the First Sovereign in the Records says only that Liu Bei campaigned south against four commanderies, and the Biography of Zhang Fei in the Records has no record of Zhang Fei attacking Wuling either. Romance, Ch. 52 §44Romance, Ch. 53 §1Records, Shu 2 §24Records, Shu 6 §14–23
Gong Zhi: The Attendant Officer Gong Zhi, who in Chapter 53 of the Romance is sent away after urging Jin Xuan to surrender and turns against Jin Xuan from the city wall, does not appear in Chen Shou's main text. Romance, Ch. 53 §2 · 4Records, Shu 2 §24
Who took over: In Chapter 53 of the Romance, Liu Bei has Gong Zhi, who surrendered the city, take over Jin Xuan's post. The Biography of the First Sovereign in the Records does not say who took charge of Wuling after the four commanderies surrendered. Romance, Ch. 53 §4Records, Shu 2 §24
Written by 3KDEX (not yet reviewed) — The tags at the end of each paragraph link to the exact passage in the Records volume or Romance chapter it is based on.
Abilities
The Records score (Chen Shou’s Records of the Three Kingdoms, main text) is the baseline. Each ability compares how the Romance redrew the same person, and the evidence from both sources explains the difference.
Records total383 / 1000Rank 713 of 996 · Top 72%Romance total282 / 1000Rank 1,093 of 1,113 · Top 99%
Romance adaptation index−101Romance total − Records total
- LEA4030−10
- STR3525−10
- INT3830−8
- POL4233−9
- CHA3822−16
- VIR4038−2
- ADP4520−25
- SCH3531−4
- DIP3531−4
- DIS3522−13
Abilities shaped by the Romance — where it differs from the Records Differences of 10 or more
5 similar abilities — show evidence
Records Romance Unverified No direct record; scored from their actions (evidence grade C)
3KDEX scoring — the Records use the main text of Chen Shou’s Records of the Three Kingdoms; the Romance uses the 120-chapter Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Click a source tag to open that passage in the reader.
Romance chapters (2)
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