Xiahou Shang 夏侯尚

Xiahou Shang, courtesy name Boren, was the nephew of Xiahou Yuan. He was a close friend of Emperor Wen. When Cao Cao pacified Ji Province he became Army Major and followed the campaigns at the head of cavalry; later he became Literary Scholar to the General of the Household for All Purposes, and when the state of Wei was first established he was transferred to Gentleman of the Yellow Gate. When the barbarians of Dai Commandery rebelled, he took part in the army of Cao Zhang, Marquis of Yanling, pacified the land of Dai and returned. When Cao Cao died at Luoyang, Xiahou Shang, holding the Staff of authority, escorted the imperial coffin back to Ye. Records, Wei 9 §92

Because Xiahou Shang was very close to the Crown Prince, Du Xi told Cao Cao that he was not a beneficial friend and did not deserve special treatment, and Emperor Wen was at first greatly displeased. Xun Yu's son Xun Yun, who was friendly with Cao Zhi and on bad terms with Xiahou Shang, was deeply resented by Emperor Wen. Records, Wei 23 §43Records, Wei 10 §45

With his earlier merits recorded together, he was enfeoffed as Marquis of Pingling Precinct, and after serving as Cavalier Regular Attendant he became Central Commander of the Army. When Emperor Wen took the throne, he was re-enfeoffed as Marquis of Pingling Village, and as General Who Conquers the South concurrently serving as Inspector of Jing Province he was given the Staff and commanded the armies of the south. Xiahou Shang reported that at Shangyong, where Liu Bei's detached force was, the mountain roads were steep and the enemy was not on guard, so if a surprise force were sent secretly to come out where they did not expect it, victory could be won. He then led the armies to defeat Shangyong, pacified three commanderies and nine counties, and was raised to General-in-Chief Who Conquers the South. The Biography of Liu Feng records that Xiahou Shang, General Who Conquers the South, and Xu Huang, General of the Right, attacked Liu Feng together with Meng Da, and that when Shen Yi turned against him, Liu Feng was defeated and fled to Chengdu. Records, Wei 9 §93–94Records, Shu 10 §6 · 15

Emperor Wen issued Xiahou Shang an edict telling him to 'wield authority and bestow favour, put men to death and let men live'. Xiahou Shang showed it to Jiang Ji, and when Jiang Ji said that these were words that ruin a state, which the Book of Documents warns against, Emperor Wen sent someone to take back the earlier edict. Records, Wei 14 §119–120

Although Sun Quan called himself a vassal, Xiahou Shang strengthened his preparations for attack all the more, and Sun Quan later did indeed prove two-faced. In the 3rd year of Huangchu (222), when Emperor Wen went to Wan, Xiahou Shang led the armies and besieged Jiangling together with Cao Zhen. When Sun Quan's general Zhuge Jin entered an islet in the middle of the river and divided his naval forces in midstream, Xiahou Shang prepared many oil-soaked boats at night, crossed secretly downstream with more than 10,000 infantry and cavalry, burned the boats on both banks of the river, and defeated Zhuge Jin by attacking on land and water together. Records, Wei 9 §94–95

Jiangling, however, did not fall, and as a great epidemic broke out, Emperor Wen issued an edict ordering Xiahou Shang to bring his troops back. According to the Biography of Dong Zhao, when Xiahou Shang used boats to station infantry and cavalry on the islet and meant to build a floating bridge to go back and forth, Dong Zhao submitted a memorial saying that this was something military men avoid, and Emperor Wen had them withdraw quickly. When the Wu army advanced from both sides, the generals Shi Jian and Gao Qian barely escaped with their lives, and ten days after the troops came out the river suddenly rose. The Biography of Zhu Ran also records that Xiahou Shang and the others could not win and withdrew. Records, Wei 9 §95Records, Wei 14 §73–76Records, Wu 11 §18

600 households were added to his fief, making 1,900 in all, and he was given the battle-axe and raised to Governor of Jing Province. Jing Province was desolate, it bordered Wu along the Han River, and most of its former inhabitants lived south of the Yangtze; Xiahou Shang opened a road of more than 700 li westward from Shangyong, and within five or six years several thousand households of mountain people and Man tribes came over to him. In the 5th year of Huangchu (224) he was transferred to the fief of Marquis of Changling Village. Records, Wei 9 §95–96

Xiahou Shang had a favourite concubine whom he favoured above his principal wife, and because the principal wife was a daughter of the Cao family, Emperor Wen sent someone to strangle the concubine. Xiahou Shang fell ill with grief and became confused in mind, and even after the concubine was buried he could not bear his longing to see her and dug her up again to look at her. Emperor Wen was angry and said that Du Xi had had good reason to call Xiahou Shang frivolous, but because he was an old servant, did not reduce his favour toward him. Records, Wei 9 §97

In the 6th year of Huangchu (225) Xiahou Shang fell gravely ill and returned to the capital, and Emperor Wen visited him in person several times, holding his hand and shedding tears. When Xiahou Shang died he was given the posthumous title Marquis Dao, and his son Xiahou Xuan succeeded him. In the 4th year of Zhengshi (243) he was enshrined in the temple of Taizu together with Cao Zhen, Cao Xiu and others. Records, Wei 9 §97–98Records, Wei 4 §14

In his assessment, Chen Shou said that because the Xiahou and Cao families had intermarried for generations, Xiahou Dun, Xiahou Yuan, Cao Ren, Cao Hong, Cao Xiu, Xiahou Shang, Cao Zhen and others were all esteemed in their time as close kinsmen and old friends, and that all of them assisted the great enterprise at their lord's side and achieved merit. Records, Wei 9 §132