Xun Zheng 荀正

In Chapter 14 of the Romance, when Xuande does not kill Lü Bu, Cao Cao follows the plan Xun Yu proposes, the plan of driving the tiger to swallow the wolf: he first sends someone to tell Yuan Shu that Liu Bei has submitted a secret memorial seeking to seize Nan Commandery, and then, feigning an edict from the Son of Heaven, sends men to Xuzhou. On receiving the edict, Xuande says that even if it is a ruse, a royal command cannot be disobeyed; he entrusts the city to Zhang Fei with Chen Deng to assist him, and leaves Xuzhou for Nanyang at the head of 30,000 horse and foot. Romance, Ch. 14 §43–47

Yuan Shu, enraged that a fellow who once wove mats and made straw sandals should instead be scheming against him, has his senior general Ji Ling raise 100,000 troops and march on Xuzhou. The two armies meet at Xuyi, and Xuande, having few troops, pitches camp against the hills with the river at his side. When Ji Ling, a man of Shandong who wields a three-pointed blade weighing fifty jin, spurs his horse and charges straight at Xuande brandishing it, Lord Guan comes forward with a great shout: 'Wretch, do not run riot!' Romance, Ch. 14 §48–49

Lord Guan and Ji Ling fight thirty bouts in a row without a decision. When Ji Ling shouts for a short rest, Lord Guan turns his horse, returns to his lines and waits in front of them, but Ji Ling sends out his deputy general Xun Zheng in his place. Lord Guan says, 'Let only Ji Ling come out. I will settle with him which of us is the better!' Xun Zheng retorts, 'You are a nameless, lowly general and no match for General Ji!' Lord Guan, enraged, charges straight at Xun Zheng, and at the first clash of their horses cuts him down from his saddle. Romance, Ch. 14 §50

Xuande drives his troops forward, and Ji Ling, badly defeated, falls back to hold the river mouth at Huaiyin and dares not give battle; he sends troops to raid the camp by stealth, but they are all beaten by the Xuzhou troops. Xun Zheng's name does not appear again in the Romance after this. Romance, Ch. 14 §51