Hu Chong 胡沖

Hu Chong's father Hu Zong was a man of Gushi County in Runan Commandery. When Sun Ce held the post of Administrator of Kuaiji, Hu Zong, at fourteen, became his Gate Inspector and stayed at Wu, studying together with Sun Quan. From the time Sun Quan took charge of affairs, nearly all the documents, proclamations and patents of appointment, and the state letters and tallies sent to neighboring states, were composed by Hu Zong. Records, Wu 17 §12 · 38

When Hu Zong died in the 6th year of Chiwu (243), his son Hu Chong succeeded him. Hu Chong was mild-tempered and had literary talent and ability, and in the Tianji era (277–280) he became Prefect of the Palace Secretariat. Records, Wu 17 §38

In the spring of the 4th year of Tianji (280), wherever Jin's Wang Jun and Tang Bin arrived, the Wu forces collapsed like crumbling earth. On the wuchen day of the 3rd month, Tao Jun, back from Wuchang, said that if he fought from large ships he could easily defeat the enemy, and gathered troops, but on the night before the day they were to set out, the troops all fled. Meanwhile Wang Jun was about to arrive down the river, and Sima Zhou and Wang Hun had also drawn close to the border. Records, Wu 3 §81–83

Sun Hao adopted the plan of the Superintendent of the Imperial Household Xue Ying, the Prefect of the Palace Secretariat Hu Chong and others, and sent envoys separately to present letters to Wang Jun, Sima Zhou and Wang Hun. The letters said that great Jin had risen like a dragon and its virtue covered the four seas, but that he, foolish and incompetent, had failed to understand the Mandate of Heaven; he was sending Zhang Kui, the Minister of Ceremonies he had appointed on his own authority, and others to present the seal and ribbon he wore, submitting himself and begging for his life. On the renshen day Wang Jun arrived first and accepted Sun Hao's surrender. Records, Wu 3 §83–85

In the assessment of the Biographies of Wang, Lou, He, Wei and Hua in Records of Wu 20, Chen Shou recorded Hu Chong's words alongside Xue Ying's assessment. Hu Chong held that Lou Xuan, He Shao and Wang Fan were all pure and outstanding men of their time with hardly any difference in merit, but that if a ranking had to be made, Lou Xuan should come first and He Shao next. He also said that Hua He surpassed Wei Yao in talent for prose and rhapsodies but fell short of him in classical documents. Records, Wu 20 §84

In his assessment in Records of Wu 17, Chen Shou counted Hu Zong among those who put their literary grace and talent to use and won trust, but he said nothing separately about Hu Chong. Chen Shou's main text does not record Hu Chong's courtesy name, his later life or the year of his death. Records, Wu 17 §42 · 38