Dong Xi 董襲

Dong Xi, courtesy name Yuandai, was a man of Yuyao County in Kuaiji Commandery. He was eight chi tall and surpassed others in martial strength. When Sun Ce entered Kuaiji Commandery, Dong Xi welcomed him at Gaoqian Pavilion, and Sun Ce, impressed by him, made him Bandit Section Clerk. At that time Huang Longluo and Zhou Bo, long-standing bandits of Shanyin, had gathered a following of several thousand, and when Sun Ce went out in person to suppress them, Dong Xi himself beheaded the two men. On his return he became Major of a Separate Command, was given several thousand troops, and was promoted to Commandant Who Displays Martial Might. He followed Sun Ce in attacking Wan, and in attacking Liu Xun at Xunyang and Huang Zu at Jiangxia. Records, Wu 10 §46

When Sun Ce died and the young Sun Quan first took charge of affairs, the Dowager, worried about this, summoned Zhang Zhao, Dong Xi and others and asked whether Jiangdong could be held. Dong Xi answered that Jiangdong was secured by mountains and rivers, that the kindness of the General Who Attacks Rebels (Sun Ce) remained among the people, that the General Who Attacks Barbarians (Sun Quan) had inherited the foundation and great and small obeyed his commands, and that with Zhang Zhao managing affairs and men like himself serving as claws and fangs, it was a time when they had both the advantage of terrain and the harmony of men, so there was nothing at all to worry about. Everyone thought his words stirring. Records, Wu 10 §47

When the bandits of Poyang, Peng Hu and others, formed a following of tens of thousands, Dong Xi divided the task of suppressing them with Ling Tong, Bu Zhi and Jiang Qin. Wherever Dong Xi went he broke them, so that Peng Hu and the others scattered and fled at the mere sight of his banners, and within ten days all were pacified. Dong Xi became Colonel Who Awes the Yue and was then promoted to Lieutenant General. Records, Wu 10 §48

In the 13th year of Jian'an (208), Sun Quan attacked Huang Zu. Huang Zu had two mengchong ships lined up across Miankou to block it, anchored by great cables of twisted palm fiber tied to stones, and a thousand men on board shot crossbows in volleys, so the army could not advance. Dong Xi and Ling Tong formed the vanguard, each leading a hundred men sworn to die, each man wearing two suits of armor, and they charged in among the mengchong in large boats. When Dong Xi himself cut the two cables with his sword, the mengchong drifted sideways and the main army at last advanced. Records, Wu 10 §49

Huang Zu opened the city gate and fled, and was beheaded by pursuing soldiers. At a great feast the next day Sun Quan raised his cup to Dong Xi and said, 'Today's feast is owed to the merit of cutting the cables.' The Biography of the Lord of Wu also records that in the spring of that year Lü Meng broke Huang Zu's vanguard, and Ling Tong, Dong Xi and others attacked with all their elite forces and put the city to the sword. Records, Wu 10 §50Records, Wu 2 §11

When Cao Cao came out to Ruxu, Dong Xi followed Sun Quan there, and Sun Quan had him command a five-storied tower ship and station it at Ruxukou. At night a violent wind suddenly blew and the tower ship listed and was about to capsize; his attendants scattered into small boats and begged Dong Xi to come out too. Dong Xi said angrily that, having received the general's charge, he was here to guard against the enemy, so how could he abandon it and leave, and that anyone who said such a thing again would be beheaded, and no one dared defy him. That night the ship broke apart and Dong Xi died. Sun Quan changed into mourning clothes to attend the bier and provided supplies most generously. The Records do not say in what year this happened. Records, Wu 10 §51

In his assessment, Chen Shou said that the generals of this volume were all tiger-like subjects of Jiangbiao, whom the Sun family treated generously. Records, Wu 10 §109