Lü Xiang 呂翔

RecordsRomance 여상吕翔

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OccupationRNGeneralFaction
AppearsRNBiography in
BornNative placeDongping Commandery
Cause of deathNKilled in battle Unverified
ExistenceHistoricalMentionsR2

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Lü Xiang was a native of Dongping and a general under Yuan Shang. He has no biography of his own in the main text of Chen Shou, and appears once each, together with Lü Kuang, in the Annals of Emperor Wu in Records of Wei 1 and the Biographies of Dong Zhuo, the Two Yuans and Liu Biao in Records of Wei 6. In the winter of the 8th year of Jian'an (203), when Cao Cao reached Liyang to rescue Yuan Tan, Yuan Shang lifted the siege of Pingyuan and returned to Ye; at this time Lü Xiang, together with Lü Kuang, turned against Yuan Shang and stationed himself at Yangping, then led his following to surrender and was enfeoffed as a full marquis. Records, Wei 1 §77 · 80Records, Wei 6 §62

The main text of Chen Shou does not record his courtesy name, his later deeds or his death, and the assessments of Records of Wei 1 and 6 do not discuss him either. In the Romance he first appears in Chapter 32 as a senior general of Yuan Shang and a brother of Lü Kuang, and he appears in 3 of its 120 chapters; no chapter has his name in its title. After surrendering to Cao Cao he acts together with Lü Kuang, and in Chapter 35, having attacked Xinye, he loses more than half his troops to Guan Yu and is killed by Zhang Fei's spear. Records, Wei 1 §80 · 173Records, Wei 6 §62 · 96–97Romance, Ch. 32 §13Romance, Ch. 35 §33

In the Records

In the 8th month of the 8th year of Jian'an (203), Cao Cao set out to attack Liu Biao and stationed his army at Xiping. When Cao Cao left Ye and went south, Yuan Tan and Yuan Shang fought over Ji Province, and Yuan Tan, defeated by Yuan Shang, fled to hold Pingyuan. When Yuan Shang pressed his attack hard, Yuan Tan sent Xin Pi to offer surrender and ask for help. Cao Cao turned his army back, reached Liyang in the winter, in the 10th month, and arranged a marriage alliance with Yuan Tan for his son Cao Zheng. Records, Wei 1 §77 · 80Records, Wei 6 §62

Hearing that Cao Cao was coming north, Yuan Shang lifted the siege of Pingyuan and returned to Ye. The Annals of Emperor Wu record that at this time Lü Kuang and Lü Xiang of Dongping turned against Yuan Shang and stationed themselves at Yangping, then led their following to surrender, and Cao Cao enfeoffed them as full marquises. The Biographies of Dong Zhuo, the Two Yuans and Liu Biao call the two men Yuan Shang's generals and record that they turned against Yuan Shang and went over to Taizu. Records, Wei 1 §80Records, Wei 6 §62

The Biographies of Dong Zhuo, the Two Yuans and Liu Biao go on to record that Yuan Tan also secretly had generals' seals carved and gave them to Lü Kuang and Lü Xiang. Taizu knew that Yuan Tan was being deceitful, but he reassured him by forming the marriage alliance with him, and then led his army back. Records, Wei 6 §62–63

These two passages are the only places in the main text of Chen Shou where Lü Xiang appears. His courtesy name, his deeds after being enfeoffed as a full marquis and his death are not recorded, and the assessments of the Annals of Emperor Wu and the Biographies of Dong Zhuo, the Two Yuans and Liu Biao do not discuss him either. Records, Wei 1 §80 · 173Records, Wei 6 §62 · 96–97

In the Romance

In Chapter 32 of the Romance, Yuan Shang, hearing that Yuan Tan intends to surrender to Cao Cao, leaves Shen Pei and Su You to hold Ji Province and personally leads a great army to Liyang to rescue Yuan Tan. When Yuan Shang asks who dares to lead the vanguard, the senior generals Lü Kuang and Lü Xiang, two brothers, volunteer, and Yuan Shang gives them 30,000 troops and has them reach Liyang first. Romance, Ch. 32 §12–13

In the same chapter, when Cao Cao's army crosses the Yellow River, Yuan Shang hurries back to Ye and has Lü Kuang and Lü Xiang guard the rear. At the sound of a cannon, Lü Kuang comes out on the left and Lü Xiang on the right to block Yuan Tan, who is in pursuit, but when Yuan Tan says that he never once treated the two generals lightly while his father was alive, and asks why they now follow his younger brother to press him, the two men dismount and surrender. Yuan Tan tells them to surrender not to him but to Chancellor Cao and takes them to meet Cao Cao, and Cao Cao, promising his daughter to Yuan Tan as a wife, makes Lü Kuang and Lü Xiang the go-betweens. Cao Cao withdraws to station his army at Liyang and enfeoffs the two men as full marquises, keeping them with the army for service. Romance, Ch. 32 §27–29

When, on Guo Tu's advice, Yuan Tan has two generals' seals carved and sends them in secret, the two Lüs, as soon as they receive them, bring the seals straight to Cao Cao and report it. Cao Cao laughs heartily and says that Yuan Tan means to make the two of them his insiders, so they should accept the seals for the time being, and from this time on he harbors the intention of killing Yuan Tan. In the same chapter Cao Cao sends the two Lüs to talk Yuan Shang's generals Ma Yan and Zhang Yi into surrendering, and when he attacks the Western Hills he first has the two Lüs, Ma Yan and Zhang Yi cut Yuan Shang's supply route. Romance, Ch. 32 §30–31 · 44

In Chapter 33, on Guo Jia's advice, Lü Xiang, together with Jiao Chu, Zhang Nan, Lü Kuang, Ma Yan and Zhang Yi, each leading the troops of his own command, advances in three columns to attack You Province. When Gao Gan blocks the mouth of the Hu Pass, Xun You proposes a ruse of false surrender, and Cao Cao summons the surrendered generals Lü Kuang and Lü Xiang and whispers instructions in their ears. Below the pass the two men shout that Cao Cao is crafty and treats them poorly, so they wish to serve their old master, and then, taking off their armor and leaving their horses, they go up onto the pass and urge Gao Gan to raid Cao Cao's camp that night. Gao Gan sets out with the two Lüs in the lead and runs into an ambush, and meanwhile Yue Jin and Li Dian seize the pass. Romance, Ch. 33 §22 · 26–28

In Chapter 35 Cao Cao gives 30,000 troops to Cao Ren, Li Dian and the surrendered generals Lü Kuang, Lü Xiang and others, and has them station at Fancheng. The two Lüs say that Liu Bei is gathering troops at Xinye and must be dealt with early, and that since they have not achieved the slightest merit since surrendering, they will take 5,000 picked troops and present Liu Bei's head; Cao Ren gives them 5,000 troops and sends them to Xinye. When Lü Kuang is stabbed by Zhao Yun's spear and falls from his horse and Liu Bei drives his troops forward to fall on them, Lü Xiang cannot hold out and flees, and loses more than half his troops to Guan Yu, who emerges from beside the road. He barely escapes, but before he has gone ten li Zhang Fei blocks the way and charges straight at him, and before Lü Xiang can do anything he is stabbed by Zhang Fei's spear, tumbles from his horse and dies. Romance, Ch. 35 §29–33

Where the Romance differs

How he left Yuan Shang: In Chapter 32 of the Romance, Lü Xiang, while guarding the rear on Yuan Shang's orders, listens to Yuan Tan, who has come in pursuit, dismounts and surrenders to Yuan Tan, and goes with Yuan Tan to meet Cao Cao. In the Records, when Yuan Shang lifted the siege of Pingyuan and returned to Ye, Lü Kuang and Lü Xiang turned against Yuan Shang and stationed themselves at Yangping, then led their following to surrender to Cao Cao, and there is no mention of their surrendering to Yuan Tan. Romance, Ch. 32 §27–28Records, Wei 1 §80Records, Wei 6 §62

Relationship with Lü Kuang: Chapter 32 of the Romance calls Lü Kuang and Lü Xiang brothers. In the Records, the Annals of Emperor Wu name them side by side as 'Lü Kuang and Lü Xiang of Dongping', and the Biographies of Dong Zhuo, the Two Yuans and Liu Biao as Yuan Shang's generals Lü Kuang and Lü Xiang, without stating how the two were related. Romance, Ch. 32 §13Records, Wei 1 §80Records, Wei 6 §62

Yuan Tan's seals: In Chapter 32 of the Romance, as soon as the two Lüs receive the generals' seals that Yuan Tan has secretly sent, they take them to Cao Cao and report it. The Biographies of Dong Zhuo, the Two Yuans and Liu Biao in the Records say only that Yuan Tan secretly had generals' seals carved and gave them to the two men and that Taizu knew of Yuan Tan's deceit, without stating what the two men did with the seals. Romance, Ch. 32 §30–31Records, Wei 6 §62–63

The surrender of Ma Yan and Zhang Yi: In Chapter 32 of the Romance, Ma Yan and Zhang Yi surrender after being persuaded by the two Lüs, whom Cao Cao has sent. In the Annals of Emperor Wu in the Records, Yuan Shang's generals Ma Yan, Zhang Yi and others surrender on the battlefield, and there is no mention of Lü Xiang persuading them. Romance, Ch. 32 §44Records, Wei 1 §83

The Hu Pass: In Chapter 33 of the Romance, Lü Kuang and Lü Xiang feign surrender to Gao Gan and lead him into an ambush. In the Annals of Emperor Wu in the Records, when Gao Gan held the mouth of the Hu Pass, Cao Cao sent Yue Jin and Li Dian to attack him, and in the 11th year of Jian'an (206) Cao Cao personally besieged the Hu Pass for three months and took it; Lü Xiang does not appear. Romance, Ch. 33 §26–28Records, Wei 1 §93–94

Death: In Chapter 35 of the Romance, Lü Xiang attacks Xinye, loses more than half his troops to Guan Yu and is killed by Zhang Fei's spear. The Records do not record Lü Xiang's deeds after he was enfeoffed as a full marquis, or his death. Romance, Ch. 35 §33Records, Wei 1 §80Records, Wei 6 §62

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.

LEASTRINTPOLCHAVIRADPSCHDIPDIS
Records (solid) vs Romance (dashed)
  • LEA4540−5
  • STR4238−4
  • INT3840+2
  • POL3331−2
  • CHA4038−2
  • VIR3030±0
  • ADP5245−7
  • SCH3131±0
  • DIP3548+13
  • DIS3333±0
Records · Romance scores and difference (Romance − Records · left = lowered by the Romance · right = raised)

Abilities shaped by the Romance — where it differs from the Records Differences of 10 or more

DiplomacyR35UnverifiedN48 +13

RNo direct record — estimated from his deedsWei 6 §62

NOn Cao Cao's orders persuaded Ma Yan and Zhang Yi to surrenderCh. 32 §44

9 similar abilities — show evidence
  • LeadershipR45UnverifiedN40 −5

    RNo direct record — estimated from his leading his following to station at YangpingWei 1 §80

    NSet out from Fancheng to attack Liu Bei at Xinye and was badly defeated, losing more than half his troops and fleeingCh. 35 §32Ch. 35 §33

  • StrengthR42UnverifiedN38 −4

    RNo direct record — estimated from his having been a general of Yuan ShangWei 1 §80

    NVolunteered for the vanguard, but was killed by Zhang Fei's spear before he could do anythingCh. 32 §13Ch. 35 §33

  • IntelligenceR38UnverifiedN40Unverified +2

    RNo direct record — estimated from his deedsWei 6 §62

    NNo direct record — estimated from his urging an early attack on Liu Bei and carrying out the false surrenderCh. 35 §29Ch. 33 §27

  • PoliticsR33UnverifiedN31Unverified −2

    RNo direct record — estimated from his being a military commanderWei 1 §80

    NNo direct record — estimated from his being a military commanderCh. 32 §29

  • CharismaR40UnverifiedN38Unverified −2

    RNo direct record — estimated from his leading his following to surrenderWei 1 §80

    NNo direct record — estimated from his deedsCh. 32 §28

  • VirtueR30N30 ±0

    RTurned against Yuan Shang and led his following to surrender to TaizuWei 1 §80Wei 6 §62

    NAt Yuan Tan's words abandoned Yuan Shang and surrendered to Yuan Tan, then soon went over to Cao CaoCh. 32 §27Ch. 32 §28

  • AdaptabilityR52N45 −7

    RWent over to Taizu during the Yuan family's internal strife and was enfeoffed as a full marquisWei 1 §80

    NRead the situation, surrendered to Cao Cao and was enfeoffed as a full marquisCh. 32 §28Ch. 32 §29

  • ScholarshipR31UnverifiedN31Unverified ±0

    RNo direct record — estimated from his being a military commanderWei 1 §80

    NNo direct record — estimated from his being a military commanderCh. 32 §13

  • DiscernmentR33UnverifiedN33Unverified ±0

    RNo direct record — estimated from his deedsWei 1 §80

    NNo direct record — estimated from his deedsCh. 35 §29

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 (3)

AppearsNot present Chapter list →

Family

SiblingsLü Kuang Romance

Based on Wikidata items for the historical and Romance figures. Relations without the Unverified badge were also confirmed in the Records.