Shao Ti 邵悌
| Occupation | ROfficial · Clerk of the Western Bureau NOfficial · Officer of the Western Bureau | Faction | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appears | RN | Biography in | |
| Born | Native place | Yangping Commandery | |
| Existence | Historical | Mentions | R4 |
Profile
Shao Ti was Clerk of the Western Bureau under Sima Zhao of Wei. The Records give him no biography of his own; he appears twice in the account of Zhong Hui in the Biographies of Wang, Guanqiu, Zhuge, Deng and Zhong in Records of Wei 28. Chen Shou's main text does not record his courtesy name or his home. Records, Wei 28 §131 · 134
When Sima Zhao intended to entrust the campaign against Shu to Zhong Hui, Shao Ti said that Zhong Hui was a man alone with nothing heavy to tie him down, and that it would be better to send someone else. Later, when Zhong Hui reported Deng Ai's disloyalty and Sima Zhao was about to go west, he said again that it would be enough to have Zhong Hui seize Deng Ai and that there was no need for him to go in person. The first time, Sima Zhao answered that even if Zhong Hui harboured other intentions there was nothing he could accomplish; the second time he asked in return whether Shao Ti had forgotten what he had said before; and both times he told him not to let these words get out. Records, Wei 28 §131 · 133–134
The Records contain no assessment of him. In the Romance he first appears in Chapter 115 as Sima Zhao's Officer of the Western Bureau and appears in 3 of its 120 chapters (Chapters 115, 116 and 118); his name is in no chapter title. Romance, Ch. 115 §41Romance, Ch. 116 §1Romance, Ch. 118 §33
In the Records
In the autumn of the 4th year of Jingyuan (263), Zhong Hui led a host of more than 100,000 into Shu, divided between the Xie Valley and the Luo Valley. Before this, when Sima Zhao intended to send Zhong Hui to attack Shu, Shao Ti, Clerk of the Western Bureau, asked for an audience and spoke. Zhong Hui was now being sent to attack Shu at the head of a host of more than 100,000, he said, but in his foolish view Zhong Hui was a man alone with nothing heavy to tie him down, and it would be better to send someone else. Records, Wei 28 §103 · 131
Sima Zhao laughed and asked how he could fail to know that. Shu was a source of trouble to the realm, and attacking it was as easy as pointing at the palm of one's hand, yet everyone said it could not be attacked; when men's hearts are frightened in advance, wisdom and courage are both exhausted, and only Zhong Hui shared his view, so if he sent Zhong Hui he would certainly destroy Shu. Records, Wei 28 §131–132
Sima Zhao went on to say that even if, after Shu was destroyed, things turned out as Shao Ti feared, what could Zhong Hui accomplish? One cannot speak of courage with the general of a defeated army, nor plan for survival with the grandees of a fallen state; the remaining people of Shu would be trembling with fear and unfit to plot anything with him, and the generals and soldiers of the Central Plains would each think only of going home and would not side with him, so if he plotted evil he would only bring destruction on his own clan. He then told Shao Ti that there was no need to worry, and to take care that no one else heard this. Records, Wei 28 §132–133
Later, when Zhong Hui reported Deng Ai's disloyalty and Sima Zhao was about to go west, Shao Ti spoke again. The troops under Zhong Hui were five or six times as many as Deng Ai's, he said, so it would be enough to order Zhong Hui to seize Deng Ai, and there was no need for Sima Zhao to go in person. Records, Wei 28 §134
Sima Zhao asked Shao Ti whether he had forgotten what he had said before, and yet now said there was no need to go. Even so, he said, these words must not be spread; he must, after all, treat others with good faith and righteousness, and as long as others did not betray him he would not be the first to harbour other intentions. He also told him how, a few days earlier, Protector of the Army Jia (Jia Chong) had asked whether he had even the slightest suspicion of Zhong Hui, and he had answered, 'Now that I am sending you, how could I suspect even you?' And he said that once he reached Chang'an, the matter would settle itself. Records, Wei 28 §134–135
When the army reached Chang'an, Zhong Hui was indeed already dead, and Chen Shou wrote that everything had turned out as reckoned. Zhong Hui had risen in revolt in Shu in the 1st month of the 5th year of Jingyuan (264), and on the 18th day he was killed by the troops. Records, Wei 28 §124 · 127–128 · 135
In the Romance
In Chapter 115 of the Romance, on the 3rd day of the 7th month in the autumn of the 4th year of Jingyuan (263), Zhong Hui sets out with his army, and when Sima Zhao returns after seeing him off ten li outside the city, Shao Ti, Officer of the Western Bureau, speaks to Sima Zhao in secret. Zhong Hui's ambitions are great and his heart is lofty, he says, so he must not be allowed to hold great power alone. When Sima Zhao laughs and asks how he could fail to know that, Shao Ti asks why, if he already knows, he does not have someone share the command. The Romance says that Sima Zhao spoke a few words and Shao Ti's doubts were dispelled at once, and holds those words over to the next chapter. Romance, Ch. 115 §40–42
At the opening of Chapter 116, Sima Zhao tells Shao Ti that the court officials all say Shu cannot be attacked because their hearts are afraid, while Zhong Hui alone has drawn up a plan to attack Shu, so his heart is not afraid and he will surely break Shu. Even if Zhong Hui harbours other intentions, he adds, the people of Shu, whose courage will have been shattered, cannot help him, and the men of Wei will think only of going home once they have won. When Sima Zhao says that these words must be known only to the two of them and must never get out, Shao Ti bows in admiration. Romance, Ch. 116 §1–2
In Chapter 118, Sima Zhao, seeing Deng Ai's memorial, which Zhong Hui had intercepted and rewritten, flies into a rage; he orders Zhong Hui to arrest Deng Ai, sends Jia Chong with 30,000 troops into the Xie Valley, and himself sets out on campaign in person together with Cao Huan, the ruler of Wei. Shao Ti remonstrates that Zhong Hui's troops outnumber Deng Ai's six times over, so having Zhong Hui seize Deng Ai will be enough, and asks why His Excellency should need to go in person. Romance, Ch. 118 §32–33
Sima Zhao laughs and asks whether Shao Ti has forgotten his own earlier words that Zhong Hui would surely rebel later, saying that he is going this time not because of Deng Ai but in truth because of Zhong Hui; Shao Ti laughs and replies that he asked only because he feared His Excellency had forgotten it. When Shao Ti says that since Sima Zhao now has this intention, he should keep it secret and not let it get out, Sima Zhao approves his words and sets off at the head of a great army. This is the last scene in the Romance in which Shao Ti appears. Romance, Ch. 118 §33–34
Where the Romance differs
Office: In Chapters 115, 116 and 118 of the Romance, Shao Ti is Officer of the Western Bureau (xicao yuan). In the account of Zhong Hui in the Records, he is Clerk of the Western Bureau (xicao shu). Romance, Ch. 115 §41Romance, Ch. 118 §33Records, Wei 28 §131
Reason for the first warning: In Chapter 115 of the Romance, Shao Ti says that Zhong Hui's ambitions are great and his heart is lofty, so he must not be allowed to hold great power alone, and urges that someone else be made to share the command. In the Records, Shao Ti said that Zhong Hui was a man alone with nothing heavy to tie him down, and that it would be better to send someone else. Romance, Ch. 115 §41Records, Wei 28 §131
Sima Zhao's answer: The Romance holds Sima Zhao's words over from Chapter 115 to the next chapter, gives his answer at the opening of Chapter 116, and then says that Shao Ti bowed in admiration. In the Records, Sima Zhao laughed and answered on the spot, and there is no record of how Shao Ti received it. Romance, Ch. 115 §41–42Romance, Ch. 116 §1–2Records, Wei 28 §131–133
Troop numbers in the second warning: In Chapter 118 of the Romance, Shao Ti says that Zhong Hui's troops outnumber Deng Ai's six times over. In the Records, he said five or six times. Romance, Ch. 118 §33Records, Wei 28 §134
Who urged secrecy: In Chapter 118 of the Romance, Shao Ti laughs, says he asked only because he feared His Excellency had forgotten, and urges Sima Zhao to keep it secret. In the Records, it was Sima Zhao who said that these words must not be spread, adding that he treated others with good faith and righteousness, and there is no laughing or urging on Shao Ti's part. Romance, Ch. 118 §34Records, Wei 28 §134
Jia Chong's suspicion: In Chapter 118 of the Romance, after Shao Ti has finished speaking, Jia Chong separately and secretly tells Sima Zhao of his suspicions about Zhong Hui. In the Records, Sima Zhao told Shao Ti how, a few days earlier, Protector of the Army Jia (Jia Chong) had asked whether he suspected Zhong Hui, and he had answered, 'Now that I am sending you, would I suspect even you?' Romance, Ch. 118 §34Records, Wei 28 §135
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.
- LEA3331−2
- STR3131±0
- INT6464±0
- POL4240−2
- CHA4040±0
- VIR5050±0
- ADP4552+7
- SCH4040±0
- DIP5052+2
- DIS6060±0
Abilities shaped by the Romance — where it differs from the Records Differences of 10 or more
No ability differs by 10 or more — the Romance portrays this person much as the Records do.
10 similar abilities — show evidence
RNo direct record — estimated from his role as a civil official serving as Clerk of the Western BureauWei 28 §131
NNo direct record — estimated from his role as a civil official serving as Officer of the Western BureauCh. 115 §41
RNo direct record — estimated from his role as a civil officialWei 28 §131
NNo direct record — estimated from his role as a civil officialCh. 115 §41
RPointed out in advance the danger of entrusting a great army to Zhong HuiWei 28 §131Wei 28 §134
NWarned that Zhong Hui must not be left to hold great power alone, and later advised that there was no need to march in personCh. 115 §41Ch. 118 §33
RNo direct record — estimated from his post as Clerk of the Western BureauWei 28 §131
NNo direct record — estimated from his post as Officer of the Western BureauCh. 115 §41
RNo direct recordWei 28 §131
NNo direct recordCh. 116 §2
RNo direct record — estimated from his repeated frank adviceWei 28 §134
NNo direct record — estimated from his frank remonstranceCh. 118 §33
RNo direct recordWei 28 §134
NConfirmed his lord's intention and urged him to keep it secretCh. 118 §34
RNo direct record — estimated from his role as a civil official on the staffWei 28 §131
NNo direct recordCh. 115 §41
RTwice gave advice to King WenWei 28 §131Wei 28 §134
NRemonstrated with Sima Zhao and drew out his true intentionCh. 118 §33Ch. 118 §34
RJudged that Zhong Hui, having nothing to tie him down, could not be entrusted with a great armyWei 28 §131
NSaw through Zhong Hui as a man of great ambition and lofty heartCh. 115 §41
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)
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