Xiahou Dun 夏侯惇

At fourteen he went to study under a teacher, and when someone insulted his teacher, he killed the man and became known for his fierce spirit. From the time Cao Cao first raised troops he always followed him on campaigns as a subordinate general, and he also went with Cao Cao, who had few troops, to Yang Province to recruit soldiers. When Cao Cao was acting General of Vigorous Might (fenwu jiangjun), Xiahou Dun became his Major and was stationed separately at Baima; he was then promoted to Colonel Who Breaks Assaults (zhechong xiaowei) and concurrently held the post of Administrator of Dong Commandery. Records, Wei 9 §2Records, Wei 1 §13

When Cao Cao set out to attack Tao Qian, he left Xiahou Dun behind to hold Puyang, but Zhang Miao rebelled and welcomed Lü Bu. When Xun Yu urgently summoned him, Xiahou Dun executed several dozen of those plotting rebellion that very night and calmed the troops. Because Cao Cao's family was at Juancheng, he hurried there in light carriages, ran into Lü Bu and fought him; Lü Bu withdrew into Puyang and made a surprise attack that seized the baggage train of Xiahou Dun's army. Records, Wei 9 §2–3Records, Wei 10 §6

At this point some officers who had pretended to surrender seized Xiahou Dun, held him hostage and demanded treasure, and the whole army shook with fear. Xiahou Dun's officer Han Hao posted soldiers at the camp gate so that none of the units could move, then rebuked the hostage-takers, asking how he could let them go for the sake of one general; to Xiahou Dun he said in tears, "What can I do against the law of the state?" and called on the soldiers to attack. The hostage-takers knocked their heads on the ground, but Han Hao beheaded them all. Cao Cao declared that this could serve as a law for ten thousand generations, and issued an order that from then on, whenever anyone took a hostage, the troops were to attack them regardless of the hostage. Records, Wei 9 §3–5

When Cao Cao returned from Xu Province, Xiahou Dun followed him on the campaign against Lü Bu and was struck by a stray arrow that wounded his left eye. He concurrently held the posts of Administrator of Chenliu and Jiyin, was additionally made General Who Establishes Martial Might (jianwu jiangjun), and was enfeoffed as Marquis of Gao'an Village. When a great drought and a plague of locusts struck, he dammed the Taishou River to make a reservoir, carried earth on his own back, and led his officers and men in encouraging the planting of rice, so that the people benefited from it. While he was Administrator of Chenliu, he recommended Wei Zhen as accounts officer, and when Wei Zhen said that having the wives come out to a banquet was not proper ritual, Xiahou Dun angrily seized him before releasing him. Records, Wei 9 §6Records, Wei 22 §77

In the 3rd year of Jian'an (198), when Lü Bu sent Gao Shun to attack Liu Bei at Pei, Cao Cao sent Xiahou Dun to rescue him, but he was defeated by Gao Shun. Later, when Liu Biao had Liu Bei invade northward as far as She County, Xiahou Dun resisted him. When Liu Bei burned his camp one morning and withdrew, Xiahou Dun wanted to pursue, but Li Dian stopped him, saying that the enemy was retreating for no reason, so there must be an ambush, and that the road south was narrow and the grass and trees thick. Xiahou Dun did not listen and pursued with Yu Jin; as expected he ran into the ambush and fared badly, and when Li Dian came to the rescue, Liu Bei withdrew. The Biography of the First Sovereign records this battle as the affair at Bowang. Records, Wei 7 §25Records, Wei 18 §5–6Records, Shu 2 §19

He was transferred to concurrently hold the post of Intendant of Henan, and when Cao Cao pacified the region north of the Yellow River, he guarded the rear. After Ye fell he became General Who Quells the Waves (fubo jiangjun), continuing to serve as Intendant of Henan as before, and was allowed to handle affairs at his own discretion without being bound by regulations. In the 12th year of Jian'an (207), for his merits past and present, his fief was raised to 2,500 households. Records, Wei 9 §6–7

In the 21st year of Jian'an (216), after returning from the campaign against Sun Quan, Cao Cao had Xiahou Dun command twenty-six armies and stay at Juchao, bestowed on him female musicians and famous entertainers, and issued an order saying, "Even Wei Jiang received the music of bells and chimes for his merit in making peace with the Rong; how much more should you, General!" In the 24th year of Jian'an (219), at Mobei, Cao Cao always summoned him to ride in the same carriage and let him come and go even in his bedchamber, so that none of the other generals could compare with him. He was appointed General of the Front, led the various armies back to Shouchun, and then moved to garrison Zhaoling. Records, Wei 9 §7–8

When Cao Pi took the throne as king, Xiahou Dun became General-in-Chief on the jimao day of the 3rd month of the 1st year of Yankang (220), but he died on the gengwu day of the 4th month. His posthumous title was Marquis Zhong. Even while with the army, Xiahou Dun personally received teachers and studied under them; he was upright and frugal by nature, giving away any surplus wealth at once and drawing on the government when he ran short, and he did not build up property. Later the emperor, recalling his merits, divided off a thousand households of his fief and granted his seven sons and two grandsons the rank of Marquis Within the Passes. His son Xiahou Mao had already been separately enfeoffed as a full marquis and married Cao Cao's daughter, Princess Qinghe. In the 1st year of Qinglong (233), by imperial edict, he was honored with a place in Cao Cao's ancestral temple together with Cao Ren and Cheng Yu. Records, Wei 9 §8–9Records, Wei 2 §4–5Records, Wei 3 §28

In his assessment, Chen Shou wrote that because the Xiahou and Cao clans had intermarried for generations, Xiahou Dun, Xiahou Yuan, Cao Ren, Cao Hong and others, as close kin and old friends, were all honored and valued in their time, and that they supported the great enterprise at Cao Cao's side and all earned merit. Records, Wei 9 §132