Xiahou En 夏侯恩
| Occupation | NGeneral | Faction | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appears | N | Biography in | |
| Born | N? Unverified | Native place | |
| Died | N208 Unverified | Place of death | |
| Cause of death | NKilled in battle Unverified | ||
| Existence | Fictional | Mentions |
Profile
Xiahou En is a general of Cao Cao who appears in Chapter 41 of the Romance; he attends Cao Cao closely and carries his sword on his back. Of Cao Cao's two treasured swords, Cao Cao wore the Yitian Sword himself and had Xiahou En wear the Qinggang Sword. Trusting only in his own strength and courage, Xiahou En leads men off to plunder, runs into Zhao Yun, who is coming back to look for Lady Mi and the young lord, is run through by his spear in a single bout and killed, and loses the Qinggang Sword. Romance, Ch. 41 §49–51
He appears in only one of the Romance's 120 chapters, Chapter 41, and no chapter has his name in its title. The name Xiahou En appears neither in Chen Shou's main text nor in Pei Songzhi's commentary. The Biography of Zhao Yun in Chen Shou's main text records only that when the Former Lord, pursued by Lord Cao at Changban in Dangyang, abandoned his wife and children and fled south, Zhao Yun himself carried the infant son, the Later Sovereign, and protected Lady Gan, so that all escaped harm; it says nothing of the Qinggang Sword or of Xiahou En. Romance, Ch. 41 §50Records, Shu 6 §39
In the Romance
In Chapter 41 of the Romance, when Cao Cao's troops fall upon them and Liu Bei's party is scattered, Zhao Yun puts Lady Gan on a horse and escorts her to Changban Slope. Then he tells Mi Zhu to go on ahead escorting Lady Gan, and he himself, leading a few horsemen, goes back the way he came to look again for Lady Mi and the young lord. Romance, Ch. 41 §36–37 · 48–49
As he rides on, a general with an iron spear in his hand and a sword slung on his back comes galloping up at the head of a dozen or so horsemen. Without another word Zhao Yun charges at him, and in a single bout as their horses cross he runs him through and brings him down, and the horsemen following him all flee. The general is Xiahou En, who attends Cao Cao closely and carries his sword. Cao Cao had two treasured swords, called Yitian and Qinggang; he wore the Yitian Sword himself and had Xiahou En wear the Qinggang Sword, which cut iron like mud and was sharper than any other. Romance, Ch. 41 §50–51
The Romance says that at the time Xiahou En, trusting only in his own strength and courage, had slipped out of Cao Cao's sight and was wholly absorbed in leading men to plunder, when he unexpectedly ran into Zhao Yun and was run through and killed by his spear. Zhao Yun takes the sword, and only when he sees the two characters 'Qinggang' inlaid in gold on the hilt does he realize that it is a treasured sword; putting it in his belt and taking up his spear, he charges back into the many layers of the encirclement. Romance, Ch. 41 §51
The Qinggang Sword taken from Xiahou En is thereafter used by Zhao Yun. Breaking through the encirclement with A Dou held in his arms, Zhao Yun fights hard against four generals, Ma Yan, Zhang Yi, Jiao Chu and Zhang Nan, and when Cao Cao's troops swarm in all together he draws the Qinggang Sword, cuts his way about him and breaks through the many layers of the encirclement. In Chapter 42 he cuts down the pursuing Zhong Shen, helmet and all, with the Qinggang Sword, and in Chapter 61 he draws the Qinggang Sword he is wearing as he leaps aboard a Wu ship. In the Romance Xiahou En's name appears only in these two sections of Chapter 41. Romance, Ch. 41 §57 · 60–61 · 50–51Romance, Ch. 42 §2Romance, Ch. 61 §17
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
There is no record in the main text of Chen Shou’s Records, so only the Romance score is given.
- LEA35
- STR45
- INT30
- POL31
- CHA35
- VIR28
- ADP25
- SCH31
- DIP31
- DIS33
Evidence by ability
NNo direct record — estimated from his role as the attendant general who carried Cao Cao's swordCh. 41 §50Ch. 41 §51
NTrusted in his strength and courage, but was speared to death by Zhao Yun in a single boutCh. 41 §50Ch. 41 §51
NAbsorbed in plundering, he ran into Zhao YunCh. 41 §51
NNo direct record — estimated from his role as the attendant general who carried Cao Cao's swordCh. 41 §50Ch. 41 §51
NNo direct record — estimated from his role as the attendant general who carried Cao Cao's swordCh. 41 §50Ch. 41 §51
NSlipped out of Cao Cao's sight and did nothing but lead men to plunderCh. 41 §51
NLeft Cao Cao's side to plunder and was killed by Zhao YunCh. 41 §51
NNo direct record — estimated from his role as the attendant general who carried Cao Cao's swordCh. 41 §50Ch. 41 §51
NNo direct record — estimated from his role as the attendant general who carried Cao Cao's swordCh. 41 §50Ch. 41 §51
NNo direct record — estimated from his role as the attendant general who carried Cao Cao's swordCh. 41 §50Ch. 41 §51
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 (1)
AppearsNot present Chapter list →
Items owned or made (1)
- Qinggangjian · Weapon · 208 · Romance
Ownership and authorship assigned by 3KDEX from source sentences — not yet reviewed (unverified).