Xu Gong 許貢
| Occupation | RNOfficial · Administrator of Wu Commandery | Faction | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appears | RN | Biography in | |
| Cause of death | RKilled NKilled Unverified | ||
| Existence | Historical | Mentions | R9 |
Profile
Xu Gong was an official of Wu Commandery at the end of the Han. He has no separate biography in the Records; in the biography of Xu Jing he appears as Commandant of Wu Commandery, and in the biographies of Zhu Zhi and of Sun Ce he appears as Administrator of Wu Commandery. Xu Jing, wandering to escape Dong Zhuo, placed himself under his protection together with Wang Lang, Administrator of Kuaiji. Records, Shu 8 §4Records, Wu 11 §4Records, Wu 1 §36
When Zhu Zhi sought to enter Wu Commandery, Xu Gong blocked him at Youquan but was heavily defeated, and he went to rely on the mountain bandit Yan Baihu. He was later killed by Sun Ce, and in the 5th year of Jian'an (200) Sun Ce was killed by Xu Gong's retainers. Records, Wu 11 §4Records, Wu 1 §36–37
In the Romance he appears only in Chapter 29, and his name does not appear in the chapter title. Having secretly sent Cao Cao a letter that likened Sun Ce to Xiang Ji and urged that he be summoned to the capital, he is found out and strangled on Sun Ce's orders, and three of his retainers ambush Sun Ce when he goes out hunting. Romance, Ch. 29 §2–5
In the Records
According to the biography of Xu Jing in the Records, when Kong Zhou, Inspector of Yu Province appointed by Dong Zhuo, and others turned around and raised troops to attack Dong Zhuo, Xu Jing, fearing he would be executed because his cousin had conspired with Kong Zhou, fled to Kong Zhou. When Kong Zhou died, Xu Jing relied on Chen Yi, Inspector of Yang Province, and when Chen Yi died, he went to place himself under Xu Gong, Commandant of Wu Commandery, and Wang Lang, Administrator of Kuaiji, who had long been on friendly terms with him. Records, Shu 8 §3–4
According to the biography of Zhu Zhi, Zhu Zhi was summoned by the Grand Tutor Ma Midi to be his clerk and then transferred to Commandant of Wu Commandery. When Zhu Zhi sought to advance from Qiantang to Wu, Xu Gong, Administrator of Wu Commandery, blocked him at Youquan, and Zhu Zhi fought him and inflicted a heavy defeat. Xu Gong went south to rely on the mountain bandit Yan Baihu, and Zhu Zhi at last entered the commandery and took charge of the Administrator's affairs. The biography of Zhu Zhi does not give the year of this battle. Records, Wu 11 §3–4
The Biography of Sun Ce records only that, before this, Sun Ce had killed Xu Gong, without stating when or why. Xu Gong's young son fled with the retainers and hid by the river. Records, Wu 1 §37
In the 5th year of Jian'an (200), when Cao Cao faced Yuan Shao at Guandu, Sun Ce, intending to make a secret attack on Xu and take the Han emperor into his keeping, quietly readied his troops and assigned his generals. Before he set out, Sun Ce rode out alone on horseback and suddenly came upon Xu Gong's retainers, who struck and wounded him. As his wounds grew grave, Sun Ce summoned Zhang Zhao and others and asked them to help his younger brother well, had Sun Quan wear the seal and ribbon, and died that night at the age of twenty-six. Chen Shou wrote that Sun Ce was killed by retainers of Xu Gong, the former Administrator of Wu Commandery. Records, Wu 1 §36–38
In the biography of Guo Jia, when everyone was alarmed at the news that Sun Ce intended to cross the Yangtze and make a surprise attack north on Xu, Guo Jia reasoned that Sun Ce was rash and unprepared, so that if an assassin lay in wait and sprang on him he would be no more than a match for a single man, and that he was sure to die at the hands of some common fellow. Sun Ce reached the Yangtze and, before he had crossed, was indeed killed by Xu Gong's retainers. Records, Wei 14 §34–35
In the Romance
In Chapter 29 of the Romance, after dominating Jiangdong, Sun Ce sends Zhang Hong to Xuchang to submit a memorial and seeks the post of Grand Marshal, but when Cao Cao refuses, he constantly harbors the intention of making a surprise attack on Xudu. At this, Xu Gong, Administrator of Wu Commandery, secretly sends an envoy to Xudu with a letter to Cao Cao. Its gist is that Sun Ce, being swift and brave, resembles Xiang Ji, so the court should outwardly show him honor and favor and summon him to the capital, and must not leave him in an outer command where he would become a future threat. Romance, Ch. 29 §1–2
While crossing the river, the envoy is seized by the soldiers guarding the river and sent under escort to Sun Ce. Sun Ce reads the letter, flies into a rage and beheads the envoy, then invites Xu Gong on the pretext of discussing affairs. When Xu Gong arrives, Sun Ce shows him the letter and rebukes him, 'So you meant to send me to my death!', and orders his guards to strangle him. Xu Gong's household all flee and scatter, and three retainers of his house wish to avenge him but lament that they have no opportunity. Romance, Ch. 29 §3
One day, while hunting in the Western Hills of Dantu, Sun Ce chases a large deer and rides up the mountain alone, where three men standing in the woods claim to be soldiers of Han Dang. One stabs Sun Ce in the left thigh with a spear, and another hits him in the cheek with an arrow. When Sun Ce pulls the arrow from his face and shoots it back, felling the archer, the remaining two cry out, 'We are retainers of Xu Gong. We have come on purpose to avenge our master!', and fight to the death. Cheng Pu arrives with a band of men and hacks the retainers to pieces, but Sun Ce is so badly wounded that blood streams down his face. Romance, Ch. 29 §3–6
The Romance quotes a poem by a later writer praising the three retainers of the Xu household for being able to die for righteousness, so that even Yu Rang, who gave his life, was nothing remarkable by comparison. Sun Ce is told by a disciple of Hua Tuo that the poison of the arrowhead has penetrated to the bone and he must rest quietly for a hundred days, but on hearing that Guo Jia had said he would die at the hands of a petty man, he flies into a rage, and he dies at the age of twenty-six in the same chapter. Romance, Ch. 29 §7–10 · 35
Where the Romance differs
Office: In Chapter 29 of the Romance, Xu Gong appears only as Administrator of Wu Commandery. In the Records he appears as Commandant of Wu Commandery in the biography of Xu Jing and as Administrator of Wu Commandery in the biography of Zhu Zhi, and the Biography of Sun Ce calls the master of the retainers who killed Sun Ce 'Xu Gong, the former Administrator of Wu Commandery'. Romance, Ch. 29 §2Records, Shu 8 §4Records, Wu 11 §4Records, Wu 1 §36
The battle with Zhu Zhi: The Romance does not mention Xu Gong fighting Zhu Zhi. In the biography of Zhu Zhi in the Records, Xu Gong blocked Zhu Zhi at Youquan as he sought to advance on Wu, was heavily defeated, and went south to rely on the mountain bandit Yan Baihu. Romance, Ch. 29 §2Records, Wu 11 §4
Why he died: In Chapter 29 of the Romance, Xu Gong secretly sends Cao Cao a letter likening Sun Ce to Xiang Ji and urging that he be summoned to the capital, and it comes to light when his envoy is captured. The Biography of Sun Ce in the Records says only that Sun Ce killed Xu Gong and does not give the reason. Romance, Ch. 29 §2–3Records, Wu 1 §37
How he died: In Chapter 29 of the Romance, Sun Ce summons Xu Gong on the pretext of discussing affairs, rebukes him, and orders his guards to strangle him. The main text of the Records says only that Sun Ce killed Xu Gong and does not say how. Romance, Ch. 29 §3Records, Wu 1 §37
The avengers: In Chapter 29 of the Romance, Xu Gong's household all scatter, and three retainers of his house set out to avenge him. In the Records, Xu Gong's young son fled with the retainers and hid by the river, and those retainers struck Sun Ce. The Records does not give the number of retainers, and the young son does not appear in the Romance. Romance, Ch. 29 §3 · 5Records, Wu 1 §37
The ambush: In Chapter 29 of the Romance, Sun Ce, chasing a deer in the Western Hills of Dantu, is struck by spear and arrow by retainers who claim to be Han Dang's soldiers, and Cheng Pu arrives and kills them. In the Records, Sun Ce rode out alone on horseback, suddenly came upon the retainers and was wounded, and the biography of Guo Jia places this after he reached the Yangtze but before he had crossed. Neither the hunt nor Cheng Pu appears in this passage of Chen Shou's text. Romance, Ch. 29 §3–6Records, Wu 1 §37Records, Wei 14 §35
Guo Jia's words: In Chapter 29 of the Romance, after being wounded, Sun Ce hears from an envoy that Guo Jia had said he would die at the hands of a petty man, and flies into a rage. In the biography of Guo Jia in the Records, Guo Jia reasoned, when Sun Ce intended to attack Xu, that he was sure to die at the hands of some common fellow, and there is no record that Sun Ce heard these words. Romance, Ch. 29 §9–10Records, Wei 14 §34–35
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.
Records total400 / 1000Rank 611 of 996 · Top 62%Romance total404 / 1000Rank 492 of 1,113 · Top 45%
Romance adaptation index+4Romance total − Records total
- LEA3035+5
- STR3533−2
- INT4055+15
- POL4038−2
- CHA6260−2
- VIR5045−5
- ADP3225−7
- SCH3535±0
- DIP3840+2
- DIS3838±0
Abilities shaped by the Romance — where it differs from the Records Differences of 10 or more
9 similar abilities — show evidence
RAfter his death his retainers ambushed Sun Ce to avenge himWu 1 §37Wei 14 §35
NThree of his retainers risked their lives to avenge their masterCh. 29 §3Ch. 29 §5
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 (1)
AppearsNot present Chapter list →
Allegiance history
- Yan Baihu faction · Records · 「貢南就山賊嚴白虎」
Related events (1)
- Sun Ce Slays Yu Ji in Anger Romance ch. 29 · Appears (Romance scene)
Includes automatic matching from Wikipedia infoboxes and source keywords (unverified).