Xu Rong 徐榮
| Occupation | RGeneral · General of the Household NGeneral · Administrator of Xingyang | Faction | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appears | RN | Biography in | |
| Cause of death | NKilled in battle Unverified | ||
| Existence | Historical | Mentions | R4 |
Profile
Xu Rong was a general of Dong Zhuo at the end of the Later Han. The Records give him no biography of his own; he appears in the Annals of Emperor Wu in Records of Wei 1 and in the account of Cao Hong in the Biographies of the Xiahou and Cao Clans in Records of Wei 9 as the general who defeated Cao Cao at Xingyang, and in the Biographies of the Two Gongsuns, Tao and the Four Zhangs in Records of Wei 8 as Dong Zhuo's General of the Household who recommended Gongsun Du as Administrator of Liaodong. Records, Wei 1 §9Records, Wei 9 §48Records, Wei 8 §37
In the 1st year of Chuping (190) he met Cao Cao, who was advancing west to attack Dong Zhuo, at the Bian River at Xingyang and defeated him, and Cao Cao, struck by an arrow, escaped under cover of night on a horse given him by his cousin Cao Hong. Seeing Cao Cao fight hard all day with few troops, Xu Rong judged that Suanzao could not easily be attacked and withdrew his army. Records, Wei 1 §7 · 9–10
The Records contain no assessment of him, and Chen Shou's main text does not record his courtesy name or his death. In the Romance he appears in Chapter 6 as the Administrator of Xingyang who comes out to welcome Dong Zhuo, appears in only 1 of its 120 chapters, and his name is in no chapter title. The Romance depicts him lying in ambush and striking Cao Cao in the shoulder with an arrow, and then, while giving chase, being stabbed from his horse by Xiahou Dun's spear. Romance, Ch. 6 §15 · 18 · 21
In the Records
In the 1st month of spring in the 1st year of Chuping (190), Yuan Shu, Han Fu, Yuan Shao and others raised troops at the same time and acclaimed Yuan Shao as leader of their alliance, and in the 2nd month Dong Zhuo moved the Son of Heaven to Chang'an, stayed behind to garrison Luoyang and burned the palaces. Because Dong Zhuo's army was strong, none of Yuan Shao's group dared to advance first, so Cao Cao led his troops west intending to seize Chenggao, and Zhang Miao had his general Wei Zi follow Cao Cao with a detachment of troops. Records, Wei 1 §7–9
Cao Cao reached the Bian River at Xingyang, met Dong Zhuo's general Xu Rong and fought him, but the battle went badly and a great many of his officers and men were killed or wounded. Cao Cao was struck by a stray arrow and the horse he rode was also wounded, but his cousin Cao Hong gave him his own horse and he was able to escape under cover of night. Seeing that Cao Cao, though leading few troops, fought hard all day, Xu Rong judged that Suanzao would not be easy to attack, and he too led his army back. Records, Wei 1 §9–10
The account of Cao Hong records this as Cao Cao, having raised loyal troops to attack Dong Zhuo, reaching Xingyang and being defeated by Dong Zhuo's general Xu Rong. When Cao Cao lost his horse and the enemy pursued him hotly, Cao Hong dismounted and gave him his horse, saying, 'The realm can do without me, Cao Hong, but it cannot do without you.' He followed on foot, and when they reached the Bian River he went along the bank, found a boat and crossed with Cao Cao, and they fled back to Qiao. Records, Wei 9 §48
According to the account of Gongsun Du, Xu Rong was from the same commandery as Gongsun Du, and having become Dong Zhuo's General of the Household he recommended Gongsun Du as Administrator of Liaodong. Because Gongsun Du had risen from a petty clerk of Xuantu, he was looked down on by the people of Liaodong Commandery. Records, Wei 8 §36–37
These four passages are the only places in Chen Shou's main text where Xu Rong appears. His courtesy name, his later career and his death are not recorded, and the Records contain no assessment of him. Records, Wei 1 §9–10Records, Wei 8 §37Records, Wei 9 §48
In the Romance
In Chapter 6 of the Romance, when Dong Zhuo reaches the Xingyang area, the Administrator Xu Rong comes out to welcome him. Li Ru, saying that there may be pursuers since they have just abandoned Luoyang, proposes that Xu Rong lay troops in ambush beside the embankment at the foot of the hills outside the city of Xingyang, let any pursuers pass by, and then, once their own side has routed the enemy, cut off the road and fall upon them. Dong Zhuo follows the plan and has Lü Bu guard the rear with picked troops. Romance, Ch. 6 §15
When the lords do not move, Cao Cao himself leads more than ten thousand troops in pursuit of Dong Zhuo through the night, but is heavily defeated by Lü Bu, Li Jue and Guo Si and flees toward Xingyang. Around the second watch, at the foot of a desolate hill, just as he has gathered his scattered troops and is about to set up pots and cook, shouts rise on all sides and Xu Rong's ambushers all pour out. Cao Cao, fleeing as he cuts his way through, runs into Xu Rong and turns to flee, and an arrow shot by Xu Rong strikes Cao Cao in the shoulder. Romance, Ch. 6 §14 · 16–18
Cao Cao loses his horse to the spears of two soldiers hiding in the grass and is captured, but is rescued by Cao Hong and carried across the river on Cao Hong's back. Around daybreak Xu Rong crosses the river upstream and comes after him again, but Xiahou Dun and Xiahou Yuan come galloping up with several dozen horsemen, shouting, 'Xu Rong, do not harm our lord!' Xu Rong charges straight at Xiahou Dun, but within a few bouts he is stabbed from his horse by Xiahou Dun's spear, and his remaining troops scatter. Romance, Ch. 6 §18–21
Where the Romance differs
Post: In Chapter 6 of the Romance, Xu Rong is the Administrator of Xingyang who welcomes Dong Zhuo. In the Records, the Annals of Emperor Wu and the account of Cao Hong call him Dong Zhuo's general, and the account of Gongsun Du calls him Dong Zhuo's General of the Household. Romance, Ch. 6 §15Records, Wei 1 §9Records, Wei 9 §48Records, Wei 8 §37
Course of the battle: In Chapter 6 of the Romance, Xu Rong, following Li Ru's plan, lies in ambush outside the city of Xingyang and falls upon Cao Cao's army at night as it flees after its defeat by Lü Bu and others. In the Annals of Emperor Wu in the Records, Cao Cao, heading west to seize Chenggao, reached the Bian River at Xingyang, met Xu Rong and fought him, but the battle went badly. The Annals of Emperor Wu and the account of Cao Hong mention neither the ambush plan nor any earlier fight with Lü Bu, Li Jue and Guo Si. Romance, Ch. 6 §15 · 17Records, Wei 1 §9Records, Wei 9 §48
Cao Cao's wound: In Chapter 6 of the Romance, an arrow shot by Xu Rong strikes Cao Cao in the shoulder. The Annals of Emperor Wu in the Records say only that Cao Cao was struck by a stray arrow and that the horse he rode was also wounded, without saying who shot it or where it struck. Romance, Ch. 6 §18Records, Wei 1 §9
Cao Hong's rescue: In Chapter 6 of the Romance, Cao Hong kills the two soldiers who have seized Cao Cao, gives him his horse, and on reaching the river carries Cao Cao across on his back. In the account of Cao Hong in the Records, Cao Hong gave Cao Cao his horse and followed on foot, then found a boat at the Bian River and crossed with him. Romance, Ch. 6 §18–20Records, Wei 9 §48
After the battle: In Chapter 6 of the Romance, Xu Rong crosses the river in pursuit of Cao Cao and is stabbed from his horse by Xiahou Dun's spear. In the Annals of Emperor Wu in the Records, seeing Cao Cao fight hard all day with few troops, Xu Rong judged that Suanzao could not easily be attacked and led his army back, and Chen Shou's main text does not record his death. Romance, Ch. 6 §20–21Records, Wei 1 §10
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 total468 / 1000Rank 321 of 996 · Top 33%Romance total410 / 1000Rank 439 of 1,113 · Top 40%
Romance adaptation index−58Romance total − Records total
- LEA7262−10
- STR4855+7
- INT5540−15
- POL4038−2
- CHA4038−2
- VIR4040±0
- ADP5040−10
- SCH3331−2
- DIP3533−2
- DIS5533−22
Abilities shaped by the Romance — where it differs from the Records Differences of 10 or more
6 similar abilities — show evidence
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
- Dong Zhuo faction · Records · 「到滎陽汴水，遇卓將徐榮」
Related events (2)
- Campaign against Dong Zhuo 190~191 · Command
- Battle of Xingyang 190 · Command
Includes automatic matching from Wikipedia infoboxes and source keywords (unverified).