Xue Zong

Historical Record

Xue Zong, styled Jingwen, was a man of Zhuyi in Pei Commandery. His ancestors were descendants of Lord Mengchang of the state of Qi; after Qin destroyed the six states, his descendants scattered, and later, having taken refuge at Zhuyi, they took Xue as their surname. Xue Zong was intelligent from childhood, deeply versed in the classics, skilled at composition, and known in his early years as a Cultivated Talent. Amid the turmoil at the end of the Han, Xue Zong took refuge in Jiaozhou with his clansmen and studied under the famed scholar Liu Xi ^c:3254.

After the rise of Sun Quan's Faction, the Inspector of Jiaozhou Shi Xie submitted to Sun Quan, and Xue Zong was thereupon summoned by Sun Quan and appointed General of the Household for All Purposes, successively holding the posts of Grand Administrator of Hepu and of Jiaozhi. At that time the Jiaozhou region had only just been pacified, and the Inspector Lü Dai led troops on a campaign; Xue Zong also accompanied the army southward, reaching as far as Jiuzhen Commandery. After the fighting ended, Xue Zong returned to the capital and was appointed Supervisor of the Receptionists ^c:3255.

Xue Zong, with his quick wit and broad learning, was deeply valued by Sun Quan. On one occasion the Shu Han envoy Zhang Feng mockingly brought up the name of the Master of Writing Kan Ze before Sun Quan, and Kan Ze failed to respond in time. While passing the wine at the banquet, Xue Zong cleverly retorted to Zhang Feng's provocation: "What is 'Shu' (蜀)? With the 'dog' radical it is 'alone' (獨); without the 'dog' it is 'Shu' (蜀)—a horizontal eye and a hunched body, with a worm in its belly." When Zhang Feng countered by asking about the state of Wu, Xue Zong replied at once: "Without a mouth it is 'heaven' (天); with a mouth it is 'Wu' (吳)—presiding over ten thousand realms, the capital of the Son of Heaven." His nimble cleverness made everyone present laugh with delight, and Zhang Feng was left speechless ^c:3255.

When Lü Dai was recalled from Jiaozhou, Xue Zong submitted a memorial to Sun Quan, fearing that the successor would be unequal to the task. Sun Quan once ordered Xue Zong to compose a prayer text; after receiving the order, Xue Zong produced writing of dazzling brilliance, which won Sun Quan's deep admiration, and he was asked to compose two more, both with fresh and novel diction, all praised by the assembly ^c:3256. In the third year of Chiwu (240 CE), Xue Zong was appointed Master of Writing of the Selection Bureau. Two years later he was promoted to Junior Tutor of the Crown Prince, while continuing to oversee the affairs of the Selection Bureau ^c:3256. Sun Quan once bestowed on Xue Zong a purple cord pouch, which Xue Zong modestly declined; Sun Quan then made clear that the crown prince was young and needed Xue Zong to broaden him with learning and restrain him with ritual, and said that the enfeoffment with a domain belonged to none but Xue Zong—ample proof of the favor and esteem he received. In the spring of the sixth year of Chiwu (243 CE), Xue Zong died. In his lifetime he composed tens of thousands of words of poems, rhapsodies, and disputations, titled the Private Records, and wrote works such as the Illustrated Account of the Five Lineages and the Explication of the Two Capitals, which were handed down to the world ^c:3256.

Xue Zong's son Xue Xu rose in office to General Who Suppresses the South and died of illness on the return journey from the campaign against Jiaozhi ^c:3252. Xue Xu's younger brother Xue Ying, styled Daoyan, first served as a Gentleman of the Palace Secretariat in the Secret Storehouse, and later rose to Master of Writing of the Selection Bureau and Junior Tutor of the Crown Prince. During Sun Hao's reign, Sun Hao recalled with admiration the surviving writings of Xue Zong and ordered Xue Ying to continue composing ^c:3259.

In the Novel

In Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Xue Zong's image is reflected mainly in his identity as an important strategist of Sun Quan's Faction, and he takes part in the famous Debate with the Scholars of Jiangdong before the Battle of Red Cliffs. He is listed, together with Kan Ze, Yan Jun, and others, among the civil officials recruited after Sun Quan widely took in worthy men ^c:6219.

The novel's depiction of Xue Zong emphasizes his eloquence and his attitude toward Cao Cao. Before the Battle of Red Cliffs, Zhuge Liang went as envoy to Eastern Wu and debated the assembled scholars. As one of Eastern Wu's strategists, Xue Zong questioned Zhuge Liang, doubting Cao Cao's strength and holding that Liu Bei's resistance to Cao Cao was like "hurling an egg against a rock." He even put forward the view that "the Han calendar has passed down to today, and the heavenly count is about to end; now Lord Cao already holds two-thirds of the realm, and the hearts of all turn to him," implying that Cao Cao's winning the realm was the will of Heaven ^c:3258.

Zhuge Liang, however, sternly refuted this, accusing Xue Zong of being "without father and without sovereign" and declaring his words "not worth speaking with." Under Zhuge Liang's incisive rhetoric, Xue Zong was "filled with shame and unable to reply" ^c:3258. This episode has no clear basis in the histories and is a literary creation of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, made to shape Zhuge Liang's image and heighten the atmosphere of the Battle of Red Cliffs. The historical Xue Zong, though renowned for his quick wits, has no record of any direct debate with Zhuge Liang. The novel's Xue Zong has his character simplified into a supporter of the "Mandate of Heaven" theory favoring Cao Cao, who ultimately loses the debate—differing from the resourceful adaptability in diplomatic settings recorded in the histories.

Key Relationships

* Liu Xi (student_of): In his early years, when taking refuge in Jiaozhou, Xue Zong studied under the famed scholar Liu Xi, which laid the foundation for his deep learning ^c:3254.
* Sun Quan's Faction (serves): Xue Zong was an important civil official of Eastern Wu, successively holding the offices of General of the Household for All Purposes, Grand Administrator of Hepu, Grand Administrator of Jiaozhi, Supervisor of the Receptionists, Master of Writing of the Selection Bureau, and Junior Tutor of the Crown Prince, and was deeply valued by Sun Quan ^c:3254, ^c:3256.
* Lü Dai (fights_in): Xue Zong accompanied the Inspector Lü Dai on the southern campaign in Jiaozhou, attacking Jiuzhen ^c:3255. When Lü Dai was recalled from Jiaozhou, Xue Zong also submitted a memorial to Sun Quan expressing concern over the successor.
* Sun Deng (mentor_of): In the fifth year of Chiwu, Xue Zong was appointed Junior Tutor of the Crown Prince, responsible for assisting Crown Prince Sun Deng; Sun Quan once said, "The crown prince is young and shallow in the Way; you should broaden him with learning and restrain him with ritual," ample proof of his important place in the crown prince's education ^c:3256.
* Zhuge Liang (debates_with): In Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Xue Zong had a fierce debate with Zhuge Liang in the Eastern Wu hall, and was ultimately refuted by Zhuge Liang (novel only) ^c:3258.
* Zhang Feng (debates_with): Xue Zong once cleverly responded to the mockery of the Shu Han envoy Zhang Feng, displaying his nimble wits ^c:3255.
* Xue Xu and Xue Ying (father_of): Xue Zong had two sons, the elder Xue Xu and the younger Xue Ying. Xue Ying later also rose to Master of Writing of the Selection Bureau and Junior Tutor of the Crown Prince, and carried on his father's legacy in composition ^c:3252, ^c:3259.

Signature Scenes

* Out-arguing Zhang Feng, displaying his wit: When Sun Quan feasted the Shu Han envoy Zhang Feng, Zhang Feng mocked the Eastern Wu Master of Writing Kan Ze. While passing the wine, Xue Zong, with his nimble wit, cleverly used word play to counter Zhang Feng's gibes at Shu Han and to praise Eastern Wu, leaving Zhang Feng speechless and showing his quick-wittedness ^c:3255. This scene fully embodies Xue Zong's wisdom and eloquence as an important civil official of Eastern Wu.

* Tutoring the crown prince with effective instruction: Xue Zong was appointed Junior Tutor of the Crown Prince, responsible for assisting Crown Prince Sun Deng. Sun Quan made clear that the crown prince was young and needed Xue Zong to "broaden him with learning and restrain him with ritual," and affirmed Xue Zong's contribution and standing with the words "the enfeoffment with a domain—if not you, then who?" ^c:3256 This shows that Xue Zong was not only an eloquent debater at court but also an important mentor in the crown prince's education, with a far-reaching influence on Eastern Wu's future heir.

* Out-arguing Zhuge Liang in the novel (novel only): In Romance of the Three Kingdoms, when Zhuge Liang came as envoy to Eastern Wu, Xue Zong put to him the view that Cao Cao's winning the realm was the Mandate of Heaven and questioned Liu Bei's strength. But Zhuge Liang refuted Xue Zong with the stern words "without father and without sovereign," leaving him "filled with shame and unable to reply" ^c:3258. Though this scene is a fiction of the novel, it became a signature episode for Xue Zong in literature, showing one side of him in debate; although it ends in defeat, it also sets off Zhuge Liang's resourcefulness.