Xu Gong

Historical Record

Historical source material on Xu Gong is extremely scarce; orthodox histories such as the Records of the Three Kingdoms do not provide a detailed account of his life. We therefore cannot verify his place of origin, offices held, dates of birth and death, or any actual political or military activities from the historical record. Xu Gong's presence in history is virtually nil, and his image survives mainly through the shaping of literary works. Within the bounds of serious historical scholarship, Xu Gong is a figure lacking direct documentary support; all his deeds and influence derive from later literary creation rather than from contemporaneous historical records.

In the Novel

In the literary world of Luo Guanzhong's Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Xu Gong is portrayed as the Grand Administrator of Wu Commandery, whose image and actions exert a decisive influence on the fate of Sun Ce. In the novel, Xu Gong appears around the fourth year of the Jian'an era (199 CE), just as Sun Ce's power in Jiangdong was steadily growing. At this point Sun Ce, having defeated Liu Xun and won over Hua Xin, the Grand Administrator of Yuzhang, had reached the height of his prestige and had even conceived the notion of seizing Xu ^c:3391.

As Grand Administrator of Wu Commandery, Xu Gong was uneasy about Sun Ce's rise and feared that his growing power would threaten his own position. He therefore secretly dispatched an envoy to Xu to submit a memorial of denunciation to Cao Cao. The gist of the memorial was to warn Cao Cao that Sun Ce was like a fierce tiger who must not be allowed to grow strong unchecked, and that he should be eliminated early to avoid future trouble ^c:3391. This move was undoubtedly Xu Gong's stratagem to use Cao Cao's hand to curb Sun Ce and protect his own interests. However, the scheme ultimately failed: although Cao Cao knew of Sun Ce's strength, he did not act immediately, choosing instead to ally by marriage with Sun Ce to ease relations.

This act of Xu Gong's is depicted in the novel as the direct fuse leading to Sun Ce's eventual assassination. After learning that Xu Gong had submitted the denunciatory memorial, Sun Ce bore him a deep grudge. During a hunt, Sun Ce was attacked by Xu Gong's retainers and ultimately died young from the severity of his wounds. Through Xu Gong's act of denunciation, the novel not only lays the groundwork for Sun Ce's tragic end but also displays the tangled power struggles and mutual machinations among the regional strongmen of the late Eastern Han. Xu Gong's image in the novel is a typical figure who opposes a more powerful force for his own interests and ultimately brings disaster upon himself. Although his act of denunciation did not directly achieve its aim of borrowing another's blade to kill, it indirectly brought about Sun Ce's death, thereby playing a small but pivotal role in the course of history. The novel's portrayal of Xu Gong greatly enriches the storyline of the Three Kingdoms period and provides a dramatic explanation for Sun Ce's early death, even though these episodes have no clear basis in historical fact.

Key Relationships

* Cao Cao (advises_in): In the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Xu Gong secretly dispatched an envoy to submit a memorial to Cao Cao, warning him of the grave threat posed by Sun Ce, intending to use Cao Cao's hand to remove Sun Ce ^c:3391 (novel-only). This relationship reveals Xu Gong's attempt to use an outside power to balance or weaken Sun Ce's influence in Jiangdong.
* Sun Ce (antagonist_of): As Grand Administrator of Wu Commandery, Xu Gong stood in clear opposition to Sun Ce. He was uneasy about Sun Ce's rise, and his act of denunciation ultimately enraged Sun Ce, indirectly leading to Sun Ce's assassination (novel-only).
* Xu Gong's retainers (associated_with): In the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Xu Gong's retainers, to avenge their lord, ambushed and assassinated Sun Ce while he was hunting, directly causing Sun Ce's early death (novel-only).

Iconic Scenes

* Secretly dispatching an envoy to memorialize Cao Cao: This is Xu Gong's most iconic act in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. He secretly sent an envoy to Xu to deliver a letter to Cao Cao, denouncing Sun Ce's powerful forces and potential threat, and advising Cao Cao to eliminate Sun Ce early ^c:3391. This scene displays both Xu Gong's dread and hostility toward Sun Ce and lays the groundwork for Sun Ce's later assassination, serving as a key link driving the plot forward (novel-only).
* Sun Ce learning of the denunciatory letter: After learning that Xu Gong had memorialized Cao Cao in denunciation, Sun Ce brooded over the matter and bore Xu Gong a grudge. This episode directly led to Sun Ce's pursuit of Xu Gong and ultimately triggered the retaliatory action of Xu Gong's retainers, bringing about Sun Ce's tragic end (novel-only).
* The retainers' assassination of Sun Ce: Although Xu Gong himself did not directly take part in the assassination, the event of his retainers killing Sun Ce to avenge their lord is the ultimate manifestation of Xu Gong's influence in the novel. This scene directly caused Sun Ce's death and had a profound impact on the subsequent development of the Jiangdong forces (novel-only).