Xin Pi

Historical Record

Xin Pi, styled Zuozhi, was a man of Yangzhai in Yingchuan. His ancestors had migrated eastward from Longxi during the Jianwu era. He followed his elder brother Xin Ping in serving Yuan Shao. When Cao Cao was Minister of Works, he summoned Xin Pi to office, but Xin Pi did not answer the call. When Yuan Shang attacked his elder brother Yuan Tan at Pingyuan, Yuan Tan sent Xin Pi to Cao Cao to seek peace. Xin Pi met with Cao Cao and laid out Yuan Tan's intentions, and Cao Cao was greatly pleased. A few days later, Cao Cao changed his mind, wishing first to pacify Jing Province and let Yuan Tan and Yuan Shang destroy each other. Perceiving that Cao Cao's intent had shifted, Xin Pi consulted with Guo Jia. Guo Jia informed Cao Cao, who then asked Xin Pi whether Yuan Tan could be trusted and whether Yuan Shang could surely be defeated. Xin Pi forcefully argued the advantage of attacking Yuan Shang's city of Ye, pointing to the strife between the Yuan brothers, the exhaustion of the state's strength, and the people's misery, and pointed out that Jing Province was rich and at peace, offering no opening to be exploited, urging Cao Cao to seize the moment and pacify Hebei. Cao Cao approved his words, thereupon promised to make peace with Yuan Tan, captured Ye the following year, and recommended Xin Pi as a Court Counselor^[1].

Thereafter, Xin Pi followed the Protector-General Cao Hong in pacifying Xiabian and joined Cao Xiu in assisting with military affairs^[2]. After Cao Pi took the throne, Xin Pi was promoted to Palace Attendant and granted the rank of Marquis Within the Passes. On the matter of reforming the calendar, he proposed that the house of Wei should follow the succession of Shun and Yu rather than the system of Tang and Wu, and his view was adopted by Cao Pi^[3]. When Cao Pi wished to relocate a hundred thousand households of soldier-families from Ji Province to populate Henan, Xin Pi forcefully remonstrated, pointing out that this move would both lose the people's hearts and leave them without food; though it angered Cao Pi, in the end it caused Cao Pi to relocate only half^[4]. He also once accompanied Cao Pi pheasant-shooting and bluntly said that the pleasure of an emperor was the suffering of his subjects, causing Cao Pi to restrain himself. When Cao Zhen campaigned against Zhu Ran at Jiangling, Xin Pi accompanied the army as Army Marshal and after the battle was enfeoffed as Marquis of Guangping Village^[5]. When Cao Pi wished to mount a great campaign against Wu, Xin Pi again remonstrated, analyzing the strategic difficulty of the lands of Wu and Chu, and advising the sovereign to nourish the people and store up strength, waiting until after ten years, when the state's power was strong, before campaigning. Although Cao Pi did not fully adopt his advice, in the end his campaign against Wu returned without success^[5].

After Emperor Ming, Cao Rui, took the throne, Xin Pi was advanced to Marquis of Yingxiang. He was upright in character and would not attach himself to those in power; even when the Director of the Palace Secretariat Liu Fang and Sun Zi were in favor, he would not associate with them. His son Xin Chang once advised him to lower his stance a little and befriend Liu and Sun, but Xin Pi sternly made clear the foundation of his conduct, unwilling to destroy his lofty integrity in pursuit of high office^[6]. He repeatedly remonstrated bluntly with Cao Rui—for instance, advising him not to undertake great construction works and not to level Beimang to build a terrace and tower—and his advice was adopted in whole or in part^[7]. In the second year of Qinglong, when Zhuge Liang sent troops out to south of the Wei River, Emperor Ming feared he could not be checked, and so appointed Xin Pi as Army Marshal of the General-in-Chief, bearing the staff of authority to supervise the six armies and to restrain Sima Yi; only after Zhuge Liang died was he restored to Commandant of the Guards. After Xin Pi's death, he was given the posthumous title Marquis Su^[8].

In the Novel

The image of Xin Pi in Romance of the Three Kingdoms broadly matches the historical record, but with some embellishment in detail and dialogue. He first appears in Chapter 32, sent by Yuan Tan to seek aid from Cao Cao. In the novel, Xin Pi laid out to Cao Cao the state of the Yuan brothers' internal strife, the decline of the state's strength, and the people's misery, and forcefully urged Cao Cao to attack Hebei first and take Jing Province later—words largely consistent with the historical record—and Cao Cao thereupon sighed, "I regret meeting Xin Zuozhi so late!"^[9].

In the attack on Ji Province, the novel adds an intense confrontation between Xin Pi and Shen Pei. When Cao's army broke into Ji Province, Xin Pi galloped in first and, pointing at the captured Shen Pei, cursed him bitterly; Shen Pei cursed back, calling Xin Pi a "traitorous fellow," and brought up how Xin Pi's family had suffered disaster because of the Yuan clan. Xin Pi then wept and bowed to Cao Cao, begging for Shen Pei's execution to avenge his hatred. Before his execution, Shen Pei knelt facing north to die, all the more highlighting his loyalty and righteousness, forming a contrast with Xin Pi's "betrayal of his lord" and intensifying the dramatic conflict^[10]. Whether Xin Pi's family truly suffered disaster because of the Yuan clan has no clear record in the histories.

When Cao Pi campaigned against Wu, in the novel Xin Pi again came forward to remonstrate, advising Cao Pi to nourish his troops and develop agriculture for ten years before campaigning against Wu, pointing out that "the land of the Central Plains is broad but the people few, and to mean to use arms—I do not see its advantage," but Cao Pi rebuked it as "the talk of a pedantic scholar" and insisted on campaigning against Wu, ultimately returning without success^[11]. This is highly consistent with the historical record of Xin Pi remonstrating with Cao Pi over the campaign against Wu.

During Zhuge Liang's Northern Expeditions, in the novel Xin Pi, on the order of the Wei sovereign Cao Rui, led fifty thousand troops together with Sun Li to aid Cao Zhen^[12]. Later, when Sima Yi held firm and would not come out and Zhuge Liang repeatedly challenged him, Cao Rui wished to order Sima Yi to give battle, but Xin Pi perceived that Sima Yi "had no intention of fighting at all" and that his memorial requesting battle was merely "a wish to seek a clear imperial order so as to curb the eagerness of the various generals." Cao Rui adopted Xin Pi's words and sent Xin Pi, bearing the staff of authority, to the camp north of the Wei to proclaim the order forbidding Sima Yi to give battle. Sima Yi said privately to Xin Pi, "You truly know my mind," and Kongming too saw through this as Sima Yi's "method for steadying the three armies," borrowing the sovereign's command to control the various generals^[13]. This episode has no detailed record in the histories, but the Weilüe mentions that Sima Yi several times wished to advance his troops and was each time forbidden by Xin Pi, showing that Xin Pi did indeed hold the power to restrain Sima Yi within the army^[8].

Key Relationships

* Yuan Shao's Faction (serves): Xin Pi at first followed his elder brother Xin Ping in serving Yuan Shao, but during the Yuan brothers' internal strife he represented Yuan Tan in seeking aid from Cao Cao, ultimately helping bring about Cao Cao's pacification of Hebei^[1].
* Cao Cao (serves): When Yuan Tan sought aid, Xin Pi, with his outstanding strategic vision and eloquence, successfully persuaded Cao Cao to change his strategy and pacify Hebei first, winning Cao Cao's deep admiration and being recommended as a Court Counselor^[1].
* Cao Pi (serves): After Cao Pi took the throne, Xin Pi was promoted to Palace Attendant and granted a rank, and repeatedly remonstrated bluntly, including on reforming the calendar, relocating soldier-families, and the campaign against Wu, displaying his loyalty and uprightness^[3].
* Cao Rui (serves): In the reign of Emperor Ming, Xin Pi was advanced to a marquisate and continued to assist in government with his blunt character, remonstrating frankly on many occasions, such as advising the emperor not to undertake great construction works and not to level Beimang. During Zhuge Liang's Northern Expeditions, he further served as Army Marshal of the General-in-Chief, bearing the staff of authority to supervise the six armies and restrain Sima Yi^[8].
* Xin Ping (sibling_of): Xin Pi and his elder brother Xin Ping together served Yuan Shao; later Xin Pi went over to Cao, while Xin Ping remained loyal to Yuan Tan. In the novel, Xin Ping once refused Cao Cao's offer of surrender and rebuked Xin Pi for "slander and flattery"^[14] (novel only).
* Bao Xun (witnesses): Xin Pi once joined Zhong Yao, Hua Xin, and other ministers in memorializing to plead on behalf of Bao Xun, but did not gain Cao Pi's assent, and Bao Xun was ultimately executed^[15].
* Du Shu (mentor_of): Du Shu, at court, did not befriend the powerful and devoted himself to the public good, often remonstrating frankly whenever there were gains or failings in government, and so was esteemed by Xin Pi and others^[16].
* Liu Fang and Sun Zi (opposes): Xin Pi would not associate with the then-favored Director of the Palace Secretariat Liu Fang and the Prefect Sun Zi; even when his son Xin Chang remonstrated, he held to his lofty integrity, unwilling to curry favor^[6].
* Sima Yi (restrains): During Zhuge Liang's Northern Expeditions, Xin Pi, as Army Marshal of the General-in-Chief, bore the staff of authority to supervise the six armies and restrain Sima Yi's military operations. In the novel, he further perceived Sima Yi's mind and proclaimed the order on Cao Rui's behalf, forbidding Sima Yi to give battle^[13].
* Xin Xianying (daughter_of): Xin Pi's daughter Xin Xianying was wise and discerning, offering original insights on major events such as Cao Pi's claiming the imperial title, Cao Shuang's monopolizing power, and Zhong Hui's campaign against Shu, and exhorting her younger brother Xin Chang to hold fast to his post^[8].

Iconic Scenes

* Advising Cao Cao to Pacify Hebei First: Sent by Yuan Tan to seek aid from Cao Cao, Xin Pi forcefully argued the advantage of attacking Yuan Shang's city of Ye, pointing to the strife between the Yuan brothers, the exhaustion of the state's strength, and the people's misery, and pointed out that Jing Province was rich and at peace, offering no opening to be exploited, urging Cao Cao to seize the moment and pacify Hebei. His words won Cao Cao's deep admiration and prompted Cao Cao to change his strategy and ultimately pacify Hebei^[1].
* Forcefully Remonstrating against Relocating Soldier-Families with Cao Pi: When Cao Pi wished to relocate a hundred thousand households of soldier-families from Ji Province to populate Henan, Xin Pi came forward with the other ministers; the emperor, knowing he meant to remonstrate, took on an angry look, and the others all dared not speak. Xin Pi, however, bluntly stated its wrongness, and even when Cao Pi grew angry and made to leave, Xin Pi held on to his robe and persisted in laying out the pros and cons, in the end causing Cao Pi to relocate only half^[4]. This scene fully displays Xin Pi's upright character and his courage to face down the court and argue.
* Bluntly Saying the Emperor's Pleasure Is His Subjects' Suffering: Xin Pi once accompanied Cao Pi pheasant-shooting; when Cao Pi said, "Shooting pheasants is a joy!", Xin Pi bluntly replied, "To Your Majesty it is a great joy, but to your subjects it is great suffering," leaving Cao Pi silent, and on this account he reduced the number of his hunts^[4]. This embodies his quality of feeling for the people's circumstances and offering loyal advice unpleasant to the ear.
* Not Attaching Himself to the Powerful, Holding Fast to Lofty Integrity: In the reign of Emperor Ming, when the Director of the Palace Secretariat Liu Fang and Sun Zi were in favor and all the ministers befriended them, only Xin Pi would not associate with them. His son Xin Chang advised him to lower his stance a little, but Xin Pi sternly made clear the foundation of his conduct, unwilling to destroy his lofty integrity in pursuit of high office, manifesting his upright and unbending character^[6].
* Restraining Sima Yi with the Staff of Authority: In the second year of Qinglong, when Zhuge Liang sent troops out to south of the Wei River, Emperor Ming feared he could not be checked, and so appointed Xin Pi as Army Marshal of the General-in-Chief, bearing the staff of authority, so that the six armies were all kept in order and observed Xin Pi's command, none daring to transgress. In the novel, Xin Pi further perceived that Sima Yi "had no intention of fighting at all," and on imperial order proclaimed the command forbidding Sima Yi to give battle, and Sima Yi too admitted that Xin Pi "truly knows my mind"^[13]. This shows that Xin Pi held very high prestige and decision-making power within the army, able to effectively check Sima Yi.
* Trading Curses with Shen Pei: In the novel, when Cao Cao broke into Ji Province, Xin Pi galloped in first and, pointing at the captured Shen Pei, cursed him bitterly; Shen Pei cursed back, calling Xin Pi a "traitorous fellow," and brought up how Xin Pi's family had suffered disaster because of the Yuan clan. Xin Pi wept and bowed to Cao Cao, begging for Shen Pei's execution to avenge his hatred^[10] (novel only). This dramatic scene highlights the grievances between Xin Pi and the Yuan clan and reinforces his stance of loyalty to Cao Wei.