史载（Historical Record）
Lü Xiang appears in the official histories as a general of Yuan Shang. After Yuan Shao died, conflict broke out between his sons Yuan Tan and Yuan Shang over the succession. Yuan Tan, as the eldest son, should have succeeded, but Yuan Shao's wife Lady Liu favored Yuan Shang, and with the power struggle between Shen Pei and Feng Ji on one side and Xin Ping and Guo Tu on the other, Yuan Shang was finally installed as heir. Yuan Tan therefore styled himself General of Chariots and Cavalry, falling out with Yuan Shang. Cao Cao seized the opportunity to campaign north against Yuan Tan and Yuan Shang. When Cao Cao attacked Yuan Tan, Yuan Shang sent troops in support, but fearing that Yuan Tan would seize his troops, sent only a small force and had Feng Ji go along. When Yuan Tan asked Yuan Shang for reinforcements, Shen Pei and the others resolved not to give them, and Yuan Tan in his fury killed Feng Ji. c:4908 Afterward, Cao Cao crossed the river to attack Yuan Tan, and Yuan Tan sent an urgent appeal to Yuan Shang. Yuan Shang wished to divide his troops to reinforce Yuan Tan, but fearing Yuan Tan would seize his forces, had Shen Pei hold Ye while he himself led troops to aid Yuan Tan, confronting Cao Cao at Liyang. The two sides fought great battles below the walls from the second month to the ninth month, and Yuan Tan and Yuan Shang were finally defeated and withdrew into the city to hold firm. Cao Cao wished to besiege the city, but Yuan Tan and Yuan Shang slipped away by night. Cao Cao pursued to Ye, harvested their wheat, took Yin'an, and then led his army back to Xu. c:4908 While Cao Cao was on his southern campaign against Jing Province, Yuan Tan and Yuan Shang again raised troops and attacked each other, and Yuan Tan, defeated, fled to Pingyuan. Yuan Shang pressed his attack on Yuan Tan, and Yuan Tan thereupon sent Xin Pi to seek rescue from Cao Cao. Cao Cao therefore turned his army back to relieve Yuan Tan, reaching Liyang in the tenth month. c:4908 Hearing that Cao Cao had turned north, Yuan Shang abandoned Pingyuan and returned to Ye. At this time, Yuan Shang's generals Lü Kuang and Lü Xiang betrayed Yuan Shang and went over to Cao Cao. Yuan Tan again secretly carved general's seals and falsely bestowed them on Lü Kuang and Lü Xiang. c:4908
演中（In the Novel）
In Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Lü Xiang and Lü Kuang appear as a pair of brother generals, and their defection is depicted in detail. After the Cao army crossed the river, Yuan Shang hastily led his army back to Ye, ordering Lü Kuang and Lü Xiang to cover the rear. Seeing Yuan Shang withdraw, Yuan Tan launched the Pingyuan troops in full pursuit. After advancing several dozen li, the brothers Lü Kuang and Lü Xiang intercepted Yuan Tan. Yuan Tan reined in his horse and said to the two generals, "While my father lived, I never slighted you two generals; why now do you follow my younger brother and press me so?" c:899 Hearing these words, the two generals dismounted and surrendered to Yuan Tan. However, Yuan Tan advised them not to surrender to himself but to go and surrender to Chancellor Cao. c:4909 Lü Kuang and Lü Xiang then went with Yuan Tan to his camp, and when Cao Cao's army arrived, Yuan Tan presented them to Cao Cao. Cao Cao was overjoyed at this, even betrothing his own daughter to Yuan Tan as wife, with Lü Kuang and Lü Xiang serving as go-betweens. c:4909 Yuan Tan asked Cao Cao to take Jizhou, but Cao Cao said that provisions were currently insufficient and that the supply route must first be opened before he could advance, and had Yuan Tan stay for the time being at Pingyuan. Cao Cao then led his army back to garrison Liyang, and enfeoffed Lü Kuang and Lü Xiang as full marquises, keeping them on to serve in his army. c:4909 Guo Tu pointed out to Yuan Tan that Cao Cao's offer of his daughter in marriage was probably not sincere, and that his rewarding of Lü Kuang and Lü Xiang was meant to win over the hearts of the people of Hebei, which would surely become a calamity later. He advised Yuan Tan to carve two general's seals and secretly send them to Lü Kuang and Lü Xiang, having them serve as inside agents; once Cao Cao had broken Yuan Shang, they could then seize the opportunity to plot against Cao Cao. c:4909 Later, when Cao Cao returned from Jizhou to Xu, intending to take Jing Province, he specially sent Cao Ren, Li Dian, and the surrendered generals Lü Kuang and Lü Xiang and others to lead thirty thousand troops to garrison Fancheng, keeping a watchful eye on Jingxiang and probing the situation. At this time, Lü Kuang and Lü Xiang reported to Cao Ren that Liu Bei at Xinye was recruiting troops and storing provisions, his ambition being no small one, and that he must be dealt with early. They said that since surrendering to Chancellor Cao they had not rendered the slightest merit, and requested to lead five thousand elite troops to take Liu Bei's head and present it to the Chancellor. c:4910 In the Romance, Lü Kuang and Lü Xiang are more fully drawn, not only with the details of their surrender to Cao Cao but also with episodes of serving Cao Cao and volunteering for battle, which are not clearly recorded in the histories.
关键关系
* Yuan Shang (defected_from): Lü Xiang was first a subordinate general of Yuan Shang, but in the infighting between Yuan Tan and Yuan Shang, he and Lü Kuang together betrayed Yuan Shang and went over to Cao Cao. c:4908 (history and novel combined)
* Yuan Tan (defected_to): After betraying Yuan Shang, Lü Xiang first surrendered to Yuan Tan, but Yuan Tan advised them to surrender to Cao Cao. Yuan Tan also secretly carved seals, trying to use Lü Kuang and Lü Xiang as inside agents. c:4909 (history and novel combined)
* Cao Wei (defected_to): Lü Xiang finally went over to Cao Cao, was enfeoffed as a full marquis, and kept on to serve in his army. In the Romance, they even became important generals in Cao Cao's attack on Jing Province, volunteering to serve Cao Cao. c:4910 (history and novel combined)
标志性场景
* The Liyang defection: While Cao Cao was campaigning north against Yuan Tan and Yuan Shang, Yuan Shang, hearing that Cao Cao had turned north, abandoned Pingyuan and returned to Ye. At this time, Lü Kuang and Lü Xiang betrayed Yuan Shang and went over to Cao Cao. This event directly weakened Yuan Shang's strength and bolstered Cao Cao's power. c:4908
* Yuan Tan's persuasion to surrender: In Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Lü Kuang and Lü Xiang were intercepted by Yuan Tan while covering the rear. With a few words Yuan Tan got the two generals to dismount and surrender. However, Yuan Tan did not directly take them in, but advised them to surrender to Cao Cao, laying the groundwork for the subsequent plot development. c:4909 (Romance only)
* Volunteering to attack Liu Bei: In Romance of the Three Kingdoms, after surrendering to Cao Cao, Lü Kuang and Lü Xiang, eager to earn merit, volunteered to Cao Ren, requesting to lead five thousand elite troops to take Liu Bei's head. This scene displays their image as surrendered generals eager to prove themselves and serve loyally. c:4910 (Romance only)
Relationships
2 relationships
Chapters3 回 ▸
- 史ch.6
- 演ch.32ch.35
Relationship timeline1 条 ▸
演 ch.32
- Yuan Tan§18
defected_to
与兄吕旷同降袁谭
Inner monologues · AI-generated1 段 ▸
- I, Lü Xiang, lived through the struggle for supremacy between the Yuan brothers. What I witnessed was no ordinary advanc
Life events1 ▸
- 0206-01-01 · Huguan PassBattle of Hugouguan· Warrior