Xiahou Wei

Historical Record

Xiahou Wei, styled Jiquan, was an important official of the Cao Wei period. According to the histories, he once held the post of Inspector of Yanzhou. The most notable feature of Xiahou Wei's life is the prediction about his lifespan made by the fangshi Guan Lu (styled Gongming, a man of Pingyuan, who later changed his style to Jianping). Guan Lu once predicted that Xiahou Wei's lifespan would be eighty years^[1].

However, in the seventh year of the Huangchu era of Emperor Wen of Wei (226 CE), Xiahou Wei fell gravely ill at the age of forty-nine. It was then the first ten days of the twelfth month, and because his condition was critical, he recalled Guan Lu's prediction and believed he would surely die. He therefore prepared his will and funeral arrangements in advance, striving to set everything in order^[1]. Unexpectedly, by the last ten days of the month his condition improved and he very nearly fully recovered. At sunset on the thirtieth day, Xiahou Wei gathered the chief clerks and officers for a celebratory feast and said, "My affliction has gradually subsided. Tomorrow at cockcrow I shall be fifty years old; it seems that I shall truly pass beyond Guan Jianping's warning!"^[1] Yet just after the feast ended and the guests had dispersed, Xiahou Wei's old illness suddenly recurred, and he died in the middle of the night. This formed a sharp contrast with Guan Lu's prediction and caused the prediction to be widely discussed at the time. The histories also record several others whose lifespans Guan Lu predicted, such as Wang Chang, Cheng Xi, and Wang Su, whose ends each differed; but Xiahou Wei's case stands out especially for its dramatic quality^[1].

In the Novel

In Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Xiahou Wei's image is concentrated chiefly on the military side, differing from the civil-official image of the histories, and his appearance comes relatively late. He first appears in the second month of the second year of the Qinglong era (234 CE), when the Shu Han Chancellor Zhuge Liang again sent troops out to Mount Qi. The Wei sovereign Cao Rui summoned Sima Yi to discuss countermeasures, and Sima Yi recommended to Cao Rui the four sons of Xiahou Yuan, among whom was Xiahou Wei^[2].

When Sima Yi introduced Xiahou Wei to Cao Rui, he particularly emphasized that Xiahou Wei and his eldest brother Xiahou Ba were "skilled in bow and horse," possessing outstanding military talent, and he recommended the two of them as left and right vanguards to jointly resist the Shu troops. Cao Rui at first harbored some doubt about the military abilities of the Xiahou family, because the imperial son-in-law Xiahou Mao had once suffered defeat by botching military timing; but Sima Yi firmly vouched that Xiahou Wei and the others were "not the like of Mao." In the end Cao Rui adopted Sima Yi's advice, appointing Sima Yi as Grand Commander-in-Chief and allowing him to employ the officers and men according to their abilities^[2].

In the novel, Xiahou Wei took part in Sima Yi's campaign to pacify Gongsun Yuan in Liaodong. In Chapter 106, Sima Yi devised a plan to lure Gongsun Yuan's subordinate generals Bei Yan and Yang Zuo out of the city in pursuit. Xiahou Ba and Xiahou Wei, by Sima Yi's command, each led an army to lie in ambush on the banks of the Ji River. When Bei Yan and Yang Zuo's Liao troops pursued to that point, Xiahou Ba and Xiahou Wei's two ambushing forces sallied forth together, attacking the Liao troops from both sides^[3]. In this battle, Xiahou Wei sallied out together with Xiahou Ba; although the specific feat of slaying a general was accomplished by Xiahou Ba, Xiahou Wei, as an important general of Sima Yi, played a key role in the battle, helping Sima Yi rout the Liao troops and force Gongsun Yuan to fall back and defend the city of Xiangping^[3]. The Xiahou Wei of the novel is portrayed more as a brave and battle-skilled general than the civil official recorded in the histories, and the mystery of his lifespan is not mentioned in the novel.

Key Relationships

* Cao Wei (commands_in): Xiahou Wei held an important post in the Cao Wei regime; the histories record that he once served as Inspector of Yanzhou^[1]. In the novel, he served as a Cao Wei general, obeying Sima Yi's deployment and taking part in military operations^[2].
* Xiahou Yuan (kin_of): Xiahou Wei was the son of the famous Cao Wei general Xiahou Yuan. In the novel, when Sima Yi recommended Xiahou Wei to Cao Rui, he clearly mentioned that he was the son of Xiahou Yuan and emphasized that he and his brothers all wished to avenge their father^[2] (novel only).
* Sima Yi (serves): In the novel, Xiahou Wei was an important subordinate general of Sima Yi. Sima Yi strongly recommended Xiahou Wei to Cao Rui and entrusted him with important responsibilities, so that in the campaigns against Shu and in pacifying Liaodong he obeyed Sima Yi's command^[2].
* Guan Lu (subject of prediction): The histories closely link Xiahou Wei's life with the prediction of the fangshi Guan Lu. Guan Lu once predicted that Xiahou Wei would live to eighty, but Xiahou Wei in the end died at forty-nine, making this prediction an important footnote to his life^[1].

Iconic Scenes

* The mystery of the prediction and death: Xiahou Wei fell gravely ill at the age of forty-nine; because Guan Lu had predicted he would live to eighty, he prepared his funeral affairs in advance when his condition was critical. Yet his condition improved for a time, and he believed he would pass through the crisis, only for his old illness to recur after the feast, dying that very night. This dramatic event made him a key case in discussions of the accuracy of Guan Lu's predictions^[1].
* Sima Yi's recommendation for the campaign: In Romance of the Three Kingdoms, one of Xiahou Wei's iconic scenes is Sima Yi's recommendation of him to the Wei sovereign Cao Rui to serve as vanguard. Sima Yi praised Xiahou Wei as "skilled in bow and horse" and recommended him together with Xiahou Ba to counter Zhuge Liang's northern campaign^[2] (novel only). This scene establishes Xiahou Wei's identity as a military general in the novel.
* Ambushing the Liao troops at the Ji River: In the campaign to pacify Liaodong, Xiahou Wei and Xiahou Ba, by Sima Yi's command, set an ambush on the banks of the Ji River. When Gongsun Yuan's subordinate generals Bei Yan and Yang Zuo pursued the Wei troops, Xiahou Wei and Xiahou Ba's two ambushing forces sallied forth together, successfully attacking the Liao troops from both sides and rendering meritorious service in Sima Yi's defeat of Gongsun Yuan^[3] (novel only). This is the military action in which Xiahou Wei directly participated and played a role in the novel.