Jiang Xu

Historical Record

Jiang Xu, whose style name is unknown, was the elder maternal cousin of Yang Fu. He once stationed troops at Licheng, and in Yang Fu's youth, Yang Fu grew up in his household^[1]. In 212 CE, when Ma Chao rebelled against Cao Cao, seized Jicheng, and brutally killed the provincial general Wei Kang, Yang Fu harbored a resolve for revenge in his heart but suffered from a lack of suitable opportunity. On the pretext of his wife's death, Yang Fu requested mourning leave and went to Licheng to visit Jiang Xu and his mother. At Jiang Xu's household, Yang Fu recounted to Jiang Xu and his mother Ma Chao's atrocities in Jizhou and expressed his guilt and grief at having failed to preserve the city and failed to die for his lord, his words full of sorrow^[1].

Jiang Xu, perplexed by this, asked Yang Fu why he was so. Yang Fu then spoke with impassioned eloquence, pointing out that Ma Chao's conduct in betraying his father and rebelling against his lord and in cruelly killing the provincial general was not the worry of Yang Fu alone but the disgrace of all the gentry of Liang Province. He reproached Jiang Xu for holding troops yet harboring no intent to punish the traitor, and warned Jiang Xu with the allusion to Zhao Dun being "recorded as the killer of his lord." Yang Fu further analyzed that although Ma Chao was strong, he was without righteousness, and his suspicious, fickle character, prone to inviting calamity, made it not impossible to punish him^[1]. When Jiang Xu's mother heard Yang Fu's account, she grasped the great cause and readily assented, ordering Jiang Xu to follow Yang Fu's plan. With the support of Jiang Xu and his mother, Yang Fu secretly allied with his fellow townsmen Jiang Yin, Zhao Ang, Yin Feng, Yao Qiong, and Kong Xin, as well as Li Jun and Wang Ling of Wudu, jointly pledging to punish Ma Chao. They also sent Yang Fu's cousin Yang Mo to Jicheng to make contact with Liang Kuan, Zhao Qu, Pang Gong, and others as inside agents^[1].

In the ninth month of 212 CE, Jiang Xu and Yang Fu formally raised troops at Lucheng to punish Ma Chao. When Ma Chao learned that Yang Fu and the others had risen, he personally led his army out to strike. Meanwhile, Zhao Qu, Liang Kuan, and others in Jicheng seized the chance to release Yang Yue, an old subordinate of Wei Kang, whom they had been guarding, shut the city gates, and began to kill Ma Chao's wife and children. On learning of this, Ma Chao turned to attack Licheng and captured Jiang Xu's mother. Facing Ma Chao, Jiang Xu's mother showed no fear, but sternly rebuked Ma Chao as "a rebellious son who betrayed his father, a vicious brute who killed his lord," and demanded why heaven and earth had not long ago put him to death. Enraged at her words, Ma Chao thereupon killed Jiang Xu's mother. Yang Fu then fought Ma Chao and suffered five wounds, and seven of his clan brothers died in this battle. In the end, Ma Chao was defeated and fled south to take refuge with Zhang Lu^[1].

In the Novel

In Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Jiang Xu's image is largely consistent with historical fact, but the episodes are depicted more dramatically, especially highlighting his mother's loyalty and righteousness and Yang Fu's grief and indignation. In the novel, Jiang Xu is described as the General Who Pacifies the Yi^[2]. When Yang Fu went to Licheng to visit Jiang Xu, Jiang Xu's mother—that is, Yang Fu's aunt—was already eighty-two years old. When Yang Fu entered the inner quarters to pay his respects to his aunt, he wept bitterly, blaming himself for failing to hold the city and failing to die for his lord, feeling he had let his aunt down. He denounced Ma Chao for betraying his lord and wantonly killing the commandery's administrator, so that not one of the gentry and common folk of the province did not hate him. Yang Fu demanded of Jiang Xu how he, as an elder brother holding military power, could have no intent to punish Ma Chao—was this the way of a subject?^[2]

When Jiang Xu's mother heard Yang Fu's lament, she summoned Jiang Xu inside and rebuked him, saying that Wei the Commissioner's (Wei Kang's) death was also his fault. She also said to Yang Fu, "Since you have already surrendered to Ma Chao and accepted his salary, why do you now raise the idea of punishing him?" Yang Fu explained that he had surrendered to Ma Chao in order to preserve his life so that he might avenge his lord^[2]. Jiang Xu held that Ma Chao was valiant and hard to scheme against. Yang Fu rebutted that Ma Chao was brave but without strategy and easy to deal with, and revealed that he had secretly contacted Liang Kuan and Zhao Qu as inside agents, so that if only Jiang Xu would raise troops, the two would surely respond. Hearing this, Jiang Xu's mother again urged him on, holding that time would not wait, and instructing Jiang Xu with the words "to die for loyalty and righteousness is to die in the right place," even declaring that if Jiang Xu would not follow Yang Fu's advice, she would die first to cut off his hesitation^[2]. These dialogues and episodes are not recorded in such detail in the histories; they are literary creations the novel makes to shape the characters and intensify the dramatic conflict.

Key Relationships

* Yang Fu (kin_of): Jiang Xu and Yang Fu were maternal cousins, and in his youth Yang Fu grew up in Jiang Xu's household^[1]. In the campaign to punish Ma Chao, Yang Fu was the chief planner and instigator, while Jiang Xu, under his mother's persuasion, became the key figure in raising troops against Ma Chao^[1][2].
* Mother of Jiang Xu (kin_of): Jiang Xu's mother was Yang Fu's aunt. When Yang Fu persuaded Jiang Xu to raise troops, she displayed the utmost loyalty, righteousness, and resolve, not only readily supporting Yang Fu's plan but also sternly rebuking Jiang Xu's hesitation, finally prompting Jiang Xu to make up his mind. Her brave, unyielding stance in facing Ma Chao was the ultimate embodiment of her loyalty and righteousness^[1][2].
* Ma Chao (adversary): Jiang Xu and Ma Chao were enemies. Jiang Xu answered Yang Fu's call and raised troops to punish Ma Chao, which ultimately led to his mother being killed by Ma Chao^[1].

Signature Scenes

* Secret plot to raise troops at Licheng: On the pretext of his wife's death, Yang Fu went to Licheng to visit Jiang Xu, and with the support of Jiang Xu's mother successfully persuaded Jiang Xu to raise troops to punish Ma Chao. This scene not only displays Yang Fu's loyalty, righteousness, and resourcefulness but also highlights the deep grasp of righteousness of Jiang Xu's mother, and it was an important turning point in Jiang Xu's life^[1][2].
* Raising troops at Lucheng: Jiang Xu and Yang Fu formally raised troops at Lucheng, opening the campaign to punish Ma Chao. This was the actual beginning of Jiang Xu's loyal, righteous action and directly led to the subsequent chain of events^[1].
* Jiang Xu's mother rebukes Ma Chao and dies a martyr: After Ma Chao took Licheng, he captured Jiang Xu's mother. Facing Ma Chao, the killer of her son, Jiang Xu's mother showed no fear but, with impassioned fervor, denounced Ma Chao's treasonous conduct, and in the end was killed by Ma Chao. This scene is the concentrated embodiment of the loyal, righteous spirit of Jiang Xu's family and a tragic, stirring footnote to Jiang Xu's character^[1]. In the novel, this scene is depicted more vividly: Jiang Xu's mother curses Ma Chao as "you rebellious son who betrayed your father, you vicious brute who killed your lord" and proves her resolve with her death, greatly reinforcing her image of loyal valor^[2] (novel-only detail).