Du Qiong

Historical Record

Du Qiong appears relatively little in the sources, yet his role was not insignificant. According to the Records of the Three Kingdoms, he once served as Left General of the Gentlemen of the Household and was entrusted with important duties by Liu Shan. After Zhuge Liang's death, in order to honor his achievements, Liu Shan posthumously conferred on Zhuge Liang the title Marquis Zhongwu and dispatched Du Qiong, bearing the imperial credentials, to proclaim the edict and present the seal and ribbon of Chancellor and Marquis of Wuxiang. In the edict, Liu Shan highly praised Zhuge Liang as one who "embodied both civil and martial gifts, was wise, sincere, and earnest, received the dying charge to support the orphan, aided my person, restored what was severed and revived what was failing, and was resolved upon quelling disorder," and lamented that "with the task on the verge of completion, he was suddenly carried off by illness". Du Qiong, as the envoy, was responsible for carrying out this important ceremony, which indicates that he held a certain standing and trust in the Shu Han court and could bear so solemn a mission. The sources do not record Du Qiong's life or specific contributions in detail, but he played a key role in conveying the posthumous honors for Zhuge Liang, being one of the witnesses to the continuation and stable functioning of the Shu Han regime.

In the Novel

In Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Du Qiong's image is given more concrete shape, especially when Zhuge Liang was gravely ill or faced difficulties, in which he often appears as a senior court minister taking part in important deliberations. In autumn, the eighth month of the first year of Jianxing, when Wei mustered five armies to invade Shu Han, the later sovereign Liu Shan urgently summoned Zhuge Liang to discuss the matter, only to be told that the Chancellor was ill and would not come out. At this point, Du Qiong and the Gentleman of the Yellow Gate Dong Yun were ordered to go to the chancellor's office to inquire after him. Faced with the obstruction of the office gatekeeper, Du Qiong showed deep concern for the national crisis, questioning: "The late Emperor entrusted the orphan to the Chancellor; now the sovereign has only just ascended the throne, and Cao Pi's five armies invade our borders—the military situation is most urgent. Why does the Chancellor decline on the pretext of illness and not come out?" This not only reflects his trust in and expectation of Zhuge Liang but also his concern for the safety of Shu Han. When Zhuge Liang still did not come out, Du Qiong went directly to memorialize the later sovereign Liu Shan, advising "let Your Majesty's sacred carriage go in person to the chancellor's office to seek a plan". This led Liu Shan to visit the chancellor's office in person, and ultimately drew out Zhuge Liang's "Empty Fort Strategy," resolving the crisis. Moreover, during Zhuge Liang's Northern Expeditions, Du Qiong was also named to take part in military operations. In Chapter 100, in order to deceive Sima Yi, Kongming decided to divide his forces and march out through the Xie Valley to take Mount Qi; he ordered Wei Yan, Zhang Ni, Du Qiong, Chen Shi, and others to march out through the Ji Valley and join the other generals at Mount Qi. This shows that in the novel Du Qiong was not only a civil official but had also been given a military assignment; though his specific exploits are not detailed, he occupied a place in Zhuge Liang's military deployments.

Key Relationships

* Shu Han (serves): Du Qiong was an official of Shu Han; in both history and the novel he served the Shu Han regime. In history, as Left General of the Gentlemen of the Household, he was ordered to proclaim the edict by which Liu Shan posthumously honored Zhuge Liang. In the novel, he repeatedly took part in court affairs, devising plans for the safety of Shu Han, and even took part in military operations,.
* Liu Shan (memorializing to request a personal visit to the chancellor's office): There existed a sovereign-subject relationship between Du Qiong and Liu Shan. In the novel, when Shu Han faced the crisis of five armies bearing down upon it, Du Qiong advised Liu Shan, asking him to go in person to the chancellor's office to seek a plan, showing that he had a certain right of remonstrance and influence before Liu Shan. In history, he received Liu Shan's direct order to carry out the important task of posthumously honoring Zhuge Liang.
* Zhuge Liang (trusted by him, taking part in military deployments): In the novel, Du Qiong was one of Zhuge Liang's important subordinates. He not only went to visit Zhuge Liang when he was gravely ill and expressed concern over his "declining on the pretext of illness and not coming out", but was also named to take part in Zhuge Liang's Northern Expedition deployments, marching out through the Ji Valley together with Wei Yan, Zhang Ni, and other generals (novel only). This indicates that Zhuge Liang placed a certain trust in him and regarded him as an official to whom important duties could be entrusted.

Iconic Scenes

* Ordered to posthumously honor Zhuge Liang: This is the most definite and important scene for Du Qiong in the sources. As Left General of the Gentlemen of the Household, he was ordered by Liu Shan to go bearing the imperial credentials, to proclaim the edict and present Zhuge Liang the seal and ribbon of Chancellor and Marquis of Wuxiang, posthumously honoring him as Marquis Zhongwu. This scene not only reflects Du Qiong's standing at court but also makes him a witness to and executor of the posthumous honors for Zhuge Liang.
* Remonstrating with Liu Shan to visit the chancellor's office in person: In Romance of the Three Kingdoms, at the urgent moment when Shu Han faced the invasion of five armies and Zhuge Liang "was ill and did not come out," Du Qiong and Dong Yun went together to inquire after him without success. In his anxiety, Du Qiong memorialized Liu Shan, bluntly stating "let Your Majesty's sacred carriage go in person to the chancellor's office to seek a plan". This act directly brought about Liu Shan's personal visit to the chancellor's office and indirectly drew out Zhuge Liang's plan to resolve the crisis, displaying Du Qiong's decisiveness at a critical moment and his sense of responsibility for the state (novel only).
* Taking part in Northern Expedition military deployments: In Chapter 100 of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, during the Northern Expeditions, Zhuge Liang named Du Qiong to march out through the Ji Valley together with Wei Yan, Zhang Ni, Chen Shi, and others, and join up at Mount Qi. Although this scene is not recorded in the histories, in the novel it marks that Du Qiong was not only a civil official but had also been given a military assignment, taking part in important military operations of Shu Han, displaying his combination of civil and military aptitude (novel only).

Du Qiong

Historical Record

In the Novel

Key Relationships

Iconic Scenes

1 relationships

Other1

Lines

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