Bu Xie

Historical Record

Bu Xie was a general of Eastern Wu and the son of Bu Zhi. After his father Bu Zhi died in the tenth year of the Chiwu era (247 CE), Bu Xie inherited his father's noble rank and took over the troops Bu Zhi had commanded in his lifetime, while being appointed General Who Calms the Army ^c:2583. Records of Bu Xie himself are relatively brief; the histories do not describe in detail his specific achievements or important undertakings within the Eastern Wu regime. After inheriting his father's office, he continued to serve the state of Wu until his death. After Bu Xie died, his son Bu Ji inherited the marquisate ^c:2583. Bu Xie's younger brother Bu Chan inherited Bu Zhi's post at Xiling, serving as Commander of Xiling, with the additional title of General Who Manifests Valor and the rank of Marquis of Xiting. In the first year of the Fenghuang era (272 CE), Bu Chan was recalled to Jianye to serve as Commander of the Surrounding Tents. The Bu family had guarded Xiling for generations, and on being summoned this time, Bu Chan felt that he had lost his original authority and feared that this would bring slander and disaster upon him. Bu Chan therefore decided to hold the city and surrender to Jin, sending Bu Xie's son Bu Ji and his own son Bu Xuan to Luoyang as hostages ^c:2583. The Jin court gave great importance to Bu Chan's surrender, appointing him Commander of all military affairs at Xiling, General of the Guards, with ceremonial rank equal to the Three Excellencies, the additional title of Palace Attendant, the staff of authority, and the office of Governor of Jiaozhou, and enfeoffing him as Duke of Yidu. Bu Ji was appointed Inspector of all military affairs at Jiangling, General of the Left, with the additional title of Cavalier Attendant-in-Ordinary, and the office of Administrator of Luling, his fief changed to Marquis of Jiangling; Bu Xuan was appointed Palace Steward, General Who Spreads Awe, and enfeoffed as Marquis of a Capital Township ^c:2583. Emperor Wu of Jin promptly dispatched the General of Chariots and Cavalry Yang Hu and the Inspector of Jing Province Yang Zhao to rescue Bu Chan. However, Sun Hao sent Lu Kang to lead troops westward, and Yang Hu and the others ultimately withdrew. After Lu Kang captured the city of Xiling, he killed Bu Chan and his associates, and the Bu clan was thereby nearly exterminated; only Bu Xuan, being in Jin, was preserved, and so was able to continue the line of the Bu family ^c:2583.

In the Novel

Romance of the Three Kingdoms gives no independent literary portrayal of Bu Xie. Under the brush of Luo Guanzhong, the figure of Bu Xie scarcely appears, and his deeds are not depicted in detail. The novel focuses mainly on the great battles and central figures of the Three Kingdoms period, and for minor figures like Bu Xie, who are little recorded in the histories, it usually chooses to pass over them selectively or in a single stroke. Therefore, in the novel Bu Xie's presence is negligible, and the episodes concerning his father Bu Zhi and his younger brother Bu Chan are not much elaborated, with no mention at all of Bu Xie inheriting his father's office or the later development of his son Bu Ji. This is consistent with the brief record of Bu Xie in the histories, but the novel makes no literary creation or plot expansion on this basis.

Key Relationships

* Bu Zhi (parent_of): Bu Xie was the son of the eminent Eastern Wu minister Bu Zhi ^c:2583. Bu Zhi held a distinguished position in the Eastern Wu regime, rising to Chancellor, and rendered great service to Sun Quan. That Bu Xie could inherit his father's noble rank and the troops he commanded was no doubt owing to Bu Zhi's deep background and influence. Bu Zhi's reputation and family standing were the important foundation that enabled Bu Xie to establish himself in the Eastern Wu officialdom.
* Bu Ji (parent_of): Bu Ji was Bu Xie's son ^c:2583. After Bu Xie's death, Bu Ji inherited the marquisate. However, Bu Ji's fate was closely bound up with his uncle Bu Chan's defection to Jin. He was sent by Bu Chan to Luoyang as a hostage, and in the Jin court obtained office and rank, becoming Marquis of Jiangling. Bu Ji's experience reflects the complex choices and shifting fortunes of the great clans amid the political turmoil of the late Three Kingdoms, at the turn between Wu and Jin.
* Bu Chan (brother_of): Bu Chan was Bu Xie's younger brother ^c:2583. Bu Chan inherited Bu Zhi's post at Xiling, but ultimately surrendered to Jin out of dissatisfaction with the Wu sovereign Sun Hao and anxiety over his own situation. Bu Chan's defection to Jin directly brought about a major upheaval for the Bu family: while Bu Xie's son Bu Ji and Bu Chan's son Bu Xuan were able to continue the family line in Jin, Bu Chan himself and the other clan members who remained in Eastern Wu met with utter catastrophe. This act of Bu Chan's had a profound impact on the fate of Bu Xie's family.

Signature Scenes

* Inheriting His Father's Office and Commanding the Old Troops: Bu Xie's clearest signature scene is that, after his father Bu Zhi's death, he was able to "have his son Bu Xie succeed him, command Bu Zhi's troops, and receive the additional title of General Who Calms the Army" ^c:2583. This event not only marks Bu Xie's formal entry onto the historical stage but also reflects the convention in the Eastern Wu regime by which the sons of great clans inherited their fathers' power. He inherited his father's noble rank and military authority, becoming a member of the Eastern Wu military system. Although the sources do not detail his specific actions, this inheritance was no doubt the most important turning point in his life and a continuation of his family's standing.
* Indirect Involvement in the Family Upheaval: Although Bu Xie himself is little recorded in the histories, as a member of the Bu family, the fortunes of his clan in the Battle of Xiling were undoubtedly events closely connected with him. His son Bu Ji was sent by his uncle Bu Chan to Jin as a hostage and obtained a new identity and position there ^c:2583. Although this event was not directly led by Bu Xie, the course of his son Bu Ji's fate is undoubtedly an unignorable chapter in the history of Bu Xie's family, indirectly reflecting the complex circumstances and ultimate end of the Bu family at the changeover from Wu to Jin.

Bu Xie

Historical Record

In the Novel

Key Relationships

Signature Scenes

3 relationships

Family3

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