Hu Lie

Historical Record

Hu Lie's recorded deeds in the official histories are bound mainly to the affair of Zhong Hui's intended rebellion. In the late Wei period, Deng Ai, because he had acted on his own authority by imperial discretion, was secretly reported by Zhong Hui to be showing signs of rebellion, leading Sima Zhao to issue an edict summoning Deng Ai. Fearing that Deng Ai would not obey the order, Sima Zhao ordered Zhong Hui to advance his army to Chengdu as well, with the Army Supervisor Wei Guan going ahead to proclaim to Deng Ai's army Sima Zhao's handwritten command, which finally made Deng Ai's army lay down their weapons, and Deng Ai was carried off in a prisoner's cart. Zhong Hui had always been wary of Deng Ai; once Deng Ai was seized, Zhong Hui held sole power, his might shaking the western lands. Reckoning his merit unrivaled and unwilling to remain beneath others, and with valiant generals and crack troops all in his hands, he conceived the intent to rebel. He planned to have Jiang Wei and others lead the Shu troops out through the Xie Valley, with himself following behind with the main army. Zhong Hui even imagined that, should the affair succeed, the realm could be settled; and should it fail, he could still withdraw and hold Shu Han, no worse off than the likes of Liu Bei. He prided himself that "in planning he made no oversight, as all within the seas well know," betraying enormous ambition.^[1]

In the course of Zhong Hui's rebellion, Hu Lie played an important role. Zhong Hui arrived at Chengdu on the fifteenth day of the first month of the fifth year, and the next day summoned the Protectors of the Army, commandery administrators, and the Cavalry Inspectors of the Standard-Gate and above, together with the former officials of Shu Han, on the pretext of holding mourning for the Empress Dowager; in fact he falsely claimed a posthumous edict of the Empress Dowager, intending to raise troops to depose Sima Zhao. He displayed the edict to those present and ordered them to discuss it and then sign their names. Zhong Hui then had his trusted men take over command of the various armies, and shut up all the summoned officials in the offices of the various bureaus of Yizhou, with the city gates and palace gates all closed and tightly guarded by armed men.^[1]

At this time, the staff commander under Zhong Hui's tent, Qiu Jian, had originally been a subordinate of Hu Lie. Hu Lie had once recommended Qiu Jian to Sima Zhao, and Zhong Hui had requested Sima Zhao to transfer Qiu Jian to his own command, placing great trust in him. Qiu Jian, pitying Hu Lie's confinement, requested of Zhong Hui that one of Hu Lie's personal attendants be allowed to go out to fetch food. Zhong Hui agreed, and also allowed the other Standard-Gate generals each to have one personal attendant come and go. Hu Lie then made use of this opportunity: he deceived his attendant and secretly wrote a letter to his son Hu Yuan, saying that Qiu Jian had secretly reported that Zhong Hui had already dug a great pit and prepared several thousand white clubs (that is, cudgels), intending to summon all the outer troops into the city, bestow on each a white headcloth and the title of unattached general, and then beat them to death in the pit one after another. These words, through the attendants and the letter, spread swiftly, traveling through the whole army in a single night. Someone advised Zhong Hui that he ought to kill all the Cavalry Inspectors of the Standard-Gate and above, but Zhong Hui hesitated and could not bring himself to decide.^[1]

In the Novel

In the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Hu Lie's appearance centers mainly on the critical moment of Zhong Hui's rebellion, and his image is given more emotional color and drama. In the novel, Hu Lie is likewise confined by Zhong Hui within the palace. His trusted subordinate Qiu Jian is portrayed in the novel as a loyal and righteous man mindful of old ties. When Hu Lie learned that Zhong Hui intended to rebel, he showed great shock and grief, worrying especially for the safety of his son Hu Yuan, who at the time was leading troops in the field. Weeping, Hu Lie said to Qiu Jian: "My son Hu Yuan is leading troops abroad—how would he know that Zhong Hui harbors such intent? I beg you, mindful of the friendship of former days, to get a message through; though I die, I shall have no regret."^[2]

Qiu Jian, moved by Hu Lie's kindness, then requested of Zhong Hui, saying that the generals confined within were ill-served in food and drink, and asking that one person be sent to pass things back and forth. Zhong Hui, who had always trusted Qiu Jian, agreed, charging Qiu Jian to keep strict watch and let no news leak. Qiu Jian outwardly assented but secretly arranged for Hu Lie's trusted man to come in. Hu Lie then handed the secret letter to his trusted man, who sped it to Hu Yuan's camp, telling him in detail of Zhong Hui's plot and presenting the secret letter. After reading the letter, Hu Yuan was greatly shocked, and at once made the matter known to all the officers and men of the camps. Hearing it, the generals were enraged, declaring one after another that they would rather die than follow a traitor. After conferring with the generals, Hu Yuan decided to storm the city abruptly at noon on the eighteenth day of the first month and launch a counterattack. The Army Supervisor Wei Guan heartily approved of Hu Yuan's plan, then put the men and horses in order and had Qiu Jian convey the news to Hu Lie, who in turn reported it to the other confined generals.^[2]

In the novel, Hu Lie, by passing word through Qiu Jian, successfully fanned the resistance of Hu Yuan and the other officers and men, ultimately bringing about the failure of Zhong Hui's rebellion. Compared with history, the romance applied artistic embellishment to the interaction between Hu Lie and Qiu Jian, to Hu Lie's worry over Hu Yuan, and to the specific process of conveying the message, making the plot tighter and more tense, highlighting Hu Lie's wisdom at the critical moment and his deep love for his son, and reinforcing the image of Qiu Jian's loyalty and righteousness. In history, Hu Lie "deceived his personal attendants and wrote to his son"; the romance concretizes this as a "secret letter" and adds the dialogue between Hu Lie and Qiu Jian, making the cause and course of the whole affair more vivid and concrete.^[1]

Key Relationships

* Hu Yuan (son): Hu Lie and Hu Yuan are father and son. In the affair of Zhong Hui's rebellion, Hu Lie was confined while his son Hu Yuan was leading troops in the field. Hu Lie, through Qiu Jian, informed Hu Yuan of the secret of Zhong Hui's rebellion, prompting Hu Yuan to unite with the other generals to launch a counterattack and ultimately pacify Zhong Hui's rebellion. This is the most important kinship of Hu Lie in both the historical sources and the romance, and one of the chief motives for his action.^[1][2]
* Qiu Jian (subordinate/trusted follower): Qiu Jian was originally a subordinate of Hu Lie, later recommended by Hu Lie to Sima Zhao, and then transferred to Zhong Hui's command at Zhong Hui's request. During Zhong Hui's rebellion, Qiu Jian, mindful of Hu Lie's old kindness, became the key figure conveying messages between Hu Lie and the outside world. He requested of Zhong Hui that Hu Lie's personal attendants be allowed to come and go, and helped Hu Lie pass the news of Zhong Hui's rebellion to Hu Yuan, playing a decisive role in suppressing the rebellion.^[1][2]
* Zhong Hui (lord/rebel): Hu Lie and Zhong Hui stood in a lord-subordinate relationship, but because Zhong Hui rebelled, Hu Lie became one of those he confined. At the critical moment of Zhong Hui's rebellion, Hu Lie, through his subordinate Qiu Jian, successfully leaked Zhong Hui's plot, ultimately leading to Zhong Hui's defeat and death.^[1][2]

Signature Scenes

* Passing a letter from confinement, exposing Zhong Hui's plot: This is Hu Lie's most signature scene. When Zhong Hui, on the pretext of the Empress Dowager's posthumous edict, confined many generals within the city of Chengdu, Hu Lie, with the help of his old subordinate Qiu Jian, successfully got out the news of Zhong Hui's plot to bury the generals alive in a pit. By deceiving his attendant and writing to his son Hu Yuan, he described in detail Zhong Hui's plan to prepare a great pit and white clubs, intending to lure the outer troops into the city and then kill them all. This news spread swiftly through the army, sparking the panic and resistance of the officers and men and ultimately bringing about the uprising of Hu Yuan and others that put down Zhong Hui's rebellion. This scene is recorded in both the historical sources and the romance, and embodies Hu Lie's key role in the historical event.^[1][2]
* Deep father-son affection, worrying for his son (novel only): In the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, after Hu Lie was confined, he showed great worry for the safety of his son Hu Yuan. Weeping, he said to Qiu Jian, "My son Hu Yuan is leading troops abroad—how would he know that Zhong Hui harbors such intent?" This deep father-son affection became an important driving force behind his risking everything to pass the message and expose Zhong Hui's plot. Although there is no direct dialogue recorded in the historical sources for this scene, the romance, through literary creation, enriches Hu Lie's image, making it more human and affecting.^[2]