Hu Zong

Historical Record

Hu Zong, courtesy name Weize, was a man of Gushi in Runan. Orphaned of his father in childhood, he followed his mother in moving to Jiangdong to escape the chaos of war. When Sun Ce governed Kuaiji Commandery, Hu Zong, then only fourteen, served under him as a circuit officer (xunxing) and stayed in Wu Commandery studying together with Sun Quan ^c:3021. After Sun Ce died and Sun Quan succeeded him as General Who Subdues Bandits, he appointed Hu Zong as Aide of the Gold Bureau (jincao congshi), who accompanied him on the campaign against Huang Zu and was later appointed chief of E. After Sun Quan established his capital at Jingkou, he recalled Hu Zong and made him head of the Document Section (shubu), together with Shi Yi and Xu Xiang jointly managing confidential military and state affairs ^c:3021.

When Liu Bei advanced to and garrisoned Baidicheng, Sun Quan, short of troops, sent Hu Zong to the various counties to recruit soldiers; he raised six thousand men in the end and organized the two divisions of "Jiefan," with Xu Xiang commanding the left division and Hu Zong serving as commander of the right division ^c:3021. The Wu general Jin Zong defected to Wei and was appointed by Wei as Grand Administrator of Qichun, often raising disturbances at places several hundred li from the Yangtze. Sun Quan thereupon sent Hu Zong and He Qi to make a sudden assault with light troops, capturing Jin Zong alive. For this achievement Hu Zong was additionally appointed General of the Household Who Establishes Valor (jianwu zhonglang jiang) ^c:3021. When Wei enfeoffed Sun Quan as King of Wu, the three men Hu Zong, Shi Yi, and Xu Xiang were all enfeoffed as marquises of a precinct (tinghou) ^c:3021.

In the summer of the eighth year of the Huangwu era, a yellow dragon appeared at Jukou, and Sun Quan thereupon proclaimed himself emperor and changed the reign title. He also had a great yellow-dragon standard made, kept in the central army and used to signal the advance and retreat of the various armies, and ordered Hu Zong to compose the "Zei Yue" ^c:3024. When Shu Han learned that Sun Quan had proclaimed himself emperor, it sent envoys to reaffirm the friendly relations between the two states, and Hu Zong composed the oath of alliance for the occasion, the wording elegant, its content included in the Biography of Sun Quan ^c:6072.

After Sun Quan moved the capital to Jianye, Xu Xiang and Hu Zong were together appointed Palace Attendants (shizhong) and advanced in fief to marquises of a district (xianghou), concurrently serving as left and right Commanders of the Army ^c:3025. At the time a Wei deserter spread word that the Wei Commander of Hebei, General Who Spreads Awe, Wu Zhi, was much suspected; Hu Zong thereupon composed three "letters of surrender" in Wu Zhi's name ^c:3025.

In the second year of the Huanglong era, a man of Qing Province, Yin Fan, came over to Wu. He submitted a memorial recommending himself, his wording ornate; when Sun Quan summoned and received him, Yin Fan answered fluently and expounded current affairs with considerable literary flair. Hu Zong was attending at the time, and when Sun Quan asked his view, Hu Zong appraised: "Yin Fan's memorial, exaggerated in wording, resembles Dongfang Shuo; quick and eloquent in disputation, he resembles Mi Heng; but in talent he falls short of both." Sun Quan further asked what office Yin Fan could hold, and Hu Zong advised: "He is not yet able to govern the people; he may first be tried in a minor capital post." Because Yin Fan was skilled at discoursing on penal cases, Sun Quan appointed him Supervisor of the Court of Judicial Review (tingwei jian). The General of the Left Zhu Ju and the Commandant of Justice Hao Pu both praised Yin Fan as having the talent of a royal aide, and Hao Pu in particular was close to him, often lamenting that Yin Fan's talent was wasted. Later, when Yin Fan's plot to rebel was exposed and he was executed, Hao Pu, blamed for it, took his own life, while Zhu Ju was placed under house confinement, which was lifted only after a long time ^c:3026. Hu Zong was accordingly appointed General of the Flanks (pian jiangjun), concurrently serving as Left Enforcer of the Law (zuo zhifa), in charge of litigation. In the Liaodong affair, the Auxiliary General of Wu, Zhang Zhao, angered Sun Quan by his blunt remonstrance, and Hu Zong played a part in reconciling the two sides and dispelling the estrangement ^c:3026. Hu Zong was fond of drink by nature, and after drinking would often shout and cheer, giving free rein to his feelings, sometimes even pushing aside cups and grappling and sporting with those around him. Sun Quan, cherishing his talent, did not reprove him for this ^c:3026.

In the Novel

The Romance of the Three Kingdoms gives Hu Zong no independent literary characterization, and his deeds and image are not clearly recorded in the novel. There is therefore no specific plot or character depiction corresponding to the biographical historical materials that can be provided for the "In the Novel" part concerning Hu Zong. His absence from the novel makes his influence in literary works far less than his actual contributions in history.

Key Relationships

* Sun Ce (serves): In his youth Hu Zong served under Sun Ce as a circuit officer ^c:3021, being among his early subordinates.
* Sun Quan (friend_of, serves): Hu Zong studied together with Sun Quan from childhood, and their friendship was deep ^c:3021. He long served under Sun Quan, holding key posts such as Aide of the Gold Bureau, head of the Document Section, commander of the right division, Palace Attendant, left and right Commander of the Army, and General of the Flanks concurrently Left Enforcer of the Law, being an important advisor and trusted confidant of Sun Quan ^c:3021, ^c:3025, ^c:3026. Sun Quan cherished his talent and never reproved him even when he lost composure after drinking ^c:3026.
* Sun Quan's Faction (serves): As a core member of Sun Quan's faction, Hu Zong took part in many important military and political affairs, including recruiting soldiers, suppressing rebellion, composing documents, and mediating conflicts, contributing to the founding and consolidation of the Eastern Wu regime ^c:3021, ^c:6072, ^c:3026.
* Shi Yi (friend_of): Hu Zong, together with Shi Yi and Xu Xiang, jointly managed confidential military and state affairs ^c:3021; the three were all trusted aides of Sun Quan and were together enfeoffed as marquises of a precinct ^c:3021.
* Xu Xiang (colleague): Served together with Hu Zong as head of the Document Section, jointly handling confidential military and state affairs, and was together enfeoffed as a marquis of a precinct, and later together promoted to Palace Attendant and left and right Commander of the Army ^c:3021, ^c:3025.
* He Qi (colleague): Once led troops together with Hu Zong in a sudden assault that captured the rebel general Jin Zong alive ^c:3021.
* Zhang Zhao (colleague): When Zhang Zhao angered Sun Quan by his blunt remonstrance, Hu Zong mediated between them, easing their relationship ^c:3026.

Signature Scenes

* Studying with Sun Quan in childhood: In his youth, Hu Zong studied together with Sun Quan in Wu Commandery, an experience that laid the foundation for the deep lord-and-minister friendship and mutual trust between them ^c:3021.
* Recruiting soldiers to relieve the pressure of Liu Bei: When Liu Bei's troops reached Baidi and Sun Quan was short of forces, Hu Zong was charged with recruiting six thousand soldiers from the various counties and organizing the two divisions of "Jiefan," effectively easing Wu's military pressure ^c:3021.
* Capturing Jin Zong alive by surprise attack: Hu Zong and He Qi, lightly equipped, made a sudden assault on the Wei-appointed Grand Administrator of Qichun, Jin Zong, and captured him alive, successfully quelling the disturbances along the border ^c:3021.
* Composing the imperial accession edict and the oath of alliance: When Sun Quan proclaimed himself emperor, he ordered Hu Zong to compose the "Zei Yue"; and when renewing the old friendship with Shu Han, Hu Zong composed the elegantly worded oath of alliance, displaying his outstanding literary talent and political wisdom ^c:3024, ^c:6072.
* Seeing through Yin Fan with clever judgment: Faced with the ornately speaking Yin Fan, Hu Zong, with unique discernment, pointed out that his talent fell short of Dongfang Shuo and Mi Heng, and advised Sun Quan to employ him cautiously, an assessment ultimately borne out and proving his insight into men ^c:3026.
* Cheering and grappling after drinking: Hu Zong was bold and unrestrained by nature and loved wine; after drinking he would often cheer to his heart's content and even grapple with those around him, but Sun Quan, cherishing his talent, did not call him to account—a signature scene of his distinctive personality ^c:3026.
* Reconciling the conflict between ruler and minister: After Zhang Zhao angered Sun Quan by his blunt words, Hu Zong played a key reconciling role, mending the relationship between ruler and minister and displaying his ability in political coordination ^c:3026.