Su Fei

Historical Record

Su Fei has no clear record in the historical books; his life, deeds, offices, and his relationships with Huang Zu, Gan Ning, and others are all undescribed in detail in the official histories. Therefore, for the historical portion concerning Su Fei, we cannot provide specific content. This indicates that Su Fei's real presence in history may not have been strong, or that his deeds were never recorded by the historians.

In the Novel

In Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Su Fei is cast as a character of considerable chivalrous spirit and discernment of men. He was a commandant (dudu) under Huang Zu and was on good terms with Gan Ning. In the novel, Su Fei repeatedly recommended Gan Ning to Huang Zu, regarding Gan Ning as a usable talent, but Huang Zu, because Gan Ning had once been a "river pirate," refused to make important use of him ^c:3058. Su Fei, well aware of Gan Ning's aspirations and Huang Zu's stubbornness, held a banquet to entertain Gan Ning and urged him to seek a better position elsewhere. He even took the initiative to propose recommending Gan Ning as Magistrate of E County, so that Gan Ning would have a means of extricating himself, and paved the way for Gan Ning to go over to Sun Quan of the Southland, dispelling Gan Ning's misgivings that Sun Quan might bear him a grudge for once having saved Huang Zu ^c:3058.

In the campaign in which Sun Quan attacked Huang Zu, Su Fei was appointed a senior general by Huang Zu and led troops to meet the enemy. He, together with Chen Jiu and Deng Long, set up a defensive line, attempting to block the Eastern Wu navy with strong bows and powerful crossbows ^c:3059. However, under Gan Ning's valiant assault, the defensive line of Su Fei's force was broken through. Through the character of Su Fei, the novel not only displays Gan Ning's personal charisma and military talent but also indirectly portrays Huang Zu's muddleheadedness and failure to recognize men.

Key Relationships

* Gan Ning (friend_of): The relationship between Su Fei and Gan Ning is an important plot thread in Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Su Fei was Gan Ning's confidant and benefactor during Gan Ning's time under Huang Zu. He repeatedly recommended Gan Ning to Huang Zu, and when Huang Zu would not adopt the recommendation, he then thought of Gan Ning's future, urged him to leave Huang Zu, and provided help and advice for his going over to Sun Quan ^c:3058. This relationship reflects Su Fei's discernment of men and his loyalty to a friend, and laid the foundation for Gan Ning ultimately going over to Sun Quan and becoming a great general of Eastern Wu (novel only).

* Huang Zu (serves): Su Fei was a commandant of Huang Zu. Although Su Fei served Huang Zu loyally and repeatedly put forward beneficial suggestions, such as recommending Gan Ning, Huang Zu failed to adopt them ^c:3058. This reflects Huang Zu's obstinate self-conceit and contempt for talent, which ultimately led to his defeat. Su Fei's experience under Huang Zu also highlights his helplessness as a subordinate and his disappointment in his lord (novel only).

Signature Scene

* Urging Gan Ning to leave: After learning that Huang Zu would not make important use of Gan Ning, Su Fei held a banquet to entertain Gan Ning and earnestly urged him that "he ought to plan for himself further afield," taking the initiative to propose recommending Gan Ning as Magistrate of E County so that he could extricate himself smoothly. He also analyzed for Gan Ning the pros and cons of going over to the Southland, dispelled Gan Ning's misgivings, and brought about the key step of Gan Ning going over to Sun Quan ^c:3058. This scene fully displays Su Fei's wisdom, foresight, and sincerity toward a friend, and is one of his most representative episodes in the novel (novel only).

* Leading troops to meet Eastern Wu: When Sun Quan launched a major attack on Huang Zu, Su Fei was appointed a senior general and, together with Chen Jiu and Deng Long, led the troops of Jiangxia to meet the enemy. They used war junks (mengchong) and strong bows and powerful crossbows to set up a defensive line at Miankou, attempting to halt the advance of the Eastern Wu navy ^c:3059. Although in the end they failed to withstand Gan Ning's assault, this scene depicts Su Fei's duty and performance as a general on the battlefield and also serves as a foil to Gan Ning's valiant image (novel only).