Xu Sheng

Xu Sheng (died c. 225), style name Wenxiang, was a military general serving under the warlord Sun Quan in the late Eastern Han Dynasty and the early Three Kingdoms period.

Early life and career
Xu Sheng was a native of Ju (莒), Langya (琅邪) commandery, which is in present-day Ju County, Rizhao, Shandong. When chaos broke out in central and northern China towards the end of the Han Dynasty, Xu Sheng moved from his hometown to Wu commandery (吳; capital in present-day Suzhou, Jiangsu) in southern China, where he gained a reputation for his bravery. He was later recruited by the warlord Sun Quan, who controlled much of the territories in Jiangdong at that time. Sun Quan appointed Xu Sheng as a "Major of Separate Command" (別部司馬), placed him in command of 500 troops, and sent him to defend Chaisang (柴桑; southwest of present-day Jiujiang, Jiangxi) from Huang Zu, the Administrator of Jiangxia commandery (江夏郡; capital in present-day Yunmeng County, Xiaogan, Hubei).

Huang Zu once sent his son Huang She (黃射) to lead a few thousand troops to attack Chaisang. At that time, Xu Sheng had less than 200 men with him, so they fired arrows at Huang She's advancing forces and wounded over 1,000 enemy soldiers. Xu Sheng then ordered the city gates to be opened and they charged out and defeated the enemy. Huang She no longer posed a threat to Xu Sheng after that battle. Xu Sheng was promoted to Colonel (校尉) and appointed as Prefect (令) of Wuhu. Later, he defeated some bandits in Nan'e (南阿), Lincheng (臨城), and was promoted to "General of the Household" (中郎將) and was tasked with overseeing a regiment.

Wars with Cao Cao and Liu Bei
In 213, when Sun Quan's rival Cao Cao led an army to attack Ruxu (濡須; north of present-day Wuwei County, Wuhu, Anhui), Xu Sheng accompanied Sun Quan to the battlefront to resist the enemy, leading to the Battle of Ruxu. Cao Cao launched a heavy assault on Hengjiang (橫江; southeast of present-day He County, Anhui, on the northern shore of the Chang River), so Xu Sheng and Sun Quan's other generals led their forces to defend that position. Due to strong winds, their mengchongs (a type of warship) were blown across the river towards Cao Cao's side. Sun Quan's generals were all terrified and did not dare to land on the enemy's grounds. However, Xu Sheng led his men on a charge towards the enemy, and succeeded in felling a few, driving the rest back. When the winds stopped, Sun Quan's forces returned to their side and Xu Sheng received high praise from his lord.

In 214-215, Sun Quan led his armies to attack Hefei, a strategic fortress defended by Cao Cao's general Zhang Liao, leading to the Battle of Xiaoyao Ford. During an early skirmish, when Sun Quan's forces were just setting up their camps outside Hefei, Zhang Liao suddenly led hundreds of troops on a fierce assault, completely catching the enemy off guard. Xu Sheng was defeated and his men fled, but were coerced into returning to battle after two deserters (one from Xu Sheng's unit and the other from Song Qian's) were executed by Pan Zhang. Xu Sheng lost his mao (矛; a type of long spear) in the earlier clash but his weapon was later retrieved on the battlefield by He Qi. Sun Quan's forces were forced to retreat after a plague broke out, and Sun Quan suffered an unexpected defeat at Xiaoyao Ford, where he arranged an amiss retreat procedure.

Xu Sheng was promoted to "General Who Builds Martial Might" (建武將軍), granted the title of "Marquis of a Chief Village" (都亭侯), appointed as Administrator of Lujiang (廬江太守) and given Lincheng County (臨城縣) as his taxable fief. Between 221-222, when the Battle of Xiaoting broke out between Sun Quan and Liu Bei, Xu Sheng participated in the war and succeeded in capturing many enemy camps and making contributions when Sun Quan's forces launched a counterattack after enduring defeats in earlier engagements.

War with Wei, and death
In late 222, Cao Pi ordered his general Cao Xiu to lead the Wei armies to attack Dongkou (洞口; present-day Dongkou County, Hunan). In response to the invasion, Xu Sheng, along with Lü Fan and Quan Cong led Sun Quan's forces across the river to defend Dongkou. However, they encountered a storm and many of their troops and ships were lost. Sun Quan's generals were browbeaten because they had lost about half of their ships in the storm, but were overjoyed when they heard of the arrival of He Qi, who actually reached Dongkou behind schedule and was not affected by the disaster. Coincidentally, He Qi was obsessed with luxuries so his ships were finely decorated and his weapons were of top quality. Cao Xiu was shocked when he witnessed the grandeur display of He Qi's refulgent navy so he paused the attack and withdrew. Xu Sheng managed to gather his surviving troops and form a defence line along the shore. A naval battle ensued, during which Cao Xiu targeted Lü Fan while sending his subordinates to attack Xu Sheng. Xu Sheng was outnumbered but he managed to hold his position. Both sides eventually withdrew their forces.

In late 224, when Cao Pi mobilised a large army to attack Sun Quan, Xu Sheng suggested to pitch encampments from Jianye (建業; the capital of Sun Quan's domain, in present-day Nanjing, Jiangsu), erect fake towers within each camp, and suspend some warships on the river. Sun Quan's other generals disagreed and felt that such "defences" would serve no purpose, but Xu Sheng ignored them and proceeded with his plan.

Xu Sheng's ruse effectively led to the construction of a "wall" along the river banks that served as a border stretching over hundreds of li. When Cao Pi reached Guangling commandery (廣陵郡; covering parts of present-day Jiangsu), he saw Sun Quan's "strong defences" and the high tide and sighed, "Wei has thousands of armed cavalry units but they cannot be deployed here". He then withdrew his forces. Sun Quan's generals finally recognised Xu Sheng's idea.

Xu Sheng died sometime during the Huangwu era (222-229) in the reign of Sun Quan, before the latter declared himself "Emperor of Eastern Wu". His militia and marquis title were inherited by his son, Xu Kai (徐楷).

Appraisal
Xu Sheng was known for his confidence and fervent loyalty towards Sun Quan, as demonstrated in the incident when Xing Zhen (邢貞) came to confer the title of "King of Wu" (吳王) on Sun Quan. In 220, Sun Quan became a vassal of the state of Cao Wei, which replaced the Han Dynasty after the Wei founder, Cao Pi, forced Emperor Xian of Han to abdicate the throne to him. Cao Pi sent Xing Zhen as an emissary to meet Sun Quan and confer the title of "King of Wu" (吳王) on the latter. Xing Zhen behaved arrogantly in front of Sun Quan, which incurred much anger from Sun's subjects, including Zhang Zhao and Xu Sheng. Xu Sheng told his colleagues, "Isn't it humiliating to watch our lord submit to Xing Zhen and not be able to serve him with our lives and help him conquer Xuchang, Luoyang and Bashu?" Tears rolled down his face. When Xing Zhen heard Xu Sheng's remark, he told an aide, "It's obvious from the reactions of the subjects of Jiangdong that they will not remain subservient for long." Xing Zhen was right, because in 222, Sun Quan declared independence from Wei but continued ruling his domain under the title "King of Wu" before proclaiming himself "Emperor of Eastern Wu" in 229.

Xu Sheng's self-ego did not always lead to positive actions though. After the Battle of Ruxu in 217, Zhou Tai was appointed as the commander of the garrison at Ruxu, with Xu Sheng and Zhu Ran as his subordinates. However, both of them were unwilling to submit to Zhou Tai's command, citing the latter's humble origins in comparison to their more affluent family backgrounds. When Sun Quan heard about it, he made a personal trip to Ruxu and hosted a party for all the officers there, during which he asked Zhou Tai to display his battle scars for all to see. He later awarded Zhou with an imperial parasol. After that incident, Xu Sheng and Zhu Ran agreed to submit to Zhou Tai's command.

Xu Sheng was also known for his tendency to worry too much. When he was serving as the Prefect of Wuhu, he arrested one of Jiang Qin's subordinates and sought permission from Sun Quan to have that man executed. However, Sun Quan declined because Jiang Qin was away battling bandits in Yuzhang (豫章). Since then, Xu Sheng had been apprehensive of Jiang Qin. During the Battle of Ruxu in 217, Jiang Qin and Lü Meng were placed in charge of military discipline among Sun Quan's forces. Xu Sheng was worried that Jiang Qin might use the opportunity to find fault with him, but much to his surprise, Jiang praised him in front of Sun Quan. When Sun Quan asked Jiang Qin why he did so, Jiang replied that Xu Sheng was "loyal and hardworking, possessed both courage and talent, and was capable of leading thousands of troops".