Xu Sheng
| Xu Sheng | |
|---|---|
| General of Sun Quan | |
| Born | (Unknown) |
| Died | c. 225 |
| Names | |
| Traditional Chinese | 徐盛 |
| Simplified Chinese | 徐盛 |
| Pinyin | Xú Shèng |
| Wade–Giles | Hsü Sheng |
| Courtesy name | Wenxiang (Chinese: 文嚮; pinyin: Wénxiàng; Wade–Giles: Wen-hsiang) |
Xu Sheng (died c. 225),courtesy name Wenxiang, was a military general serving under the warlord Sun Quan in the late Eastern Han dynasty and the early Three Kingdoms period.
Xu Sheng was from Ju County (莒縣), Langya Commandery (琅邪郡), which is in present-day Ju County, 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 (吳郡;around 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 the 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 Commandery (柴桑郡; southwest of present-day Jiujiang, Jiangxi) from Huang Zu, the Administrator of Jiangxia Commandery (江夏郡; around present-day Yunmeng County, Hubei).
Huang Zu once sent his son, Huang She (黃射), to lead a few thousand troops to attack Chaisang Commandery. At the time, Xu Sheng had less than 200 men with him, so they released 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 the Prefect (令) of Wuhu County. Later, he defeated some bandits in Nan'e (南阿) and Lincheng (臨城) counties. He was subsequently promoted to General of the Household (中郎將) and tasked with overseeing a regiment.
In 213, when Sun Quan's rival Cao Cao led an army to attack Ruxu (濡須; north of present-day Wuwei County, Anhui), Xu Sheng followed Sun Quan to resist the enemy at 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 Yangtze), so Xu Sheng and Sun Quan's other generals led their forces to defend that position. Strong winds blew their mengchongs (a type of warship) 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 to charge at the enemy and succeeded in killing a few and forcing the rest to retreat. When the winds stopped, Sun Quan's forces returned to their side. Sun Quan highly praised Xu Sheng for his courage.
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