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Biography & Literary Record
Xun Zheng is a fictional military officer appearing in Luo Guanzhong’s classic 14th-century historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms. In strict historical reality, Xun Zheng does not appear in Chen Shou’s official dynastic history Records of the Three Kingdoms (Sanguozhi) or any authentic Han dynasty historical archives. He is an entirely fictional character invented by Luo Guanzhong to serve as a sub-general under Yuan Shu’s supreme vanguard commander Ji Ling during the campaign against Liu Bei at Xuyi in 196 AD. Within the literary narrative of Chapter 14, Xun Zheng’s arrogant demeanor and immediate death in single combat serve as a dramatic vehicle to highlight the unmatched martial wrath and terrifying prowess of Guan Yu, setting up a memorable moment of battlefield bravado followed by swift retribution.
In Chapter 14 of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, the ambitious warlord Yuan Shu falls victim to the Drive the Tiger to Devour the Wolf strategy devised by Xun Yu and Cao Cao. Under the guise of an imperial edict from the young Han Emperor Xian in Xuchang, Yuan Shu mobilizes a massive grand army of 100,000 elite troops led by his supreme general Ji Ling, alongside vanguard generals Xun Zheng and Lei Bo, to invade and seize Xu Province from Liu Bei. Hearing of the impending invasion, Liu Bei leads a defensive force from Xu Province to meet Yuan Shu’s army, establishing a fortified encampment at Xuyi along the river. As the two grand hosts array their forces opposite one another, Ji Ling rides out to challenge Liu Bei to single combat, but Guan Yu mounts his Red Hare warhorse and gallops out wielding his legendary Green Dragon Crescent Blade to accept the duel.
Guan Yu and Ji Ling clash in a fierce and violent duel, trading over thirty intense bouts of weapon strikes without a clear victor. Growing exhausted under the relentless power of Guan Yu’s heavy blade, Ji Ling shouts out for a temporary truce to rest his arms and retreats into his own battle line. Rather than returning to finish the duel himself, Ji Ling commands his sub-general Xun Zheng to ride out and take his place. Clad in heavy armor and wielding a broadsword, Xun Zheng gallops to the center of the battlefield. Seeing a subordinate officer step forward, Guan Yu shouts authoritatively: ‘Call out Ji Ling to settle the victory or defeat!’ However, Xun Zheng fails to comprehend the immense gap in martial skill and arrogant replied: ‘You are merely a nameless, low-ranking general under Liu Bei’s command! You are completely unworthy of fighting Commander Ji Ling!’
Xun Zheng’s arrogant insult deeply offends Guan Yu’s pride. Enraged beyond measure, Guan Yu lets out a terrifying battle cry, lifts his 82-pound Green Dragon Crescent Blade, and charges forward at blinding speed. Before Xun Zheng can even raise his broadsword or react to the sudden assault, Guan Yu closes the distance in a single bound. With one swift, devastating sweep of his crescent blade on the very first pass of their warhorses, Guan Yu cleaves Xun Zheng off his mount, decapitating him and leaving his lifeless corpse bleeding in the mud. Horrified by the instantaneous slaughter of their sub-general, Yuan Shu’s vanguard army falls into complete panic. Guan Yu and Liu Bei immediately seize the momentum, ordering a general charge that routes Ji Ling’s vanguard and drives Yuan Shu’s army back in total disarray.
Role in Romance of the Three Kingdoms
In Luo Guanzhong’s Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Xun Zheng’s character arc occurs in Chapter 14. Introduced as a sub-general under Ji Ling during Yuan Shu’s invasion of Xu Province, his foolish arrogance and fatal insult to Guan Yu outside Xuyi lead to his immediate death in a single pass of Guan Yu’s Green Dragon Crescent Blade, demonstrating the terrifying consequence of underestimating Guan Yu’s martial dignity.
Xun Zheng (荀正) — Historical & Literary Timeline
Deployment under Ji Ling Against Liu Bei
Marches as a sub-general under Ji Ling within Yuan Shu’s 100,000-strong army to invade Xu Province, encamping at Xuyi opposite Liu Bei’s defensive forces.
Arrogant Insult to Guan Yu and One-Hit Decapitation
Sent out by Ji Ling to replace him after a 30-bout duel with Guan Yu; arrogantly insults Guan Yu as a nameless general, provoking Guan Yu to charge forward and decapitate him in a single bout.
Key Relationships
Family
- No information
Friends
- Ji Ling (纪灵, Kỷ Linh): Supreme commander under Yuan Shu whom Xun Zheng served as a sub-general during the invasion of Xu Province at Xuyi in 196 AD; ordered Xun Zheng to take his place in single combat against Guan Yu.
- Lei Bo (雷薄, Lôi Bạc): Fellow general serving within Ji Ling’s vanguard army during Yuan Shu’s campaign against Liu Bei in 196 AD.
Enemies
- Guan Yu (关羽, Quan Vũ): Opposing commander at the Battle of Xuyi in 196 AD who became enraged by Xun Zheng’s insults and swiftly decapitated him in a single bout.
- Liu Bei (刘备, Lưu Bị): Warlord of Xu Province whose defensive forces Xun Zheng was deployed to crush at Xuyi in 196 AD.
Other
- Yuan Shu (袁术, Viên Thuật): Warlord of Huainan and Xun Zheng’s sovereign lord, who mobilized the campaign to invade Xu Province in 196 AD.
In Novel
Chapter 8
- Xun Zheng (荀正, Xún Zhèng): Xun Zheng serves under Sun Jian during the anti-Dong Zhuo campaign. When Sun Jian’s army clashes with Hua Xiong’s forces at Sishui Pass, Xun Zheng is one of the officers sent into the fighting. He is killed by Hua Xiong during the battle, demonstrating the danger of confronting the veteran Xiliang commander.
In History
Summary
- Xun Zheng (荀正, Tuân Chính) is primarily known as a minor figure in the literary narrative of the Three Kingdoms.
Role in the Novel
- He is associated with the military conflicts of the late Han and appears in the narrative as a subordinate figure rather than a major historical statesman.
Historical Caution
- The surviving historical record does not provide a substantial independent biography that can safely support the many details sometimes attached to the character in later retellings.
- Classification: Novel-associated.