Xu Zhi (died 254) was a military general of the state of

Cao Wei Wei () was one of the major Dynasties in Chinese history, dynastic states in China during the Three Kingdoms period. The state was established in 220 by Cao Pi based upon the foundations laid by his father Cao Cao during the end of the Han dy ...

during the

Three Kingdoms The Three Kingdoms of Cao Wei, Shu Han, and Eastern Wu dominated China from AD 220 to 280 following the end of the Han dynasty. This period was preceded by the Eastern Han dynasty and followed by the Jin dynasty (266–420), Western Jin dyna ...

period of China. He participated in a

battle A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force co ...

against an invading army from Wei's rival state,

Shu Han Han (; 221–263), known in historiography as Shu Han ( ) or Ji Han ( "Junior Han"), or often shortened to Shu ( zh, t=蜀, p=Shǔ; Sichuanese Pinyin: ''Su'' < Middle Chinese: *''źjowk'' < Eastern Han Chinese: *''dźok''), was a Dynasties in ...

, led by the Shu general

Jiang Wei Jiang Wei (202 – 3 March 264), courtesy name Boyue, was a Chinese military general and politician of the state of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms period of China. Born in Ji County (present-day Gangu County, Gansu), Jiang Wei started his ...

. His name is sometimes incorrectly romanised as Xu Zi.

Life

In 254, the Wei-appointed official in charge of Didao County defected to Shu and surrendered, after which the Shu troops under Jiang Wei's command entered Wei territory without being challenged until they reached Xiangwu (襄武). There, Xu Zhi organised the local defences to resist the Shu invasion. During the ensuing battle,

Zhang Ni Zhang Ni (190s - 254), courtesy name Boqi, rendered also as Zhang Yi, was a military general of the state of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms period of China. Famous for his courage and generosity, Zhang Ni made his name known while rescuing a ...

while leading the vanguard of the Shu forces was killed though those he killed and injured were also numerous. Xu Zhi, himself was killed and defeated by

with the rest of the Wei forces retreating. The victorious Shu forces then occupied three counties – Didao, Heguan (河關; in the vicinity of present-day Dingxi, Gansu) and Lintao – and forced the residents to relocate to Shu-controlled territory.

In ''Romance of the Three Kingdoms''

In the 14th-century historical novel ''

Romance of the Three Kingdoms ''Romance of the Three Kingdoms'' () is a 14th-century historical novel attributed to Luo Guanzhong. It is set in the turbulent years towards the end of the Han dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period in Chinese history, starting in 184 AD and ...

'', Xu Zhi volunteers to lead the Wei vanguard to engage Jiang Wei in battle. The two armies encounter each other at Dong Village (董亭) and get into their respective formations. Xu Zhi charges out of the Wei formation and duels with the Shu general

Liao Hua Liao Hua (d. 264), courtesy name Yuanjian, originally named Liao Chun, was a Chinese military general and politician of the state of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms period of China. Like Zhang Yi and Zong Yu, Liao was one of few officials wh ...

. Soon after, Liao Hua takes advantage of a feint and retreats. Zhang Yi continues the duel against Xu Zhi but retreats as well after a few rounds. Xu Zhi then leads his troops on a charge and defeats the enemy. Later, Xu Zhi is caught in a surprise attack led by Liao Hua and Zhang Yi. Though his force is wiped out, Xu Zhi manages to escape alive; he ultimately falls into an ambush and meets his end at the hands of Jiang Wei's men.''Sanguo Yanyi'' ch. 109.

References

* Chen, Shou (3rd century). ''

Records of the Three Kingdoms The ''Records of the Three Kingdoms'' is a Chinese official history written by Chen Shou in the late 3rd century CE, covering the end of the Han dynasty (220 CE) and the subsequent Three Kingdoms period (220–280 CE). It is regard ...

'' (''Sanguozhi''). * Luo, Guanzhong (14th century). ''

'' (''Sanguo Yanyi''). * Pei, Songzhi (5th century). ''

Annotations to Records of the Three Kingdoms ''Annotated Records of the Three Kingdoms'' () by Pei Songzhi (372–451) is an annotation completed in the 5th century of the 3rd century historical text ''Records of the Three Kingdoms'', compiled by Chen Shou. After the fall of the Eastern Jin ...

'' (''Sanguozhi zhu''). {{DEFAULTSORT:Xu, Zhi Year of birth unknown 254 deaths Cao Wei generals

Life

In ''Romance of the Three Kingdoms''

See also

References