In 189 AD, after the death of Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty, Liu Wei ascended the throne and became the Shao Emperor of the Han Dynasty. The young Emperor Shao of the Han Dynasty plunged the court into a struggle for power, and the general He Jin and the eunuchs engaged in a fierce competition. After losing both, Dong Zhuo appeared in Luoyang and seized the opportunity to control the Eastern Han Dynasty. Subsequently, Dong Zhuo deposed Emperor Shao of the Han Dynasty, made Liu Xie emperor, and secretly beheaded the losing Liu Wei. However, Dong Zhuo's usurpation of the throne immediately attracted a joint crusade by Yuan Shao, Cao Cao, Yuan Shu and other Kwantung princes.
Specifically, Xu Rong, as a member of Dong Zhuo's command, although his name was not as loud as Lu Bu, he defeated Cao Cao and Sun Jian in succession in the confrontation with the Kwantung Coalition Army, and achieved remarkable results.
One. According to historical records such as the Book of the Later Han Dynasty, Xu Rong was born in Liaodong County and had already participated in battles against nomads when he was young. Originally served as a Zhonglang general in the Eastern Han Dynasty, and recommended Gongsun Du, who was born in the same county, to Dong Zhuo as the Taishou of Liaodong. At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Gongsun Du seized Liaodong and became a force.
In 190 AD, after Dong Zhuo usurped the throne, the Kwantung princes elected Yuan Shao as the leader of the alliance and Cao Cao as the deputy leader of the alliance, and jointly fought against Dong Zhuo. Dong Zhuo forced Emperor Liu Xie of the Han Dynasty to move the capital to Chang'an, and he led Xu Rong and others to stay in Luoyang to fight against the coalition forces of the Kwantung princes. Cao Cao was one of the most active Kwantung princes. He saw Dong Zhuo's unrighteous behavior and decided to leave Luoyang. In Chenliu, Cao Cao raised family wealth, recruited troops, and called on the heroes of the world to crusade against Dong Zhuo.
After the formation of the Kwantung Coalition Army, Cao Cao took the lead in launching an offensive and fought fiercely with Dong Zhuo's army in the area of Xingyang Bianshui. In this duel, the army led by Xu Rong defeated Cao Cao and killed Cao Cao's general Wei Zi. If it weren't for Cao Hong's sacrifice of his horse, Cao Cao might have been captured by Xu Rong. Cao Cao escaped by chance, but his soldiers were extremely heavy and lost the strength to continue the crusade against Dong Zhuo.
Two. Cao Cao's defeat deterred the other princes, causing them to choose to wait and see, bringing the situation to a stalemate. Compared with Cao Cao, the other princes were more focused on maintaining their strength, using the slogan of crusading against Dong Zhuo to expand their own territory. This is undoubtedly the main reason for the failure of the crusade against Dong Zhuo.
In addition to Cao Cao, there was another outlier in the Kwantung coalition army, that is, Sun Jian. In 191 AD, Sun Jian led the soldiers and horses of Yuzhou to attack Dong Zhuo, and successively stationed in Luyang and Liangxian counties. Dong Zhuo sent Xu Rong and Li Dao to attack Sun Jian. Soon after, the two sides fought in the eastern part of Liang County. Xu Rong and Li Dao surrounded Sun Jian, causing him to suffer a defeat and only a few cavalry to escape. Xu Rong also killed Li Min, the Taishou of Yingchuan, in this battle.
Subsequently, Sun Jian reorganized the remnants of the army and continued to confront Dong Zhuo. And the discord between Hu Zhen and Lu Bu in Dong Zhuo's army caused Lu Bu to not contribute, resulting in Hu Zhen's defeat. In the face of Sun Jian's army, Hu Zhen and Lü Bu could only retreat, so that Sun Jian occupied Luoyang for a time. In such a comparison, Xu Rong's record is obviously better than Lu Bu.
Three. In 192 AD, Xu Rong came to Chang'an with Dong Zhuo. During this period, the relationship between Lu Bu and Dong Zhuo was no longer as close as it was at the beginning. Persuaded by the minister Wang Yun, Lü Bu betrayed Dong Zhuo. After Dong Zhuo was killed, his subordinates were divided into two factions: Xu Rong, Hu Zhen and others obeyed Wang Yun's orders, while Li Dao, Guo Yan and others raised troops in Chang'an under the persuasion of Jia Xu.
In this battle, Li Dao and Guo Yan successfully assembled Dong Zhuo's old troops, especially the elite Xiliang army. Therefore, Xu Rong died in order to protect Chang'an, Hu Zhen led the people to surrender, and Lü Bu, who claimed to be the first fierce general of the Three Kingdoms, immediately fled Chang'an. Li Dao and Guo Yan regained control of Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty and killed Wang Yun and other court ministers.
Because Xu Rong died on the battlefield in 192 AD, he did not leave more deeds, so it is easy to be forgotten.
This article is about Xu Rong's role in the turbulent late Eastern Han Dynasty, where he was a general under Dong Zhuo and fought in a series of important battles.
This article about Xu Rong's performance in the turmoil of the last years of the Eastern Han Dynasty reveals a relatively neglected role in history. Although Xu Rong was not as famous as Lü Bu and other famous generals, he showed excellent strategic and tactical talents in battles with the Kwantung princes.
First of all, the article presents the origin and background of Xu Rong to readers by citing historical materials such as the Book of the Later Han Dynasty. Born in Liaodong County, he participated in the wars of the nomads at a young age, which laid a solid foundation for his future military career. At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty and the beginning of the Eastern Han Dynasty, he was a Zhonglang general, and recommended Gongsun Du to become the Taishou of Liaodong, showing his initial political ability.
Secondly, the article describes in detail Xu Rong's exploits in troubled times. As a general under Dong Zhuo, he repeatedly won battles against the Kwantung coalition forces, defeating famous princes such as Cao Cao and Sun Jian, and this series of achievements demonstrated his outstanding command skills and combat effectiveness. Especially after defeating Cao Cao, the critical moment when Cao Cao was almost captured, showed his military wisdom and ability to deal with unexpected situations.
However, Xu Rong did not leave much of a more far-reaching impact in the long course of history, probably because he did not have more deeds left after he died on the battlefield in 192 AD, resulting in him being relatively forgotten. Despite this, his outstanding performance in troubled times still deserves our attention and praise. As a very strategic and courageous general, he had a certain impact on the historical process of the late Eastern Han Dynasty.
This article presents a historical figure who has not been widely noticed in the long course of history, and his extraordinary performance in troubled times. It reminds us that there are not only a few well-known heroes in history, but also many inconspicuous but outstanding figures that are worth discovering and understanding.
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