Quan Cong (196–247 or 198–249),[a] courtesy name Zihuang, was a Chinese military general of the state of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period of China.
Born in present-day Hangzhou towards the end of the Eastern Han dynasty, Quan Cong became famous at a young age when he performed acts of charity by giving grain to people suffering from famine and providing shelter to refugees from central China.
Throughout his life, Quan Cong was known for being a respectful and agreeable man who remained humble despite his high social status and prestige.
Quan Cong was born in Qiantang County (錢唐縣), Wu Commandery (吳郡), which is in present-day Hangzhou, Zhejiang,[4] towards the end of the Eastern Han dynasty.
[b] Sometime in the 210s, Quan Cong received instructions from his father to sell a shipment of a few thousand hu of grain in Wu Commandery.
[12] When his angry father demanded an explanation, Quan Cong knelt down, kowtowed and said: "Selling the grain wasn't the most important issue.
[18] Quan Cong also managed to recruit over 10,000 elite soldiers to serve in his army and stationed them at Niuzhu (牛渚; in present-day Ma'anshan, Anhui).
[21] Around the same time, Sun Quan had already secretly ordered his general Lü Meng to lead a stealth invasion of Liu Bei's territories in Jing Province.
After the victory, Sun Quan threw a feast in Gong'an County to honour Lü Meng for his achievement and celebrate their success.
During the feast, he told Quan Cong: "Although I didn't respond to the letter you sent me earlier, I still want to give you credit for today's victory."
[24] On 23 September 221, Cao Pi awarded Sun Quan the title "King of Wu" (吳王) after the latter pledged allegiance to him and agreed to become a vassal of Wei.
[25] In October 222,[24] the Wei emperor Cao Pi sent a naval fleet to attack the Wu position at Dongkou (洞口; along the Yangtze near present-day Liyang, Jiangsu).
[26] During the battle, Quan Cong led armoured soldiers to patrol the riverbank round the clock, and repel frequent raids by small groups of Wei marines.
[27] Some time later, a Wei general Yin Lu (尹盧) led a few thousand troops to cross the river and launch an attack.
Quan Cong led his men to engage the enemy and succeeded in driving them back and killing Yin Lu in battle.
He then appointed Quan Cong as the Administrator of this commandery,[32][17] whose headquarters were at Fuchun County (富春縣; in present-day Hangzhou, Zhejiang).
[33] After arriving in Fuchun County, Quan Cong took careful measures to reestablish law and order by ensuring that rewards and punishments were given out fairly.
[35] On his journey to Niuzhu, Quan Cong passed by Qiantang County (錢唐縣; in present-day Hangzhou, Zhejiang) and decided to visit his hometown.
[39] Quan Cong wrote a secret memorial to the emperor as follows: "Since ancient times, there has never been an instance of a crown prince independently leading troops into battle.
When his officers suggested sending their men to capture and bring back the civilians,[42] Quan Cong said: "It doesn't reflect well on our State if we exploit the people's plight for such small gains, and make such a risky move without considering the bigger picture.
"[43] Sometime between 28 September and 26 October 246,[d] Quan Cong was appointed concurrently as Right Grand Marshal (右大司馬) and Left Military Adviser (左軍師).
I feel very unsettled by the thought of sending our troops, who are supposed to be guarding our borders, on such a risky mission with only a very small chance of success.
After 80 to 90 percent of his troops died from illness and disease within the first year of the campaign, Sun Quan started to deeply regret his decision.
Two Wu officers, Zhang Xiu and Gu Cheng, led their units to resist the Wei forces and managed to halt their advance.
On one side, Lu Xun, Zhuge Ke, Gu Tan, Zhu Ju, Teng Yin, Shi Ji, Ding Mi (丁密) and Wu Can believed that Sun He was the rightful heir apparent so they supported him.
They accused Gu Cheng and Zhang Xiu of secretly collaborating with a staff officer to make false submissions about their contributions during the Battle of Quebei.
He gradually rose through the ranks to the position of General Who Spreads Martial Might (揚武將軍), and served as the area commander of the Wu garrison at Niuzhu (牛渚; in present-day Ma'anshan, Anhui).
During the Battle of Dongxing in 253, Quan Xu and Ding Feng led a head-on assault on the Wei positions and scored a tactical victory over the enemy.
[76] When Zhuge Dan rebelled in 257, Shi Ji and Quan Xi were held off by Wei's general Wang Chang, so they were unable to assist the rebellion.
Quan Cong was known for being a respectful and agreeable person who was good at reading people's emotions and reacting positively to others' advice.