Chunyu Qiong淳于琼

History vs. fiction

The details of the killing are fabricated.

• novel inventionThe novel fabricates that Chunyu Qiong, due to drunkenness, had his camp raided by Cao's army, was later mutilated by cutting off his ears and nose and sent back, and was executed by Yuan Shao; in official history, he was actually captured by Cao Cao and then ordered to be executed.

  In official history, it is recorded that Chunyu Qiong was defeated and captured by Cao Cao in the Battle of Wuchao. Cao Cao 'cut off the nose of General Chunyu Zhongjian' and originally 'intended not to kill him', but after Xu You's persuasion, 'then killed him' (from the 'Annals of Emperor Wu' in Records of the Three Kingdoms, annotated by Pei Songzhi, citing 'Cao Man Zhuan'), meaning he died at Cao Cao's hands. However, in Chapter 30 of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, it is fabricated that he was captured due to drunkenness and negligence, had his ears, nose, and fingers cut off by Cao Cao, and was sent back to humiliate Yuan Shao. Yuan Shao, upon seeing this, flew into a rage and ordered his execution.