Han Xuan

In Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Han Xuan governs Changsha when Liu Bei sends Guan Yu to take the city. He orders the veteran Huang Zhong to meet the attack. After Guan Yu spares Huang Zhong when his horse stumbles, Huang Zhong returns the mercy by shooting the plume of Guan Yu’s helmet instead of the man. Han Xuan interprets that restraint as treachery and orders Huang Zhong’s execution. Wei Yan intervenes, kills Han Xuan, and opens the city to Liu Bei. The three encounters and Han Xuan’s accusation are events in the novel and should not be presented as established history.