Xu Sheng

Xu Sheng (onyomi: Jo Sei) is a famous general who served Wu during the early Three Kingdoms era of China. Renowned as a loyal and courageous leader, he heavily contributed to Sun Quan's campaigns against Wei.

Before his playable Dynasty Warriors appearance, he was a generic NPC since its second installment. This interpretation has a character image song, Straight Spirit.

Dynasty Warriors
Dynasty Warriors 8 has Xu Sheng appear as the commander for the Wu forces at Guangling; he is charged with defending the main camp while Ding Feng carries out his surprise attack.

Being one of the fresh recruitments for the battle of Xiakou in his playable debut alongside Lu Xun, Zhu Ran, and Ding Feng, Xu Sheng initially voices his reluctance to be Zhou Tai's subordinate, due to the latter's former background as a pirate, however being told by the general himself to personally assess his concerns on the battle.

As Cao Cao once ravaged his hometown, Xu Province, he is among the Wu generals against the surrender to Wei. Following battle of Chibi, Xu Sheng soon notices Zhou Yu's unusually tightened security when Liu Bei visits Jianye for marriage and subsequently escorts the latter to safely leave Wu alongside Sun Shangxiang.

Xu Sheng continues to participate in battles against both Wei and Shu, including the cataclysmic defeat and withdrawal from Hefei, allying with Wei to oust Guan Yu from Jing Province, and defeating Liu Bei when he comes seeking revenge at Yiling. Eventually, the broken alliance reconciles upon the death of Liu Bei and Wu is again facing a large naval army led by Cao Pi. Xu Sheng proposes building a giant empty castle and ships to astonish the upcoming Wei forces.

Content that these are filled with Wu's resolution and pride, the general overcomes the odds and scores the massive victory against Wei at Guangling. Ding Feng soon arrives and praises his friend for their victory, but mistakes Xu Sheng's tears for sorrow. Xu Sheng then triumphantly raises his fist as he has finally accomplished his dream of safeguarding his new home.

After his story, he participates at Shiting and is among the retainers urging their lord to take the title of Emperor.

In Lu Su's DLC scenario, Xu Sheng is chosen to lead the assault on Xu Province. Using espionage and relying on discontent factions within the province, Xu Sheng is able to reclaim his home province from the Wei forces. Like many of the younger officers, he visits Lu Su after his retirement and helps hold a banquet to celebrate the retired man's career.

Warriors Orochi
In Warriors Orochi 2, he serves as Huang Gai's replacement officer when players assume the latter's role. Musou OROCHI Z has him act as a stand-in for Gan Ning as well.

Romance of the Three Kingdoms
In Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Xu Sheng is presented as an overall well-rounded officer with his leadership and war ranking in the low-to-mid 80's with decent stats elsewhere and several positive traits suited for battle on the field and in defense. Found usually as a free officer in Xiapi in earlier scenarios, he will later emigrate and serve under Sun Quan shortly after the latter succeeds Sun Ce's leadership. In reference to his frequent pairing with Ding Feng in the novel, Xu Sheng and Ding Feng perform better in battle when deployed together.

Development
His design theme for Blast was to portray him as a passionate warrior who jumps into the action. Suzuki commented that his Dynasty Warriors design aims to present him as a "sturdy hardliner for Wu", which is represented by tight-fitting clothes around his muscular body and his free-flowing hair. His current design was decided after much trial and error.

Personality
Steadfast and hard-headed, Xu Sheng is a stalwart man capable of being a heavy-duty front-liner for a majority of difficult battles while also being eager to fight alongside his comrades. Beneath this however, is a soul saddened by the loss of his beloved homeland of Xu Province, which was one major reason why has served the Wu Kingdom in his many years.

Xu Sheng at times though, possesses a rather charmingly-perverse side to him in regards to women, and also happens to be very fond of sweets. Yet to his chagrin, Xu Sheng gets annoyed when people look at him in an awkward-or-mocking light whenever he is seen buying some for himself.

Voice Actors

 * John Paul Mendrano - Dynasty Warriors 9 (English)
 * Haoyu Wen - Dynasty Warriors 9 (Chinese)
 * Tarusuke Shingaki - Dynasty Warriors 9 (Japanese)
 * Takahiro Yoshimizu - Romance of the Three Kingdoms drama CD series
 * Tōru Sakurai - Sangokushi Legion
 * Tōru Nara - Youkai Sangokushi (Japanese)
 * Katsunori Okai - Sangokushi Hadou (Japanese)

Quotes
See also: Xu Sheng/Quotes
 * "Master Ding Feng, if we are fighting together, we should use ships. We can really show off our strength in naval battles!"
 * "Our ships are like water dragons cutting through the raging waves. However, a ship's usefulness is not limited to battle."
 * "Yes, that's true. When the fighting is over, how about going for a nice, relaxing cruise?"
 * "Coasting along the rivers of my homeland with a friend by my side... That sounds as tempting as a taste of the finest wine."
 * Xu Sheng and Ding Feng; Dynasty Warriors 8

Achievements
A native of Langxie Commandery, Xu Sheng sought refuge in Wu County where he made a name for himself as a fierce retainer serving a local clan. Later recruited by Sun Quan, he was tasked with leading 500 troops to defend Chaisang Commandery from Huang Zu who deployed his son Huang She to besiege the region with a few thousand men. Although Xu Sheng only had 200 soldiers at the time, they managed to weaken the approaching army with arrows before rushing outside the city to finish them off. This defeat shamed Huang She so greatly that he turned to a life of banditry and never returned to his father. For his efforts, Xu Sheng was promoted to colonel and given jurisdiction over Wuhu. He even accepted the responsibility of training Sun Quan's troops after eliminating a group of mountain bandits terrorizing the people of Lincheng.

Xu Sheng was also active in many of Wu's major battles. During the conflict with Cao Cao in Ruxukou, strong winds blew Sun Quan's warships towards the Wei army's position, leaving them stranded. While the panicking officers did not dare set foot on enemy terrain, only Xu Sheng led a direct assault against their foes and successfully drove them back before returning to safety once the winds died down. His actions earned him considerable praise from Sun Quan.

However, even he fell prey to Zhang Liao's surprise attack at Hefei, forcing him and his troops to flee. They were only able to regroup when Pan Zhang restored order by executing two deserters. Despite their heavy losses, Wu recovered and focused their sights on Jing which had been taken by Shu. As relations between Wu and Shu worsened, a battle between both sides broke out at Yiling. Xu Sheng, for his part, had trouble negotiating with Lu Xun over which tactics would be most effective in subduing Liu Bei's forces. Although his plan for an all-out assault was overruled, he still contributed to Wu's victory by capturing most of the enemy's camps.

During the year 224, Cao Pi of Wei resumed hostilities with Sun Quan by leading an army to conquer Jianye. It was at this time that Xu Sheng suggested fooling the invaders with fake watch towers and suspended warships to discourage them from attacking. Undeterred by those who disagreed with the ruse, he carried it out and ended up building a makeshift wall that stretched 100 li along the river banks of Guangling. When Cao Pi saw Wu's "fortifications", he lamented not bringing enough troops and decided to end the invasion. Xu Sheng's success saved Wu and caused former skeptics to acknowledge his plan. He later died before Sun Quan declared himself emperor, though his titles and troops were passed on to his son Xu Kai.

Affiliation with Others
Xu Sheng was historically known for his fervent loyalty to Sun Quan which may have affected the latter's decision during an incident with an emissary of Wei. At the time, Cao Pi toppled the Han government and centralized power to his faction. He sent Xing Zhen to Wu in hopes of subjugating the kingdom on peaceful terms. However, the emissary's rudeness towards Sun Quan offended many retainers including Xu Sheng who tearfully told his friends, "Isn't it humiliating to watch our lord submit to Xing Zhen and not be able to serve him with our lives and help him conquer Xuchang, Luoyang, and Bashu?" Xing Zhen overheard this remark and feared that Wu would not remain subservient for long. This assessment came true when Sun Quan declared his independence as King of Wu.

A few of Xu Sheng's feats were attributed to He Qi's timely intervention. In the Battle of Hefei, Xu Sheng lost his spear during the commotion caused by Zhang Liao's rampage, leaving him unarmed and vulnerable. He Qi, who had been sent to support his fleeing allies, discovered the weapon and brought it back to its owner. Another instance occurred in 222 when Cao Xiu led his troops to Dongkou. In response, Sun Quan deployed Xu Sheng, Lu Fan, and Quan Cong to halt their advance on the territory. Unfortunately for Wu, a typhoon destroyed most of their ships and caused severe casualties. Morale was at an all-time low, but the arrival of He Qi's luxurious fleet kept Cao Xiu at bay. Xu Sheng used this opportunity to gather the surviving troops under his command and barricade the shoreline. Despite being outnumbered, they held their ground and ended the battle in a stalemate.

While Xu Sheng was generally affable to his comrades, he had trouble getting along with Zhou Tai and Jiang Qin. When he and Zhu Ran were placed under Zhou Tai's command, both men resented being led by the former pirate because of his humble background and lack of leadership experience. They changed their minds after Sun Quan had Zhou Tai reveal his scars to convince everyone of his devotion. Xu Sheng's apprehension towards the other man began during his time as prefect. He arrested a subordinate of Jiang Qin for breaking the law and sought permission from Sun Quan to execute him. His request was denied on grounds of Jiang Qin's absence. Since then, he constantly worried what the latter would say about him in light of this incident. However, his fears proved unfounded in 217 when Jiang Qin gave him a positive evaluation in front of their lord, causing Xu Sheng to praise his comrade's good nature.

Romance of the Three Kingdoms
Romance of the Three Kingdoms often pairs Xu Sheng and Ding Feng together in the scenes they appear in. Zhou Yu orders both of them to kill Zhuge Liang once the wind prayer succeeds, but Zhao Yun's arrival prevents the generals from carrying out the deed. In later chapters, they are forced to endure the relentless attacks of Cao Ren at Nanjun, the harsh scolding of Lady Sun, and the vulgar taunts of Hu Ban's soldiers.

Xu Sheng is given prominence in chapter 86 where he and Sun Shao argue over the latter's desire to attack Cao Pi directly. Enraged by the young man's continuous insubordination, he attempts to punish him with death until Sun Quan intervenes. His anger towards Sun Shao turns to worry upon learning of the latter's reckless advance, forcing him and Ding Feng into action. Xu Sheng's plan to fool the enemy forces with fabricated walls is enacted, helping magnify the damage caused by Sun Shao's assault. He is last seen at Shiting as one of the ambush officers entrapping Cao Xiu.