Xu Wencai

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Xu Wencai (许文才) 15
Alias(es)	Mr. Sleeping Dragon / Sleeping Dragon (Xu Wolong) 15 152
Species/Race	Human; a mortal with no martial cultivation 30 370
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Great Han; formerly the Poyang Thousand Household Office and Northern Liang Army 15 263
Occupation/Role	Military strategist, commander, Grand Tutor, Crown Prince’s Grand Tutor, head of the Cabinet, and Prime Minister of Great Han 263
Status	Deceased; died after using a forbidden method to locate a secret-realm entrance and pry into heavenly secrets 370
First Appearance	Chapter 15

Background / History

Early life

Xu Wencai spent decades pursuing the imperial examinations, but remained only a Tong Sheng despite beginning at sixteen and taking the exams for thirty years. He styled himself “Sleeping Dragon” and dreamed of using that title to provide a good life for his family. 15 152

His devotion to books came at a devastating cost. While he was absorbed in copied rare texts, his family ran out of food; his mother gave him their last rations and starved to death. His wife later left him because of poverty, and his father fell gravely ill after the disgrace. 152 370

After traveling widely in search of a patron who would recognize his abilities, Xu eventually returned to Poyang. Unable to pay his taxes, he was conscripted into the military colony. 15 370

Service under Chen Sanshi

Xu met Chen Sanshi at the Poyang garrison, where Zhu Tong derided him as the village’s notorious lazybones. Chen’s genuine interest in books and willingness to listen distinguished him from Xu’s earlier acquaintances. 15

When Chen became an Officer, Xu desperately asked to serve under him rather than be assigned to city-wall labor. He claimed expertise in astronomy, geography, troop deployment, and governance, while admitting that his age prevented him from learning martial arts. Chen accepted him. 30

Xu initially served in auxiliary roles, sharing intelligence on the Witch God Cult, helping recruit soldiers, and proposing plans to reduce casualties in the coming Xihe campaign. 33 46 54 Chen later entrusted him with training soldiers in military formations despite objections from recruits who dismissed him as an old failed scholar. 72 79

His formation training proved valuable: Chen’s Troop Command skill continued improving while Xu drilled the troops, and Chen repeatedly returned command of formation practice to him. 98 121

Mingzhou and the title of Sleeping Dragon

During the Mingzhou campaign, Xu became a trusted battlefield strategist. He analyzed enemy motives, proposed the timing and deception for a feint attack, and was placed in command of the force assigned to seize Meishan Prefecture and the Heavenly Book of Strategy. 141 144 146

The Emperor later promoted him to third-rank Commander of the Youzhou Commander’s Office, concurrently granted him a third-rank Central Administration appointment, and bestowed the title Mr. Sleeping Dragon. The decree credited his role in the pacification of Mingzhou, the Four Crossings of the Hongze River, and the conquest of Meishan Prefecture. 152

The court encouraged Xu to distance himself from Chen Sanshi. He publicly acted arrogant, held a severing-ties banquet, and appeared to abandon his former comrades after leaving for Youzhou. 152 220 This estrangement was ultimately revealed to have been a calculated performance that allowed him to gain control of two elite camps and thirty thousand soldiers without appearing tied to Chen’s faction. 221

Rise in the Northern Liang Army

Xu’s conquest of the Wei Kingdom made his name known throughout the realm. He was reportedly enfeoffed as Pillar State Duke and appointed General of the Nation; the court established the Zhenbiao and Beifu Camps for his command. 185

He later received the title Marquis of Wuxiang, was appointed a first-rank Grand Master, and became Commander of the Liangzhou Commander’s Office. His authority extended over the Zhenbiao, Beifu, and Hongze Camps. 219

As Chen Sanshi’s strategist, Xu handled military records, supply arrangements, troop deployments, and campaign planning while Chen focused on cultivation and major operations. 225 228 During the uprising against Great Sheng, he coordinated with Chen and the Poyang veterans after ending the pretense of estrangement. 221 224

Prime Minister of Great Han

After Chen Sanshi founded Great Han, Xu was appointed head of the Three Excellencies and Three Tutors, Grand Tutor, Crown Prince’s Grand Tutor, Grand Master of Grand Provision, Grand Scholar of Zhongji Hall, and head of the Cabinet—effectively the dynasty’s Prime Minister. 263

He remained responsible for major state affairs, including the integration of vassal states and the delegation of political duties to his disciple Qi Cheng. 271 286 He also founded the Black Ice Platform, an intelligence agency reformed from the Brocade Guard that monitored officials and immortal officials for disloyalty. 330

Final sacrifice

In his final years, Xu used astronomy, ritual lamps, a compass, turtle shells, and a secret technique to locate the entrance to a hidden secret realm. 367 370 The forty-nine-day divination successfully revealed the entrance and critical prophecies, but the backlash rapidly consumed his lifespan. 370

Before dying, Xu entrusted Qi Cheng with his teachings, a secret technique for prying into heavenly secrets, and the courtesy name Boyue. 370

Appearance

Xu was already nearly fifty when he first appeared at the Poyang garrison, with visibly white hair. 15 In later life, he was an elderly scholar-official commonly seen with a feather fan, white beard, and scholarly robes. 139 271

• Often carried and gestured with a feather fan while discussing strategy. 141 224
• Used a four-wheeled carriage or handcart during his years as a senior commander. 220 231
• Wore blue robes during his final divination, illuminated by starlight after the ritual’s backlash. 370

Personality

Xu Wencai was intensely proud of his learning and ambition. Even while impoverished and mocked in Poyang, he insisted that he had read ten thousand books, traveled ten thousand miles, and was destined for great things. 15

He could be shamelessly ingratiating when survival or advancement required it, addressing Chen Sanshi as “sir,” offering unsolicited praise, and repeatedly seeking work to prove his usefulness. 40 54 72 Yet his confidence was not empty: once trusted with troops and strategy, he worked obsessively, sometimes neglecting food and sleep to prepare for military assessments or campaigns. 121 225

Xu deeply desired recognition, particularly the title “Sleeping Dragon,” but he also valued having his talents put to use. 151 152 His willingness to publicly estrange himself from old comrades for a larger political objective shows both his ambition and his capacity for long-term calculation. 220 221

Abilities & Skills

Military Strategy and Command

Xu was a gifted strategist despite lacking martial cultivation. His plans emphasized terrain, logistics, deception, weather, and minimizing casualties. 46 144

• Studied the Xihe Tribe’s troop strength, cavalry advantage, archers, and martial-officer composition for five years before the campaign. 46
• Constructed a detailed sand table comparable to the central army’s model. 92
• Directed the force assigned to cross the Hongze and Wushui Rivers, capture Liang Jinian, and seize the Heavenly Book of Strategy. 146
• Timed a feint attack around rainfall and proposed fire, drums, and flags to confuse a numerically superior enemy. 144
• Organized troop movements and regional operations with little room for error during the Yunzhou campaign. 228
• Commanded the Zhenbiao, Beifu, and Hongze Camps as a senior Great Sheng general before Great Han’s founding. 219

Formation Training

Xu trained Chen Sanshi’s soldiers in military formations and proved capable enough to retain that responsibility after the troops accepted his authority. 79 98

• Served as formation instructor despite being unable to perform posture training himself. 79
• Improved the unit’s cohesion and contributed indirectly to Chen’s Troop Command proficiency. 98 121
• Received guidance from Fang Qingyun, whose military experience broadened Xu’s knowledge. 114

Astronomy and Heavenly Secrets

Xu possessed extensive knowledge of celestial phenomena and astrology, later employing a dangerous divination method unavailable to ordinary cultivators. 152 240 367

• Interpreted the Three Enclosures and Twenty-Eight Mansions to assess imperial and national fortunes. 240
• Used ritual lamps, a compass, turtle shells, and merfolk-oil candles to seek a secret-realm entrance. 367
• Located the entrance after forty-nine days of divination, but the resulting backlash exhausted his remaining lifespan. 370
• Left the secret technique to Qi Cheng, warning that cultivators who practiced it would inevitably face heavenly punishment. 370

Governance and Intelligence

Xu was skilled in administration as well as warfare, becoming Chen Sanshi’s chief civil adviser and later Great Han’s Prime Minister. 225 263

• Managed military records, provisions, and campaign preparations while Chen Sanshi was absent. 225
• Helped oversee Great Han’s incorporation of Eastern Qing and Nanxu. 271 286
• Established the Black Ice Platform to investigate and monitor officials suspected of disloyalty. 330

Limitations

• Xu was too old to learn martial arts when he joined Chen Sanshi’s unit. 30
• His lack of cultivation was repeatedly regarded as the major limitation on an otherwise exceptional military talent. 144
• His final divination relied on his mortal lifespan; no amount of medicinal materials could fully offset the cost of prying into heavenly secrets. 370

Relationships

• Chen Sanshi — Patron, commander, later emperor, and the person Xu regarded as the wise ruler he had sought for half his life. Chen gave him military responsibility despite his lack of cultivation. 30 370
• Zhu Tong — Fellow Poyang villager and frequent antagonist. Zhu mocked Xu’s laziness and examination failures, but later fought alongside him and learned that Xu’s apparent betrayal had been an act. 15 221
• Fang Qingyun — Mentor and fellow strategist. Fang spent days discussing military affairs with Xu and provided guidance that improved his knowledge. 114 231
• Wang Zhi — Old comrade and confidant. Xu trusted Wang with the letter explaining his staged separation from Chen Sanshi’s circle. 146 152
• Qi Cheng — Disciple and closest aide in Xu’s later career. Xu trained him in military strategy, delegated state duties to him, and named him Boyue before his death. 219 271 370
• Chen Duhe — Chen Sanshi’s son, whom Xu advised on restraint, benevolence, and the responsibilities of succession. 252

Notable Quotes

“As long as my talents have a place to be used, my life isn't a disgrace!” 152

“No regrets, no regrets, no regrets!!!” 370

Trivia

• Xu Wencai named Xu Bin’s daughter Xu Yuhuan. 114
• Before gaining the title officially, he had spent much of his life insisting that the world would one day call him “Sleeping Dragon.” 15 152
• He became an official at forty-eight after failing the imperial examinations for three decades. 152