Han Xuan was a minor warlord and the Administrator (太守) of Changsha (長沙) commandery during the late Han Dynasty

Han Dynasty

The Han Dynasty was the second imperial dynasty of China, preceded by the Qin Dynasty and succeeded by the Three Kingdoms . It was founded by the rebel leader Liu Bang, known posthumously as Emperor Gaozu of Han. It was briefly interrupted by the Xin Dynasty of the former regent Wang Mang...

 era of Chinese history

History of China

Chinese civilization originated in various regional centers along both the Yellow River and the Yangtze River valleys in the Neolithic era, but the Yellow River is said to be the Cradle of Chinese Civilization. With thousands of years of continuous history, China is one of the world's oldest...

. He served under Liu Biao

Liu Biao

Liu Biao , style name Jingsheng , was a warlord and the governor of Jing Province during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. He was a member of the extended family of the Han Dynasty emperors...

, governor of Jing Province, for three years. After Liu Biao's death, the northern part of Jing Province was divided between two of Liu Biao's sons, Liu Qi and Liu Cong. The southern portion was divided between four Administrators, Zhao Fan

Zhao Fan

Zhao Fan was a minor warlord and prefect of Guiyang Commandery during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. Zhao Fan surrendered to Zhao Yun after being attacked by his army at Guiyang following the Battle of Red Cliffs. Zhao Fan then unintentionally sparked the rage of Zhao Yun by...

, Jin Xuan

Jin Xuan

Jin Xuan , style name Yuanji , was a minor warlord and Administrator of Wuling Commandery during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history.-Biography:...

, Liu Du

Liu Du

Liu Du was a minor warlord and Administrator of Lingling Commandery during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. Liu Du at one time sent his son Liu Xian and Xing Daorong against Liu Bei. However, Liu Du surrendered when hearing of the defeat of Liu Xian. Liu Du was then appointed as...

 and Han Xuan. Eventually, Changsha became an independent region under Han Xuan, and his land remained undisturbed by the other warlords for two years. Then in 210, Liu Bei

Liu Bei

Liu Bei , also known as Liu Xuande, was a warlord, military general and later the founding emperor of the state of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms era of Chinese history...

 invaded Jing Province, capturing all the lands from their leaders.

In fiction

Liu Bei's conquest of Changsha was dramatized in Luo Guanzhong

Luo Guanzhong

Luo Ben , better known by his style name Luo Guanzhong , was a Chinese writer of the early Ming Dynasty period of Chinese history. He was also known as Huhai Sanren...

's historical novel Romance of Three Kingdoms, in which a series of fictional events were created by the author, including: When Liu Bei sent Guan Yu

Guan Yu

Guan Yu was a general serving under the warlord Liu Bei during the late Eastern Han Dynasty of China. He played a significant role in the civil war that led to the collapse of the Han Dynasty and the establishment of the state of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms period, of which Liu Bei was the...

 to take Changsha, Han Xuan sent his best general, Huang Zhong

Huang Zhong

Huang Zhong was a military general serving under the warlord Liu Bei during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. He was most noted for his victory in the Battle of Mount Dingjun, in which his force routed that of Xiahou Yuan, who was slain during battle...

 to engage the enemy. They arrived at a draw after two duels, and the third time Huang was ordered to fire an arrow at Guan. He intentionally struck Guan's helmet, which was seen as an act of betrayal by Han Xuan, who then ordered Huang put to death. However, Wei Yan

Wei Yan

Wei Yan was a military general of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms era of Chinese history. He became a soldier of Liu Bei when the latter fled Jing Province and seek protection from the eastern warlord, Sun Quan, in 208. In 211, Wei had climbed up the ranks and become a general in Liu Bei's...

came to Huang's rescue and he slew Han Xuan shortly afterward.

In actual history, Huang Zhong strongly recommended Han Xuan to surrender to Liu Bei, which Han did, and thus saving many civilian lives that would be lost if there was any battles. Both Han and Huang started serving under Liu Bei after their surrender and rose in ranks. Contrary to what was depicted in the novel where Han Xuan was killed by rebelling civilians who hated him, in reality, Han Xuan was a governor loved by his people, who built a worship hall for him that still stands today in Changsha, after being destroyed and rebuilt many times.