人物生平

許貢在漢末初平年間（公元190-193年）曾任吳郡都尉，是名士許靖的好友。許靖為躲避董卓之亂逃到江東，許貢等人收留了他。許貢的上司、當時任吳郡太守的是會稽人盛憲。

這一時期，袁術勢力進入揚州。曾經割據江東的會稽周氏兄弟（即周昂、周昕及周喁）被袁術所敗，其中周喁在逃回會稽老家的途中，被許貢殺害。由於原來的揚州刺史被袁術殺害，朝廷任命了新的揚州刺史劉繇，因為揚州治所壽春被袁術佔據，劉繇只能以吳郡的曲阿作為治所。

約興平元年（公元194年），盛憲因病離任，許貢成為吳郡太守。當時接任吳郡都尉的是孫堅舊部、丹陽人朱治。

許貢到任後，試圖迫害故太守盛憲，吳郡名士高岱幫助盛憲躲藏到許貢部下許昭的家中。許貢於是捉住了高岱的母親，以此引出高岱準備加害之。高岱在朋友的幫助下機智逃脫。

興平二年（公元195年），孫策藉口幫袁術打擊佔據揚州江東的劉繇勢力，趁機脫離袁術以便自己經略江東，之後擊敗劉繇並平定丹陽郡、吳郡。許貢在由拳（今屬浙江省嘉興市）被擊敗後投奔在吳郡烏程（今屬浙江省湖州市）割據的山賊頭領嚴白虎。

不久後嚴白虎又被孫策擊敗，只得投奔在餘杭的許昭，許貢未能同行。孫策說：「許昭有義於舊君（指盛憲），有誠於故友（指嚴白虎），此丈夫之志也。」因此沒有趕盡殺絕。

許貢失勢後，仍然積極找機會奪回吳郡。他向朝廷上表，認為孫策驍勇冠世，指出放任孫策勢力坐大，對漢廷以及曹操來說將終成大患，提出以皇命召孫策進京的主張。（原文為：孫策驍雄，與項籍相似，宜加貴寵，召還京邑。若被詔不得不還，若放於外必作世患。）

若許貢上表成功，則會給曹操理由召孫策進京，對孫策來說兇多吉少。而已經被孫策統一的江東又將重新陷入分裂的境地，許貢可以從中得利。此表被孫策截獲，孫策找許貢來對質，許貢推說沒有上表，孫策於是命令武士將許貢絞殺。因建安二年夏（公元197年）朝廷已經任命陳瑀為新任吳郡太守，因此許貢之死不會晚於建安二年。

身後

許貢死後，他的小兒子與門客躲藏起來。建安五年 (200年)，孫策因殺許貢，遭到許貢的門客許昭等人刺殺，傷重離世。

相關記載

曾上表於漢獻帝，以「孫策驍雄，與項籍相似，宜加貴寵，召還京邑。若被詔不得不還，若放於外必作世患。」希望能調走孫策。孫策候吏得到許貢書信，將這封書信拿給孫策看。孫策看了以後，便請許貢去見他，並以此事責備許貢。許貢回答無此書信，孫策即命令武士將許貢絞殺。許貢奴客便潛伏民間，等待時機想要為許貢報仇。在孫策打獵時，中途出現三人，即許貢奴客。孫策問：「爾等何人？」奴客回答：「是韓當兵，在此射鹿耳。」孫策說：「當兵吾皆識之，未嘗見汝等。」于是射其中一人，此人被射中後應弦而倒。其餘二人焦急，便舉弓射向孫策，並射中其臉頰。後孫策士兵到達，將許貢奴客全部刺殺。

影視

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Life

Xu Gong started his career sometime between 190 and 193 as the Commandant (都尉) of Wu Commandery (around present-day Suzhou, Jiangsu). He was a close friend of Xu Jing, who fled to the Jiangdong territories in the early 190s to evade the chaos in central China. Xu Gong accepted Xu Jing and treated him like an honoured guest. At the time, Xu Gong's direct superior was Sheng Xian, the Administrator (太守) of Wu Commandery.

Around the early 190s, the warlord Yuan Shu occupied parts of Yang Province and defeated the brothers Zhou Ang, Zhou Xin and Zhou Yu (Renming), who used to control the territories there. Xu Gong killed Zhou Yu (Renming) while the latter was on his way home to Kuaiji Commandery. As Yuan Shu also killed the Inspector (刺史) of Yang Province, the Han central government appointed Liu Yao to be the new Inspector. Since Yuan Shu already seized control of Shouchun (壽春; present-day Shou County, Anhui), the administrative centre of Yang Province, Liu Yao had no choice but to set up a new administrative centre at Qu'e County (曲阿縣; around present-day Danyang, Jiangsu).

In 194, Sheng Xian resigned because he was ill, so Xu Gong replaced him as the Administrator of Wu Commandery. Xu Gong, in turn, was succeeded by Zhu Zhi as the Commandant of Wu Commandery. After assuming office, Xu Gong attempted to murder his predecessor Sheng Xian. However, Gao Dai (高岱) helped Sheng Xian by hiding him in the home of Xu Zhao (許昭), one of Xu Gong's subordinates. Xu Gong then arrested Gao Dai's mother to try to lure Gao Dai out and then kill them, but Gao Dai managed to escape with the help of his friends.

In 195, Sun Ce, a military officer under Yuan Shu, pretended to offer to help Yuan Shu conquer the territories in the Jiangdong region and was given some troops to carry out his task. After leaving Yuan Shu, Sun Ce embarked on a series of conquests in Jiangdong and became a warlord in his own right. He defeated Liu Yao and occupied Danyang Commandery (丹陽郡; around present-day Nanjing, Jiangsu), and then turned his attention towards Wu Commandery. Sun Ce defeated Xu Gong at Youquan (由拳縣; south of present-day Jiaxing, Zhejiang) and seized control of Wu Commandery. Xu Gong fled to Wucheng County (烏程縣; south of present-day Huzhou, Zhejiang) after his defeat and took shelter under Yan Baihu, a bandit chief.

Sun Ce caught up with Xu Gong and Yan Baihu and defeated them later, so they fled to Yuhang County (餘杭縣; in present-day Hangzhou, Zhejiang) to take shelter under Xu Zhao (許昭). Sun Ce respected Xu Zhao for his righteousness (when he allowed Sheng Xian to hide in his home to avoid Xu Gong's persecution) and for his kindness towards an old friend (when he provided shelter to Yan Baihu), so he did not follow-up and attack Yuhang County.

After losing control over Wu Commandery, Xu Gong felt bitter and harboured the intention of seizing it back from Sun Ce, so in 200 CE he wrote a letter to the warlord Cao Cao, who controlled the Han central government and the figurehead Emperor Xian. In the letter, Xu Gong noted that Sun Ce was very much like Xiang Yu, and he urged Cao Cao to summon Sun Ce to the imperial capital Xu (許; present-day Xuchang, Henan) in the name of the Emperor and keep him in the imperial capital lest he became a threat in the future. However, unluckily for Xu Gong, Sun Ce's men intercepted his messenger, found the letter and gave it to Sun Ce. Sun Ce then came to confront Xu Gong about the letter. When Xu Gong denied writing the letter, Sun Ce ordered his men to strangle Xu Gong to death. Some time later, within the same year, Xu Gong's former subordinates ambushed Sun Ce while he was out on a hunting trip and assassinated him.