Ling Lie (simplified: 凌烈, traditional: 凌烈, pinyin: Líng Liè) was the eldest son of Ling Tong, one of Eastern Wu’s most celebrated generals. He and his younger brother Ling Feng were very young when Ling Tong died of illness in 217. Sun Quan took the boys into his palace and raised them with great affection, calling them his “tiger cubs.” When Ling Lie came of age, Sun Quan enfeoffed him as a village marquis (亭侯) and gave him command of his father’s former troops. However, Ling Lie later committed a crime, was stripped of his title and command, and dismissed from service. His rank and troops were then transferred to his younger brother Ling Feng.
Biography
Orphaned and raised in the palace
Ling Tong, Ling Lie’s father, was one of Eastern Wu’s most celebrated generals. He had served Sun Ce and then Sun Quan with distinction, earning particular fame for his heroic efforts to save Sun Quan at the Battle of Xiaoyao Ford (215), where he fought his way through enemy lines to rescue his lord. Ling Tong died of illness in 217 at the age of twenty-nine, leaving behind two very young sons: Ling Lie and Ling Feng.
When Ling Tong fell ill, Sun Quan was deeply concerned and had him brought onto his own ship so that he could personally oversee his treatment. After Ling Tong’s death, Sun Quan mourned him intensely. At that point Ling Lie and Ling Feng were both too young to manage any affairs of their own. Sun Quan took the two boys into his palace and had them raised there, treating them with extraordinary favour. When guests visited, Sun Quan would point to them and say: “These are my tiger cubs” (此吾虎子也).
When the boys reached the age of seven or eight, Sun Quan arranged for the scholar Ge Guang (葛光) to teach them reading and writing, and every ten days he had them practise riding horses. He also granted them followers and wealth, treating them in a manner that reflected the high esteem in which he had held their father.
Enfeoffment and downfall
When Ling Lie came of age, Sun Quan enfeoffed him as a village marquis (亭侯) and gave him command of Ling Tong’s former troops. This was a significant honour — it meant that Ling Lie, as Ling Tong’s eldest son, was formally recognised as his father’s heir and entrusted with the military force that had been Ling Tong’s command.
However, Ling Lie’s career was short-lived. He later committed an unspecified crime and was stripped of his marquisate, his command, and his position. He was dismissed from service entirely. The nature of his offence is not recorded in the surviving sources, nor are there any details about whether he attempted to regain favour.
Aftermath
After Ling Lie’s dismissal, his younger brother Ling Feng succeeded to the marquisate and inherited the troops that had once belonged to their father. This ensured that the Ling family’s military legacy continued, albeit through the younger rather than the elder son.
Beyond these events, the records are silent on what became of Ling Lie. There is no record of whether he died in disgrace, whether he was eventually rehabilitated, or what his ultimate fate was.
Historical sources
Ling Lie is mentioned briefly in the Records of the Three Kingdoms (SGZ), in the biography of his father Ling Tong (volume 55 of the Book of Wu). The account is brief, recording only the essential facts of the brothers’ upbringing in Sun Quan’s household, Ling Lie’s enfeoffment, his subsequent crime and dismissal, and the transfer of rank and troops to Ling Feng.
An alternate account in the Wu Shu (吴书) provides the detail that Sun Quan had Ge Guang teach the boys and had them practise riding every ten days, and preserves Sun Quan’s remark calling them his “tiger cubs.”
Family
Ling Lie was the elder son of Ling Tong and grandson of Ling Cao, who had been killed in battle under Sun Ce. He had one younger brother, Ling Feng, who succeeded to the marquisate after Ling Lie was stripped of his title.
The specific identity of Ling Lie’s mother is not recorded in the surviving sources.