Ling Tong was a fierce general under Sun Quan of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period. His father, Ling Cao, had fought alongside Sun Ce, Sun Quan's elder brother, earning many military merits and the rank of Colonel Who Breaks Bandits. While following Sun Quan to attack Cao Cao's Jiangxia, Ling Cao was struck by an arrow and killed. Ling Tong was only 15 at the time.
Sun Quan, honoring Ling Cao's sacrifice for the kingdom and seeing his son Ling Tong tall and skilled in martial arts, appointed him as a Commandant for Suppressing Bandits, placing him in charge of his father's former troops.
Soon after, Sun Quan ordered Ling Tong and Zhang Yi to lead ten thousand troops to attack Ma Tun. But trouble sprouted unexpectedly. A general of equal rank to Ling Tong, named Chen Qin, was stubborn and arrogant. During a drinking party, he publicly insulted Ling Tong over a trivial matter, even cursing Ling Tong's father. Ling Tong wept silently, saying nothing. After the feast, Chen Qin blocked Ling Tong's path and continued his abuse. Ling Tong, pushed beyond endurance, drew his blade and wounded Chen Qin. Days later, Chen Qin died from his injuries.
The attack on Matun was imminent. Ling Tong told everyone, "We must win this tough battle. If I don't die fighting, I cannot atone for my sins."
Ling Tong led his troops from the front, always charging ahead, using his own body to block enemy arrows and stones. In no time, they breached one side, and the other generals seized the momentum to expand their gains, crushing the enemy at Matun. When the army returned victorious, Ling Tong bound himself in ropes to submit to military law. Sun Quan praised his decisive and resolute handling of military affairs, allowing him to atone for his crime through his meritorious service.
Later, when Sun Quan attacked Jiangxia again, Ling Tong led the vanguard. He took a few dozen men on a small boat, personally cut down the opposing general Zhang Shuo who tried to block them, and captured everyone on the enemy vessel. Then he leaped onto the city walls, engaged in hand-to-hand combat, and won a decisive victory.
Ling Tong was known for his disdain of wealth and deep commitment to righteousness, warmly welcoming talented men; on the battlefield, he charged forward fearlessly, never fearing death. His repeated military achievements earned him the ranks of Colonel Who Pacifies Bandits and Lieutenant General, yet he died at just 49 years old.
When Sun Quan heard that Ling Tong had died of illness, he struck the edge of his bed and sat up, weeping without stopping, unable to eat for days, and every time he spoke of Ling Tong he could not hold back tears, even ordering Zhang Cheng to compose a eulogy in his memory.
Later, the idiom "redeeming crime with merit" came to describe offsetting wrongdoing with good deeds.
Source: *Records of the Three Kingdoms*, Book of Wu, "Biography of Ling Tong"
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "以功赎罪" came to describe offsetting wrongdoing with good deeds.