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Wu Yan
吾彥
Administrator of Jianping (建平太守)
In office
? (?)–280 (280)
MonarchSun Hao
Inspector of Jiaozhou (交州刺史)
In office
290 (290)–310s (310s)
MonarchsEmperor Wu of Jin/
Emperor Hui of Jin/
Emperor Huai of Jin
Personal details
BornUnknown
Suzhou, Jiangsu
DiedUnknown
Courtesy nameShize (士則)
For the Chinese football player, see Wu Yan.
In this Chinese name, the family name is Wu.

Wu Yan (fl.260 – before 315),[1] courtesy name Shize, was a military general of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period of China and later for the Jin dynasty (266–420). He is most known for his valiant defence of Jianping (建平; southwest of present-day Xiayi County, Henan) during Jin's conquest of Wu. After Wu fell, Wu Yan served in administrative positions under Jin, with his most notable being the Inspector of Jiaozhou, succeeding Tao Huang, who was also a former official of Wu.

Service in Eastern Wu[edit]

Wu Yan was from Wu County in Wu Commandery and came from a poor background. The Book of Jin describes him as 8 chi tall (6 ft 2 in) and capable of fighting beasts with his bare hands. He began serving Wu as a minor official in Tongjiang County.[2] In c.December 269,[3] Wu Yan saw the general Xue Xu leading a large army in order to attack Jiaozhi Commandery, which caused Wu Yan to sigh out of frustration. A face reader named Liu Zhe (劉劄) examined Wu Yan's face and told him "Sir, based on your appearance, you too will reach the same height in your career one day. There is no need to yearn."[4]

Wu Yan received his first military role under the Grand Marshal of Wu, Lu Kang. Lu Kang appreciated Wu Yan's talents, but because he had plucked him from obscurity, he could not promote him further out of fear that the other generals would disapprove. Lu Kang devised a plan to gather the generals together. Secretly, he had asked someone to pretend to be crazy and surprise the generals while swinging his sword. The generals fled in fear when they saw the supposed madman, but Wu Yan remained calm and even defended himself with a small desk. The generals present all praised his bravery, so Lu Kang was finally able to promote Wu Yan to important positions.[5]

Wu Yan was eventually transferred to Jianping where he served as its administrator. In 272, the Inspector of Yi Province, Wang Jun, was tasked with constructing battleships in preparations for the conquest of Wu. Wood wastes from the construction floated down to Wu's territories which caught the attention of Wu Yan. He brought a piece of the wood to the Wu emperor, Sun Hao, as evidence that Jin was planning an invasion, and to persuade him to reinforce the northwestern border. However, Sun Hao ignored his warnings, so Wu Yan instead personally built iron chains as a barrier to prevent an eastward advance through the Yangtze.[6]

In September 272, the Commander of Xiling (西陵; present-day Xiling District, Yichang, Hubei), Bu Chan, rebelled against Wu and surrendered his city to Jin. Upon hearing this, Wu Yan, along with Zuo Yi (左奕) and others, were ordered by Lu Kang to campaign against the rebel. In December, Lu Kang and his generals repelled Jin forces led by Yang Hu and quelled Bu Chan's rebellion.[7]

At the end of 279, Jin initiated their conquest of Wu. The chains that Wu Yan had built caused some inconvenience for the Jin navy at first, but they were dealt with by Wang Jun, who melted them by sending rafts full of dummies soaked in oil and burning them. By 280, all of Wu's territories on the upper Yangtze River were conquered by Jin except Jianping, where Wu Yan continued to resist. Jin sent a large army to subdue Jianping, but Wu Yan managed to hold out in the city. Eventually, the Jin army gave up and retreated to a respectful distance from Jianping. Wu Yan only submitted after Sun Hao surrendered in Jiankang, thus ending the Three Kingdoms.[8]

Service in the Jin dynasty[edit]

After the fall of Wu, surviving officials of Wu were sent to the Jin capital at Luoyang. At Luoyang, Wu Yan was appointed by Emperor Wu of Jin as Administrator of Jincheng. Shortly after, Emperor Wu asked another former Wu official, Xue Ying on why Sun Hao failed, to which Xue spoke negatively of his former emperor. Later that day, Emperor Wu asked the same question to Wu Yan, and Wu replied, "The lord of Wu was a brilliant man. His vassals were virtuous and wise." Emperor Wu laughed and said, "If so, then why did Wu perish?" Wu Yan responded, "Only Heaven can decide if one will endure or perish. That was why Your Majesty was able to subdue us. Since this is all Heaven's work, why must mortal doings be to blame?" The minister, Zhang Hua, was nearby when this happened and told Wu Yan, "Sir, you had been a general of Wu for years, yet I had never heard about you. How odd." Wu Yan replied, "Even His Majesty knows about me, so how could you not have?" Emperor Wu was impressed by Wu Yan's remarks and praised him.[9]

Wu Yan went on to serve as Prefect of Dunhuang, and Administrator of Yanmen. He was eventually appointed the Interior Minister of Shunyang (順陽; south of present-day Xichuan County, Henan). The Prince of Shunyang at the time, Sima Chang (司馬暢), was said to be very arrogant and extravagant. Chang had charged many of the previous Interior Ministers before Wu Yan of crimes they had not committed. However, he was unable to do so with Wu Yan, who upheld the law and practised strict punishments on criminals to the point that many feared him. Sima Chang did not dare slander him and instead only recommended him to become a Cavalier In Regular Attendance Without Assignment (散骑常侍) to send him away.[10]

In 290, the Inspector of Jiaozhou and also a former Wu official, Tao Huang died. Wu Yan was appointed Commander of Nanzhong and Inspector of Jiaozhou to replace Tao Huang. Tao's death sparked a rebellion in Jiuzhen Commandery led by Zhao Zhi (趙祉) who ousted the Grand Administrator of Jiaozhou, but Wu Yan managed to quell the revolt. He spent more than twenty years in Jiaozhou, where he maintained the peace around the region. Near the end of his life, Wu Yan requested to be replaced, so he was appointed as the Empress's Chamberlain (大長秋) before he died in office.[11]

His last known activity was in 307, when the general, Li Zhao (李釗) was sent to quell a tribal rebellion in Ningzhou (寧州, modern Yunnan and Guizhou) that had broken out the prior year. Wu Yan sent his son, Wu Zi (吾咨), to assist Li against the tribes.[12]

Anecdote[edit]

Animosity from Lu Kang's sons[edit]

Emperor Wu once questioned Wu Yan on who was better between Lu Kang and his cousin, Lu Xi (陸喜). Wu Yan remarked, "In moral prestige, Kang is inferior to Xi. In meritorious deeds, Xi does not compare to Kang." After Wu Yan was stationed in Jiaozhou, he sent gifts to Lu Kang's sons, Lu Ji and Lu Yun. Ji wanted to accept them at first, but Yun stopped him, citing his poor upbringing as well as the remark he made about their father. Ji agreed, and the two began speaking lowly about Wu Yan to others. However, one official, Yin Yu (尹虞), admonished the brothers for judging Wu Yan by his circumstances and ruthlessly slandering him for a minor disrespect. The brothers, realizing their mistakes, stopped their criticism of Wu Yan and became friendlier with him.[13]

References[edit]

  1. ^ According to Tao Huang’s entry in the Book of Jin, after Wu Yan’s death, the office of Inspector of Jiaozhou was held by Gu Mi (顧秘; son of Gu Ti), then Gu Can (顧參; son of Gu Mi), and then Gu Shou (顧壽; younger brother of Gu Can) (彦卒，又以员外散骑常侍顾秘代彦。秘卒，州人逼秘子参领州事。参寻卒，参弟寿求领州，州人不听，固求之，遂领州。寿乃杀长史胡肇等，又将杀帐下督梁硕，硕走得免，起兵讨寿，禽之，会寿母，令鸩杀之。) Jin Shu, vol.57. From Gu Zhong's biography in the Jinshu, Gu Zhong, Shou's younger brother (and thus another son of Gu Mi), attempted to retrieve Shou's body in Jiaozhou after he was killed, but was blocked by Du Tao's rebellion. The rebellion ended in 315, so Wu Yan must have died prior to that year. (秘卒，州人立衆兄壽為刺史，為州人所害，衆往交州迎喪，值杜弢之亂，崎嶇六年乃還。) Jin Shu, vol.76
  2. ^ (出自寒微，有文武才干。身长八尺，手格猛兽，旅力绝群。仕吴为通江吏。) Jin Shu, vol.57
  3. ^ According to Sun Hao's biography in Sanguozhi, Xue Xu, Yu Si and Tao Huang set off from Jing province for the Jiaozhi campaign in the 11th month of the 1st year of the Jianheng era. This corresponds to 11 Dec 269 to 8 Jan 270 in the Julian calendar. [(建衡元年)十一月...。遣监军虞汜、威南将军薛珝、苍梧太守陶璜由荆州，监军李勖、督军徐存从建安海道，皆就合浦击交阯.] Sanguozhi, vol.48
  4. ^ (时将军薛珝杖节南征，军容甚盛，彦观之，慨然而叹。有善相者刘札谓之曰：“以君之相，后当至此，不足慕也。”) Jin Shu, vol.57
  5. ^ (初为小将，给吴大司马陆抗。抗奇其勇略，将拔用之，患众情不允，乃会诸将，密使人阳狂拔刀跳跃而来，坐上诸将皆惧而走，唯彦不动，举几御之，众服其勇，乃擢用焉。) Jin Shu, vol.57
  6. ^ (時作船木柹，蔽江而下，吳建平太守吳郡吾彥取流柹以白吳主曰：「晉必有攻吳之計，宜增建平兵以塞其衝要。」吳主不從。彥乃爲鐵鎖橫斷江路。) Zizhi Tongjian, vol.79
  7. ^ (鳳皇元年，西陵督步闡據城以叛，遣使降晉。抗聞之，日部分諸軍，令將軍左奕、吾彥、蔡貢等徑赴西陵，敕軍營更築嚴圍，自赤谿至故市，內以圍闡，外以御寇，晝夜催切，如敵已至。) Sanguozhi, vol.58
  8. ^ (稍迁建平太守。时王濬将伐吴，造船于蜀，彦觉之，请增兵为备，皓不从，彦乃辄为铁锁，横断江路。及师临境，缘江诸城皆望风降附，或见攻而拔，唯彦坚守，大众攻之不能克，乃退舍礼之。) Jin Shu, vol.57
  9. ^ (吳亡，彥始歸降，武帝以為金城太守。帝嘗從容問薛瑩曰：「孫皓所以亡國者何也？」瑩對曰：「歸命侯臣皓之君吳，昵近小人，刑罰妄加，大臣大將無所親信，人人憂恐，各不自安，敗亡之釁，由此而作矣。」其後帝又問彥，對曰：「吳主英俊，宰輔賢明。」帝笑曰：「君明臣賢，何為亡國？」彥曰：「天祿永終，歷數有屬，所以為陛下擒。此蓋天時，豈人事也！」張華時在坐，謂彥曰：「君為吳將，積有歲年，蔑爾無聞，竊所惑矣。」彥厲聲曰：「陛下知我，而卿不聞乎？」帝甚嘉之。) Jin Shu, vol.57
  10. ^ (转在敦煌，威恩甚著。迁雁门太守。时顺阳王畅骄纵，前后内史皆诬之以罪。乃彦为顺阳内史，彦清身率下，威刑严肃，众皆畏惧。畅不能诬，乃更荐之，冀其去职。迁员外散骑常侍。) Jin Shu, vol.57
  11. ^ (初，陶璜之死也，九真戍兵作乱，逐其太守，九真贼帅赵祉围郡城，彦悉讨平之。在镇二十余年，威恩宣著，南州宁靖。自表求代，征为大长秋。卒于官。) Jin Shu, vol.57
  12. ^ （...仍诏交州出兵救李钊。交州刺史吾彦遣其子咨将兵救之。）Zizhi Tongjian, vol.86
  13. ^ (帝嘗問彥：「陸喜、陸抗二人誰多也？」彥對曰：「道德名望，抗不及喜；立功立事，喜不及抗。」會交州刺史陶璜卒，以彥為南中都督、交州刺史。重餉陸機兄弟，機將受之，雲曰：「彥本微賤，為先公所拔，而答詔不善，安可愛之！」機乃止。因此每毀之。長沙孝廉尹虞謂機等曰：「自古由賤而興者，乃有帝王，何但公卿。若何元幹、侯孝明、唐儒宗、張義允等，並起自寒役，皆內侍外鎮，人無譏者。卿以士則答詔小有不善，毀之無已，吾恐南人皆將去卿，卿便獨坐也。」於是機等意始解，毀言漸息矣。) Jin Shu, vol.57
source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wu_Yan_(Shize)

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