← Back to 三國志

卷五十八 吳書十三 陸遜傳

Volume 58: Book of Wu 13 - Biography of Lu Xun

Chapter 58 of 三國志 · Records of the Three Kingdoms
← Previous Chapter
Chapter 58
Next Chapter →
1
怀
Lu Xun, styled Boyan, came from Wu in Wu Commandery. His birth name was Yi, and his lineage ranked among the great houses of Jiangdong. 〈According to the Lu Clan Epic Praise, Xun's grandfather Shu, styled Shupan, was clever and cultivated, fond of study, and rose to Colonel of the City Gates. His father Jun, styled Jicai, was plain-dealing, trustworthy, and deeply respected by kinsmen and neighbors; his highest office was Commandant of Jiujiang.〉 Xun lost his father while still a boy and lived with his great-uncle Kang, who served as Administrator of Lujiang. Yuan Shu nursed a grievance against Kang and prepared to strike; Kang sent Xun and the rest of the family home to Wu. Several years Kang's son Ji's senior, Xun kept order in the family and ran its affairs.
2
西 便
Sun Quan had already taken the title of general when Xun turned twenty-one. He began in headquarters as clerk of the eastern and western offices, then was posted Colonel of Agricultural Garrison at Haichang with civil duties over the county. 〈The inscription at the Lu ancestral shrine notes that Haichang corresponds to present-day Yanguan County.〉 After years of drought he opened the granaries for the needy, pushed farming and silk production, and the county came to rely on him. Bandits lurked widely in Wu, Kuaiji, and Danyang; Xun petitioned with a practical plan and asked to take the matter under his command. Pan Lin, leader of the mountain bandits in Kuaiji, had plagued the countryside for years without being taken. He recruited soldiers locally, drove deep into the rugged terrain, and brought every pocket to heel until his command exceeded two thousand men. When You Tu of Poyang rebelled, Xun marched once more, earned appointment as Colonel Who Fixes Might, and quartered his troops at Lipu.
3
宿
Sun Quan married him to his elder brother Ce's daughter and often sought his counsel on statecraft. Xun urged: "The realm is locked in stalemate among rival warlords; jackals watch for any opening—only by crushing the foe can there be lasting calm. Numbers alone will not suffice while seasoned hill bandits hold the deep fastnesses. While rebellion festers at our core we cannot reach for distant goals—expand the armies and skim off their best fighters." Sun Quan accepted the proposal and named him commander of the headquarters right wing. When Fei Zhan of Danyang took credentials from Cao Cao, incited the mountain tribes, and promised inside help, Sun Quan dispatched Xun against him. Outnumbered, Xun multiplied signal banners and drums, crept through the passes at night, and rolled forward with a sudden uproar that shattered Zhan's host. He drafted the three eastern commanderies—fit men into the ranks, the rest onto the tax rolls—and raised tens of thousands of veterans. Old bandit nests were cleared along his line of march before he pulled back to Wuhu.
4
便 ! 西
Chunyu Shi of Kuaiji reported that Xun had pressed the populace unjustly and left a trail of misery. On a later visit to court he spoke well of Shi as an able administrator. Sun Quan asked: "He impeached you—why sing his praises?" Xun answered: "His memorial aimed at protecting the common folk—that is why he singled me out. Were I to strike back and blacken his name before Your Majesty, that habit must not be allowed to spread." Sun Quan said: "That is how an elder statesman behaves—few others could manage it." Lü Meng claimed illness and traveled to Jianye; Xun called on him there. Xun asked: "Guan Yu sits on our frontier—why leave for the lower Yangzi? Are we not inviting trouble behind our backs?" Lü Meng replied: "You are right—but I am desperately ill." Xun said: "Guan Yu trusts his martial swagger and tramples everyone in his path. Fresh from a triumph, he is swollen with pride and bent solely on the northern offensive; he hardly notices us. News of your sickness will only deepen his complacency. Strike where he does not expect it and you can take him whole. When you audience with the sovereign, work out the scheme in detail." Lü Meng said: "Guan Yu is redoubtable, holds Jingzhou with wide popularity, and rides a wave of recent victory—his boldness is peaking; he will not be easy to bring down." When Lü Meng arrived at court, Sun Quan asked who could succeed him." He answered: "Lu Xun thinks several moves ahead, shoulders weight well, and plans with steady judgment—he can eventually carry the highest charge. He lacks fame abroad, so Guan Yu will not guard against him—no better choice exists. Use him, but let him play humble while studying the ground—only then can we win." Sun Quan summoned Xun, commissioned him Lieutenant-General and right-wing commander, and sent him to succeed Lü Meng. From Lukou Xun wrote to Guan Yu: "You seized the moment and struck by the book of war—small move, sweeping triumph. Our foe is broken; the ally profits. I rejoiced at the news and imagined you would overrun the field and help restore the imperial order. I am newly posted westward, unworthy as I am, and crave the honor of your dust—I hope for your seasoned guidance." He went on:
5
忿
When Yu Jin fell into your hands, everyone marvelled: they said your fame would outlast the age—that even Duke Wen's victory at Chengpu or Han Xin's stroke against Zhao could not top it. Word is that Xu Huang's light horse have halted within sight of your command banners and study your every move. Cao Cao is wily; rage blinds him to risk, and he may be secretly reinforcing to get his way. They call his troops worn, yet they remain fierce. Victory breeds carelessness; the classics teach that the winning army must grow more alert. May you lay wider plans and clinch the triumph intact. I write clumsily and feel unworthy even of this note. I delight in standing beside your prestige and would lay myself open to you entirely. We have not yet coordinated plans, yet good will may still grow. If your noble eye should fall on me, you will see my sincerity.
6
使
Reading Xun's flattering tone, Guan Yu relaxed completely and dropped his guard. Xun filed a detailed briefing that spelled out exactly how to seize Guan Yu. Sun Quan moved troops upstream in secret with Xun and Lü Meng leading the van; they stormed Gong'an and Nan Commandery as soon as they arrived. Xun drove on, added Yidu to his portfolio, was named General Who Pacifies the Frontier, and received the marquisate of Huating. Liu Bei's prefect Fan You bolted from Yidu; every county seat and tribal head submitted. He asked for gold, silver, and bronze seals to invest the newly surrendered officials. It was the eleventh month of Jian'an 24 (219 CE).
7
西 西 使
He detached Li Yi and Xie Jing with three thousand troops against Shu commanders Zhan Yan and Chen Feng. Yi led the fleet, Jing the foot soldiers; they sealed the defiles, routed Yan's force, and took Feng prisoner. They went on to crush Deng Fu of Fangling and Guo Mu of Nanxiang. The Zigui magnates Wen Bu and Deng Kai rallied thousands of tribal warriors and coordinated operations toward the western front. Xun sent Jing back out and broke Wen Bu and Deng Kai. Bo and Kai escaped and Liu Bei commissioned them as generals. Xun baited them with promises until Wen Bo brought his followers over intact. Kills, prisoners, and defectors ran into the tens of thousands. Sun Quan named him Right Protector of the Army and General Who Guards the West and promoted his fief to Marquis of Lou. 〈The Book of Wu notes that Sun Quan prized Xun's record and wanted him honored beyond his rank as senior general and marquis—he even had Yangzhou Governor Lü Fan formally summon him as aide and nominate him "flourishing talent" for his home province.〉 Many Jingzhou literati had just come over and still lacked suitable posts. Xun memorialized: "Gaozu drew talent from every quarter; Guangwu's revival brought every able man forward—whoever could strengthen the moral order mattered, whether from far or near. Jingzhou is only just pacified and men of talent remain obscure; I humbly ask that you extend shelter and promotion across the board. Let each find his path to office, and the whole realm will turn willingly toward your civilizing rule." Sun Quan accepted the recommendation.
8
Yiling is a choke point of the realm—quick to take, quick to lose. Losing it means more than one commandery; all of Jingzhou would be in peril. This fight must end in success. Liu Bei defies natural order: instead of holding his lair he walks into our trap. Unworthy as I am, I ride your majesty's mandate to punish the rebel—his collapse is at hand. Liu Bei's past campaigns show mostly defeat, seldom victory. By that measure he is hardly worth fretting over. I feared a combined river and land thrust; now he has left his boats for dry ground and strung camps everywhere—his options are spent. May Your Majesty rest easy—there is no cause for concern.
9
便 !
The officers objected: "We should have hit Liu Bei at once. Now we have chased him five or six hundred li and sparred for most of a year; every defile is dug in—an assault gains nothing." Xun replied: "Liu Bei is wily and battle-tested. His host just assembled—focus and discipline are at their peak; do not engage yet. Now they have stayed long and obtained no advantage from us; the troops are weary and the will disheartened; stratagems are no longer born—pincering this bandit is precisely today." He tried one camp first and was thrown back. The generals grumbled: "We are only wasting men." Xun said: "I know how to break them now." He ordered every man to carry straw and take the camps by fire. Once the blaze caught, he threw every column forward at once, slew Zhang Nan, Feng Xi, and the tribal king Shamoke, and overran more than forty camps. Du Lu, Liu Ning, and other Shu officers surrendered when trapped. Liu Bei gained Ma'an Mountain and drew his lines in a ring. Xun closed every side; the Shu army collapsed with tens of thousands dead. Liu Bei fled by night; couriers hauled away armor and gear to cover his retreat, and he barely reached Baidi. Ships, weapons, and supplies vanished in a stroke; bodies choked the river. Liu Bei groaned in shame: "To be broken by Lu Xun—can this be anything but fate?"
10
調
Earlier Sun Huan had struck Liu Bei's van at Yidao, been surrounded, and begged Xun for relief. Xun answered: "Not yet." The officers protested: "Sun Huan is a son of the house, ringed and in trouble—how can we leave him?" Xun replied: "Huan holds the garrison's loyalty; the walls and granaries are sound—he is in no real danger. Once my design runs its course, he will break the siege without a relief column." When the plan matured, Liu Bei routed and fled. Huan later told Xun: "I cursed you for not coming—only now do I see your dispositions were sound." During the Liu Bei campaign the generals—veterans of Sun Ce or royal in-laws—each trusted his own judgment and ignored orders. Xun gripped his sword hilt and declared:
11
使
Liu Bei is known throughout the realm—even Cao Cao counted him a serious rival. He stands on our borders now: a dangerous enemy. You all owe the dynasty your careers; you should stand together, destroy this enemy, and repay the throne—not pull in separate directions. I am only a scholar, yet the sovereign has placed command in my hands. The court asks you to defer to me because I have earned a little trust and can swallow pride for the common good. Each of you has his duty—there is no room for refusal! These orders stand—defy them at your peril.
12
When Liu Bei fell, most of the winning moves had been Xun's; the generals finally conceded. Sun Quan asked: "Why did you not report the commanders who disobeyed earlier?" Xun said: "Your favor toward me runs deep, yet the burden outstripped my ability. Those men are your inner circle, your sword arm, your battle-tested veterans—the state needs every one of them for the great work ahead. I am slow and timid, yet I hoped to emulate Lin Xiangru and Kou Xun—yielding for the sake of the realm." Sun Quan laughed and approved. He promoted Xun to General Who Supports the State with concurrent tenure as Governor of Jingzhou and transferred his fief to Jiangling.
13
便
While Liu Bei held Baidi, Xu Sheng, Pan Zhang, Song Qian, and others competed in memorials insisting he could be taken and urging another strike. Quan put the question to Xun; Xun together with Zhu Ran and Luo Tong held that "Cao Pi is greatly assembling soldiers and masses. He claims to help us against Liu Bei but schemes inside—we should withdraw immediately." Soon Wei struck, and Wu faced enemies on three fronts. 〈The Wu Records says Liu Bei, learning of Wei's offensive, wrote to Xun: "The enemy has reached Jiangling; I mean to march east again—do you think they can pull it off?" Xun replied: "Their army is fresh from defeat and still licking wounds; they seek ties by marriage and must rebuild—they are in no shape for total war. If they misjudge and drive their beaten scraps east again, they will find nowhere to run."〉" Liu Bei soon died. His son Shan succeeded, Zhuge Liang took the reins, and Shu renewed its pact with Sun Quan. When policy required, Sun Quan had Xun negotiate with Zhuge Liang and even left an impressed seal at Xun's command. Letters to Liu Shan and Zhuge Liang crossed Xun's desk first; if wording troubled him, Sun Quan had it revised, sealed, and sent.
14
使 殿 西
In the seventh year of Huangwu (228 CE), Sun Quan had Poyang prefect Zhou Fang lure Wei's Grand Marshal Cao Xiu into a trap. Cao Xiu marched into Wan as hoped; Sun Quan invested Xun with the yellow axe as commander-in-chief to meet him. 〈Lu Ji's epitaph says that when Cao Xiu struck the northern frontier, Xun received the yellow axe, commanded the field armies and imperial guards in the ruler's name, while Sun Quan stood by with whip in hand and every minister bowed. The Wu Records adds that the King of Wu saw him off holding the carriage whip. When Cao Xiu realized the ruse, shame and pride drove him to fight—he trusted his superior numbers. Xun held the center with Zhu Huan and Quan Zong on the wings. Their converging columns smashed Cao Xiu's ambush and routed him to Jiashi. They killed or captured over ten thousand men, seized ten thousand head of livestock and carts, and stripped Wei's baggage train bare. Cao Xiu withdrew and died of a carbuncle on his back. The army marched past Wuchang in triumph; Sun Quan had attendants shade Xun with the imperial umbrella through the palace gates. The gifts were palace treasures without parallel. He was sent back to his post at Xiling.
15
The statutes are harsh, and those who run afoul of them are legion. Commanders and clerks keep falling foul of the law—some deserve blame, yet the empire is not united; we should pursue practical gains and grant minor offenses clemency to steady morale. Business multiplies daily and ability matters most. Unless a man is irredeemably corrupt, I ask that proven offenders be reinstated so their talents serve the state. That is how sage kings overlook slips and remember service—how dynasties are built. Gaozu forgave Chen Ping's lapses and used his stratagems—glory that still echoes after a thousand years. Draconian law is no foundation for lasting rule; punishment without rage is no blueprint for winning distant peoples.
16
When Sun Quan planned expeditions to Yizhou (Taiwan) and Hainan, he asked Xun, who replied in a memorial:
17
The realm is still divided; the state must husband popular strength for urgent tasks. Years of campaigning have thinned our ranks while Your Majesty wears yourself out with worry. You skip meals and sleep to mount a distant strike on Yiz—I have weighed it again and again. I see no gain: an assault across open ocean invites unpredictable seas and sickness when troops swap climates. Marching our depleted armies through barren islands promises loss, not profit. Hainan is deadly terrain and its folk barely settled—its villages would not help us, and skipping them would not weaken us. Our Jiangdong armies suffice for our aims—we should husband strength and strike only when ready. Prince Huan began with fewer than a regiment yet carved out a realm. You inherited the mandate and pacified the south. Rebellion requires armies to overawe it, yet farming and silk are the people's foundation—war still rages and families go cold and hungry. Nurture the people, lighten taxes, keep harmony in the ranks, and rally courage with justice—the Central Plains will yield and the nine regions unite.
18
Sun Quan invaded Yizhou anyway and gained less than it cost. When Gongsun Yuan broke the alliance, Sun Quan meant to lead an expedition himself. Xun answered with a memorial:
19
使忿 姿西 忿 使 耀
Gongsun Yuan holds the rugged northeast, holds our envoy hostage, and withholds promised horses—cause enough for wrath. Those tribes beyond civilization flit along the frontier and defy imperial troops—yet Your Majesty would brave the sea on account of insult, heedless of peril. The realm boils with rivals who posture and strike like tigers. Your Majesty in martial splendor answered heaven's call—you crushed Cao at Wulin, broke Liu Bei at Xiling, took Guan Yu in Jingzhou: those three were the age's champions. You broke each at the height of his power. Your virtue bows the grass for a thousand leagues—you are on the verge of unifying the Central Plains. Yet over a slight insult you would thunder forth, ignore the caution about leaning from high halls, and hazard the realm—that puzzles me. They say the traveler bound for a distant goal does not quit halfway; those who would rule the world do not sacrifice the whole for a trifle. Powerful enemies ring us while distant tribes withhold tribute. A raft-borne expedition invites rivals to probe our heartland—by the time disaster strikes, regret is useless. Win the greater contest elsewhere and Gongsun Yuan will kneel without a blow; why fuss over Liaodong's horses and foot soldiers while risking Jiangdong's secure foundation? Rest the armies, overawe the foe by reputation alone, secure the Central Plains first, and leave glory for posterity.
20
Sun Quan followed his advice.
21
使 便退 便 退使 使 使 {}
In Jiahe 5 (236 CE) Sun Quan marched north. He sent Xun with Zhuge Jin against Xiangyang. Xun sent his man Han Bian to court with a memorial and bring back the sovereign's answer. Wei patrols on the Han River seized Han Bian. Zhuge Jin was terrified. He wrote to Xun: "The sovereign has withdrawn; the enemy captured Han Bian and knows our whole disposition. The river is falling—we must pull out fast." Xun did not answer. He ordered radish and bean planting and played weiqi and archery with his officers as if nothing were wrong. Zhuge Jin said: "Boyan is too clever not to have a plan." He went to Xun, who said: "Wei knows Your Majesty has withdrawn—they need no longer guard Luoyang and can focus everything on us. They hold the choke points; our men are rattled. We must steady them, lay fresh stratagems, then move. If now we immediately show withdrawal, the bandits will suppose we fear and will come again to press us—it is the posture of certain defeat." He confided a plan to Jin: Jin would hold the fleet while Xun marched every soldier toward Xiangyang. Wei troops, who dreaded Xun, rushed back to defend the walls. Jin slipped the fleet downstream while Xun re-formed his ranks with a show of force and marched the infantry aboard unopposed. At Baiwei they announced a hunting halt while Zhou Jun and Zhang Liang swept down on Xinshi, Anlu, and bustling Shiyang in Jiangxia. The townsfolk abandoned their bundles at the gates. The crush blocked the gates; defenders slew their own people to shut them. Only then could they bar the doors. They killed or captured more than a thousand. 〈Pei Songzhi objected: If Xun reasoned that Wei's return east freed Cao Wei to focus on him, and he had already bluffed the enemy into caution and could float downstream unthreatened, why then launch secret raids on petty towns, panicking commoners into trampling one another? A thousand prisoners hardly hurt Wei; they only made blameless townsfolk suffer. How far this is from Zhuge Liang's measured host on the Wei! When warmaking breaks the art of war, the penalty follows. Wu's line did not last three generations—perished in the grandson's reign—perhaps this was one seed of that end. Every prisoner was sheltered; troops were forbidden to molest them. Families who came forward were examined and registered. Anyone separated from kin received clothing, food, and kind words before being sent home; some, moved by his decency, brought neighbors back with them. The borderlands remembered him warmly. 〈Pei Songzhi commented that this was like burning the woods and ruining the nest while sparing a few chicks—petty mercy that cannot undo wholesale harm.〉 Zhao Zhuo of Jiangxia, Pei Sheng from Yiyang, tribal king Mei Yi, and their followers all pledged themselves to Xun. Xun spent his own treasure to feed and comfort them.
22
宿 使
Meanwhile Wei's Jiangxia prefect Lu Shi—sources disagree on the orthography of his surname. 〈A sidebar records the name as Lu Shi—the main text uses a different character for the surname.〉 He also commanded troops and became a nuisance on the frontier. He had long been at odds with Wen Pin's son Wen Xiu, the northern veteran. When Xun learned of it, he forged a letter to Dai Shi: "Your heartfelt plea is understood—you and Wen Xiu cannot coexist; you wish to defect. I have secretly forwarded your letter to the throne and am gathering troops to welcome you. Prepare in secret and send a firm rendezvous." He planted the letter on the border. Dai's men showed it to him; panic-stricken, Dai sent his family to Luoyang himself. His officers deserted him and he was stripped of office. 〈Pei Songzhi argued that frontier officers often make trouble; removing Dai Shi only replaces one headache with another unless the man is truly dangerous—hardly worth sullying high policy with a petty ruse. Calling such deceit admirable is something I reject.
23
宿
In the sixth year of Chiwu (243 CE), General Zhou Qi asked to levy troops in Poyang; the court referred the matter to Xun. Xun argued that Poyang's people were volatile—recruitment would be unwise. It would spark rebellion. Zhou Qi insisted; Wu Ju of the county rose in revolt, slew Zhou Qi, and overran the districts. Hardened malcontents in Yuzhang and Luling joined Wu Ju's rebellion. Xun marched as soon as word reached him, crushed the rising, and accepted Wu Ju's surrender. He drafted eight thousand elite soldiers and pacified three commanderies. Palace inspector Lü Yi had seized clandestine power and threw his weight around. Xun and Chamberlain Pan Jun agonized together until they wept. Sun Quan later executed Lü Yi and bitterly blamed himself; see Sun Quan's biography.
24
便 怀
Xie Yuan, Xie Gong, and others petitioned with proposals for reform and profit, 〈The Kuaiji Canon Record says Xie Yuan, styled Xiude, farmed his own fields without complaint or distraction and won a reputation. Recommended as filial and incorrupt, he rose to General Who Establishes Might and still championed worthy men even on campaign. Luo Tong's son Xiu faced nasty gossip at home; rumor wavered and no one could clear him. Yuan sighed: "Gongxu died young—we who swore fellowship still grieve. I hear his son's aims and conduct are clear and discriminating, yet he suffers slander of dark obscurity—I hoped you gentlemen would fiercely and loftily decide, yet each harbors hesitation—not what was hoped." Xiu was vindicated, cleared of stain, and rose to distinction—thanks to Yuan's advocacy. The Wu Calendar praises Xie Gong's eloquence and craft. The proposals went to Xun for review. Xun replied:
25
祿
The state rests on the people—its strength and wealth rise from them. The people and the throne rise or fall together—prosperous subjects do not pair with a broken dynasty, nor desperate subjects with a vigorous one. Thus whoever wins the people governs well; whoever loses them faces chaos. Demanding full exertion without granting gain is futile. The Classic of Poetry praises rulers who suit both people and nobles and receive heaven's mandate. Extend mercy, steady the commoners, fill the treasury in a few years, then revisit reform.
26
In Chiwu 7 (244 CE) he succeeded Gu Yong as chancellor. The edict read:
27
使使 !
We lack virtue, yet heaven called us to rule while the realm stays divided and villains throng the roads. We tremble day and night and scarcely sleep. You combine keen judgment with luminous virtue; as commander-in-chief you have steadied the state through crisis. Those who surpass their age deserve surpassing honor; those who unite civil and martial gifts must shoulder the altars of state. Yi Yin raised Shang; Lü Wang aided Zhou—you bear both inner and outer charge as they did. We name you chancellor and send Fu Chang of the Chamberlain's office with the seals of office. Brighten your virtue, perfect your record, obey the throne's commands, and bring peace to the four quarters. Ah! You oversee the Three Offices and instruct the bureaucracy—approach this with awe and strive still harder. You remain Governor, Protector-General, and governor of Wuchang as before.
28
宿 使 使
Earlier, with both Heir and Prince of Lu building factions, officials at court and in the provinces sent sons to staff the two households. Quan Zong informed Xun, who wrote: If your sons are truly able, they will be employed in due course; they should not angle for position in the princes' courts. If they are not, they will only court disaster. The two establishments are at odds—ancient sages most feared that. Zong's son Ji toadied to the Prince of Lu and stirred trouble anyway. Xun wrote: "You do not imitate Jin Midi's stern virtue yet harbor Ji—you will bring ruin on your house. Zong ignored him, and their friendship cooled. When the crown prince looked insecure, Xun memorialized: "The heir holds the legitimate line and must stand immovable as rock; the Prince of Lu is only a feudatory prince—rank and favor must differ so both houses and the throne stay secure. I kowtow until blood flows to make this heard." He sent three or four memorials and asked leave to come to the capital to argue the heir's status in person. Sun Quan refused. Xun's nephews Gu Tan, Gu Cheng, and Yao Xin, who had sided with the heir through family ties, were unjustly banished. The heir's tutor Wu Can was jailed and died for frequently corresponding with Xun. Sun Quan repeatedly sent envoys to upbraid him. Xun died of rage and grief at sixty-three. He left no fortune behind.
29
When Ji Yan floated his scheme to rank officers, Xun warned him it would end in disaster. He told Zhuge Ke: "Those senior to me I will raise alongside myself; those junior I will lift up. Yet you lord it over your superiors and despise those beneath. That is no way to build lasting safety." Yang Zhu of Guangling rose young to fame, yet Xun predicted his ruin. He urged Zhu's brother Mu to split the clan and distance himself. Such was his foresight. His eldest son Yan died young; the second, Kang, inherited the title. Under Sun Xiu he was posthumously titled Marquis Zhao.
30
使 西 西
Lu Kang, styled Youjie, was a grandson of Sun Ce on the distaff side. Kang was twenty when his father died. He became Colonel Who Establishes Might with five thousand of Xun's troops, escorted the bier east, then went to the capital. Sun Quan, acting on Yang Zhu's twenty counts against Xun, isolated Kang and sent eunuchs to question him. Kang needed no brief—he answered each charge from memory until Sun Quan's anger eased. In Chiwu 9 (246 CE) he rose to General of the Household Who Establishes Integrity and swapped bases with Zhuge Ke at Chaisang. Before leaving he rebuilt walls and roofs and forbade any damage to houses, mulberries, or orchards. When Zhuge Ke took over, the camp looked newly built. Zhuge Ke felt ashamed that his old Chaisang post lay half ruined. In Taiyuan 1 (251 CE) he went to the capital for medical care. When he recovered he prepared to return. Sun Quan wept at leave-taking: "I once listened to slander and wronged your father—that wrong rests on you. Burn every accusation lodged against him—let no one see them again." In Jianxing 1 (252 CE) he became General Who Displays Might. In Taiping 2 (257 CE), when Zhuge Dan surrendered Shouchun, Kang took command at Chaisang, marched to Shouchun, routed Wei's camp officers, and rose to General Who Conquers the North. In Yong'an 2 (259 CE) he became General Who Guards the Army with river defense responsibility from the old Guan Yu sector to Baidi. The next year he received imperial credentials. Sun Hao promoted him to Grand General Who Guards the Army with nominal tenure as Governor of Yizhou. When Left Grand Marshal Shi Ji died in Jianheng 2 (270 CE), Kang took overall command from Xinling through Gong'an with headquarters at Lexiang.
31
Hearing endless flaws in court policy, Kang grew deeply troubled. He therefore memorialized:
32
西 西 西
When virtue is evenly matched, numbers decide the fight; when strength is comparable, the steadier hand wins—how the six states fell to Qin and Xiang Yu bowed to Liu Bang. Wei spans the nine provinces—not merely Guanzhong. They hold the nine regions—far beyond the Hong Canal line. We lack allies abroad and strength at home like Western Chu; administration slackens and the people lack peace. Counselors trust only rivers and mountains—that is the last resort of defense, not what wise rulers prioritize. I study Warring States fate and Han's fall in the texts, then watch our own conduct—I wake at midnight clutching my pillow and lose my appetite. Huo Qubing refused mansions while the Xiongnu lived. Jia Yi wept while Han still wandered from the Way—I spring from the imperial clan, owe everything to the throne, rise or fall with Wu, share life and death with it. Duty forbids complacency; grief keeps me sleepless. A loyal minister may risk offense but never deceit; he stakes life on duty. I therefore submit seventeen timely proposals below.
33
The seventeen proposals no longer survive in the sources and are omitted.
34
He Ding dominated the court while eunuchs meddled in policy. Lu Kang memorialized:
35
使
Founding a house forbids employing petty men—the classics warn against slanderous courtiers; poets rail against them and Confucius sighed over them. Since the Spring and Autumn annals, through Qin and Han, every collapse traces back to this mistake. Petty men lack judgment; even at their loyal best they are unreliable—let alone when ambition runs deep and shifts with every whim. Fearing the loss of place, they stop at nothing. Give them power and expect enlightened rule—impossible. Today's officials include few stars, yet many are gentle-born and trained in duty from childhood; others rose through austere integrity with proven competence. Match men to posts, purge the court of parasites, and government runs clean.
36
西 西 使 西 退 使
Jin's Xu Yin sailed toward Jianping while Jingzhou Inspector Yang Zhao reached Xiling. Lu Kang ordered Zhang Xian to hold the walls; Sun Zun of Gong'an patrolled the south shore against Yang Hu; Liu Lü and Zhu Wan blocked Xu Yin. Lu Kang led the host from behind the siege lines against Yang Zhao. Zhu Qiao and Yu Zan deserted to Yang Zhao. Kang said: "Yu Zan knows our order of battle. I always feared our tribal auxiliaries were raw—the enemy would strike there first in a siege. That night he swapped the tribal levies for seasoned officers. Next morning Zhao hit the old tribal sector; Kang wheeled his line and crushed him under a storm of missiles. Yang Zhao had been there a full month. Out of options, he slipped away by night. Kang wanted pursuit but feared Bu Chan held fresh troops in reserve; his own men were stretched thin. He beat drums as if chasing to bluff Yang Zhao. Zhao's men panicked, threw off armor, and fled; light Wu troops ran them down. Yang Zhao routed; Yang Hu withdrew. Kang stormed Xiling, executed Bu Chan's clan and senior officers, and spared tens of thousands who pleaded mercy. He rebuilt the walls, marched east to Lexiang without swagger, and kept the army's devotion. 〈The Jin Yangqiu records that Lu Kang and Yang Hu cultivated the diplomatic courtesy once shown between Ji Zha of Wu and Zichan of Zheng. Kang once sent wine; Yang Hu drank without fear of poison. When Kang fell ill, Hu sent physic; Kang swallowed it in the same spirit of trust. Onlookers said Hua Yuan and Sima Zifan lived again. The Han Jin Annals adds that Yang Hu, once home, doubled down on good faith to win eastern hearts. Lu Kang told the frontier: "If they brandish virtue while we brandish cruelty, we surrender without a battle. Hold the line and renounce petty raids—that is enough." Grain stood ungathered in the border belt; stray herds crossed with notice—both sides honored the truce. When hunters clashed on the Han, wounded prisoners were exchanged both ways. Kang once asked Hu for medicine; Hu handed over sealed doses: "I compounded this myself yesterday and have not tried it—your need is urgent, so you take it first." Kang drank it despite his officers' protests and said nothing. Sun Hao questioned the détente; Kang answered: "Even a hamlet needs honorable men—how much more two kingdoms? Your subject not doing thus would just suffice to display his virtue ear—it does Hu no harm." Critics accused both men of betraying ministerial duty. Xi Zuochi argues that right principle and good faith win the world—even when grand strategy fails and honor fades, every conqueror from warlord to shepherd still rides on moral prestige; none thrives by sheer fraud alone. Duke Wen of Jin pulled back his siege and earned Yuan's surrender; Zhao Muzi stormed Gu yet taught restraint; a smith's counsel brought Fei back to Lu; Yue Yi's patient siege still echoes. Their victories rested on more than arms and trickery. Forty years of tripartite stalemate—neither Wu crosses the Huai and Han nor Jin masters the Long River: evenly matched strength leaves virtue the only lever. Ravaging the foe helps us less than enriching ourselves without slaughter; terror wins less than breadth of virtue that draws the people. Force cannot humble even one stubborn commoner—how much less a realm? Coercion ranks below attraction by virtue—especially when you lack control. Thus Yang Hu pursued universal harmony, balanced arms with mercy, evened his kindness across Wu, spread inclusive love to tame brutality, and reshaped hearts south of the river without drawing swords. His reputation drew crowds across borders; never had Wu faced so benign an adversary. Kang saw Wu small under a tyrant while Jin flourished; his people admired the enemy's virtue and feared abandonment. To steady hearts and brace a weak state against a great power, nothing matched answering virtue with virtue. Let Jin's kindness fail to overshadow ours while Wu's decency travels abroad; win contests of council and conviction without bronze blades; hold the realm without relying on walls; let faith move even sworn foes and candor echo ancient honor. Surely that beats petty traps that ruin good men, vanity, greed, or nodding submission without readiness! Clinging to posts is work any soldier can do; petty stratagems suit petty minds; layered deceit is slave-level thinking; terror masquerading as peace earns contempt from the wise. Great men redeem ages by choosing magnanimity over meanness—that is the wider Way.
37
He was further named Protector-General. Learning that Xue Ying of Wuchang had been jailed, he memorialized:
38
Talented ministers are the dynasty's treasure and the state's capital. They bring order to policy and calm to the court. Lou Xuan, Wang Fan, and Li Xu were pillars of their generation—honored, then executed or exiled and their lines destroyed. The classics urge sparing able men. The Documents says: "Better misjudge than execute the innocent." Yet Wang Fan and company died before verdict—loyal hearts condemned to death: unbearable! Corpses burned or floated downstream stray from ancient statute—the caution Bo Yi warned of. The people tremble; gentry and commons grieve alike. I beg you to pardon Lou Xuan; now I learn Xue Ying has also been arrested. His father served two sovereigns with honor; Xue Ying upheld the family name—the alleged offense deserves mercy. If authorities rush execution without proof, hope dies—pardon Xue Ying, review common cases, clean the courts—the realm will rejoice!
39
Campaign followed campaign while the people collapsed. Lu Kang wrote:
40
使 便
The Changes honors timely action; the Commentary praises striking when heaven shows an opening—Tang punished Xia, Wu punished Zhou. Without timing, even sacred councils hesitate and armies turn back at Meng Ford. Instead of enriching the state, farming, deploying talent, and filling every office, ranking officials honestly, judging rewards and punishments, teaching departments virtue, and ruling with kindness—you indulge generals who raid for glory, waste treasure, exhaust troops, barely scratch the enemy, and leave Wu dying! Trading imperial stature for petty gains serves plotting ministers, not Wu. Lu twice beat Qi yet fell overnight—size decides survival. Why? Power differs with scale. Our raids hardly repay their cost! History warns against armies without popular backing—pause petty offensives, rebuild strength, watch for heaven's opening, avoid regret.
41
In spring of the second year he took office as Grand Marshal and Governor of Jingzhou.
42
That summer he fell gravely ill. He memorialized:
43
西 西西西 西 姿 使滿 西
Xiling and Jianping shield the realm yet sit downstream and face two fronts. If Jin sails downstream with a thousand li of hulls, relief from elsewhere cannot arrive in time—it is an inverted county hanging by a thread. This governs the fate of the altars—not a petty border scrape. My father once warned that Xiling is Wu's western gate—easy to defend yet easy to lose. If it falls we lose not one commandery but all Jingzhou. At the first alarm Wu must stake everything on its defense. When I stood at Xiling in my father's footsteps I asked for thirty thousand veterans, yet (text breaks) the clerks stuck to routine and refused to send them. After the Bu Chan affair our strength shrank further. I hold a thousand li against enemies on four fronts—foreign foes without, tribes within—yet fewer than ten thousand fit soldiers remain after years of strain; I cannot meet a crisis. The royal princes are minors—appoint tutors instead of drafting their households for war and distracting vital business. Palace eunuchs monopolize recruitment; troops and peasants resent corvée and flee into their nets. Issue an edict to audit every draft and redeploy those men to the threatened sectors until my command reaches eighty thousand. Cut wasteful duties and enforce clear rewards—even Han Xin and Bai Qi could do no better. Without more troops and reform, hoping for great success is what I dread most. When I am gone, treat the western frontier as the realm's first charge. If Your Majesty weighs these words, I may die without regret.
44
怀
He died that autumn; his son Lu Yan inherited the title. Yan and his brothers Jing, Xuan, Ji, and Yun split their father's command. Yan became Lieutenant-General and inspector of Yidao. In Tianji 4 (280 CE) Jin invaded Wu; Wang Jun sailed downriver. City after city fell—exactly as Lu Kang had warned. Lu Jing, styled Shiren, married a princess and became Commandant of Cavalry and Marquis of Piling; commanding his father's troops he rose to Lieutenant-General and Zhongxia commander, lived cleanly, studied widely, and wrote dozens of essays. 〈The Literary Men's Tradition says Lu Jing's mother was Zhang Cheng's daughter and Zhuge Ke's sister—Lu Jing was Zhuge Ke's nephew. When Zhuge Ke fell, she lost her rank. His grandmother raised him; when she died he mourned her three years though not bound by ritual. On renxu in the second month Yan fell to Wang Jun's flank force. The next day Jing died as well, aged thirty-one. Jing's wife was Sun Hao's full sister; both were Zhang Cheng's grandchildren. 〈Younger brothers Lu Ji, styled Shiheng, and Lu Yun, styled Shilong: The Separate Biography of Ji and Yun states: Late Taikang of Jin, both entered Luoyang—visited Minister of Works Zhang Hua—Hua on one seeing wondered at them, saying: "The Wu campaign's profit lies in obtaining two talents." He praised them everywhere and recommended them at court. Yang Jun named Ji libationer; he later served as crown prince attendant and Secretariat compiler. Yun was steward to the Prince of Wu, then magistrate of Junyi, where his kindness earned shrines while he still lived. Both rose to high office. Lu Ji's genius and prose stood unrivaled. Lu Yun wrote well—less brilliant than his brother but sharper in debate. When the court convulsed, both brothers attached themselves to Sima Ying. Ying made Ji governor of Pingyuan and Yun administrator of Qinghe. Yun soon became right majordomo and enjoyed Ying's full trust. Soon Ying quarreled with the Prince of Changsha and marched on Luoyang with two hundred thousand men under Ji, Wang Cui, and Qian Xiu; Lu Yun composed the Southern Campaign Rhapsody to glorify it. A lone Wu outsider thrust above northern officers—many resented him. Ji lost battle after battle; more than half his men fled or died. The favorite eunuch Meng Jiu abused his influence; Lu Yun exposed him but Ying ignored the warnings and Jiu slandered Yun. Meng Chao served under Ji but ignored orders. Ji disciplined him; Chao cried treason. Qian Xiu accused Ji of playing both sides; Meng Jiu whispered in court; Ying believed him and arrested Ji, Yun, and their brother Dan—all were executed. The luminaries of the south perished innocent—the realm mourned. Lu Ji's prose became canonical; Lu Yun's survives as well. When Kang slaughtered Bu Chan's line down to infants, wise men said: "His house will answer for it! When the Lu clan perished root and branch, Sun Hui wrote Zhu Dan: "Ma Yuan chose his lord wisely—we never thought the three Lu would cling to a tyrant court and lose life and fame—heartbreaking. The tale fills the Jinshu.
45
Appraisal
46
!
The historian says: "Liu Bei terrified his age, yet the young Lu Xun—still unknown—crushed him utterly. I admire Xun's strategy and Sun Quan's eye for talent—the partnership that won Wu's great battles. Xun served with utter loyalty until grief consumed him—a true pillar of state. Kang matched his father's steadfast genius across generations—compressed yet complete; he indeed upheld the house."
← Previous Chapter
Back to Chapters
Next Chapter →