A Huinan

Historical Record

Concerning A Huinan, there is no record whatsoever in the official Records of the Three Kingdoms or its related sources. In the great current of history the name A Huinan left not a single trace, and so we cannot verify from the historical material his life, his deeds, or any specific role in the Three Kingdoms period. He is not a real historical figure but one given life in literary creation.

In the Novel

A Huinan is a fictional character in Romance of the Three Kingdoms, one of the three Cave Marshals under the Southern Man king Meng Huo, appearing during Zhuge Liang's southern campaign. He first appears in chapter 87 of the novel ^c:4008, when Meng Huo, learning that Zhuge Liang had cleverly defeated Yong Kai and the others, summoned the three marshals Jinhuansanjie, Dongtuna, and A Huinan to plan a response. Meng Huo ordered them to advance against the enemy by three routes and promised that the victor would become a cave lord. A Huinan, in obedience to the order, led fifty thousand Man troops and took charge of the advance on the right route ^c:4008.

A Huinan's fate, however, came to an abrupt end in chapter 88 ^c:4009. After his initial defeat, Meng Huo conceived a vicious scheme: under the pretext that Kongming had a commission for them, he sent a trusted man to lure Dongtuna and A Huinan to the great camp's tent, whereupon the swordsmen and axemen lying in wait rushed forward, killed the two men, and threw their bodies into a ravine. Meng Huo did this to eliminate dissenters, consolidate his own authority, and set the stage for his later schemes. A Huinan's image in the novel is that of a subordinate general loyal to Meng Huo, but his cunning and military talent are not fully displayed, and in the end he becomes a victim of Meng Huo's plot. His fate highlights Meng Huo's cruelty and suspicion, and adds dramatic color to Zhuge Liang's later "Seven Captures of Meng Huo." A Huinan's image is a typical literary creation, meant to enrich the gallery of figures in the Southern Man camp and to advance the story; his existence serves entirely the narrative needs of the novel and has nothing to do with real history.

Key Relationships

* Meng Huo (commands_in): A Huinan was one of the three Cave Marshals under the Southern Man king Meng Huo ^c:4008. He obeyed Meng Huo's orders and led troops to resist the Shu Han army. In the end, however, Meng Huo betrayed and killed him ^c:4009 (novel-only).
* Jinhuansanjie (colleague): A Huinan and Jinhuansanjie were both Cave Marshals of Meng Huo, taking part together in the deployment to resist the Shu Han army ^c:4008 (novel-only).
* Dongtuna (colleague): A Huinan and Dongtuna were both Cave Marshals of Meng Huo, and the two divided their forces along two routes at Meng Huo's command. In the end, they were both schemed against and killed together by Meng Huo ^c:4009 (novel-only).

Iconic Scenes

* Ordered to divide the forces into three routes (novel-only): In chapter 87 of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Meng Huo summoned the three Cave Marshals to plan a response. A Huinan, as one of them, was ordered to lead fifty thousand Man troops and take the right route to give battle to Zhuge Liang's great Shu Han army. This is the first and only time he is clearly given a command on the battlefield, displaying his standing within the Southern Man army ^c:4008.
* Schemed against and killed by Meng Huo (novel-only): In chapter 88 of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, after his initial defeat, Meng Huo, to eliminate dissenters and further carry out his scheme, sent a trusted man, under the pretext that Kongming had a commission, to lure A Huinan and Dongtuna to the great camp. Thereupon the swordsmen and axemen Meng Huo had lying in wait killed the two men and threw their bodies into a ravine. This scene is A Huinan's final end in the novel and the turning point of his fate, profoundly revealing Meng Huo's cruel nature ^c:4009.