Chen Jiao

Historical Record

Chen Jiao, styled Jibi, was a native of Dongyang in Guangling. In a time of great upheaval across the realm, he once relocated to Jiangdong and Dongcheng to escape the wars, during which time he declined the overtures of Sun Ce and Yuan Shu, and at last returned to his home commandery. The Administrator of Guangling, Chen Deng, held him in high regard and asked him to serve as Officer of Merit. Chen Deng once sent Chen Jiao to Xu, the capital, to observe the discussions at court and bring back his views. After Chen Jiao returned, he frankly reported that people at Xu mostly said Chen Deng was "arrogant and self-important." To this Chen Deng explained that those he admired were all the outstanding men of the age, such as the Chen Yuan brothers, Hua Ziyu, Zhao Yuanda, Kong Wenju and Liu Xuande; as for "the petty fellows of small account, how could they be worth recording?"—thereby declaring his lofty aspirations. Such was Chen Deng's magnanimity, and he held Chen Jiao in even deeper respect and affection ^c:4121.

Later, the Guangling commandery was besieged by Sun Quan at Kuangqi, and Chen Deng again dispatched Chen Jiao to seek aid from Cao Cao. Chen Jiao met with Cao Cao and, on the grounds that "though our humble commandery is small, it is a strategically advantageous state," strongly argued the importance of relieving Guangling commandery, holding that this move would not only thwart the schemes of the men of Wu and stabilize Xu Province, but also overawe distant regions and manifest benevolence, so that states not yet submitted would turn toward him like grass before the wind, ultimately accomplishing the royal enterprise. Cao Cao greatly admired Chen Jiao's ability and wished to keep him. Chen Jiao, however, declined courteously on the grounds that "my home state hangs upside down in peril; I came running to report the emergency. Even if I cannot achieve the effect of Shen Xu, how dare I forget the righteousness of Hong Yan?"—declaring his unwavering loyalty. Cao Cao, moved by his loyalty and righteousness, thereupon dispatched troops to the rescue. After the Wu army withdrew, Chen Deng laid an ambush and pursued the Wu army, crushing it ^c:4124.

Cao Cao later recruited Chen Jiao as an Aide to the Minister of Works, and he successively held such posts as Prefect of the Chancellor, Senior Clerk of the General Who Campaigns Against the South, Administrator of Pengcheng and Leling, and Commandant of the Western Section of Wei Commandery. While Commandant of the Western Section of Wei Commandery, there was a commoner of Quzhou whose father was ill, who prayed with an ox; the magistrate wished to execute him in the marketplace. Chen Jiao held that the man was a filial son and submitted a memorial pardoning him. He was later promoted to Administrator of Wei Commandery, where he faced several hundred long-pending cases of prisoners. He held that the Zhou had the system of the three codes and the Han the law of the three articles, yet men of the present only attended to the principle of heavy and light while neglecting the harm of prolonged detention—truly an error. So he personally reviewed all the indictments and decided them all within a single day. When Cao Cao campaigned in the east, Chen Jiao entered the court to serve as Senior Clerk of the Chancellor. After the army returned, he again became Administrator of Wei Commandery, then transferred to Attendant of the Western Bureau. After accompanying Cao Cao on the campaign against Hanzhong, he again entered the court as Master of Writing ^c:4125.

When Cao Cao died at Luoyang, Chen Jiao had not yet reached Ye. At that time the assembled ministers, clinging to convention, held that the accession of the Crown Prince Cao Pi must await an edict. Chen Jiao overrode the others' objections, pointing out: "The King has died abroad, and all under Heaven are in terror and dread. The Crown Prince ought to set aside his grief and ascend the throne, so as to bind the hopes of near and far. Moreover, there is a beloved son at hand; should change arise on either side, then the altars of state will be imperiled." Acting decisively, he prepared all the ceremonies and arranged everything within a single day. The next day, by the command of the Queen, Lady Bian, it was proclaimed that the Crown Prince Cao Pi had ascended the throne, and a general amnesty was declared throughout the realm. Cao Pi praised this, saying: "Chen Jibi, faced with a great crisis, was clear in counsel beyond other men—truly an outstanding man of the age." After Cao Pi ascended the throne, Chen Jiao transferred to the Bureau of Personnel and was enfeoffed as Marquis of Gaoling Precinct, then promoted to Master of Writing. After Emperor Ming, Cao Rui, ascended the throne, he was advanced to Marquis of Dongxiang, with a fief of six hundred households. On one occasion, Emperor Ming suddenly arrived at the gate of the Department of State Affairs; Chen Jiao knelt and asked where His Majesty intended to go. Emperor Ming told him he wished to inspect the documents, but Chen Jiao frankly said that this was the duty of his subordinates and not something His Majesty ought to attend to in person; if his servant were not fit for the post, he would beg to resign of his own accord—and he urged the Emperor to return to the palace. Emperor Ming, hearing this, felt ashamed and turned his carriage back, which shows Chen Jiao's bright integrity ^c:4125.

Chen Jiao was once falsely accused by Liu Ye of monopolizing power, but fortunately Emperor Ming perceived the truth clearly and in the end bestowed five ingots of gold to show his trust. Emperor Ming once asked Chen Jiao whether Sima Yi could be called a minister of the altars of state, and Chen Jiao answered: "He is the hope of the court; as for the altars of state, that I do not know." In the first year of Jingchu, Chen Jiao died, with the posthumous title Marquis Zhen ^c:4125. In his early years, when Chen Jiao served as Officer of Merit of his commandery, he passed through Mount Tai, and the Administrator of Mount Tai, Xue Ti, held him in high regard, and the two became close friends. Xue Ti once joked: "For a commandery clerk to befriend one of two-thousand-bushel rank, for the lord of a neighboring state to condescend to associate with a vassal's vassal—is this not fitting!" Later Xue Ti too served as Administrator of Wei Commandery and Master of Writing, in each case succeeding to Chen Jiao's post ^c:4126.

In the Novel

In the *Romance of the Three Kingdoms*, Chen Jiao's image revolves mainly around his identity as a strategist of Cao Wei, especially his counsel at critical moments. When Zhou Yu attacked Nan Commandery, Gan Ning advised first taking Yiling, and Cao Ren consulted with Chen Jiao. Chen Jiao held that "if Yiling is lost, Nan Commandery cannot be held either; it ought to be relieved at once," prompting Cao Ren to dispatch Cao Chun and Niu Jin to the rescue—echoing Chen Jiao's strategic acumen in the historical record ^c:4127.

However, the novel also contains episodes at variance with history. After Zhou Yu failed to take Nan Commandery, only for Zhuge Liang to seize Jing Province and Xiangyang, Cheng Pu said, "if he had captured Chen Jiao, the military tally would naturally all have passed to him," hinting that Chen Jiao had been captured by Zhuge Liang, and that this caused Cao Wei's military tally to fall into Zhuge Liang's hands, enabling Zhuge Liang to fraudulently redeploy the Cao army and take the cities with ease ^c:6645. This episode is recorded in no history; it is a literary invention by the novel to highlight Zhuge Liang's stratagems.

After Cao Cao's death, on the matter of Cao Pi's accession, Chen Jiao displayed decisiveness and firmness. When the assembled ministers hesitated, having received no imperial edict, Chen Jiao stepped forth, drew his sword and slashed his robe, and sternly declared: "This very day I beg that the heir succeed to the throne. Any official who voices dissent—let this robe be the example!"—thereby overawing the assembled ministers and prompting Cao Pi's accession ^c:6646. Although this episode accords with the historical Chen Jiao who, "faced with a great crisis, was clear in counsel beyond other men," the dramatized performance of slashing the robe and drawing the sword is plainly the novel's artistic embellishment, meant to reinforce his resolute and decisive character. Subsequently Hua Xin arrived bearing the Han Emperor's edict, which made Cao Pi's accession all the more proper ^c:6646.

Key Relationships

* Cao Wei (serves): Chen Jiao served the Cao Wei regime all his life; he was given important employment from Cao Cao's time, held many posts, and through the reigns of Cao Pi and Cao Rui rose to Minister over the Masses—an important pillar of Cao Wei ^c:4125.
* Sun Ce (enemy_of): In his early years, while escaping the wars in Jiangdong, Chen Jiao declined Sun Ce's overtures, declaring his unwillingness to serve the Sun clan ^c:4121.
* Yuan Shu (enemy_of): Like Sun Ce, Chen Jiao also declined Yuan Shu's summons, showing his negative attitude toward the Yuan Shu faction ^c:4121.
* Chen Deng (friend_of): Chen Jiao was on close terms with the Administrator of Guangling, Chen Deng. Chen Deng greatly admired his ability, asked him to serve as Officer of Merit, and entrusted him with important charges, and Chen Jiao deeply won Chen Deng's trust ^c:4121.
* Cao Cao (lord): Cao Cao greatly approved of Chen Jiao's ability and loyalty, once wished to keep him at Xu, and later recruited him to serve at court ^c:4124.
* Cao Pi (lord): Cao Pi greatly praised Chen Jiao's decisive decision-making at his own accession, calling him "faced with a great crisis, clear in counsel beyond other men," and gave him important employment ^c:4125.
* Emperor Ming, Cao Rui (lord): During Emperor Ming's reign, Chen Jiao continued to be given important employment, rising to Minister over the Masses, and was once respected by Emperor Ming for his bright integrity ^c:4125.
* Xue Ti (friend_of): Chen Jiao became a close friend of the Administrator of Mount Tai, Xue Ti, who greatly admired his talent, and the two had a deep friendship ^c:4126.
* Zhuge Liang (enemy_of): In the novel, Zhuge Liang once obtained the military tally by "capturing Chen Jiao," thereby fraudulently redeploying the Cao army and seizing Jing Province and Xiangyang (unique to the novel) ^c:6645.

Signature Scenes

* Frank Speech on the Discussions at Xu: Entrusted by Chen Deng to go to Xu to observe the discussions, Chen Jiao returned and frankly reported that people at Xu mostly said Chen Deng was "arrogant and self-important," displaying his bright, upright character and his loyalty to his friend ^c:4121.
* Seeking Aid at Kuangqi, Moving with Loyalty and Righteousness: When Guangling commandery was besieged, Chen Jiao sought aid from Cao Cao, putting the larger situation first, strongly arguing the stakes, and likening himself to "the righteousness of Hong Yan"; he declined Cao Cao's offer to keep him and insisted on returning to his home commandery, his act of loyalty and righteousness moving Cao Cao ^c:4124.
* Judging Cases at Wei Commandery, Perceiving All Clearly: As Administrator of Wei Commandery, faced with several hundred backlogged cases of prisoners, Chen Jiao personally reviewed all the indictments and decided them all within a single day, displaying the efficiency and fairness of his handling of government affairs ^c:4125.
* At Cao Cao's Death, Decisively Establishing the Heir: After Cao Cao's death, when the assembled ministers hesitated, Chen Jiao overrode the others' objections and decisively proposed that the Crown Prince Cao Pi be enthroned at once to stabilize the realm and avert upheaval of the altars of state, and swiftly arranged everything, displaying the political wisdom and decisiveness of one "clear in counsel beyond other men in a great crisis" ^c:4125. In the novel, this scene is dramatized as "drawing the sword and slashing the robe" to overawe the assembled ministers (unique to the novel) ^c:6646.
* Frank Remonstrance with Emperor Ming, Undaunted by Power: When Emperor Ming, Cao Rui, suddenly arrived at the Department of State Affairs, Chen Jiao knelt and asked his intent, frankly saying this was the duty of his subordinates and urging the Emperor to return to the palace; his upright and uncompromising character made Emperor Ming feel ashamed and turn back ^c:4125.
* Liu Ye's False Accusation, Emperor Ming's Bestowal of Gold: Chen Jiao was once falsely accused by Liu Ye of monopolizing power, but Emperor Ming perceived the truth clearly and in the end bestowed five ingots of gold to show his trust, reflecting Chen Jiao's standing in the sovereign's heart and Emperor Ming's wisdom ^c:4125.
* Befriending at Mount Tai, Kindred Spirits: In his early years as Officer of Merit of his commandery, Chen Jiao became a close friend of the Administrator of Mount Tai, Xue Ti; Xue Ti's recognition of his talent and the deep friendship between them was a fine episode of his early career ^c:4126.
* The Battle of Nan Commandery, Offering Counsel to Cao Ren (unique to the novel): In the novel, when Zhou Yu attacked Nan Commandery, Chen Jiao offered Cao Ren the strategy of relieving Yiling to hold Nan Commandery, reflecting his identity as a strategist of Cao Wei ^c:4127.
* The Military Tally Seized, Zhuge Liang's Scheme (unique to the novel): In the novel, Zhuge Liang once obtained the military tally by "capturing Chen Jiao," thereby fraudulently redeploying the Cao army and seizing Jing Province and Xiangyang—an episode invented by the novel to highlight Zhuge Liang's stratagems ^c:6645.