Chen Wen

Chen Wen, courtesy name Yuan Ti, was from Runan and once served as Inspector of Yangzhou; he does not appear in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

Deeds

When Cao Cao, Xiahou Dun, and others went to Yangzhou to recruit troops, Chen Wen and Zhou Xin, the Administrator of Danyang, provided them with more than 4,000 soldiers (as recorded in historical sources).^[1]

Pei Songzhi cited the Records of Heroes, which states that Chen Wen had died of illness earlier. Chen Wen’s biography in the Records of the Three Kingdoms, however, says that after Yuan Shu fled to Jiujiang, he killed Chen Wen and took over Yangzhou. Pei’s annotation notes that the two accounts differ (as recorded in historical sources).^[2]

Relationships

• Together with Zhou Xin, the Administrator of Danyang, provided Cao Cao with more than 4,000 soldiers^[1]
• Accounts differ on the cause of Chen Wen’s death: his biography says Yuan Shu killed him, while Pei’s annotation cites the Records of Heroes as saying Chen Wen died of illness^[2]