Yan Jun

Historical Record

Yan Jun, styled Mancai, was a native of Pengcheng ^c:36. From his youth he was diligent in study, well versed in the Book of Songs, the Book of Documents, and the three Books of Rites, and he also studied the Shuowen deeply. To escape the chaos of war, Yan Jun moved to Jiangdong, where he formed close friendships with Zhuge Jin, Bu Zhi, and others, standing among them as an equal and enjoying great renown. He was by nature plain and upright, pure and generous of heart, giving honest counsel to others, skilled at guiding them, and set on benefiting them ^c:36.

On the recommendation of Zhang Zhao, Sun Quan appointed Yan Jun Commandant of Cavalry and Attendant Officer of the Household. After Lu Su died, Sun Quan wished to appoint Yan Jun to succeed Lu Su as General Who Crosses the River, commanding an army of ten thousand and garrisoning Lukou. At the time everyone rejoiced that Yan Jun had received such a heavy charge. Yan Jun, however, repeatedly and firmly declined; he spoke earnestly, even shedding tears, declaring that he was no more than a plain scholar, unskilled in military affairs, and that to occupy so high a post without the talent for it would surely invite disaster and regret ^c:36. Sun Quan in the end heeded his request, and people praised him for declining honestly. According to the Zhilin, Sun Quan once had Yan Jun try riding a horse, but he fell from the saddle the moment he mounted, further confirming that his modest admission of being unskilled in martial matters was no empty word.

After Sun Quan styled himself King of Wu and then ascended the throne as emperor, Yan Jun served as Commandant of the Guards and went on a mission to Shu Han, where he won the deep admiration of the Shu Han Chancellor Zhuge Liang. He never hoarded his salary and rewards but distributed all he received among relatives and old friends, so that his household was often not well off ^c:36. Liu Ying of Guangling was an old friend of Yan Jun; Liu Ying was well versed in family and neighborhood learning, and Sun Quan, hearing of his reputation, wished to summon him, but Liu Ying declined on the pretext of illness. Later, when Liu Ying's younger brother died while serving as Grand Administrator of Lingling, Liu Ying went to mourn him, and Sun Quan, learning that he had feigned illness, urgently ordered the post stations to seize him. When Yan Jun learned of this, he too hastened to inform Liu Ying, telling him to return and apologize to Sun Quan. Sun Quan was greatly enraged at this and stripped Yan Jun of his office, but Liu Ying was thereby spared punishment. After some time Yan Jun was again appointed Prefect of the Masters of Writing, and later died a natural death. According to the Book of Wu, Yan Jun died at the age of seventy-eight and had two sons; his eldest son Yan Kai rose to the office of Lesser Treasurer of Shengping ^c:36. Yan Jun wrote the Commentary on the Classic of Filial Piety and the Treatise on Tides, and he also discussed Guan Zhong and Ji Lu with Pei Xuan and Zhang Cheng; these works all circulated in the world.

In the Novel

In the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Yan Jun's image appears mainly against the background of Sun Quan's broad recruitment of worthy men, and in the scene of Zhuge Liang's Debate with the Scholars of Jiangdong on the eve of the Battle of Red Cliffs ^c:4476. Chapter 38 of the novel depicts how, after Sun Quan inherited the legacy of his father and brother, he opened guest lodges in Jiangdong and broadly recruited talent from across the realm. As a native of Pengcheng, Yan Jun, together with Kan Ze of Kuaiji and Xue Zong of Pei County and other men of letters, was honored and treated courteously by Sun Quan, jointly assisting him so that Jiangdong for a time abounded in talent ^c:4476.

Yan Jun's best-known appearance in the novel comes in the "Debate with the Scholars of Jiangdong" episode in Chapter 43. When Zhuge Liang debated with the various advisers in the hall of Eastern Wu, Yan Jun, as one of the seated guests, suddenly spoke up, challenging that everything Zhuge Liang said was sophistry rather than sound argument, and directly demanding to know which classics Zhuge Liang had mastered ^c:40. Zhuge Liang, however, retorted that "those who pick out chapters and cull phrases are the pedantic scholars of the age—how can they raise a state and accomplish deeds?" and cited Yi Yin, Jiang Ziya, Zhang Liang, Chen Ping, Deng Yu, and Geng Yan as men of talent who set the universe to rights, pointing out that they were not confined to brush and inkstone, counting black and discoursing yellow. Hearing this, Yan Jun bowed his head, dispirited, unable to reply ^c:40. This episode is found nowhere in the histories; it is an artistic creation of the novel to highlight Zhuge Liang's eloquence, casting Yan Jun as a scholar bound to the classics and unable to perceive the larger situation—differing from the histories' portrait of his "plain, upright, pure, and generous, honest in counsel and skilled in guidance" character, and emphasizing instead his "bookish scholar" side.

Key Relationships

* Zhuge Jin, Bu Zhi: During his refuge in Jiangdong, Yan Jun was reputed an equal and a friend of Zhuge Jin and Bu Zhi; the three were close and shared great renown together ^c:36.
* Sun Quan's Faction: Yan Jun was an important civil official under Sun Quan, appointed by him as Commandant of Cavalry and Attendant Officer of the Household, and later serving as Commandant of the Guards and Prefect of the Masters of Writing, serving Sun Quan's regime ^c:36.
* Lu Su: After Lu Su died, Sun Quan wished to appoint Yan Jun to succeed him as General Who Crosses the River, commanding the army and garrisoning Lukou, but Yan Jun firmly declined on the grounds that he was unskilled in military affairs ^c:36.
* Zhang Zhao: Zhang Zhao recommended Yan Jun to Sun Quan, bringing about Yan Jun's early career in Sun Quan's faction ^c:36.
* Zhuge Liang: Yan Jun, as Commandant of the Guards, went on a mission to Shu Han and won the deep admiration of the Shu Han Chancellor Zhuge Liang ^c:36. In the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Yan Jun crossed words with Zhuge Liang during the Debate with the Scholars of Jiangdong, but in the end failed to outargue him (novel only) ^c:40.
* Liu Ying: Liu Ying of Guangling was an old friend of Yan Jun; Yan Jun was once dismissed by Sun Quan for helping Liu Ying escape punishment, but was later reinstated ^c:36.

Iconic Scenes

* Declining Lu Su's post honestly: After Lu Su died, Sun Quan wished to appoint Yan Jun to succeed him as General Who Crosses the River, commanding an army of ten thousand. Yan Jun firmly declined, speaking earnestly and even shedding tears, admitting that he was unskilled in military affairs and that to hold so high a post without the talent for it would surely invite disaster. Sun Quan in the end heeded his request, and people praised him for being able to decline honestly, not occupying a post for which he lacked the talent ^c:36. This event fully displayed Yan Jun's noble character—plain, upright, pure, generous, and true to his own self-knowledge.
* Winning Zhuge Liang's admiration on a mission to Shu Han: While serving as Commandant of the Guards, Yan Jun went on a mission to Shu Han and won the deep admiration of the Shu Han Chancellor Zhuge Liang ^c:36. This shows that Yan Jun was esteemed not only within Eastern Wu but that his learning and character enjoyed renown in other regimes as well.
* Challenging Zhuge Liang in the Debate with the Scholars of Jiangdong (novel only): In the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, during the Debate with the Scholars of Jiangdong on the eve of the Battle of Red Cliffs, Yan Jun confronted Zhuge Liang, challenging that his words were sophistry and asking which classics he had mastered. Zhuge Liang, however, refuted him with his eloquence, leaving Yan Jun dispirited and speechless ^c:40. Though this scene is a fictional invention of the novel, it vividly depicts Yan Jun's scholarly side and has become one of his best-known images in the Romance.