Lü Fan

史载（Historical Record）

Lü Fan, styled Ziheng, was a native of Xiyang in Runan. In his early years he served as a county clerk, and because of his outstanding appearance won the favor of the local wealthy man Liu, finally marrying his daughter^[1]. When great chaos came at the end of the Han, Lü Fan fled the turmoil to Shouchun, where he became acquainted with Sun Ce. Sun Ce esteemed him greatly, and Lü Fan thereupon led over a hundred private retainers to attach himself to Sun Ce. At that time Sun Ce's mother, the Grand Consort, was at Jiangdu, and Sun Ce sent Lü Fan to fetch her. However, Tao Qian, the governor of Xu Province, mistook Lü Fan for a spy sent by Yuan Shu and intended to interrogate him; fortunately Lü Fan's trusted stalwarts rescued him in time, and he escaped danger^[1].

Under Sun Ce, Lü Fan, together with Sun He and others, followed Sun Ce in his campaigns year after year, never shunning hardship or danger, and was deeply trusted by Sun Ce, even regarded as kin, often feasting with Sun Ce in the presence of the Grand Consort^[1]. He followed Sun Ce in breaking Lujiang, then crossed the Yangzi together with him east, took Hengjiang and Dangli, defeated Zhang Ying and Yu Mi, took Xiao Danyang and Hushu, and was appointed chancellor of Hushu. After Sun Ce pacified Moling and Qu'e and absorbed the remnant forces of Ze Rong and Liu Yao, Lü Fan's troops were expanded, increasing to two thousand infantry and fifty cavalry. Thereafter he was appointed magistrate of Wanling, successfully pacified the bandits of the Danyang region, and upon returning to Wu was promoted to commander^[1].

During Sun Ce's reign, Lü Fan, together with Xu Yi, attacked Chen Yu, who had styled himself grand administrator of Wu Commandery, and beheaded his great general Chen Mu^[2]. He also took part in the campaigns against Zu Lang at Lingyang and Taishi Ci at Yongli, rendering great service in Sun Ce's pacification of seven counties, and was appointed General of the Household Who Subdues Bandits. He then followed the army in campaigning against Jiangxia and pacified Poyang^[2].

In the fifth year of Jian'an (200), Sun Ce died, and Lü Fan went to Wu for the mourning. After Sun Quan succeeded to power, Lü Fan continued to serve. When Cao Cao's great army bore down on Chibi, Lü Fan, together with Zhou Yu and others, resisted them and successfully crushed the Cao army, and for this was appointed assistant general with command of Pengze as grand administrator, with Pengze, Chaisang and Liyang as his fief^[2]. When Liu Bei went to Jingkou to pay his respects to Sun Quan, Lü Fan secretly advised Sun Quan to detain Liu Bei^[2].

Thereafter Lü Fan was promoted to General Who Pacifies the South and stationed at Chaisang. When Sun Quan was campaigning against Guan Yu, he once passed by Lü Fan's lodge and said to him, "If I had heeded your words earlier, I would not have this toil now. Now I am going to take Guan Yu; you guard Jianye for me." After Sun Quan defeated Guan Yu and returned in triumph to Wuchang, he appointed Lü Fan General Who Establishes Might, enfeoffed him as Marquis of Wanling, with command of Danyang as grand administrator, his seat being at Jianye, and oversight of the region from Fuzhou down to the sea; he also made Liyang, Huai'an and Ningguo his fief^[3].

When Cao Xiu, Zhang Liao, Zang Ba and others attacked Eastern Wu, Lü Fan supervised the generals Xu Sheng, Quan Cong, Sun Shao and others, leading the naval forces to resist Cao Xiu and the rest at Dongkou^[3]. In this campaign a great wind was encountered, the ships capsized, and several thousand drowned. After the battle, Lü Fan was promoted to General of the Vanguard, given the staff of authority, re-enfeoffed as Marquis of Nanchang, and appointed governor of Yangzhou^[3]. Lü Fan's son Lü Ju, styled Shiyi, became a gentleman through his father's privilege, and later, when Lü Fan fell gravely ill, was appointed assistant army colonel to help handle the military^[4]. After Lü Fan died, Lü Ju was promoted to General of the Household Who Pacifies the Army, repeatedly campaigning against mountain bandits with distinguished merit^[4].

演中（In the Novel）

In Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Lü Fan's image is further fictionalized, especially playing a more active role in the early days of Sun Ce's enterprise and at key moments of the Sun-Liu alliance. At his first appearance he offered Sun Ce a plan, advising him to use the Imperial Hereditary Seal to borrow troops from Yuan Shu, exchanging it for soldiers to help Sun Ce achieve his great enterprise^[5]. This episode has no clear basis in history, but it highlights Lü Fan's resourcefulness and his loyalty to Sun Ce.

In the Romance, Lü Fan's character traits are also enriched. For example, when Sun Ce wished to kill Gan Ji, Lü Fan advised Sun Ce to have Gan Ji pray for rain to atone, displaying his attitude toward marvels and indirectly reflecting the society's view of Daoist priests at the time^[6]. On the eve of the Battle of Red Cliffs, Lü Fan was appointed "Inspector Who Patrols the Four Quarters," responsible for urging on the various contingents of officers and troops, advancing by both land and water to ensure the smooth conduct of the campaign^[7].

In the episode of Liu Bei going to Eastern Wu for the marriage, Lü Fan, as Sun Quan's envoy, went to Jing Province to propose the match for Liu Bei. He not only explained in detail to Liu Bei the virtue of Sun Quan's younger sister and the Marquis of Wu's intentions, but also deftly dispelled Liu Bei's concern over the difference in age, bringing about this political marriage^[8]. However, after Liu Bei reached Eastern Wu, Lü Fan again offered Sun Quan a plan, advising that an ambush be set at Ganlu Temple, so that if the Dowager were displeased with Liu Bei, he could be seized^[9]. This episode displays Lü Fan's side as Sun Quan's confidant, willing to use any means to safeguard Eastern Wu's interests—much in the same vein as the historical record of his advising the detention of Liu Bei.

When Guan Yu was fleeing to Maicheng, Lü Fan again displayed his divinatory art. By Sun Quan's order he divined Guan Yu's movements; the hexagram showed the "Earth-over-Water Army hexagram," portending an enemy fleeing far, with the Dark Warrior moreover approaching^[10]. Later, Lü Fan divined again and predicted that Guan Yu would flee toward the northwest and would be captured at the hour of hai^[11]. Although these episodes are not recorded in history, they greatly enhance Lü Fan's aura of mystery and his image of resourcefulness in the Romance.

Finally, when Cao Pi launched the three-pronged campaign against Wu, the Romance records that Cao Xiu was defeated by Lü Fan [c:85回]. This echoes the historical record of Lü Fan resisting Cao Xiu at Dongkou, but the Romance depicts it more directly and dramatically, emphasizing Lü Fan's military victory.

关键关系

* Eastern Wu (serves): Lü Fan was an important founder and pillar minister of the Sun Wu regime, following at Sun Ce's side from the early days of his enterprise, and remaining a core general through Sun Quan's time^[12].
* Sun Ce (serves): Lü Fan was a trusted confidant of Sun Ce, regarded by him as kin and often feasting with him. He followed Sun Ce in campaigns north and south, rendering glorious service in Sun Ce's pacification of Jiangdong^[1].
* Sun Quan (serves): After Sun Ce died, Lü Fan continued to loyally assist Sun Quan, serving as an important strategist and general. Sun Quan once followed Lü Fan's advice and entrusted him with heavy responsibility during his campaign against Guan Yu, ordering him to guard Jianye^[3].
* The Grand Consort (serves): Lü Fan was once ordered by Sun Ce to fetch the Grand Consort, and often feasted with Sun Ce in her presence, showing his standing within the Sun family and the trust he enjoyed^[1].
* Tao Qian (enemy_of): Tao Qian once mistook Lü Fan for a spy of Yuan Shu and intended to interrogate him, nearly bringing about a crisis for Lü Fan^[1].
* Liu Bei (advised detention): Lü Fan once secretly advised Sun Quan to detain Liu Bei to forestall future trouble^[2]. In the Romance, Lü Fan, as the marriage envoy, also advised Sun Quan to set an ambush to seize Liu Bei (Romance only)^[9].
* Yuan Shu (once his strategist): In the Romance, at his first appearance Lü Fan is described as a strategist of Yuan Shu, later attaching himself to Sun Ce (Romance only)^[5].
* Cao Xiu (defeated): In the Romance, Lü Fan once defeated Cao Xiu's army (Romance only) [c:85回].

标志性场景

* Leading private retainers to join Sun Ce: After meeting Sun Ce at Shouchun, Lü Fan, deeply sensing that he was no ordinary man, led over a hundred private retainers to attach himself to Sun Ce, beginning his career in the service of Sun Wu^[1].
* Escaping danger while fetching the Grand Consort: Sun Ce sent Lü Fan to Jiangdu to fetch the Grand Consort; along the way he was mistaken by Tao Qian for a spy of Yuan Shu, and only escaped danger thanks to the rescue of his trusted stalwarts^[1].
* Offering the seal to borrow troops (Romance only): In the Romance, Lü Fan offered Sun Ce the plan of using the Imperial Hereditary Seal to borrow troops from Yuan Shu, providing key assistance to Sun Ce's enterprise^[5].
* Advising the detention of Liu Bei: When Liu Bei went to Jingkou to pay his respects to Sun Quan, Lü Fan secretly advised Sun Quan to detain him, to prevent him from becoming a calamity later^[2].
* Envoy for the Eastern Wu marriage (Romance only): In the Romance, Lü Fan, as Sun Quan's envoy, went to Jing Province to propose the match for Liu Bei, bringing about the Sun-Liu marriage, and after Liu Bei reached Eastern Wu, advised Sun Quan to set an ambush to seize Liu Bei^[8],^[9].
* Resisting Cao Xiu at Dongkou: Lü Fan supervised the generals Xu Sheng, Quan Cong, Sun Shao and others, leading the naval forces to successfully resist the attack of Cao Xiu and the rest at Dongkou^[3].
* Divining Guan Yu's movements (Romance only): In the Romance, Lü Fan twice divined Guan Yu's movements for Sun Quan and accurately predicted Guan Yu's defeat and death, displaying his divinatory art^[10],^[11].