Wu Ban

Historical Record

Wu Ban, courtesy name Yuanxiong, was the son of Wu Kuang, an official under Grand General He Jin, and also a clansman-younger-cousin of Wu Yi. He was renowned for his gallantry, and his official rank was usually close to that of Wu Yi. During the time of the Former Lord Liu Bei, Wu Ban once served as commander of troops^[1]. In the seventh month of the first year of Zhangwu (221 CE), Liu Bei, enraged that Guan Yu had been ambushed and killed by Sun Quan, led his armies east to attack Eastern Wu. Sun Quan sent a letter seeking peace, but Liu Bei in his great fury did not consent. At this time the Wu generals Lu Yi, Li Yi, and Liu A garrisoned their troops at Wu County and Zigui. The two generals Wu Ban and Feng Xi were ordered to set out from Wu County, and they successfully broke through the defensive lines of Li Yi and the others, then advanced to Zigui^[2]. In this military operation, the Man tribes of the Five Streams (Wuxi) of Wuling also sent envoys requesting to dispatch troops in support, showing the military progress and influence Wu Ban achieved in the early stage of Liu Bei's campaign against Wu.

After Liu Bei died, during the reign of the Later Lord Liu Shan, Wu Ban's offices were gradually promoted, ultimately reaching the eminent position of General of Agile Cavalry. He was granted the authority of holding a staff of office and enfeoffed as Marquis of Mianzhu^[1]. Although the historical records concerning Wu Ban are not numerous, both his military performance in the early stage of Liu Bei's campaign against Wu and his official advancement in the later Shu Han period indicate that he was an important general valued by the Shu Han regime.

In the Novel

In Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Wu Ban's character is given more detail and strategic acumen. He first appears after Zhang Fei was murdered by his subordinate officers Fan Jiang and Zhang Da. At that time Wu Ban came from Jing Province to pay his respects to the Former Lord Liu Bei, who appointed him as a Gate General and sent him to assist Zhang Fei in defending Langzhong^[3]. After Zhang Fei was killed, it was Wu Ban who first presented a memorial to the Son of Heaven, and then arranged for Zhang Fei's eldest son Zhang Bao to transport the coffin to the Former Lord, while ordering Zhang Fei's younger brother Zhang Shao to continue defending Langzhong. By this point the Former Lord Liu Bei had decided to launch his campaign against Wu; after Kongming and the other officials saw him off for ten li and returned, Kongming sighed that had Fa Xiaozhi still been alive, he could surely have stopped his lord from going east—this indirectly set off Liu Bei's resolve to attack Wu and Wu Ban's duties as a general^[3].

In the campaign of Liu Bei's attack on Wu, Wu Ban displayed his cautious, deliberative character and outstanding military strategy. When the Shu generals Zhang Nan and Feng Xi proposed taking advantage of the Wu defeat to raid the enemy camp, Wu Ban offered a different view. He pointed out that although Sun Huan's land forces had suffered heavy losses, Zhu Ran's naval forces remained intact, stationed on the river. He feared that if they rashly raided the camp, Zhu Ran's navy might come ashore and cut off the Shu army's route of retreat^[4]. Zhang Nan then proposed sending Guan Xing and Zhang Bao, each leading five thousand soldiers, to lie in ambush in the valleys, so that when Zhu Ran came to the rescue they could attack him from both sides. However, Wu Ban proposed an even more ingenious scheme: better first to send some soldiers to feign surrender and inform Zhu Ran of the plan to raid the camp. When Zhu Ran saw the fires rise, he would surely come to the rescue, and then the ambush troops could be unleashed for a great victory. Feng Xi and the others were delighted to hear this and acted according to the plan^[4]. This episode fully displays Wu Ban's wisdom and precise judgment of the battle situation, supplementing and extending the historical description of him as "gallant," making his image more rounded.

Key Relationships

* Liu Bei's faction / Shu Han: Wu Ban was an important general of Liu Bei's faction and the Shu Han regime. During Liu Bei's time he served as commander of troops^[1], and played a key role in the campaign against Wu^[2]. During the reign of the Later Lord Liu Shan, he rose to General of Agile Cavalry and was enfeoffed as Marquis of Mianzhu^[1].
* Liu Bei: Wu Ban served directly under Liu Bei and was one of his important military commanders in the Eastern Campaign against Wu. In the novel, he is the key figure who reported to Liu Bei and handled the aftermath following Zhang Fei's murder^[3].
* Wu Yi: Wu Ban was Wu Yi's clansman-younger-cousin; the records note that his official rank was usually close to that of Wu Yi^[1].
* Zhang Fei: In the novel, Wu Ban was sent by Liu Bei to assist Zhang Fei in defending Langzhong, serving as Zhang Fei's subordinate officer^[3] (novel only).
* Zhu Ran: In the novel, Wu Ban devised a feigned-surrender scheme to lure the enemy specifically against Zhu Ran's navy, displaying his strategic consideration of Zhu Ran's forces^[4] (novel only).

Iconic Scenes

* Breaking through Li Yi's forces and advancing to Zigui: In the first year of Zhangwu, during Liu Bei's Eastern Campaign against Wu, Wu Ban and Feng Xi set out from Wu County, successfully broke through the defensive line of the Wu general Li Yi and others, and pushed the army forward to Zigui, opening up the situation for Liu Bei's Eastern Campaign^[2]. This is Wu Ban's clearly recorded military achievement in the historical sources, demonstrating his command ability as a general.
* Feigning surrender to lure Zhu Ran out of camp into an ambush: In Romance of the Three Kingdoms, facing the situation in which Sun Huan had retreated in defeat while Zhu Ran's navy remained intact, Wu Ban displayed his cautious, deliberative character. He not only foresaw the risk that Zhu Ran's navy might cut off the Shu army's retreat, but also proposed the ingenious scheme of "having soldiers feign surrender and inform Zhu Ran of the camp-raid plan; when he sees the fires rise he will surely come to the rescue, and then the ambush troops will strike him," ultimately luring the enemy and winning through ambush^[4]. This scene fully embodies Wu Ban's wisdom and military strategy, becoming a signature performance of his in the novel (novel only).
* Handling the aftermath of Zhang Fei's murder: In Romance of the Three Kingdoms, after Zhang Fei was murdered by his subordinate officers, Wu Ban, as his subordinate officer, was the first to present a memorial to the Son of Heaven, and arranged for Zhang Bao to transport the coffin, showing his composed response in an emergency and his loyalty to duty^[3] (novel only).