Historical Record
Records of Yue Jiu are absent; in the extant Records of the Three Kingdoms and other official histories, no direct mention of Yue Jiu can be found. Therefore, it is impossible to make any objective statement, based on historical biographical material, about his life, deeds, offices, or any specific actions.
In the Novel
Yue Jiu appears mainly in the literary narrative of Luo Guanzhong's Romance of the Three Kingdoms, where he is cast as a general under Yuan Shu. In Chapter 17 of the novel, after Yuan Shu usurped the imperial title and set himself up as Emperor of Zhongshi, because Lü Bu refused to marry his daughter to Yuan Shu's son and beheaded Yuan Shu's envoy Han Yin, Yuan Shu was greatly enraged and mustered a great army to campaign against Xu Province. In this military operation, Yue Jiu, together with Li Feng and Liang Gang, was appointed by Yuan Shu as a "Commissioner Urging the Advance" c:4483. Their duty was to support the seven columns of the great army, ensuring the smooth advance of provisions and troops in support of the main forces led by Zhang Xun, Qiao Rui, Chen Ji, and other generals. Although Yue Jiu is given a specific office in the novel, his concrete battlefield performance, personal martial prowess, or strategic acumen are nowhere described in detail; his role serves more to set off the military deployment and scale of Yuan Shu's group. Yue Jiu's appearance serves chiefly to display the arrogance and conceit of Yuan Shu after he proclaimed himself emperor, and his eventual failure, rather than to shape an independent figure of vivid personality. The histories make no mention of a Yue Jiu, and his presence in the Romance is wholly a necessity of literary creation.
Key Relationships
Yue Jiu's key relationship lies chiefly in his subordinate relationship with Yuan Shu's group. He was a general under Yuan Shu, and after Yuan Shu usurped the imperial title he was appointed a "Commissioner Urging the Advance" c:4483. This appointment shows that Yue Jiu held at least some standing within Yuan Shu's group and was able to take part in important military operations. He is named alongside Li Feng and Liang Gang, jointly responsible for logistics and support, which suggests that the three may have played similar or complementary roles in Yuan Shu's camp. Apart from this subordinate relationship and connection through office, however, deeper interactions or personal bonds between Yue Jiu and other figures within Yuan Shu's group are not depicted in detail in the Romance.
Iconic Scenes
Yue Jiu's iconic scene is concentrated in Chapter 17 of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. After Yuan Shu usurped the imperial title, in order to take revenge on Lü Bu, he decided to launch a large-scale attack on Xu Province. Against this backdrop, Yuan Shu "personally led thirty thousand troops, and made Li Feng, Liang Gang, and Yue Jiu Commissioners Urging the Advance to support the seven columns of troops" c:4483. This is the only time Yue Jiu is clearly mentioned and given a specific duty in the novel. This scene establishes Yue Jiu's identity as a general under Yuan Shu and reveals his function in Yuan Shu's military system—responsible for urging on and supporting the great army, ensuring the smooth progress of the campaign. Although he does not directly take part in combat in this scene, his role as "Commissioner Urging the Advance" is an indispensable link when Yuan Shu's group launches a large-scale war, reflecting the importance of logistical support in ancient warfare. This scene is novel only, with no record in the histories; it is an episode set up by the literary work to enrich the cast of Yuan Shu's group.
Relationships
0 relationships
无
Chapters1 回 ▸
- 演ch.17
Inner monologues · AI-generated1 段 ▸
- Yuan Gong proclaimed himself Zhongshi, established a reign title and a system of government, rode in a dragon-and-phoeni
Life events1 ▸
- 0199-01-01 · ShouchunCao Cao's Campaign Against Yuan Shu· Killed in action