Wu Zhi

Historical Record

Wu Zhi, courtesy name Jizhong, was a native of Jiyin. For his outstanding literary talent he won the deep appreciation and intimacy of Emperor Wen of Wei, Cao Pi. Not only was he broadly learned, but he was also skilled at managing relations among brothers, and was compared to Lou Junqing of a former age who associated with the Five Marquises. After Cao Cao pacified Hebei and Cao Pi was made Heir Apparent, Wu Zhi, along with Liu Zhen and others, was all within his entourage ^c:963.

However, when Liu Zhen was punished for an offense, Wu Zhi was sent out as Chief of Zhaoge, and later transferred to Magistrate of Yuancheng. Even while stationed abroad, Cao Pi's longing for Wu Zhi was beyond words. During the time Cao Pi was Crown Prince, he wrote to Wu Zhi many times, the letters revealing boundless reminiscence of their former outing at Nanpi, lamenting the passage of time and the withering away of old friends. He mentioned the grief of the successive deaths of the Jian'an literati Xu, Chen, Ying, and Liu, as well as his affirmation and expectations of Wu Zhi's talent ^c:963. In his letters Cao Pi recalled the scenes of the two of them once riding in the same carriage and sitting on the same mat, drinking wine and conversing happily, composing poems and making merry, and sighed, "I had thought a hundred years was our allotted span, that we would long keep one another company—how could I have imagined that within a few years they would be scattered and almost gone? To speak of it grieves the heart" ^c:963.

After the state of Wei was founded, Emperor Wen, Cao Pi, summoned Wu Zhi to Luoyang and appointed him General of the Household Gentlemen of the North, enfeoffed him as a full marquis, and gave him the staff of office to oversee the military affairs of You and Bing provinces, with his seat at Xindu. This showed Cao Pi's trust in and reliance on Wu Zhi. When Wu Zhi came to the capital for an audience in the fifth year of Huangchu, Emperor Wen even issued an edict ordering the Senior Generals and all officials of the rank of Specially Advanced and below to go to Wu Zhi's place for a merry gathering, with the Grand Provisioner supplying the necessary utensils—proof of how honored his position was ^c:963.

At one banquet, Wu Zhi once came into conflict with the generals Cao Zhen and Zhu Shuo. Because he mocked Cao Zhen for his fatness and Zhu Shuo for his thinness, Cao Zhen flew into a great rage and drew his blade against him. Wu Zhi, unwilling to be outdone, gripped his sword and retorted, and the scene grew very tense, only being calmed at last by Zhu Shuo's mediation ^c:963.

After Emperor Wen, Cao Pi, died, Wu Zhi was overcome with grief and composed the poem "Longing" to convey his sorrow, expressing his deep remembrance of Cao Pi and his grief at losing the one he relied on. The line in the poem, "Forlorn, with nothing to depend on, my tears fall like a string of pearls" ^c:963, fully displays the profound friendship between him and Cao Pi.

In the fourth year of Taihe, Wu Zhi entered the court as Palace Attendant. He praised to Emperor Ming, Cao Rui, the General of Agile Cavalry Sima Yi as loyal, wise, and utterly impartial—a minister of the altars of state—while holding that the Minister of Works Chen Qun, though composed and unhurried to a fault, was not of the caliber of a state chancellor. Emperor Ming adopted his advice and on this account rebuked Chen Qun. However, the people of the realm held that the Minister of Works Chen Qun's ability surpassed Wu Zhi's, and pointed out that Wu Zhi's words were untrue. Wu Zhi died in the summer of that same year. He was first given the posthumous title "Ugly Marquis," but later, after his son Wu Ying submitted a memorial in his defense, by the Zhengyuan era his posthumous title was changed to "Awesome Marquis" ^c:963.

In the Novel

In Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Wu Zhi's image revolves mainly around his planning and scheming to help Cao Pi contend for the position of Heir Apparent, especially when Cao Cao hesitated over making Cao Zhi the heir; here Wu Zhi played a key role ^c:964.

The novel describes how Cao Cao's third son Cao Zhi, beloved by Cao Cao for his talent, was someone Cao Cao intended to make Heir Apparent. When Cao Pi learned of this, he secretly invited the Chief of Zhaoge, Wu Zhi, into his residence to discuss countermeasures. To avoid detection, Wu Zhi was hidden inside a large hamper, falsely claimed to contain bolts of silk, and was carried into Cao Pi's residence. When Yang Xiu learned of this, he reported it to Cao Cao. Cao Cao then sent men to keep watch outside the gate of Cao Pi's residence. Learning of this, Wu Zhi devised another plan: he had Cao Pi the next day again use a large hamper filled with silk to be carried in, in order to mislead the envoys Cao Cao had sent. After searching, the envoys indeed found only bolts of silk and reported back to Cao Cao. Cao Cao therefore suspected that Yang Xiu was falsely accusing Cao Pi, and grew increasingly disgusted with Yang Xiu ^c:964.

This episode has no clear basis in the histories; it is an artistic fabrication by Romance of the Three Kingdoms to highlight Cao Pi's cunning and Wu Zhi's strategy. The Wu Zhi of the novel is portrayed more as a resourceful, scheming adviser, his main function being to help Cao Pi gain the advantage in the contest for the heir's position, rather than the literary friendship and court controversies shown in the histories.

Key Relationships

* Cao Pi (friend_of): Wu Zhi's relationship with Cao Pi was extremely close, like that of brothers. The histories record that while Cao Pi was Crown Prince he wrote to Wu Zhi many times, the letters revealing boundless reminiscence of their former outing at Nanpi, lamenting the passage of time and the withering away of old friends, and giving high praise to Wu Zhi's talent ^c:963. After ascending the throne, Cao Pi relied on Wu Zhi all the more, enfeoffing him as a full marquis and giving him oversight of the military affairs of You and Bing provinces. After Emperor Wen died, Wu Zhi was overcome with grief and composed the poem "Longing" to convey his sorrow—proof of the depth of their friendship. In the novel, Wu Zhi serves as Cao Pi's trusted adviser, planning and scheming for him in the contest for the succession, a key aid in Cao Pi's struggle for the position of Heir Apparent ^c:964.

Iconic Scenes

* The Nanpi outing and the exchange of letters: While Cao Pi was Crown Prince, he wrote to Wu Zhi many times, recalling the joyful days of their former outing at Nanpi, sighing, "Every time I recall our former outing at Nanpi, truly it cannot be forgotten" ^c:963. The letters not only expressed his longing for Wu Zhi but also revealed his grief at the withering away of the Jian'an literati and his affirmation of Wu Zhi's talent. These letters are a vivid portrait of the deep friendship between the two, showing Cao Pi's sincere feeling for Wu Zhi and the mutual esteem of literary men.
* Hiding in a large hamper to help Cao Pi in the succession struggle (novel only): In Romance of the Three Kingdoms, to help Cao Pi win the contest for the position of Heir Apparent, Wu Zhi devised a plan to hide inside a large hamper, falsely claimed to contain bolts of silk, to be carried into Cao Pi's residence for a secret discussion. When Yang Xiu informed against them, Wu Zhi devised another plan, having Cao Pi do the same again, ultimately successfully misleading Cao Cao and causing him to grow suspicious of Yang Xiu, thereby consolidating Cao Pi's position ^c:964. This episode is Wu Zhi's most representative scene in the novel, highlighting his strategy and his loyalty to Cao Pi.
* The banquet conflict and the sword standoff: In the fifth year of Huangchu, when Wu Zhi came to the capital for an audience, Emperor Wen specially arranged for the Senior Generals and all officials of the rank of Specially Advanced and below to go to Wu Zhi's place for a merry gathering. At the banquet, because Wu Zhi mocked Cao Zhen for his fatness and Zhu Shuo for his thinness, Cao Zhen flew into a great rage and drew his blade against him. Wu Zhi, unwilling to be outdone, gripped his sword in reply and angrily rebuked Cao Zhen, "How dare you presume on your power and act so arrogantly?" ^c:963 This scene displays Wu Zhi's bold character and his fearlessness before the powerful, and also reflects from the side the complex relations among the generals of Wei at the time.