Huan Fan

Historical Record

Huan Fan, courtesy name Yuanze, was a man of Pei commandery whose family had been a prominent clan for generations. In the late Jian'an period he entered the Chancellor's office, and in the Yankang era served as Left Supervisor of the Plumed Guards. Renowned for his learning, he once joined Wang Xiang and others in compiling the Huanglan. In Emperor Ming's reign Huan Fan served as Central Commander of the Guards and Master of Writing, and was later promoted to General Who Conquers Bandits and Commandant of the Eastern Imperial Corps, holding the staff of authority and overseeing the military affairs of Qing and Xu Provinces, with his seat at Xiapi. He once quarreled over a house with the Xu Province inspector Zheng Qi, and drew his staff intending to behead Zheng Qi; Zheng Qi memorialized against him, and in the end, being in the wrong, Huan Fan was dismissed. After being reinstated he served as inspector of Yanzhou, but his mood was poor. Later he heard that he was to be transferred to be governor of Jizhou, which at that time fell under the General Who Guards the North, Lü Zhao; since Lü Zhao's ability and official career had both come after his own, this displeased Huan Fan. He said to his wife, of the Zhongchang clan, "I would rather be one of the ministers and kneel before the Three Excellencies than bend to Lü Zizhan." His wife retorted that earlier, in the east, because he had wished to behead the Xu Province inspector on his own authority, he had been thought hard to place beneath others, and now, ashamed to submit to Lü Zhao, he showed himself equally hard to place above others. Huan Fan, enraged that her words struck the truth, struck his wife's belly with the ring of his sword, causing her to miscarry and die. Huan Fan in the end pleaded illness and never took up the post in Jizhou. In the Zhengshi era, Huan Fan was appointed Grand Minister of Agriculture. He had long borne the name of "one who understands affairs" at court, and as Minister of Agriculture became known for incorruptibility and frugal economy. Huan Fan once excerpted miscellaneous matters from the Book of Han and appended his own commentary, naming the work the Shiyaolun. He tried to show it to the Grand Commandant Jiang Ji, but Jiang Ji would not look at it, and Huan Fan thus harbored resentment. On one occasion, discussing other matters with Jiang Ji, Huan Fan grew angry and said, "My grandfather was of thin virtue—what are men of your sort like?" Jiang Ji, though stern by nature, also knew Huan Fan's fierce temper, and merely glanced at him askance without answering, so the two parted on bad terms. During Cao Shuang's regency, because Huan Fan was an old minister from Cao Shuang's home district and ranked among the Nine Ministers, Cao Shuang treated him with respect, though not with great intimacy^[1].

When Sima Yi launched his coup, Huan Fan, on hearing of it, disregarded the Empress Dowager's summons, forged an edict to open the Pingchang Gate, drew out swords and halberds, and led the gate wardens in fleeing south to Cao Shuang. When Sima Yi learned of it, he said to Jiang Ji, "The bag of wisdom has gone." But Jiang Ji replied, "Fan is indeed wise, but a worn-out horse pines for its stall and its beans—Shuang will surely be unable to use him." When Huan Fan reached Cao Shuang, he strenuously urged him to take the Son of Heaven to Xuchang and gather outside troops to defend himself. Yet Cao Shuang and his brothers wavered and could not adopt Huan Fan's counsel. Huan Fan said to Cao Xi, "On this very day, if you sought poverty and lowliness outside your house gate, could you even get it? Moreover, when a common man holds one person hostage, he still hopes to live; now you have the Son of Heaven beside you, and may command the realm—who would dare not respond?" But Cao Xi still could not accept it. In the end Cao Shuang, heeding the persuasion of Xu Yun and Chen Tai, confessed his fault to Sima Yi. After Cao Shuang was stripped of office, Huan Fan wept and said, "Cao Zidan was a fine man—how could he have begotten you brothers, mere calves! Who would have thought that today I should be wiped out along with your clan because of you!"^[2] After Sima Yi's coup, Huan Fan was reported by Si Fan to have said, when he went out of the city, "The Grand Tutor plots rebellion," and on this charge Sima Yi arrested him for "falsely accusing a man of rebellion." Even when arrested, Huan Fan still called himself "a man of righteousness," and in the end was, together with the other members of Cao Shuang's faction, exterminated to the third degree of kin^[1].

In the Novel

In the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Huan Fan is portrayed as a man of considerable resourcefulness, dubbed the "bag of wisdom"^[3]. As Grand Minister of Agriculture, he was one of Cao Shuang's trusted confidants. In the early days of the joint regency of Cao Shuang and Sima Yi, Huan Fan did not at once display his key role; but once Sima Yi had been elevated to Grand Tutor and military authority had passed wholly to Cao Shuang, Cao Shuang began to rely on Huan Fan's resourcefulness. In the novel, when Cao Shuang accompanied the Wei sovereign Cao Fang out of the city to sacrifice at the Gaoping Tombs, Huan Fan "held his horse and remonstrated," strenuously urging Cao Shuang not to have all the brothers go out at once, lest something change within the city^[4]. Yet Cao Shuang did not heed his advice, and instead pointed at him with his whip, rebuking him to "speak no more nonsense."

When Sima Yi launched his coup and closed the city gates, Huan Fan tried to leave the city to join Cao Shuang. Making use of the fact that Si Fan was his former subordinate, he falsely claimed that the Empress Dowager had issued an edict, and so tricked open the Pingchang Gate. Once outside, he even said to Si Fan, "The Grand Tutor is plotting rebellion—you should follow me quickly."^[5] When Sima Yi learned that Huan Fan had left the city, he turned pale with alarm and lamented, "The bag of wisdom has escaped! What is to be done?"—further highlighting the image of resourcefulness the novel grants to Huan Fan. After Huan Fan reached Cao Shuang's side, he again strenuously urged him to take the Son of Heaven to Xu and muster outside troops to punish Sima Yi. He stressed, "Even a common man in peril still hopes to live! Now with my lord beside the Son of Heaven, commanding the realm, who would dare not respond? How can you cast yourself into a place of death?"^[6] He even pointed out that he carried the seal of the Grand Minister of Agriculture upon him, and could solve the problem of grain and fodder. Yet Cao Shuang wavered and in the end believed the persuasions of Xu Yun, Chen Tai, and Yin Damu, choosing to give up his military authority. Stricken with grief, Huan Fan wept aloud, saying, "Cao Zidan prided himself on his stratagems—now his three sons are truly but piglets and calves!"^[7] After Cao Shuang gave up resistance, Huan Fan met Sima Yi at the pontoon bridge; Sima Yi pointed at him with his whip and asked, "Grand Minister Huan, why have you come to this?" Huan Fan bowed his head without a word and entered the city. In the novel, Huan Fan's end accords with history: he was in the end executed by Sima Yi.

Key Relationships

* Cao Shuang's faction (member_of): Huan Fan was one of the core members of Cao Shuang's faction; especially after Sima Yi launched his coup, he became the only man at Cao Shuang's side who strongly urged resistance and offered counsel^[2].
* Cao Shuang (advises_in): Huan Fan repeatedly offered Cao Shuang crucial advice, above all during the Gaoping Tombs incident, when he strenuously urged him to "hold the Son of Heaven to command the lords," but Cao Shuang could not adopt it^[6].
* Sima Yi (enemy_of): Huan Fan was Sima Yi's political foe; Sima Yi well knew his resourcefulness and called him the "bag of wisdom"^[5]. After Huan Fan left the city to join Cao Shuang, Sima Yi was for a time anxious.
* Xu Xuan (friend_of): The historical sources do not mention a relationship between Xu Xuan and Huan Fan, but Huan Fan was once recommended by the Central Commander of the Guards Huan Fan^[8].
* Si Fan (former subordinate): Si Fan was Huan Fan's former subordinate; when Huan Fan left the city, Si Fan opened the gate for him at his rebuke^[5].
* Jiang Ji (old grudge): Huan Fan harbored resentment because Jiang Ji would not look at his work the Shiyaolun, and once grew angry at him during a discussion^[1].

Signature Scenes

* Holding the horse and remonstrating at the Gaoping Tombs (novel only): When Cao Shuang accompanied the Wei sovereign Cao Fang out of the city to sacrifice at the Gaoping Tombs, Huan Fan "held his horse and remonstrated," strenuously urging Cao Shuang not to have all the brothers go out at once, lest something change within the city, but his advice was not adopted^[4].
* Forging an edict to leave the city and join Cao Shuang: After Sima Yi launched his coup, Huan Fan forged an edict to open the Pingchang Gate, drew out swords and halberds, and led the gate wardens in fleeing south to Cao Shuang—an act that made Sima Yi exclaim, "The bag of wisdom has gone"^[2].
* Strenuously urging Cao Shuang to hold the Son of Heaven to command the lords: After reaching Cao Shuang, Huan Fan strenuously urged him to take the Son of Heaven to Xuchang and gather outside troops to defend himself, stressing, "Now with you beside the Son of Heaven, commanding the realm, who would dare not respond?"^[2] But Cao Shuang and his brothers wavered and could not adopt it.
* Bitterly denouncing Cao Shuang as "mere calves": When Cao Shuang at last decided to give up resistance, Huan Fan wept bitterly and lamented, "Cao Zidan was a fine man—how could he have begotten you brothers, mere calves! Who would have thought that today I should be wiped out along with your clan because of you!"^[2] In the novel it is rendered "Cao Zidan prided himself on his stratagems—now his three sons are truly but piglets and calves!"^[7]
* Calling himself "a man of righteousness" at his arrest: Huan Fan, reported by Si Fan for what he had said on leaving the city, was arrested by Sima Yi. Even when arrested, Huan Fan still said to the officers, "Take your time—I too am but a man of righteousness."^[1]