Guanqiu Jian

Historical Record

Guanqiu Jian, courtesy name Zhonggong, was a man of Wenxi in Hedong. His father, Guanqiu Xing, served as Administrator of Wuwei during the Huangchu era; for his merit in suppressing rebellions and pacifying the border he was enfeoffed as Marquis of Gaoyang Precinct, and later entered court as Grand Craftsman.^[1] Guanqiu Jian inherited his father's rank and was first a Literary Scholar to the Marquis of Pingyuan; after Emperor Ming ascended the throne he held in succession the posts of Gentleman of the Masters of Writing and Superintendent of the Feathered Forest. As a former retainer of the Eastern Palace, he enjoyed the emperor's closeness and trust. Later he served as Intendant of Agriculture at Luoyang, and once memorialized to admonish Emperor Ming, pointing out that the empire's urgent business lay in eliminating the two rebel states and securing food and clothing, not in the lavish building of palaces.^[1]

During the Qinglong era, when Emperor Ming of Wei intended to campaign against Liaodong, because Guanqiu Jian "had capacity for strategy" he was transferred to be Inspector of You Province, with the added titles of General Who Crosses the Liao and, bearing the staff of authority, Colonel Protector of the Wuhuan. He led the several armies of You Province forward to Xiangping and encamped at Liaosui. At this time the Wuhuan chieftain Kouloudun of Right Beiping and the Wuhuan commander Wang Huliu of Liaoxi and others, who had earlier fled to Liaodong with Yuan Shang, led more than five thousand men to surrender. Gongsun Yuan, however, resisted and gave battle to Guanqiu Jian; unable to prevail, Guanqiu Jian could only withdraw his army.^[2] The next year Emperor Ming dispatched the Grand Commandant Sima Yi to command the central army and, together with Guanqiu Jian and others, campaign against Gongsun Yuan, at last pacifying Liaodong. For this merit Guanqiu Jian was advanced to Marquis of Anyi, with a fief of three thousand nine hundred households.^[2]

Thereafter Guanqiu Jian was transferred to General of the Left, bearing the staff of authority and overseeing the military affairs of Yu Province as its concurrent Inspector, then reassigned as General Who Guards the South. After Zhuge Dan's defeat at Dongguan, Guanqiu Jian and Zhuge Dan exchanged posts, Guanqiu Jian becoming General Who Guards the East and Area Commander of Yang Province. When the Wu Grand Tutor Zhuge Ke besieged the new city of Hefei, Guanqiu Jian and Wen Qin resisted him together; in the end, after the relief force of the Grand Commandant Sima Fu arrived, Zhuge Ke withdrew.^[3]

In the first month of the second year of Zhengyuan (255 CE), Guanqiu Jian and the Inspector of Yang Province Wen Qin, falsely claiming an edict of the Empress Dowager, raised troops in rebellion at Shouchun on the pretext that Sima the Prince of Jing (Sima Shi) had usurped power and deposed the ruler. They mustered the officers, soldiers, clerks, and people of Huainan, set up an altar west of the city and smeared blood in oath, assigned the old and weak to guard the city, while Guanqiu Jian and Wen Qin themselves led fifty or sixty thousand troops across the Huai River and advanced west to Xiangcheng. Guanqiu Jian held Xiangcheng firm, while Wen Qin acted as a mobile force in support on the outer flank. In the end, however, the uprising failed; Guanqiu Jian was cut down in flight by the Commandant of Anfengjin, and his head was sent to the capital.^[4]

In the Novel

In the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Guanqiu Jian's figure overlaps with the histories, but the motive and course of his revolt against Sima Shi are given greater dramatic force. In the novel, Guanqiu Jian first appears as Area Commander Who Guards the South, who at Sima Shi's command joined Wang Chang and Hu Zun in a three-pronged campaign against Wu, attacking Wuchang.^[5] Yet this campaign against Wu is not clearly recorded in the histories as one in which Guanqiu Jian took part, and his office there diverges from the historical record.

The novel depicts Guanqiu Jian's revolt against Sima Shi in greater detail. In the first month of the second year of Zhengyuan, Guanqiu Jian (by then General Who Guards the East, in command of the Huainan armies) was filled with indignation at Sima Shi's arrogating to himself the deposing and enthroning of rulers. The words of his son Guanqiu Dian further kindled his resolve to serve his sovereign loyally. He thereupon invited the Inspector of Yang Province Wen Qin to confer; Wen Qin, a former subordinate of Cao Shuang, likewise harbored resentment against Sima Shi. Conferring in the rear hall, Guanqiu Jian wept without ceasing, bitterly denouncing Sima Shi's crime of usurping power and deposing the ruler, while Wen Qin vowed to aid him to the death, mentioning too that his son Wen Shu (childhood name Ayang) had valor no ten thousand men could withstand and wished to avenge Cao Shuang. The two then poured wine in oath, falsely claimed a secret edict of the Empress Dowager, set up an altar west of Shouchun and smeared blood in oath, and openly denounced Sima Shi. Guanqiu Jian led sixty thousand troops to encamp at Xiangcheng, while Wen Qin led twenty thousand outside as a mobile relief force, circulating proclamations to the commanderies calling for a joint punishment of the traitor.^[6]

In the novel, learning at Xiangcheng that Sima Shi was leading a great army in person, Guanqiu Jian adopted the advice of his vanguard Ge Yong and sought to seize the key point of Nandun. Yet when he arrived, Nandun had already been occupied by Wei troops. More alarming still, scouts reported in haste that Sun Jun of Eastern Wu had led troops across the river to raid Shouchun. Fearing that Shouchun would fall and his line of retreat be cut, Guanqiu Jian withdrew that very night to Xiangcheng. Sima Shi, exploiting the withdrawal, adopted the stratagems of the Masters of Writing Fu Gu and Deng Ai, dividing his forces to take Lejia, Xiangcheng, and Shouchun, which at last brought about Guanqiu Jian's defeat.^[7] The novel's portrayal of Guanqiu Jian stresses above all his loyalty to Cao-Wei and his resentment of the Sima clan's usurpation of power, while displaying his hesitation and missteps in military decision.

Key Relationships

* Gongsun Yuan: Guanqiu Jian, at the command of Emperor Ming of Wei, led troops against Gongsun Yuan. His first engagement went ill, but afterward, together with Sima Yi, he pacified Liaodong.^[2]
* Cao-Wei: Guanqiu Jian was a loyal servant of Cao-Wei, long garrisoning the border and contributing to Cao-Wei's expansion of territory and stabilizing of the frontier. The fundamental reason for his revolt against Sima Shi was likewise to preserve the Cao-Wei regime.^[8]
* Sima Shi: The chief target of Guanqiu Jian's uprising. In both the novel and history, Guanqiu Jian raised troops out of dissatisfaction with Sima Shi's usurping power and deposing the ruler.^[4]
* Empress Dowager Guo of Mingyuan: When Guanqiu Jian raised troops, he falsely claimed a secret edict of Empress Dowager Guo of Mingyuan to gain political legitimacy.^[8]
* Wen Qin: An important ally in Guanqiu Jian's revolt against Sima Shi; the two together plotted and took part in the Huainan rebellion.^[8]
* Xi Zuochi: Xi Zuochi appraised Guanqiu Jian as a "loyal minister," affirming his righteous act of resisting the Sima clan's usurpation of power in the closing years of Cao-Wei.
* Sun Quan: In the novel, Guanqiu Jian at Sima Shi's command campaigned against Wu on three fronts, attacking Wuchang (novel only).^[5]
* Guanqiu Dian: Son of Guanqiu Jian, whose words in the novel kindled Guanqiu Jian's resolve to revolt against Sima Shi (novel only).^[6]

Signature Scenes

* Admonishing Emperor Ming: While Intendant of Agriculture at Luoyang, Guanqiu Jian memorialized to admonish Emperor Ming, pointing out that the empire's urgent business lay in eliminating the two rebel states and securing food and clothing, not in the lavish building of palaces—displaying his political insight and concern for state and people.^[1]
* Campaigning Against Gongsun Yuan: As Inspector of You Province, Guanqiu Jian led troops against Gongsun Yuan; though the first battle went ill, he at last joined forces with Sima Yi to pacify Liaodong, consolidating Cao-Wei's northeastern frontier.^[2]
* Resisting Zhuge Ke: When Zhuge Ke besieged the new city of Hefei, Guanqiu Jian and Wen Qin resisted the Wu army together and successfully held the city, displaying his military talent.^[3]
* Raising Troops at Shouchun: Guanqiu Jian and Wen Qin, at Shouchun, falsely claimed an edict of the Empress Dowager and set up an altar to smear blood in oath, raising troops against Sima Shi—a major political event of the closing years of Wei. Though it failed, it embodied his stance of loyalty to Cao-Wei.^[8]
* Withdrawing from Xiangcheng: In the novel, learning at Xiangcheng that Nandun had been occupied by Wei troops and hearing too that Eastern Wu had raided Shouchun, Guanqiu Jian, fearing his retreat would be cut, withdrew overnight, which at last brought about his ruin. This scene portrays his hesitation in military decision and his misjudgment of the situation (novel only).^[7]
* Cut Down and His Head Sent On: After the failure of the Huainan rebellion, Guanqiu Jian was cut down in flight by the Commandant of Anfengjin, and his head was sent to the capital, marking the end of his political career.^[4]