Pan Ju

Historical Record

Concerning historical-biographical material on Pan Ju, there is at present no clear record. In official histories such as the *Records of the Three Kingdoms*, no figure named Pan Ju or any related deeds are to be found. Therefore, from the standpoint of historical verification, Pan Ju is not a figure traceable in the historical record.

In the Novel

Pan Ju appears in *Romance of the Three Kingdoms* in the role of a gate-guarding general; although his role is small, at a critical moment he plays the part of obstructing Sima Yi's action.^[1] According to the novel's description, Pan Ju was a gate-guarding general of Cao Shuang's household. When Sima Yi launched the Incident at the Gaoping Tombs and led troops past Cao Shuang's mansion, Pan Ju, on the orders of Cao Shuang's wife Lady Liu, led crossbowmen up onto the gate tower, intending to halt the advance of Sima Yi's troops. He ordered a volley of arrows loosed, so that Sima Yi's column was for a time unable to pass.^[1]

However, Sima Yi's subordinate general Sun Qian came forward in time, repeatedly dissuading Pan Ju three times, stressing that Sima Yi's action was for the sake of a great matter of state and that he should not loose arrows. Under Sun Qian's persuasion, Pan Ju finally ceased firing.^[1] This episode displays a certain loyalty on Pan Ju's part as a subordinate of Cao Shuang, even though that loyalty ultimately could not change the outcome of the coup. Pan Ju's image in the novel is brief yet vivid; he represents the instinctive reaction and resistance of Cao Shuang's side in the face of sudden upheaval, even though that resistance was futile. His appearance adds a touch of dramatic conflict to the Incident at the Gaoping Tombs, and from the side sets off the decisiveness of Sima Yi's coup and the resistance it met.

Key Relationships

Between Pan Ju and Cao Shuang and his household there existed a master-servant relationship. As a gate-guarding general of Cao Shuang's mansion, Pan Ju bore the duty of guarding Cao Shuang's family. When Sima Yi launched the coup and Cao Shuang's wife Lady Liu was thrown into a panic, Pan Ju stepped forward in an attempt to protect the household he served.^[1] This relationship is a typical embodiment of the master-servant loyalty of the feudal age, although in an age of turmoil such loyalty often could not withstand the trend of the times.

Between Pan Ju and Sima Yi there was a relationship of opposition. At the critical moment when Sima Yi launched the Incident at the Gaoping Tombs, Pan Ju directly obstructed Sima Yi's march and even ordered arrows loosed to attack Sima Yi's column.^[1] This opposition is a direct embodiment of the conflict between the two sides of the coup; as a representative of Cao Shuang's side, Pan Ju formed a direct confrontation with Sima Yi's action.

Between Pan Ju and Sun Qian there was a relationship of indirect interaction. As Sima Yi's subordinate general, Sun Qian came forward to dissuade Pan Ju when he loosed arrows in obstruction. Sun Qian's persuasion ultimately caused Pan Ju to cease his resistance.^[1] Though brief, this interaction influenced the course of the coup to a degree, averting a potentially larger-scale conflict.

Iconic Scenes

Pan Ju's most iconic scene is undoubtedly the moment when he led crossbowmen on the gate tower of Cao Shuang's mansion to intercept Sima Yi's troops. In Chapter 107 of *Romance of the Three Kingdoms*, when Sima Yi led troops past Cao Shuang's mansion, Cao Shuang's wife Lady Liu anxiously asked what Sima Yi's intent was in raising troops. Pan Ju replied, "Do not be alarmed, madam; I will go and ask." He then led several dozen crossbowmen up onto the gate tower and loosed a volley of arrows at Sima Yi's column, so that Sima Yi's troops were for a time unable to pass.^[1]

This scene is the only time Pan Ju directly takes part in military action in the novel, and the moment his image is most vivid. As a loyal gate-guarding general, with his lord absent and his lady thrown into a panic, he instinctively performed his duty in an attempt to protect Cao Shuang's mansion. Although his resistance was ultimately dissuaded by Sima Yi's subordinate general Sun Qian, this act fully displays Pan Ju's loyal courage and his sense of responsibility at a moment of crisis. This scene not only adds a tense atmosphere to the Incident at the Gaoping Tombs but, through Pan Ju's action, also reflects from the side the haste and powerlessness of Cao Shuang's faction in the face of Sima Yi's surprise attack, and the swift decisiveness of Sima Yi's coup. Though this act of Pan Ju's could not change the course of history, it leaves the image of a loyal guardian in the literary work (unique to the novel).