Wang Yun

Historical Record

Wang Yun, courtesy name Zishi, was a native of Qi in Taiyuan. In his youth he displayed extraordinary integrity, and was once esteemed by Guo Tai, who praised him as "a talent fit to assist a king." He held the post of Inspector of Yu Province, and once recruited Xun Shuang and Kong Rong as Attendants, later being promoted to Intendant of Henan and Prefect of the Masters of Writing. During Dong Zhuo's autocratic rule, Wang Yun rose to Minister over the Masses; with his loyalty and uprightness he supported the Han house, winning the reliance of court and country, and Dong Zhuo too trusted him and entrusted him with court affairs.^[1] Yet in his heart Wang Yun deeply abhorred Dong Zhuo's atrocities. After Emperor Xian of Han had just recovered from illness, Wang Yun secretly plotted with the Vice Director of the Masters of Writing Shisun Rui and Dong Zhuo's general Lü Bu to kill Dong Zhuo. Seizing the occasion of Dong Zhuo's entry to court, they had Lü Bu lead his personal troops to lay an ambush at the side gate. After Dong Zhuo entered the palace, Lü Bu carried the edict and directed Li Su and others to slay Dong Zhuo, and his three branches of kin were exterminated.^[2] After Dong Zhuo's death, Wang Yun and Lü Bu jointly held court power; Lü Bu was appointed General Who Stirs Up Valor and enfeoffed as Marquis of Wen.^[3] However, because Lü Bu feared retaliation from the men of Liang Province, and because the men of Liang Province harbored resentment over Dong Zhuo's death, Dong Zhuo's former subordinates Li Jue, Guo Si, and others massed their troops and attacked Chang'an. After the city fell, Wang Yun escorted Emperor Xian of Han up to the Xuanping city gate to avoid the soldiery, but in the end he was captured by Li Jue and Guo Si. In the name of avenging Dong Zhuo, Li Jue and the others killed Wang Yun together with more than ten members of his wife's clan, and there was no one among the people of Chang'an who did not weep.^[1] Wang Yun's nephew Wang Ling and his elder brother Wang Chen, being young when Chang'an fell, were able to climb over the wall and escape, fleeing back to their home village.^[4]

In the Novel

In Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Wang Yun's image is further fleshed out and dramatized. He first appears when Emperor Xian of Han and the Prince of Chenliu were returning to Luoyang from Mount Beimang, when, together with Grand Commandant Yang Biao and the assembled officials, he received the imperial carriage and wept bitterly.^[5] After Dong Zhuo entered the capital, Wang Yun was deeply troubled by Dong Zhuo's overbearing conduct, and once discussed the matter of deposing the emperor with Lu Zhi, Cao Cao, and others at a banquet, expressing his dissatisfaction with Dong Zhuo's arrogance.^[6]

In the novel, Wang Yun is the key architect of the "interlocking stratagem." He used Diao Chan's beauty, first betrothing her to Lü Bu and then presenting her to Dong Zhuo, with the aim of sowing discord between Dong Zhuo and his adopted son.^[7] He knelt before Diao Chan and begged her to repay the state with her own person and save the Han house, and Diao Chan generously consented. After a rift arose between Lü Bu and Dong Zhuo over Diao Chan, Wang Yun cleverly exploited Lü Bu's resentment toward Dong Zhuo to further incite Lü Bu's resolve to kill him. He pointed out to Lü Bu Dong Zhuo's beastly conduct of "defiling my daughter and seizing the general's wife," and used the argument that "the general's surname is Lü, the Grand Preceptor's surname is Dong" to dissolve the bond of father and son between them.^[8] In the end, under Wang Yun's persuasion, Lü Bu swore to kill Dong Zhuo. Wang Yun then consulted with Shisun Rui, Huang Wan, and others, and decided to seize the occasion of Emperor Xian's recent recovery to summon Dong Zhuo to court and have Lü Bu lay an ambush to kill him.^[9]

After Dong Zhuo's death, Wang Yun put Cai Yong to death for weeping over Dong Zhuo; this act in the novel provoked the dissatisfaction and concern of Ma Midi and others, who felt that Wang Yun "abolishes the records and discards the canon—how can this last long?"^[10] This differs from the details of Cai Yong's killing in the historical record; the novel emphasizes Wang Yun's obstinate self-will. When Dong Zhuo's former subordinates Li Jue, Guo Si, and others stormed into Chang'an, Wang Yun rejected Lü Bu's advice to flee through the pass together with him, insisting that "to escape danger by any base means—that I will not do," and in the end leapt down from the Xuanping gate tower to die a stirring death,^[11] displaying his image of loyal and unyielding integrity.

Key Relationships

* Lü Bu (friend_of/ally): In the historical record, Wang Yun and Lü Bu conspired together to kill Dong Zhuo and jointly held court power.^[12] In the novel, Lü Bu is moreover the key executor of Wang Yun's "interlocking stratagem"; the two allied over Diao Chan and in the end together removed Dong Zhuo.^[8]
* Li Jue (enemy_of): Li Jue was a former subordinate of Dong Zhuo who, after Dong Zhuo's death, stormed Chang'an to avenge him and in the end killed Wang Yun and his family.^[1]
* Cao Wei (serves): This relationship holds in neither the historical record nor the novel. Wang Yun was killed by Li Jue and Guo Si soon after Dong Zhuo was slain, and never served the Cao Wei regime.
* Liu Bian (serves): In the historical record, Wang Yun served as Minister over the Masses during the reign of Emperor Xian of Han (Liu Xie), loyally assisting the court.^[1] In the novel, Wang Yun was already a senior court minister at the start of Emperor Xian's (Liu Xie's) reign, and took part in welcoming Emperor Xian back to the capital.^[5] Liu Bian was Emperor Shao of Han, who was deposed and poisoned before Dong Zhuo entered the capital, and Wang Yun did not directly serve him.
* Dong Zhuo (enemy_of): Wang Yun was one of the chief plotters in killing Dong Zhuo; in both the historical record and the novel he regarded Dong Zhuo as a traitor to the state and vowed to destroy him.^[2]
* Diao Chan (ally) (novel only): In the novel, Diao Chan is the central figure of Wang Yun's "interlocking stratagem"; with her beauty she sowed discord between Dong Zhuo and Lü Bu, creating the conditions for Wang Yun to kill Dong Zhuo.^[7]
* Cai Yong (victim) (novel only): In the novel, Wang Yun put Cai Yong to death for weeping over Dong Zhuo, an act that provoked controversy.^[10] In the historical record, Wang Yun was involved in Cai Yong's killing, but the details differ from the novel.

Signature Scenes

* Plotting to kill Dong Zhuo: Wang Yun secretly conspired with Lü Bu, Shisun Rui, and others, and in the end successfully slew Dong Zhuo in the Weiyang Palace, ending Dong Zhuo's autocratic rule. This was the most decisive action of Wang Yun's life, and both the historical record and the novel record it in detail.^[2]
* The "interlocking stratagem" of presenting Diao Chan (novel only): In the novel, in order to sow discord between Dong Zhuo and Lü Bu, Wang Yun devised the "interlocking stratagem," first betrothing his adopted daughter Diao Chan to Lü Bu and then presenting her to Dong Zhuo, ultimately leading to Dong Zhuo's death. This episode greatly enriches Wang Yun's image, displaying his cunning and his spirit of sacrifice for the state.^[7]
* Refusing Lü Bu's advice to flee, dying a stirring death: When Chang'an fell, Lü Bu advised Wang Yun to flee through the pass together with him, but Wang Yun firmly refused, declaring "to escape danger by any base means—that I will not do," and in the end was killed by Li Jue and Guo Si. This scene is recorded in both the historical record and the novel, highlighting Wang Yun's loyal and unyielding character.^[1][11]
* Weeping over Dong Zhuo at the banquet (novel only): In the novel, Wang Yun once held a banquet for the assembled officials, and during it covered his face and wept bitterly, bitterly recounting how Dong Zhuo deceived the ruler and abused his power, endangering the dynasty, thereby rousing the officials' righteous indignation and leading to the episode of Cao Cao offering to assassinate Dong Zhuo.^[13]
* Killing Cai Yong in anger (novel only): In the novel, Wang Yun put Cai Yong to death for weeping over Dong Zhuo; though gentlemen and officials pleaded for him, Wang Yun was unmoved, holding that one must not allow "a sycophantic minister to wield the brush beside a young ruler." This episode displays Wang Yun's fierce and even obstinate side.^[10]