Shen Yi

Historical Record

Shen Yi, whose elder brother Shen Dan was styled Yiju, in earlier years gathered several thousand households in the region of Xiping and Shangyong. Shen Dan once had dealings with Zhang Lu, and sent envoys to Cao Cao, who therefore granted him a general's title and had him serve as Commandant of Shangyong. At the end of the Jian'an era, when the Shu Han army attacked Shangyong, Shen Dan led his people in surrender and sent his wife, children, and clan to Chengdu. Liu Bei therefore promoted Shen Dan to General Who Conquers the North, kept him as Grand Administrator of Shangyong, and enfeoffed him as Marquis of Yuanxiang. Shen Yi was appointed General Who Establishes Trust and Grand Administrator of Xicheng ^c:5995.

In the twenty-fourth year of Jian'an, Liu Bei sent Liu Feng down the Mian River from Hanzhong to join Meng Da at Shangyong. By then Shen Dan had already surrendered to Shu, and Shen Yi followed him. When Guan Yu besieged Fancheng and Xiangyang, he repeatedly summoned Liu Feng and Meng Da to send troops in support, but the two refused on the grounds that "the mountain commandery has only just submitted and cannot be shaken." After Guan Yu was defeated and died, Liu Bei was deeply displeased by this. Moreover, friction arose between Liu Feng and Meng Da, and Liu Feng seized Meng Da's ceremonial band. Meng Da, both fearful and resentful of Liu Feng, then submitted a memorial taking leave of Liu Bei and led his troops in surrender to Cao Wei ^c:5995.

After Meng Da surrendered to Wei, Emperor Wen of Cao Wei admired his talent and looks, appointing him Cavalier Attendant-in-Ordinary and General Who Establishes Valor, and enfeoffing him as Marquis of Pingyang Precinct. Cao Wei merged the three commanderies of Fangling, Shangyong, and Xicheng into Xincheng Commandery, with Meng Da serving as Grand Administrator of Xincheng. Cao Wei then sent the General Who Conquers the South, Xiahou Shang, and the General of the Right, Xu Huang, together with Meng Da to attack Liu Feng. In the course of this, Shen Yi betrayed Liu Feng, causing Liu Feng to be defeated and flee back to Chengdu ^c:5996.

After Liu Feng's defeat, Shen Dan too surrendered to Cao Wei. Cao Wei granted Shen Dan the post of General Who Gathers and Settles, and moved his residence to Nanyang. Shen Yi was appointed Grand Administrator of Weixing, enfeoffed as Marquis of Yuanxiang, and garrisoned at Xunkou. According to the *Weilüe*, in the Huangchu era Shen Yi again submitted to Cao Wei; the Cao Wei emperor used his elder brother Shen Dan's former title to enfeoff Shen Yi, appointed him Grand Administrator of Weixing, and enfeoffed him as a full marquis. In the Taihe era, Shen Yi and Meng Da were at odds, and he repeatedly memorialized that Meng Da harbored disloyal intent toward Shu Han. When Meng Da rebelled, Shen Yi cut off the route of the Shu Han reinforcements, so that Meng Da received no timely rescue. After Meng Da's death, Shen Yi went to Wancheng to call on Sima Yi (Lord Xuan of Sima), who persuaded him to come to court. After arriving at the capital, Shen Yi was appointed General of the Tower Ships and was treated with courtesy ^c:5996.

In the Novel

In *Romance of the Three Kingdoms*, Shen Yi's image differs from history, and the motive and process of his betrayal of Liu Feng are given more literary color. In the novel, Shen Yi first appears after the friction arose between Liu Feng and Meng Da over the affair of Guan Yu's appeal for aid. When Meng Da, with Fa Zheng already dead, feared that Liu Bei would deal with him harshly, the two brothers Shen Dan and Shen Yi offered Meng Da a plan. Shen Dan said to Meng Da: "We brothers have long wished to go over to Wei; you may write a memorial taking leave of the King of Hanzhong and going over to the King of Wei, Cao Pi—Cao Pi will surely make great use of you. We two will follow and surrender afterward." ^c:5997 Meng Da heeded Shen Dan's advice and that very night led some fifty riders to defect to Cao Wei.

In the novel, Shen Yi did not immediately follow Meng Da over to Wei. It was not until Chapter 94 of *Romance of the Three Kingdoms*, when Sima Yi was idling at Wancheng and, hearing that the Wei troops had been repeatedly defeated by Shu, was sighing deeply, that a household member of Shen Yi, the Grand Administrator of Jincheng, came to report in secret, exposing Meng Da's intent to rebel. Shen Yi's household member reported Meng Da's disloyal designs to Sima Yi in detail, and at the same time Meng Da's confidants Li Fu and his nephew Deng Xian came forward to bear witness ^c:5998. Sima Yi was overjoyed at the news, deeming it a great blessing bestowed by Heaven upon Cao Wei, and at once resolved to capture Meng Da first, so as to blunt Zhuge Liang's edge. Sima Yi did not wait for the emperor's command, but immediately mobilized his army, marched day and night to Xincheng, and sent men to feign delivery of an order summoning Meng Da to campaign, so as to keep him from suspicion ^c:5998.

In the novel, the episode of Shen Yi exposing Meng Da, though in history there is also a record of Shen Yi being at odds with Meng Da and memorializing his disloyalty, is concretized into Shen Yi's household member taking the initiative to inform Sima Yi in secret and exposing him together with Meng Da's confidants, giving Shen Yi a more direct and key role in Meng Da's death. This differs from the historical record of Shen Yi's indirect role of "cutting off the Shu road so that rescue could not arrive" when Meng Da rebelled, placing greater emphasis on Shen Yi's initiative and act of betrayal.

Key Relationships

* Shu Han (serves): Shen Yi first surrendered to Shu Han together with his elder brother Shen Dan, serving as General Who Establishes Trust and Grand Administrator of Xicheng ^c:5995.
* Liu Feng (betrayed_by): When Cao Wei attacked Liu Feng, Shen Yi betrayed Liu Feng, causing Liu Feng to be defeated ^c:5996.
* Cao Wei (defected_to): After betraying Liu Feng, Shen Yi surrendered to Cao Wei and was appointed Grand Administrator of Weixing and enfeoffed as Marquis of Yuanxiang ^c:5996.
* Meng Da (betrayed_by): In history, Shen Yi was at odds with Meng Da, repeatedly memorialized that Meng Da harbored disloyal intent, and when Meng Da rebelled cut off the Shu Han reinforcements, causing Meng Da's defeat and death ^c:5996. In the novel, Shen Yi's household member directly informed Sima Yi in secret of Meng Da's intent to rebel, hastening Meng Da's destruction ^c:5998 (novel only).
* Shen Dan (elder brother): Shen Yi was Shen Dan's younger brother; the two first surrendered to Shu Han together, then surrendered to Cao Wei together ^c:5995.

Signature Scenes

* Surrendering to Shu with His Elder Brother: At the end of the Jian'an era, Shen Yi surrendered to Shu Han together with his elder brother Shen Dan, was appointed General Who Establishes Trust and Grand Administrator of Xicheng, and thus began his political career in the Three Kingdoms period ^c:5995.
* Betraying Liu Feng: When the Cao Wei army attacked Shangyong, Shen Yi turned coat on the battlefield and betrayed Liu Feng, directly causing Liu Feng to be defeated and flee back to Chengdu, where he was ultimately ordered to his death by Liu Bei. This act was a key turning point in Shen Yi's political career ^c:5996.
* Exposing Meng Da: In the Taihe era, Shen Yi was at odds with Meng Da and repeatedly exposed Meng Da's disloyal intent to the Cao Wei court. When Meng Da rebelled, Shen Yi cut off the route of the Shu Han reinforcements, so that Meng Da received no rescue and was ultimately defeated and killed. In the novel, Shen Yi's household member directly informed Sima Yi in secret of Meng Da's intent to rebel, hastening Meng Da's destruction [c:5996, c:5998]. This event displays both Shen Yi's political maneuvering and its profound influence on Meng Da's fate.