Quan Yi

Historical Record

Quan Yi, whose courtesy name is unknown, was the son of Quan Cong, a general of Eastern Wu in the Three Kingdoms period ^c:160. During Quan Cong's lifetime, owing to his close and favored position, the younger members of the Quan clan enjoyed much favor, and Quan Yi, as his son, naturally held a certain standing. After Quan Cong died, Quan Yi inherited his rank and command of troops ^c:160.

In the winter of the first year of Ganlu (256 CE), the Cao Wei general Zhuge Dan, fearing the power of the Sima clan, raised troops in revolt at Shouchun ^c:159. Knowing his own strength insufficient, Zhuge Dan sent his Chief Clerk Wu Gang, together with his son Zhuge Jing, to Eastern Wu to seek aid ^c:159. Eastern Wu was delighted at this and swiftly dispatched the generals Quan Yi, Quan Duan, Tang Zi, Wang Zuo, and others, leading thirty thousand troops, to march secretly with Wen Qin to relieve Zhuge Dan at Shouchun ^c:159. Quan Yi and the others, from the northeast and exploiting the rugged terrain, successfully broke into the city of Shouchun ^c:159.

The siege of Shouchun, however, did not go smoothly. In the fighting that followed, Quan Yi, together with his nephews Quan Yi, Quan Yi, Quan Jing, and others, finally chose to surrender to Cao Wei ^c:160. After his surrender, Quan Yi was appointed by Cao Wei as General Who Pacifies the East and enfeoffed as Marquis of Linxiang. His nephews Quan Yi, Quan Yi, Quan Jing, and others also surrendered to Wei, where they served as commandery administrators and the like and were enfeoffed as full marquises ^c:160. The Quan clan had once been illustrious in Eastern Wu: Sun Liang's empress, Empress Quan, was a cousin of Quan Yi, and the Quan clan's standing in Wuxing Commandery was unrivaled, with five members holding marquisates and commanding troops, and other kinsmen holding office at court ^c:4538. With Zhuge Dan's revolt and the surrender of Quan Yi and the others to Wei, however, the Quan clan's power in Eastern Wu began to decline ^c:4538.

In the Novel

In Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Quan Yi's image is broadly consistent with the historical fact, but with some additions and embellishments to the plot. Quan Yi first appears in Chapter 108, but his main role is concentrated in Chapters 111 and 112 ^c:4540.

In the novel, after Zhuge Dan revolted at Shouchun, he sent Wu Gang to Eastern Wu to seek aid. By this time the Wu Chancellor Sun Jun had died of illness, and his cousin Sun Chen held the regency. Wu Gang laid before Sun Chen the reasons for Zhuge Dan's revolt against Wei and, offering Zhuge Jing as hostage, requested that Eastern Wu send troops to help ^c:4540. Sun Chen agreed and dispatched the great generals Quan Yi and Quan Duan as chief commanders, Yu Quan as rear guard, Zhu Yi and Tang Zi as vanguard, and Wen Qin as guide, leading a great army of seventy thousand in three columns toward Shouchun ^c:4540. This accords with the historical account of Quan Yi being ordered to relieve Zhuge Dan, but the specific troop numbers and command arrangements differ, the novel elevating Quan Yi and Quan Duan to chief commanders and adding roles such as Yu Quan and Zhu Yi.

During the siege of Shouchun, the novel depicts the specific process of Quan Yi's surrender to Wei. Zhong Hui advised Sima Zhao that, with Sun Chen having withdrawn his troops and no relief outside Shouchun, the city could be attacked with full force. At this point, Quan Yi's nephew Quan Yi, seeing inside the city the strength of the Wei forces and finding no way forward or back, chose to surrender to Sima Zhao. Sima Zhao gave Quan Yi heavy employment and ordered him to write to his father Quan Duan and his uncle Quan Yi, urging them to surrender, the letter condemning Sun Chen as cruel ^c:4541. On receiving the nephew Quan Yi's letter, Quan Yi and Quan Duan led several thousand men to open the gates and surrender ^c:4541. This episode is passed over in the histories with only the phrase "came out of the city and surrendered first"; the novel, through the nephew Quan Yi's persuasion, adds dramatic tension to Quan Yi's surrender.

Key Relationships

* Zhuge Dan: On Eastern Wu's orders, Quan Yi led troops to Shouchun to support Zhuge Dan's revolt, but when the tide of battle turned against him, he ultimately betrayed Zhuge Dan and surrendered to Cao Wei ^c:159.
* Cao Wei: During the siege of Shouchun, Quan Yi surrendered from the Eastern Wu camp to Cao Wei, thereby gaining the office of General Who Pacifies the East and the rank of Marquis of Linxiang ^c:160.
* Quan Cong: Quan Yi was the son of the famed Eastern Wu general Quan Cong, inheriting Quan Cong's rank and command of troops ^c:160.
* Eastern Wu: Quan Yi at first served Eastern Wu and was an important Wu general, ordered to support Zhuge Dan, but betrayed Eastern Wu in the Battle of Shouchun ^c:159.
* Quan Yi, Quan Yi, Quan Jing: Quan Yi's nephews, who surrendered to Cao Wei together with him and held office under Cao Wei ^c:160. In the novel, the nephew Quan Yi appears as the key figure who persuades Quan Yi to surrender ^c:4541 (novel only).
* Sun Chen: In the novel, Sun Chen is the Eastern Wu regent who dispatches Quan Yi and the others to support Zhuge Dan, and when the nephew Quan Yi persuades Quan Yi to surrender, he too cites Sun Chen's "cruelty" ^c:4541 (novel only).

Iconic Scenes

* Relief force to Shouchun: Dispatched by Eastern Wu, Quan Yi led an army of thirty thousand (seventy thousand in the novel) together with Wen Qin and others to break into the city of Shouchun and support Zhuge Dan's revolt ^c:159. This is an important military action clearly recorded in both the histories and the novel.
* Surrendering to Wei within the city: During the siege of Shouchun, Quan Yi, together with Quan Duan, the nephew Quan Yi, and other kinsmen, finally chose to open the gates and surrender to Cao Wei. For this Quan Yi was enfeoffed as General Who Pacifies the East and Marquis of Linxiang ^c:160.
* The nephew Quan Yi's persuasion to surrender: In Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Quan Yi's nephew Quan Yi was the first within the city to surrender to Sima Zhao, and was ordered to write a family letter urging Quan Yi and Quan Duan to surrender, ultimately bringing about the surrender of Quan Yi and the others ^c:4541 (novel only). This scene is the novel's concrete depiction of the process of Quan Yi's surrender, providing richer motivation for the characters' actions.