Historical Record
Hu Fen, an important general of the Western Jin period, has some of his life recorded in the official histories. One of his best-known deeds was his participation in the campaign to suppress Zhuge Dan's rebellion at Shouchun. In 257 CE, the Wei general Zhuge Dan raised troops in revolt at Shouchun, and Sima Zhao led a great army to put it down. After a siege lasting several months, the grain within the city ran out, and Zhuge Dan, Wen Qin, and others attempted to break out. After Wen Qin and his son were killed within the city by Zhuge Dan over a quarrel, his sons Wen Yang and Wen Hu surrendered to Sima Zhao, shaking the morale of the defenders still further. In the end, Sima Zhao came personally to the front and assaulted the city on all four sides, and the defenders within were unable to resist. In his extremity, Zhuge Dan led several hundred of his subordinates in a breakout. During the breakout, however, he encountered Hu Fen's contingent. Hu Fen's troops successfully counter-charged Zhuge Dan and cut him down, then displayed his severed head and exterminated his clan to the third degree. Facing the prospect of being slain, Zhuge Dan's several hundred followers still refused to surrender, crying out, "To die for Lord Zhuge—no regret," displaying the loyalty of his men. After this battle, the Wu generals Tang Zi, Wang Zuo, and others all bound themselves and surrendered, and the Shouchun rebellion was pacified. Hu Fen, in this key battle, played the important role of ending the rebellion, and his military ability was thereby demonstrated.
In the Novel
In the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Hu Fen appears relatively late, mainly in the closing stage of the Jin dynasty's unification of the realm. As a general of Jin, he took part in the campaign to destroy Wu. In the one hundred and twentieth chapter of the novel, Du Yu led his army to attack Eastern Wu and was making smooth progress. When discussing the next strategic step, Hu Fen offered his own view. He held that "a foe of a hundred years cannot be fully subdued; now the spring waters are rising and overflowing, and it is hard to remain here long. We should wait until next spring and then mount a great offensive." These words reflect Hu Fen's caution in military judgment: he believed Eastern Wu, as a long-established regime, would not be easily and completely conquered, and, considering the factor of springtime floods, advised pausing the offensive and launching a large-scale attack the following year. Du Yu, however, did not adopt Hu Fen's advice; he rebutted it with "Yue Yi, in a single battle west of the Ji River, annexed mighty Qi; now our martial might is greatly stirred, like the force of splitting bamboo," insisting on pressing the pursuit while the momentum held, and ultimately succeeded in taking Jianye and destroying Eastern Wu. Compared with the historical Hu Fen's resolute conduct in Zhuge Dan's rebellion, the Hu Fen of the romance displays more of his cautious side, but since his advice was not adopted, it also indirectly highlights Du Yu's military talent and decisiveness. The romance's portrayal of Hu Fen is more that of a supporting figure foil to the main generals; his personal image is not deeply drawn, and his specific accomplishments in the campaign to destroy Wu are likewise not developed in detail in the romance.
Key Relationships
* Zhuge Dan (enemy_of): Hu Fen's relationship with Zhuge Dan is a typical hostile one. In history, at the crucial moment of suppressing Zhuge Dan's rebellion at Shouchun, Hu Fen led his troops to intercept and slay Zhuge Dan, thoroughly ending the rebellion. This event was an important highlight of Hu Fen's military career and established his standing as a meritorious suppressor of rebellion. In the romance, Zhuge Dan's rebellion is also mentioned, but Hu Fen does not directly take part in the slaying of Zhuge Dan, and his direct conflict with Zhuge Dan is not described in detail in the romance.
Signature Scenes
* Slaying Zhuge Dan and pacifying the Shouchun rebellion: This is Hu Fen's most signature scene in history. When Zhuge Dan, a cornered beast still fighting, attempted to break out, Hu Fen's contingent successfully intercepted and killed him, ending the months-long siege of Shouchun. This action not only pacified the rebellion but also consolidated the rule of the Sima clan, exerting a profound influence on the political landscape of the time.
* Advising Du Yu to delay the attack on Wu (novel only): In the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, during the Jin campaign to destroy Wu, Hu Fen advised the commander Du Yu to pause the offensive, holding that they should wait until the following year for a major undertaking. Although this advice was not adopted, the scene shows Hu Fen's cautious deliberation as a general, and indirectly sets off Du Yu's decisive judgment.
Relationships
1 relationships
Enemies1
Lines
- 演 ch.120 §29→ Du Yu
「百年之寇，未可盡服；方今春水泛漲，難以久住。可俟來春，更為大舉。」
Chapters2 回 ▸
- 史ch.28
- 演ch.120
Relationship timeline1 条 ▸
史 ch.28
- Zhuge Dan§30
enemy_of
部兵逆击斩之
Inner monologues · AI-generated1 段 ▸
- I am Hu Fen; my courtesy name is unknown. Looking back now on the siege of Shouchun, what I remember most is neither the
Life events2 ▸
- 0255-01-01 · DidaoBattle of Didao· Warrior
- 0280-01-01 · JianyeJin's Six-Route Conquest of Wu· Commander