| Occupation | RNGeneral · General-in-Chief Who Conquers the West | Faction | Shu |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appears | RN | Biography in | Book of Shu |
| Born | R? N? Unverified | Native place | Yiyang Commandery |
| Died | R234 N(same) Unverified | Place of death | NNanzheng County |
| Cause of death | RExecuted NKilled Unverified | ||
| Existence | Historical | Mentions | R29 |
Wei Yan, courtesy name Wenchang, was a native of Yiyang. He followed Liu Bei into Shu at the head of his own retainer troops (buqu), and when Liu Bei became King of Hanzhong, Wei Yan, against everyone's expectations, was chosen as the general to guard Hanzhong. Records, Shu 10 §57
He led the vanguard in Zhuge Liang's northern campaigns, and in the 8th year of Jianxing (230) he defeated Guo Huai at Yangxi, rising to General-in-Chief Who Conquers the West and Marquis of Nanzheng. After Zhuge Liang died in the 12th year of Jianxing (234), he quarreled with the Chief Clerk Yang Yi, his troops scattered, and he fled to Hanzhong, where he was cut down by Ma Dai, sent by Yang Yi. Records, Shu 10 §58–59 · 61–64
In his assessment, Chen Shou said that he was employed for his valor and strategy but that the disaster he invited arose from himself, while in the main text he wrote that Wei Yan's intention had not been to rebel. In the Romance he first appeared in Chapter 41 and featured in 36 of its 120 chapters, and the title of Chapter 62, "Attacking Luocheng, Huang Zhong and Wei Yan Vie for Merit," bears his name. In Chapter 53, Zhuge Liang said that he had a rebel bone at the back of his head. Records, Shu 10 §74 · 65Romance, Ch. 41 §11Romance, Ch. 62 §34–35Romance, Ch. 53 §25
Wei Yan followed Liu Bei into Shu at the head of his retainer troops, won merit in battle many times, and was promoted to General of the Standard (yamen jiangjun). Records, Shu 10 §57
When Liu Bei became King of Hanzhong and was to move his seat to Chengdu, an important general was needed to guard the Han River region. Everyone assumed the post would go to Zhang Fei, and Zhang Fei privately thought so too, but Liu Bei chose Wei Yan, making him Area Commander of Hanzhong (du Hanzhong) and General Who Guards the Distant (zhenyuan jiangjun) and concurrently Administrator of Hanzhong, to the astonishment of the whole army. When Liu Bei asked him before the assembled officials what he intended, Wei Yan replied that if Cao Cao came with the forces of the whole realm, he would hold them off for the Great King, and if a subordinate general came with a host of 100,000, he would swallow it up for the Great King. Liu Bei approved, and everyone admired the boldness of his words. Records, Shu 10 §57–58Records, Shu 2 §54
The biography of Jiang Wei records that when Liu Bei first left Wei Yan to guard Hanzhong, every outer defensive enclosure was fully manned so that invaders could not get in, and that Wang Ping's later success in holding off Cao Shuang in the battle of Xingshi also followed this system. Records, Shu 14 §41
When Liu Bei assumed the imperial title, Wei Yan became General Who Guards the North, and in the 1st year of Jianxing (223) he was enfeoffed as Marquis of a Chief Precinct (duting hou). In the 5th year of Jianxing (227), when Zhuge Liang was stationed in Hanzhong, he made Wei Yan Commander of the Front Division (du qianbu), concurrently Major to the Chancellor and Inspector of Liang Province. The next year, when Zhuge Liang marched out to Mount Qi, people said veteran generals such as Wei Yan and Wu Yi should lead the vanguard, but Zhuge Liang went against the general view and chose Ma Su. Records, Shu 10 §58Records, Shu 9 §17
In the 8th year of Jianxing (230), Zhuge Liang sent Wei Yan west into the lands of the Qiang. When Wei's General of the Rear Fei Yao and Guo Huai, Inspector of Yong Province, met him in battle at Yangxi, Wei Yan inflicted a heavy defeat on Guo Huai and the others, and he was promoted to Military Adviser of the Front (qian junshi) and General-in-Chief Who Conquers the West, granted the Tally of Authority (jiajie), and raised in rank to Marquis of Nanzheng. Records, Shu 10 §58Records, Shu 3 §11
Each time he went on campaign with Zhuge Liang, Wei Yan asked for 10,000 men so that he could take a separate route from Zhuge Liang and meet him at Tong Pass, following the old precedent of Han Xin, but Zhuge Liang would not allow it. Wei Yan always said that Zhuge Liang was timid, and resented that his own talents were not fully used. He cared well for his soldiers and surpassed others in valor, but he was arrogant by nature and everyone avoided him; only Yang Yi would not give way, and the two were like water and fire. The biography of Fei Yi records that whenever the two sat together they quarreled, and Wei Yan would sometimes raise his sword at Yang Yi, until Fei Yi stepped between them and separated them. Records, Shu 10 §59Records, Shu 14 §24
In the 12th year of Jianxing (234), when Zhuge Liang marched out through the mouth of the Northern Valley, Wei Yan led the vanguard. Ten li out from the camp, he dreamed that horns grew on his head and asked Zhao Zhi about it; Zhao Zhi glossed it over, saying that the qilin has horns but does not use them, a sign that the enemy would break apart of its own accord without a battle. Then, after withdrawing, Zhao Zhi told others that the character for "horn" (角) is "knife" (刀) with "use" (用) below it, so it meant using a knife on one's head—a most ill omen. Records, Shu 10 §59–60
In the autumn, as Zhuge Liang's illness became critical, he settled with Yang Yi, Fei Yi, Jiang Wei, and others the arrangements for withdrawing the army after his death: Wei Yan was to cover the rear, with Jiang Wei next, and if Wei Yan would not comply, the army was simply to leave. When Zhuge Liang died, Yang Yi sent Fei Yi to sound out Wei Yan's intentions. Wei Yan said that though the Chancellor was dead, he himself was still alive and would lead the armies to attack the enemy, and asked how he could be put under Yang Yi's command as a rearguard general. Fei Yi made the excuse that he would go and talk Yang Yi round, and galloped away. Records, Shu 10 §61–62
When the various camps began returning one after another as Zhuge Liang had arranged, Wei Yan was furious; he went south ahead of them, burning the plank roads wherever he passed. Wei Yan and Yang Yi each memorialized that the other was a traitor, and when the Later Sovereign, Liu Shan, asked about it, Dong Yun and Jiang Wan vouched for Yang Yi and cast suspicion on Wei Yan. Wei Yan seized the mouth of the Southern Valley and attacked Yang Yi, but when He Ping (Wang Ping) rebuked Wei Yan's vanguard, saying that the Chancellor's body was not yet cold, the soldiers knew that the fault lay with Wei Yan and scattered. Records, Shu 10 §62–64Records, Shu 13 §38
Wei Yan fled to Hanzhong with a few of his sons. Yang Yi sent Ma Dai to pursue and behead him, and when Ma Dai presented the head, Yang Yi trampled on it, saying, "Wretch! Can you do evil again?" Wei Yan's three sets of kin were exterminated. Chen Shou wrote that Wei Yan's turning south rather than going north to surrender to Wei was only because he wanted to get rid of Yang Yi and the others, and that he had hoped public opinion would make him Zhuge Liang's successor, not that he meant to rebel. Records, Shu 10 §64–65
In his assessment, Chen Shou said that Wei Yan was employed for his valor and strategy and held in high esteem, but that the disaster he invited and the blame he incurred all arose from himself. Yang Xi's Eulogies on the Supporting Officials of Ji Han said that he was discordant and, forgetting his integrity, spoke of rebellion, and that to loathe his end while regretting his beginning was truly owing to his nature. Records, Shu 10 §74Records, Shu 15 §62
In Chapter 41 of the Romance, when Liu Bei reached Xiangyang, Wei Yan climbed the city tower, denounced Cai Mao and Zhang Yun as traitors who had sold out the state, and cut down the gatekeepers to open the city gate. But while he was fighting Wen Pin, Liu Bei moved on, and Wei Yan went to Han Xuan, Administrator of Changsha. In Chapter 53, when Han Xuan was about to behead Huang Zhong, he rescued Huang Zhong, cut Han Xuan in two, and surrendered to Guan Yu. Zhuge Liang called for his execution, saying that he had killed his master and handed over his territory and had a rebel bone at the back of his head, so that he would surely rebel one day, but Liu Bei intervened and he was spared. Romance, Ch. 41 §11–14Romance, Ch. 53 §20 · 25–26
In Chapter 62, vying with Huang Zhong for merit, he set out to attack Deng Xian's camp and fell into danger until Huang Zhong rescued him, and he atoned for his fault by capturing Leng Bao. In Chapter 65, at Jiameng Pass, he was struck in the left arm by an arrow from Ma Dai. In Chapter 72, at the mouth of the Xie Valley, he shot Cao Cao with an arrow and broke two of his front teeth, and in Chapter 73 he became Administrator of Hanzhong and guarded Dongchuan. Romance, Ch. 62 §34–35 · 41–46Romance, Ch. 65 §12Romance, Ch. 72 §37–39Romance, Ch. 73 §9 · 25
In Chapter 87, on the campaign against the Southern Man, he led the vanguard of the front division, and in Chapter 90 he pretended to lose fifteen battles in a row to the Rattan Armor troops and give up seven camps, drawing them into Panshe Valley. Romance, Ch. 87 §11Romance, Ch. 90 §45–49
In Chapter 92, on the first northern campaign, he proposed a plan to reach Chang'an within ten days by way of the Ziwu Valley with 5,000 elite troops, and was displeased when Zhuge Liang rejected it as not a completely safe plan. In Chapter 98, following Zhuge Liang's secret plan, he beheaded Wang Shuang, who had come in pursuit, and in Chapter 100, at the Ji Valley, he complained together with Chen Shi about Zhuge Liang's order to halt the advance, and when Chen Shi, who had pressed on alone, was surrounded by an ambush, Wei Yan charged in and rescued him. Zhuge Liang then said that he knew Wei Yan had the look of a rebel but used him because he valued his valor. In Chapter 101, by feigning defeat again and again, he drew Zhang He into Mumendao. Romance, Ch. 92 §2–4Romance, Ch. 98 §21–24Romance, Ch. 100 §9–14Romance, Ch. 101 §46–48
In Chapter 103, at Shangfang Valley, he lured Sima Yi into the valley, but a sudden downpour put out the fire and Sima Yi escaped alive. At the Wuzhang Plains, while Zhuge Liang was performing a rite to pray for the extension of his life, Wei Yan rushed in crying that the Wei army had come, and trampled out the main lamp; Jiang Wei drew his sword to kill him. Romance, Ch. 103 §28–31 · 56
In Chapter 104, after Zhuge Liang's death, he dreamed that horns grew on his head, and when Fei Yi, on Yang Yi's orders, told him to withdraw, he refused. In Chapter 105 he burned the plank roads and held the Southern Valley, but lost more than half his troops when He Ping rebuked them. He asked Ma Dai what he thought of surrendering to Wei, and set out with him to attack Nanzheng; when Yang Yi said he would hand over Hanzhong if Wei Yan cried out three times, "Who dares to kill me?", Wei Yan was cut down by Ma Dai from behind the moment he shouted it. Romance, Ch. 104 §23–29Romance, Ch. 105 §12–21
Coming over to Liu Bei: In Chapter 41 of the Romance, Wei Yan tried to open the gates of Xiangyang to welcome Liu Bei but failed, and in Chapter 53 he killed Han Xuan and surrendered Changsha to Guan Yu. The biography of Wei Yan in the Records says only that he followed Liu Bei into Shu at the head of his retainer troops, and in the biography of the First Sovereign, Han Xuan, Administrator of Changsha, surrendered to Liu Bei together with the administrators of three other commanderies. Romance, Ch. 41 §11Romance, Ch. 53 §20Records, Shu 10 §57Records, Shu 2 §24
The rebel bone: In Chapters 53 and 100 of the Romance, Zhuge Liang said that Wei Yan had a rebel bone or the look of a rebel. In the biography of Yang Yi in the Records, Zhuge Liang valued Yang Yi's abilities and relied on Wei Yan's valor, and though he regretted that the two could not get along, he could not bring himself to cast either one aside. Romance, Ch. 53 §25Romance, Ch. 100 §14Records, Shu 10 §69
The arrow that struck Cao Cao: In Chapter 72 of the Romance, Wei Yan shot Cao Cao in the Xie Valley and broke two of his front teeth. The biography of Wei Yan in the Records does not contain this incident. Romance, Ch. 72 §38–39Records, Shu 10 §56–65
The plan for a separate force: In Chapter 92 of the Romance, Wei Yan proposed attacking Chang'an by way of the Ziwu Valley with 5,000 elite troops. The Records state that on every campaign he asked to take 10,000 men by a separate route and meet at Tong Pass, and the name of the Ziwu Valley route does not appear. Romance, Ch. 92 §2Records, Shu 10 §59
Wang Shuang: In Chapter 98 of the Romance, the man who beheaded Wang Shuang was Wei Yan. The biography of Zhuge Liang in the Records states that when Zhuge Liang withdrew from Chencang, he met the pursuing Wei general Wang Shuang in battle, defeated him, and beheaded him. Romance, Ch. 98 §22Records, Shu 5 §35
The death of Zhang He: In Chapter 101 of the Romance, Wei Yan feigned defeat and drew Zhang He into Mumendao. The biography of Zhuge Liang in the Records states only that in the 9th year of Jianxing (231), when Zhuge Liang was withdrawing his army, he fought Zhang He and shot him dead, and Wei Yan does not appear. Romance, Ch. 101 §46–48Records, Shu 5 §37
Shangfang Valley and the main lamp: The fire attack at Shangfang Valley in Chapter 103 of the Romance and the scene in which Wei Yan trampled out Zhuge Liang's main lamp are not in the Records. In the biography of Zhuge Liang in the Records, Zhuge Liang died of illness after a standoff of more than a hundred days at the Wuzhang Plains. Romance, Ch. 103 §30–31 · 56Records, Shu 5 §38Records, Shu 10 §56–65
When the horn dream came: In Chapter 104 of the Romance, Wei Yan had the dream of horns after Zhuge Liang's death. In the Records, it was a dream he had when he was ten li out from camp as vanguard in the 12th year of Jianxing (234), that is, while Zhuge Liang was still alive. Both agree that Zhao Zhi gave Wei Yan a favorable reading but said behind his back that it was the image of using a knife on one's head and thus ill-omened. Romance, Ch. 104 §23–25Records, Shu 10 §59–60
The intent to rebel: In Chapter 105 of the Romance, Wei Yan asked Ma Dai what he thought of surrendering to Wei. In the Records, Chen Shou wrote that Wei Yan's turning south rather than going north to surrender to Wei was only because he wanted to get rid of Yang Yi and the others, and that he did not mean to rebel. Romance, Ch. 105 §16Records, Shu 10 §65
His end: In Chapter 105 of the Romance, following the plan Zhuge Liang had left behind, Ma Dai cut him down before the city of Nanzheng the moment he shouted, "Who dares to kill me?" In the Records, when his troops scattered he fled to Hanzhong with a few of his sons, Ma Dai, sent by Yang Yi, pursued and beheaded him, and his three sets of kin were exterminated. Romance, Ch. 105 §20–21Records, Shu 10 §64
Written by 3KDEX (not yet reviewed) — The tags at the end of each paragraph link to the exact passage in the Records volume or Romance chapter it is based on.
The Records score (Chen Shou’s Records of the Three Kingdoms, main text) is the baseline. Each ability compares how the Romance redrew the same person, and the evidence from both sources explains the difference.
RRepeatedly proposed taking 10,000 men by a separate route to meet at Tong Pass, but the plan was never adoptedShu 10 §59Shu 10 §74
NHis Ziwu Valley plan was rejected, he came to regret his conduct at the Ji Valley, and he died by the brocade-bag stratagemCh. 92 §3Ch. 100 §13Ch. 105 §20
RArrogant, pointed his sword at Yang Yi, and defied orders by burning the plank roads — yet said not to have meant rebellionShu 10 §59Shu 10 §63Shu 14 §24
NBranded disloyal and unrighteous for killing his master and handing over his territory; after rebelling, even discussed surrendering to WeiCh. 53 §25Ch. 105 §16Ch. 105 §22
RChosen as Area Commander of Hanzhong, set up Hanzhong's defense system, and heavily defeated Guo Huai and others at YangxiShu 10 §57Shu 10 §59Shu 14 §41
NTook Anding, led the vanguard against the Southern Man, and drew Zhang He into MumendaoCh. 92 §32Ch. 87 §11Ch. 101 §46
RSaid to surpass others in valor; assessment: employed for his valor and strategyShu 10 §59Shu 10 §74
NCut down Han Xuan with a single stroke, broke Cao Cao's front teeth with an arrow, and captured Leng BaoCh. 53 §20Ch. 72 §38Ch. 63 §4
RNo direct record — estimated from his concurrent post as Administrator of HanzhongShu 10 §57
NNo direct record — estimated from his appointment as Administrator of HanzhongCh. 73 §9
RCared well for his soldiers but was so arrogant that people avoided him, and his troops scattered in the crisisShu 10 §59Shu 10 §64
NHundreds followed him at a single shout, but he was said to be arrogant and to presume on his meritCh. 53 §20Ch. 105 §9
RDeceived by Fei Yi, who got away; fled alone and was beheaded; assessment: his disaster arose from himselfShu 10 §62Shu 10 §74
NCut off the plank roads and thought his plan had worked, but lost his line of retreat and was cut down on horsebackCh. 105 §12Ch. 105 §20
RNo direct record — estimated from his career as a warrior leading his own retainer troopsShu 10 §57
NNo direct record — estimated from his career as a warriorCh. 53 §20
RNo direct record — estimated, as the only record is of his bold words praised before the First SovereignShu 10 §58
NNo direct record — estimated from his exchange with Fei Yi, in which he only pressed his own viewCh. 104 §26
RNo direct record — estimated from his overall career as a warriorShu 10 §59
NNo direct record — estimated from his career as a warriorCh. 87 §36
NSkilled +10 Shot Cao Cao with an arrow, striking him in the philtrumCh. 72 §38
Records Romance Unverified No direct record; scored from their actions (evidence grade C)
3KDEX scoring — the Records use the main text of Chen Shou’s Records of the Three Kingdoms; the Romance uses the 120-chapter Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Click a source tag to open that passage in the reader.
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Includes automatic matching from Wikipedia infoboxes and source keywords (unverified).