Jiang Ji 蔣濟

In the 13th year of Jian'an (208) Sun Quan besieged Hefei. The main army had been struck by an epidemic in Jing Province, so the general Zhang Xi was given only 1,000 cavalry and sent to lead the troops of Runan to the rescue. Jiang Ji secretly advised the Inspector to pretend that a letter had come from Zhang Xi saying that 40,000 infantry and cavalry had already reached Yulou. Of the three groups of messengers carrying the letter, two were captured by the enemy, and Sun Quan, believing it, burned his siege camp and fled. Records, Wei 14 §113–114

The next year Taizu, recalling how at Guandu he had moved the people of Yan and Baima, asked what Jiang Ji thought of moving the people of Huainan. Jiang Ji said that now Taizu's might shook the realm and the people harbored no other intentions, but that they cherished their native soil and would not be glad to move, so they would surely become uneasy. Taizu did not follow him, and more than 100,000 people between the Yangtze and the Huai all took fright and fled to Wu. Later, on seeing Jiang Ji, Taizu laughed heartily and said that he had only meant to get them away from the enemy but had instead driven them all off, and he made Jiang Ji Administrator of Danyang. Records, Wei 14 §114–115

When the main army returned from its southern campaign, Wen Hui was made Inspector of Yang Province and Jiang Ji his Aide-de-camp, and Taizu issued an order saying, 'With Jizi serving as a subject, Wu ought to have a lord.' When a commoner falsely accused Jiang Ji of being the ringleader of a rebellion, Taizu said that if such a thing were true it would mean he could not judge men, and had him released at once. He then made him Registrar to the Chancellor and Clerk of the West Bureau. Records, Wei 14 §116–117

In the 24th year of Jian'an (219), when Guan Yu besieged Fan and Xiangyang, Taizu wanted to move the capital. Sima Yi and Jiang Ji said that Yu Jin and the others had been swallowed by the floods, not lost in battle. They also said that Sun Quan would not want Guan Yu to achieve his aims, so if Taizu promised to enfeoff him with the lands south of the Yangtze and had him strike at Guan Yu's rear, the siege of Fan would lift of itself. Taizu did as they said, whereupon Sun Quan attacked Gong'an and Jiangling by surprise and Guan Yu was captured. Records, Wei 14 §117–118Records, Shu 6 §10–11

When Emperor Wen became king, Jiang Ji became Chief Clerk to the Chancellor of State, and when he ascended the imperial throne, Jiang Ji was sent out as General of the Household of the East. He submitted the Discourse on the Myriad Affairs, was praised for it, and came back into the capital as Cavalier Attendant-in-Ordinary. The emperor had issued an edict to Xiahou Shang, General Who Conquers the South, telling him to 'wield authority and dispense favor, and to kill men or let them live', and when the emperor asked Jiang Ji about customs in the realm, he answered that he had 'seen only words that ruin a state.' He submitted that 'wielding authority and dispensing favor' was something the Book of Documents warned against and that 'the Son of Heaven does not speak in jest', and the emperor had the earlier edict retrieved. Records, Wei 14 §119–120

In the 3rd year of Huangchu (222), when he attacked Wu with the Grand Marshal Cao Ren, Jiang Ji separately raided Xianxi. When Cao Ren wanted to attack the sandbar at Ruxu, Jiang Ji said that with the enemy's boats ranged upstream, sending troops onto the sandbar would be walking into hell of their own accord. Cao Ren did not listen and was indeed defeated. When Cao Ren died, Jiang Ji was again made General of the Household of the East and took command of his troops. Records, Wei 14 §121

Soon afterwards he became Master of Writing. When the emperor journeyed to Guangling, Jiang Ji submitted a memorial saying the waterways would be hard to pass, but the emperor did not listen, and several thousand warships became stuck. On the way back, as the water at Jinghu was drying up, the emperor left all the boats to Jiang Ji. Jiang Ji dug four or five new channels to gather the scattered boats, dammed the lake water with earthen embankments, and then broke them all at once to send the boats into the Huai. The emperor mentioned that he had meant to burn half the boats, and told him from then on to think carefully and give his views on plans for attacking the enemy. Records, Wei 14 §122–123

When Emperor Ming took the throne, Jiang Ji was made Marquis Within the Passes. When the Grand Marshal Cao Xiu headed for Wan, Jiang Ji said that Zhu Ran and others would strike at his rear from upstream and that he could see no advantage in it, and when Wu sent troops out to Anlu, he submitted a memorial saying that Wu would surely aim at the east and that relief should be sent quickly. Cao Xiu had already been defeated and was retreating, but just as Wu was about to block Jiashi the relief troops arrived, and the imperial army escaped annihilation. Jiang Ji was transferred to Central Protector of the Army. Records, Wei 14 §124–125

When it was said that the Supervisor and Prefect of the Secretariat held power in their own hands, Jiang Ji submitted a memorial saying that when attendants are too close the ruler is blinded, and that three offices should not be entrusted to one subject. Emperor Ming said that 'an upright subject is one on whom the ruler relies' and promoted him to General Protector of the Army. In the Jingchu era, when campaigns and palace construction had exhausted the people, Jiang Ji submitted a memorial urging him to set aside what was not urgent and let the people rest, and Emperor Ming replied, 'Had it not been for the Protector of the Army, I would not have heard these words.' Records, Wei 14 §126 · 130–135

When the King of Qi took the throne, Jiang Ji became General Leading the Army and was raised to Marquis of Changling Village, and in the 7th month of the 3rd year of Zhengshi (242) he became Grand Commandant. When the Palace Attendant Gaotang Long proposed honoring Shun as the ancestor of Wei in the sacrifices to Heaven, Jiang Ji disputed it in writing, saying that the descendants of Shun were the Tian clan, not the Cao. At a time when Cao Shuang monopolized power and Ding Mi, Deng Yang and others lightly altered the laws, a solar eclipse occurred, and he submitted a memorial saying that the laws of the state were not something for officials of middling or lower rank to change. Records, Wei 14 §136–139Records, Wei 4 §13

In the 1st month of the 1st year of Jiaping (249), Jiang Ji followed the Grand Tutor Sima Yi to encamp at the pontoon bridge over the Luo River, and Cao Shuang and the others were put to death. The memorial in the biography of Cao Shuang records that 'your servant the Grand Commandant Jiang Ji, your servant the Prefect of the Masters of Writing Sima Fu and others' held that the Cao Shuang brothers should not hold military power. For this merit he was enfeoffed as Marquis of a Chief District, but Jiang Ji firmly declined, saying that he had not known of the plan beforehand and had not led the fighting himself. His refusal was not accepted, and he died on the day bingzi in the 4th month of that year. His posthumous name was Marquis Jing. Records, Wei 14 §140–141Records, Wei 9 §80 · 83Records, Wei 4 §28 · 30

In his assessment, Chen Shou called Cheng Yu, Guo Jia, Dong Zhao, Liu Ye and Jiang Ji outstanding men of their age in talent, strategy and planning. He wrote that although in upright governance and virtuous conduct they differed from Xun You, in devising plans and making calculations they were of his kind. Records, Wei 14 §158