Wang Fan 王蕃
| Occupation | ROfficial · Palace Cavalier Regular Attendant | Faction | Wu |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appears | R | Biography in | Book of Wu |
| Born | R228 Unverified | Native place | Lujiang Commandery |
| Died | R266 Unverified | Place of death | |
| Cause of death | RExecuted Unverified | ||
| Existence | Historical | Mentions | R14 |
Profile
Wang Fan, courtesy name Yongyuan, was a native of Lujiang. He read widely and had heard much, and was also versed in the occult arts and techniques. He served as Gentleman of the Masters of Writing and then left office, and when Sun Xiu took the throne he became Palace Cavalier Regular Attendant together with He Shao, Xue Ying and Yu Si and received the additional title of Commandant-Escort. He went to Shu as an envoy and won the praise of the people there, and on his return he became Army Supervisor at Xiakou. Records, Wu 20 §2
Early in Sun Hao's reign he again became Regular Attendant, but he was slandered by the favorite Chen Sheng and others, and his offenses against Sun Hao's wishes accumulated. In the 2nd year of Ganlu (266), having got very drunk at a banquet, he incurred Sun Hao's wrath and was beheaded below the hall, at the age of thirty-nine. The Chancellor Lu Kai, in a memorial, lamented him as 'a weighty pillar of the altars of state and the Guan Longfeng of great Wu'. Records, Wu 20 §3–6
In his assessment, Chen Shou recorded Xue Ying's words that 'Wang Fan was generous and outstanding in capacity, broad and erudite and versed in many things', together with Hu Chong's view that Lou Xuan, He Shao and Wang Fan were all pure and outstanding in their time, with hardly any difference between them. He does not appear in the Romance. Records, Wu 20 §84
In the Records
Wang Fan, courtesy name Yongyuan, was a native of Lujiang. He read widely and had heard much, and was also versed in the occult arts and techniques. He first became Gentleman of the Masters of Writing and then left office. When Sun Xiu took the throne, he, together with He Shao, Xue Ying and Yu Si, all became Palace Cavalier Regular Attendants and received the additional title of Commandant-Escort, and opinion at the time held them to be men of integrity. He went to Shu as an envoy, and the people of Shu praised him; on his return he became Army Supervisor at Xiakou. Records, Wu 20 §2
When Sun Hao took the throne, Lou Xuan, together with Wang Fan, Guo Chuo and Wan Yu, became Palace Cavalier Regular Attendant. The Biography of Wang Fan records that early in Sun Hao's reign Wang Fan came back to court as Regular Attendant and held the same office as Wan Yu. Wan Yu had an old friendship with Sun Hao, and vulgar men used this to slander Wang Fan, saying that he slighted Wan Yu. In addition, Chen Sheng, Assistant of the Palace Secretariat and a favorite of Sun Hao, repeatedly maligned Wang Fan. Wang Fan was lofty and forthright in temperament and could not read the ruler's face and follow his wishes; at times he went against Sun Hao's wishes, and as this accumulated he was reproached. Records, Wu 20 §8 · 3
In the 2nd year of Ganlu (266), when Ding Zhong returned from an embassy to Jin, Sun Hao held a great gathering of his ministers, and Wang Fan got very drunk and collapsed face down. Sun Hao was suspicious and displeased, and Wang Fan was carried out. When he came back a little later he was still not sober, but Wang Fan had a dignified nature and conducted himself with composure. Sun Hao, in a great rage, shouted at his attendants to behead him below the hall. Teng Mu, General of the Guards, and Liu Ping, General Who Conquers the West, pleaded for his life but could not obtain it. Records, Wu 20 §4
When Wang Fan died he was thirty-nine years old. Sun Hao moved Wang Fan's family to Guang Province. His two younger brothers Wang Zhu and Wang Yan both became men of fine ability, but when Guo Ma rose in revolt they would not serve Guo Ma and were killed. Records, Wu 20 §6
The Chancellor Lu Kai said in a memorial, 'The Regular Attendant Wang Fan possessed virtue within and was versed in principle, knowing Heaven and knowing things, and at court he was loyal and upright; he was a weighty pillar of the altars of state and the Guan Longfeng of great Wu.' He said that Emperor Jing (Sun Xiu) had respected and praised Wang Fan and marveled at him as an extraordinary man, but that His Majesty, angered by his bitter words and hating his straight answers, had beheaded him in the palace hall, exposed his head and cast away his body, so that the whole realm was grieved. The same memorial as given in the Biography of Lu Kai adds that everyone thought Fuchai had appeared again in the state of Wu. Chen Shou wrote that this was how Lu Kai lamented Wang Fan. Records, Wu 20 §5Records, Wu 16 §37
He Shao also said in a memorial that the former Regular Attendant Wang Fan had been loyal, careful and diligent in public service, with talent fit to serve as a chief assistant, yet had suffered the extreme penalty for something done while drunk. Lu Kang, in a memorial submitted on hearing that Xue Ying had been imprisoned, named Lou Xuan, Wang Fan and Li Xu as outstanding talents of the age, and said that Wang Fan and the others had been put to death before the charges against them were even settled, and that those already dead had even been burned, set adrift on the water and cast away on the shore. Records, Wu 20 §18Records, Wu 13 §77–78
In his assessment, Chen Shou borrowed Xue Ying's words to say that 'Wang Fan was generous and outstanding in capacity, broad and erudite and versed in many things', and also recorded Hu Chong's view that Lou Xuan, He Shao and Wang Fan were all pure and outstanding in their time with hardly any difference between them, but that if one had to choose, Lou Xuan should stand first and He Shao next. Records, Wu 20 §84
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.
Abilities
This person does not appear in the Romance, so only the Records score (Chen Shou’s main text) is given.
- LEA31
- STR31
- INT58
- POL55
- CHA48
- VIR82
- ADP22
- SCH72
- DIP62
- DIS40
Evidence by ability
RNo direct record — estimated from his career as a civil officialWu 20 §2
RNo direct record — estimated from his career as a civil officialWu 20 §2
RLu Kai's memorial says he was versed in principle and knew Heaven and thingsWu 20 §5
RHeld to be a man of integrity as Palace Cavalier Regular Attendant, and served as Army Supervisor at XiakouWu 20 §2
RWent to Shu as an envoy and won the praise of the people of ShuWu 20 §2
RNo direct record — estimated from his career as a civil officialWu 20 §2
Special — talents Records +10
-
Divination & astronomy
RSkilled +10 Versed in the occult arts and techniquesWu 20 §2
Records 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.
Allegiance history
- Wu · Records · Records vol. 65 「孫休即位，與賀邵、薛瑩、虞汜俱為散騎中常侍」