Li Hui 李恢

Li Hui, courtesy name Deang, was a man of Yuyuan County in Jianning Commandery. He served his commandery as Investigator. When his aunt's husband Cuan Xi, Prefect of Jianling County, committed an offense, Li Hui too was implicated and faced dismissal, but the Administrator Dong He, because Cuan Xi belonged to a great local clan, let the matter rest and did not approve the dismissal. Records, Shu 13 §12

Later the commandery recommended Li Hui to the province, and while he was on the road and had not yet arrived, he heard that the First Lord (Liu Bei) had turned back from Jiameng to attack Liu Zhang. Knowing that Liu Zhang was bound to lose and the First Lord bound to succeed, Li Hui borrowed the title of commandery envoy, went north to the First Lord and met him at Mianzhu. The First Lord commended him for this. Li Hui followed the First Lord to Luo, and the First Lord sent him to Hanzhong to establish friendly relations with Ma Chao, whereupon Ma Chao at last submitted to his command. Records, Shu 13 §12–13

After Chengdu was pacified, the First Lord took the post of Governor of Yi Province and made Li Hui Assistant Clerk of the Bureau of Merit and Registrar. Later an escaped prisoner falsely accused Li Hui of involvement in a rebellion, and the officials concerned arrested him and sent him under escort, but the First Lord established that the charge was untrue and instead promoted Li Hui to Attendant Officer Riding Separately (biejia congshi). Records, Shu 13 §13

In the 1st year of Zhangwu (221), when Deng Fang, Area Commander of Laixiang, died, the First Lord asked who could replace him. Li Hui replied that men's talents each have strengths and weaknesses, which is why Confucius said that one employs people according to their capacity; and that under an enlightened ruler subjects speak their minds freely, which is why, in the campaign against the Xianling, Zhao Chongguo said 'none is better than this old servant'; so, without measuring his own worth, he presented himself for the ruler's consideration. The First Lord laughed and said that his own intention had already rested on him, and he made Li Hui Area Commander of Laixiang, holding the imperial staff of authority and concurrently Inspector of Jiao Province, with his seat at Pingyi County. Records, Shu 13 §13–14

When the First Lord died, Gao Ding rebelled in Yuexi, Yong Kai in Jianning and Zhu Bao in Zangke. When the Chancellor Zhuge Liang campaigned in the south, he first advanced to Yuexi, while Li Hui headed along the road to Jianning. The various counties combined forces on a large scale and surrounded Li Hui's army at Kunming. Li Hui's troops were few and the enemy twice as many, and he had no word from Zhuge Liang, so he deceived the southerners, saying that the government army had run out of grain and meant to withdraw, and that he himself, having long been away from his homeland and only now returned, could not go north again and wished to make common cause with them. The southerners believed him and relaxed the siege, whereupon Li Hui sallied out and routed them, pursuing them as far as the Pan River in the south and Zangke in the east, so that his forces and Zhuge Liang's supported each other. Records, Shu 13 §15–16

When the southern lands were pacified, Li Hui's military merit was the greatest, and he was enfeoffed as Marquis of Hanxing Village and given the additional title of General Who Pacifies the Han. After the army withdrew, the southern tribes rebelled again and killed the garrison commanders; Li Hui went in person to attack and crush them, moved their chieftains to Chengdu, and levied plow oxen, war horses, gold, silver and rhinoceros hides from the Sou and Pu peoples to supply the army, so that at the time there was no shortage of funds. Records, Shu 13 §17

In the 7th year of Jianxing (229), when Jiao Province came under Wu, Li Hui was relieved of his post as Inspector and instead made concurrently Administrator of Jianning, returning to live in his home commandery. He later moved to live in Hanzhong and died in the 9th year of Jianxing (231). His son Li Yi succeeded him. His nephew Li Qiu, as Commander of the Right Division of the Yulin Guards, followed Zhuge Zhan in resisting Deng Ai and died fighting at Mianzhu. Records, Shu 13 §17–18

In his Eulogies on the Supporting Ministers of Ji Han, written in the 4th year of Yanxi (241), Yang Xi praised Li Hui: 'The General Who Pacifies the Han governed the south, fighting valiantly in his old homeland. He cut away the weeds and filth and upheld order by punishment; he moved the Man and Pu far and wide, and thereby the state's resources grew strong.' Records, Shu 15 §33 · 57

In his assessment, Chen Shou named Huang Quan, Li Hui, Lü Kai, Ma Zhong, Wang Ping and Zhang Ni together, saying that Li Hui was fair and clear-sighted, with resolve and achievement, and that all of them made their names through their particular strengths because they met their times. Records, Shu 13 §65