Yan Wen 閻溫
| Occupation | ROfficial · Attendant Officer with Separate Carriage | Faction | Wei |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appears | R | Biography in | Book of Wei |
| Born | Native place | Hanyang Commandery | |
| Cause of death | RExecuted Unverified | ||
| Existence | Historical | Mentions | R7 |
Profile
Yan Wen, courtesy name Bojian, was a man of Xicheng County in Tianshui Commandery. As Attendant Officer with Separate Carriage of Liang Province, he served as acting Prefect of Shanggui. When Ma Chao pressed hard in his siege of Ji, the seat of the provincial government, Yan Wen, on the province's orders, slipped out secretly through the water by night to report the emergency to Xiahou Yuan, but was captured at the border of Xianqin. Records, Wei 18 §83
Ma Chao wanted him to tell the city that no relief was coming from the east, but at the foot of the walls Yan Wen shouted that the main army would arrive within three days, and as he would not yield to the end he was killed by Ma Chao. At his death the Inspector of Liang Province and the Administrator lost color and for the first time began to plan surrendering to Ma Chao. Records, Wei 18 §84–85Records, Wei 25 §28
He has a biography in the Biographies of the Two Lis, Zang, Wen, Lü, Xu, Dian, the Two Pangs and Yan (Records of Wei 18) in the Records. In the assessment at the end of that chapter, Chen Shou set Yan Wen's great shout toward the city alongside the ardor of Jie Yang and the Palace Grandee Lu. He does not appear in the Romance. Records, Wei 18 §82–85 · 92
In the Records
Yan Wen, courtesy name Bojian, was a man of Xicheng County in Tianshui Commandery. As Attendant Officer with Separate Carriage of Liang Province, he served as acting Prefect of Shanggui. When Ma Chao fled to Shanggui, Ren Yang and other men of the commandery led their followers to welcome him. Yan Wen tried to stop them but could not, and galloped back to the province. Records, Wei 18 §83
When Ma Chao attacked the commanderies and counties of Longshang, all of them went over to him, but Ji alone, upholding the heads of the province and commandery, held firm. According to Yang Fu's record, Ji held out from the 1st month to the 8th month, but no relief came. When Ma Chao pressed his siege of Ji, the seat of the provincial government, very hard, the province sent Yan Wen out secretly to report the emergency to Xiahou Yuan. Records, Wei 25 §27Records, Wei 18 §83
Because the enemy's siege lines were many layers deep, Yan Wen slipped out secretly through the water by night. The next day the enemy saw his tracks and sent men to pursue and cut him off, and they caught Yan Wen at the border of Xianqin and brought him back to Ma Chao. Records, Wei 18 §83
Ma Chao untied his bonds and said that, having set out to seek help for an isolated city and fallen into another's hands, where could he now exercise his righteousness? He then said that if Yan Wen followed his words and told the city that there was no relief from the east, it would be a plan to turn misfortune into fortune, and that otherwise he would be killed on the spot. Yan Wen pretended to agree, and Ma Chao had him carried in a cart to the foot of the walls. Yan Wen shouted loudly toward the city, 'The main army will arrive within three days; take heart!' and everyone in the city wept and cried out, 'Long live!' Records, Wei 18 §84
Ma Chao angrily rebuked him, asking whether he gave no thought to his life, but Yan Wen did not answer. Because Ma Chao had been attacking the city for a long time without taking it, he coaxed Yan Wen gently, hoping he would change his mind. He asked whether any of Yan Wen's old friends in the city wished to side with him, but again Yan Wen did not answer. When at last Ma Chao reproached him sharply, Yan Wen replied, 'In serving one's lord there is death but no second loyalty. Yet you would make an elder speak unrighteous words; am I one who would cling to life by any means?' and Ma Chao finally killed him. Records, Wei 18 §85
Yang Fu's record states that the province sent its Attendant Officer with Separate Carriage, Yan Wen, to slip out along the waterway and seek help, but when he was killed by Ma Chao, the Inspector and the Administrator lost color and for the first time began to plan surrendering to Ma Chao. Yang Fu wept and remonstrated, but the Inspector and the Administrator in the end opened the city gates and admitted Ma Chao, who had Yang Ang kill the Inspector and the Administrator. The Biography of Ma Chao states that Ma Chao killed Wei Kang, Inspector of Liang Province, and took Ji, and Xiahou Yuan's record states that Xiahou Yuan went to rescue Wei Kang, but Wei Kang was defeated before he arrived. Records, Wei 25 §28Records, Shu 6 §28Records, Wei 9 §17
In the assessment of chapter 18, Chen Shou said that Pang De gave his life while denouncing the enemy and that Pang Yu did not shrink from falling on his sword, and then that Yan Wen, with his great shout toward the city, matched the ardor of Jie Yang and the Palace Grandee Lu. Chen Shou's main text does not record the year of Yan Wen's death. Records, Wei 18 §92 · 83–85
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.
- LEA35
- STR40
- INT55
- POL45
- CHA55
- VIR92
- ADP62
- SCH35
- DIP40
- DIS33
Evidence by ability
RNo direct record — estimated from his posts as Attendant Officer with Separate Carriage and acting Prefect of ShangguiWei 18 §83
RNo direct record — estimated from his breaking out through the siegeWei 18 §83
RPretended to agree, then went to the foot of the walls and shouted that relief was comingWei 18 §84
RNo direct record — estimated from his posts as Attendant Officer with Separate Carriage of Liang Province and acting Prefect of ShangguiWei 18 §83
ROn hearing his shout the people in the city wept and cried 'Long live!'Wei 18 §84Wei 18 §83
RChose death without a second loyalty; the assessment ranks him with Jie Yang and the Palace Grandee LuWei 18 §85Wei 18 §92
RSlipped through the siege by water at night and achieved his aim even after captureWei 18 §83Wei 18 §84
RNo direct record — estimated from his post as Attendant Officer with Separate CarriageWei 18 §83
RNo direct record — estimated from his rejecting Ma Chao's blandishmentsWei 18 §85
RNo direct record — estimated from his post as Attendant Officer with Separate CarriageWei 18 §83
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
- Wei · Records · Records vol. 18 「以涼州別駕守上邽令」