Yang Fu 楊阜

As an Attendant Officer (congshi) of the province, Yang Fu went to Xu as envoy for the Governor, Wei Duan, and was appointed Chief Clerk of Anding. When he returned, the generals of Guanyou (west of the passes) asked him which of Yuan Shao and Cao Cao would win. Yang Fu answered that Lord Yuan was lenient but indecisive and would never accomplish a great enterprise, while Lord Cao had outstanding talent and far-reaching plans and would surely achieve great things. Not liking the post of Chief Clerk, he left office, and when Wei Duan's son Wei Kang became Inspector, he became his Aide-de-camp (biejia). Records, Wei 25 §24–25

When Ma Chao, defeated at Weinan, took refuge among the Rong peoples, the Grand Progenitor pursued him as far as Anding, but Su Bo rebelled in Hejian and he prepared to return east. Yang Fu, who was there as an envoy, said that Ma Chao had the valor of Han Xin and Ying Bu and had won the hearts of the Qiang and Hu, so that unless strict precautions were taken, the commanderies of Longshang would no longer belong to the state. The Grand Progenitor agreed, but because the army returned in haste, the precautions did not cover everything. Records, Wei 25 §26Records, Shu 6 §28

When Ma Chao led the Rong chieftains to attack Longshang, the commanderies and counties all rallied to him; only the city of Ji held firm in support of the provincial and commandery heads. When Yang Ang, a senior general sent by Zhang Lu, joined him and more than 10,000 men attacked the city, Yang Fu led over a thousand fighting men from among the local gentry and the young men of his clan and had his cousin Yang Yue build a half-moon camp on the walls to fight back. They held out from the 1st month to the 8th month, but no relief came, and the Aide-de-camp Yan Wen, who went out to seek help, was killed by Ma Chao. When the Inspector and the Administrator wanted to surrender, Yang Fu remonstrated in tears, saying, 'I will defend it to the death,' but the two finally opened the gates. Ma Chao imprisoned Yang Yue and had Yang Ang kill the Inspector and the Administrator. Records, Wei 25 §27–28

Yang Fu harbored a determination to take revenge, and asked for funeral leave, saying that he had lost his wife. He had been raised in the household of his cousin Jiang Xu as a boy; he went to see Jiang Xu, who was stationed at Licheng, and Jiang Xu's mother, sobbed bitterly that he had failed to hold the city and had not died with his lord, and reproached Jiang Xu for having troops under his command yet no will to strike the rebel. When Jiang Xu's mother ordered her son to follow Yang Fu's plan, Yang Fu formed a conspiracy with his fellow townsmen Jiang Yin, Zhao Ang, Yin Feng and others, sent his cousin Yang Mo to inform Yang Yue, and also allied with Liang Kuan of Anding, Zhao Qu of Nan'an and others. Records, Wei 25 §29–30

Yang Fu's biography records that in the 9th month of the 17th year of Jian'an (212) he raised troops at Lucheng together with Jiang Xu. When Ma Chao came out in person, Zhao Qu, Liang Kuan and the others released Yang Yue, shut the gates of Ji, and struck at Ma Chao's wife and children. Ma Chao raided Licheng and killed Jiang Xu's mother, who reviled him. Yang Fu fought Ma Chao and took five wounds, and seven of his clan brothers died. Ma Chao fled south to Zhang Lu. The Annals of Emperor Wu and Xiahou Yuan's biography record the attack on Ma Chao by Zhao Qu, Yin Feng and others under the 19th year of Jian'an (214). Records, Wei 25 §31–32Records, Shu 6 §29Records, Wei 1 §136Records, Wei 9 §18

When Longyou was pacified, the Grand Progenitor enfeoffed eleven men as marquises for their merit in the campaign against Ma Chao and granted Yang Fu the rank of Marquis Within the Passes. Yang Fu declined, saying that he had done nothing to ward off disaster while his lord lived, had not died to keep faith when his lord died, and that Ma Chao was not yet dead either. The Grand Progenitor wrote telling him to accept, and praised Jiang Xu's mother, saying that even the wife of Yang Chang could not have surpassed her. Records, Wei 25 §33–34

When the Grand Progenitor campaigned against Hanzhong, Yang Fu became Inspector of Yi Province, and on his return he became Administrator of Wudu. When Liu Bei sent Zhang Fei, Ma Chao and others to Xiabian, seven Di tribes of more than 10,000 encampments rebelled in response, and the Grand Progenitor sent the Protector (duhu) Cao Hong to hold them off. When Cao Hong, at a banquet, had female entertainers dance in thin gauze garments, Yang Fu rebuked him loudly, saying that the distinction between men and women was a great principle of propriety for the state, and walked out. Cao Hong immediately stopped the female musicians and stood in awe of him. Records, Wei 25 §35–36

When Liu Bei took Hanzhong and pressed on Xiabian, the Grand Progenitor wanted to move Wudu Commandery. Through the authority and trust he had long built up, Yang Fu moved more than 10,000 households of commoners and Di to the borders of Jingzhao, Fufeng and Tianshui and moved the commandery seat to Xiaohuaili, and the people followed him carrying their children on their backs. When Emperor Wen asked Liu Ye and others what sort of man the Administrator of Wudu was, they all said he had the integrity of a chief minister, but Emperor Wen died before he could employ him. After more than ten years in the commandery, Yang Fu was summoned to be Colonel of the City Gates. Records, Wei 25 §37–38

Seeing Emperor Ming wearing a cap and a short-sleeved robe of pale blue damask, Yang Fu asked what proper dress under the rites this was, and from then on Emperor Ming would not receive him unless in proper dress. As Court Architect he submitted memorials remonstrating against building palaces, selecting beautiful women, and going out hunting frequently, and Emperor Ming praised this in an edict. After he was transferred to Privy Treasurer, when the Grand Marshal Cao Zhen was held up by rain while attacking Shu, he memorialized for the troops to be withdrawn, and Emperor Ming promptly recalled the armies. Records, Wei 25 §39–48

Yang Fu proposed abolishing the four worst things that harmed good government, and, wishing to reduce the number of palace women, asked an official of the Imperial Wardrobe (yufu) how many women were in the harem; when the official refused to answer, saying it was confidential, he had him given a hundred strokes of the cane. Hearing of this, Emperor Ming respected and stood in awe of him all the more. He also tried to dissuade Emperor Ming from personally escorting the funeral of his infant daughter. Records, Wei 25 §49–52

When Emperor Ming, following the palace at Xu, built palaces, halls and towers at Luoyang, Yang Fu submitted a memorial urging him to take Jie, Zhou, King Ling of Chu and the First Emperor of Qin as warnings, saying, 'I respectfully knock on my coffin and bathe, and prostrate myself to await severe punishment,' and Emperor Ming, moved, replied with an edict in his own hand. The Annals of Emperor Ming also record that when the palace at Luoyang was extensively rebuilt in the 3rd year of Qinglong (235), the upright ministers Yang Fu, Gaotang Long and others remonstrated repeatedly. When his remonstrances were not accepted, Yang Fu repeatedly asked to retire, but he died without being granted leave, and his household had no wealth left over. His grandson Yang Bao (楊豹) succeeded him. Records, Wei 25 §53–57Records, Wei 3 §43

In his assessment, Chen Shou said that Xin Pi and Yang Fu, firm and clear-sighted, fair and upright, remonstrated correctly without regard for themselves, coming close to the lofty bearing of Ji An. Records, Wei 25 §120