RNo direct record — estimatedShu 2 §39
NRan the fleeing Meng Da through with his spear and cut off his headCh. 94 §50
Shen Dan 申耽
| Occupation | RGeneral · General Who Conquers the North NGeneral · Administrator of Shangyong | Faction | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appears | RN | Biography in | |
| Existence | Historical | Mentions | R4 |
Profile
Shen Dan was Administrator of Shangyong. He has no biography of his own in the Records and appears in the biography of Liu Feng and the Biography of the First Sovereign. In the 24th year of Jian'an (219) he surrendered with his followers to Liu Feng, Meng Da and others sent by Liu Bei, and sent his wife, children and clan to Chengdu; he was given the additional title General Who Conquers the North and kept his posts of Administrator of Shangyong and Marquis of Yuanxiang as before. Records, Shu 2 §39Records, Shu 10 §3–4
When Meng Da surrendered to Wei and the Wei army attacked Liu Feng, his younger brother Shen Yi turned against Liu Feng, and Shen Dan too surrendered to Wei. Wei gave him the acting title General Who Gathers and Embraces and moved him to live in Nanyang. Records, Shu 10 §5–6 · 15
In the Romance he first appears in Chapter 73 as a man who surrenders on hearing that Cao Cao has abandoned Hanzhong and fled, and he appears in 5 of its 120 chapters; no chapter title bears his name. In Chapter 94, on the side of Wei, he runs Meng Da through with his spear and cuts off his head, and in the battle of Jieting in Chapter 95 he cuts off the water-drawing route to the hill where Ma Su has made his camp. Romance, Ch. 73 §3Romance, Ch. 94 §50Romance, Ch. 95 §23
In the Records
In the summer of the 24th year of Jian'an (219), when Cao Cao withdrew his army and Liu Bei took Hanzhong, Liu Bei sent Liu Feng, Meng Da, Li Ping (Li Yan) and others to attack Shen Dan at Shangyong. Meng Da attacked Fangling northward from Zigui, and Kuai Qi, Administrator of Fangling, was killed by Meng Da's soldiers. Worried that Meng Da might find it hard to handle the task alone, Liu Bei had Liu Feng go down the Mian River from Hanzhong, and Liu Feng met Meng Da at Shangyong. Records, Shu 2 §39Records, Shu 10 §3
Shen Dan, Administrator of Shangyong, surrendered with his followers and sent his wife, children and clan to Chengdu. Liu Bei added the title General Who Conquers the North to Shen Dan and let him keep his posts of Administrator of Shangyong and Marquis of Yuanxiang as before, and made Shen Dan's younger brother Shen Yi General Who Establishes Trust and Administrator of Xicheng. Records, Shu 10 §4
When Guan Yu besieged Fancheng and Xiangyang and repeatedly called on Liu Feng and Meng Da, the two did not comply, saying that the mountain commanderies had only just submitted and could not be unsettled. After Guan Yu's defeat, Meng Da, fearing punishment and also angry with Liu Feng, surrendered to Wei with his followers in the 1st year of Yankang (220). Wei combined the three commanderies of Fangling, Shangyong and Xicheng into Xincheng Commandery, entrusted it to Meng Da, and sent Xiahou Shang and Xu Huang to attack Liu Feng together with Meng Da. Records, Shu 10 §4–6Records, Wei 2 §9–10
When Shen Yi turned against Liu Feng, Liu Feng was defeated and fled to Chengdu, and Shen Dan surrendered to Wei. Wei gave Shen Dan the acting title General Who Gathers and Embraces and moved him to live in Nanyang, and made Shen Yi Administrator of Weixing, enfeoffed him as Marquis of Yuanxiang and stationed him at Xunkou. In Chen Shou's main text Shen Dan appears only this far, and his courtesy name, origin, birth and death are not recorded. Records, Shu 10 §15
In the Romance
In Chapter 73 of the Romance, when Liu Bei has Liu Feng, Meng Da, Wang Ping and others attack Shangyong and the other commanderies, Shen Dan and the others, hearing that Cao Cao has already abandoned Hanzhong and fled, all surrender. Chapter 76 records that because Shen Dan, Administrator of Shangyong, has come over with his followers, Liu Bei, King of Hanzhong, adds the title Deputy General to Liu Feng and has him guard Shangyong together with Meng Da. Romance, Ch. 73 §3Romance, Ch. 76 §36
In Chapter 79, while Liu Feng has moved to Mianzhu, Meng Da summons the brothers Shen Dan and Shen Yi, Commandants of Shangyong and Fangling, and asks them what to do, saying that the King of Hanzhong has forgotten his past merits and means to harm him. Shen Dan says that he and his brother have long wished to entrust themselves to Wei, and advises Meng Da to write a memorial taking leave of the King of Hanzhong and go to Cao Pi, King of Wei, adding that they themselves will follow and surrender. That night Meng Da goes over to Wei with some fifty horsemen. Romance, Ch. 79 §25–26
When Liu Feng, heavily defeated by Meng Da, Xiahou Shang and Xu Huang, flees through the night to Shangyong and calls for the gates to be opened, arrows rain down from the walls and Shen Dan shouts from the watchtower, 'I have already surrendered to Wei!' Going on to Fangling, Liu Feng is chased off by Xu Huang's troops, who emerge when Shen Yi waves a flag, and flees to Xichuan. Romance, Ch. 79 §34–36
In Chapter 94, when Meng Da at Xincheng sets a date for his uprising with Shen Yi, Administrator of Jincheng, and Shen Dan, Administrator of Shangyong, the two pretend to agree while waiting only for the Wei army to arrive so they can act as insiders. After Sima Yi's troops have surrounded Xincheng, troops bearing the banners 'Shen Dan' and 'Shen Yi' attack from outside, and when Meng Da, taking them for a relief force, opens the gates and comes out, the two shout that the rebel must not flee. Shen Dan pursues the fleeing Meng Da, runs him through with his spear so that he falls from his horse, and cuts off his head. Cao Rui raises the offices of Shen Dan and Shen Yi and has them follow Sima Yi on campaign. Romance, Ch. 94 §45–46 · 49–51
In the battle of Jieting in Chapter 95, Sima Yi has Shen Dan and Shen Yi surround the hill with two columns and first cut off the water-drawing route. When Wei Yan and Wang Ping return to their camp, Shen Dan and Shen Yi strike out from inside it, and as Sima Yi advances toward the Xie Valley he leaves the two behind to hold Lieliu Fort. Romance, Ch. 95 §23 · 28 · 35
Where the Romance differs
How he surrendered to Shu: In Chapter 73 of the Romance, Shen Dan and the others surrender on hearing that Cao Cao has abandoned Hanzhong and fled. In the Records, Liu Bei sent Liu Feng, Meng Da, Li Ping (Li Yan) and others to attack Shen Dan at Shangyong, and Shen Dan surrendered with his followers and sent his wife, children and clan to Chengdu. The Records do not give the reason for his surrender. Romance, Ch. 73 §3Records, Shu 2 §39Records, Shu 10 §4
Offices: The Romance calls Shen Dan a Commandant of Shangyong and Fangling in Chapter 79 and Administrator of Shangyong in Chapter 94. In the Records he was Administrator of Shangyong and Marquis of Yuanxiang, Liu Bei added the title General Who Conquers the North, and after surrendering to Wei he received the acting title General Who Gathers and Embraces. Romance, Ch. 79 §25Romance, Ch. 94 §45Records, Shu 10 §4 · 15
Meng Da's surrender to Wei: In Chapter 79 of the Romance, Shen Dan devises the plan that Meng Da should leave a memorial and go to Cao Pi, King of Wei. In the biography of Liu Feng in the Records, Meng Da, fearing punishment for not having helped Guan Yu and angry with Liu Feng, submitted a memorial on his own and surrendered to Wei; no plan of Shen Dan's appears. Romance, Ch. 79 §26Records, Shu 10 §4–5
When Liu Feng was defeated: In Chapter 79 of the Romance, Shen Dan shouts to Liu Feng, who has fled to Shangyong, that he has already surrendered to Wei, and does not open the gates to him. The Records say only that Shen Yi turned against Liu Feng, that Liu Feng was defeated and fled to Chengdu, and that Shen Dan surrendered to Wei. Nothing is said of Shen Dan keeping Liu Feng out. Romance, Ch. 79 §35Records, Shu 10 §15
Meng Da's end: In Chapter 94 of the Romance, Shen Dan pretends to agree to Meng Da's uprising, and when Sima Yi surrounds Xincheng he attacks from outside, runs Meng Da through with his spear and cuts off his head. The Annals of Emperor Ming in the Records say only that in the 1st month of the 2nd year of Taihe (228) Sima Yi broke Xincheng, beheaded Meng Da and sent on his head. In the Records Shen Dan had already surrendered to Wei earlier and moved to live in Nanyang, and he does not appear in this affair. Romance, Ch. 94 §45 · 50Records, Wei 3 §6–7Records, Shu 10 §15
The battle of Jieting: In Chapter 95 of the Romance, on Sima Yi's orders, Shen Dan and Shen Yi cut off the water-drawing route and hold Lieliu Fort. In the Records, the biographies of Zhuge Liang and Guo Huai record that Zhang He broke Ma Su at Jieting and Guo Huai broke Gao Xiang at Lieliu Fort, and Shen Dan does not appear. Romance, Ch. 95 §23 · 35Records, Shu 5 §32–33Records, Wei 26 §68
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
The Records score (Chen Shou’s Records of the Three Kingdoms, main text) is the baseline. Each ability compares how the Romance redrew the same person, and the evidence from both sources explains the difference.
Records total399 / 1000Rank 621 of 996 · Top 63%Romance total424 / 1000Rank 348 of 1,113 · Top 32%
Romance adaptation index+25Romance total − Records total
- LEA4245+3
- STR3860+22
- INT4052+12
- POL4235−7
- CHA4538−7
- VIR3218−14
- ADP5262+10
- SCH3331−2
- DIP4050+10
- DIS3533−2
Abilities shaped by the Romance — where it differs from the Records Differences of 10 or more
RSurrendered to Shu and sent his family, but later surrendered to WeiShu 10 §4Shu 10 §15
NShut the gates on Liu Feng, and deceived and killed Meng Da after making a pact with himCh. 79 §35Ch. 94 §45Ch. 94 §50
RNo direct record — estimatedShu 10 §4
NDevised the plan for Meng Da to defect to Wei, then deceived Meng Da and acted as an insiderCh. 79 §26Ch. 94 §45
RSurrendered to Shu and then Wei as circumstances dictated, keeping his generalship and titleShu 10 §4Shu 10 §15
NWatched how things stood in Hanzhong and switched sides to Shu, then again to WeiCh. 73 §3Ch. 79 §26Ch. 94 §45
RNo direct record — estimatedShu 10 §15
NPersuaded Meng Da to go over to WeiCh. 79 §26
5 similar abilities — show evidence
RNo direct record — estimated from the record of his leading a following as Administrator of ShangyongShu 10 §4
NSurrounded the hill and cut off the water-drawing route, and trained troops while acting as an insiderCh. 95 §23Ch. 94 §45
RNo direct record — estimatedShu 10 §15
NNo direct record — estimatedCh. 73 §3
Records Romance 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.
Romance chapters (5)
AppearsNot present Chapter list →
Family
| Siblings | Shen Yi Romance |
|---|
Based on Wikidata items for the historical and Romance figures. Relations without the Unverified badge were also confirmed in the Records.
Related events (1)
- Sima Yi Swiftly Captures Meng Da 227~228 · Appears (Romance scene)
Includes automatic matching from Wikipedia infoboxes and source keywords (unverified).