Wei Yan 衛演

In Chapter 106 of the Romance, Gongsun Yuan of Liaodong, not content even with the ranks of Grand Marshal and Duke of Lelang conferred by Wei, styles himself King of Yan, changes the era name to the 1st year of Shaohan, and, making the General-in-Chief Bei Yan Commander-in-Chief and Yang Zuo leader of the vanguard, raises 150,000 troops of Liaodong and invades the Central Plains. Cao Rui, the ruler of Wei, summons Sima Yi to discuss a plan and has him raise troops to attack Gongsun Yuan. Romance, Ch. 106 §2–3 · 5–6 · 8

Sima Yi leaves alone Bei Yan and Yang Zuo, who are encamped at Liaosui, and heads for Xiangping by a byway, and the two, turning back after him, fall into the ambush of Xiahou Ba and Xiahou Wei. When Xiahou Ba cuts down Bei Yan at Mount Shou, Gongsun Yuan flees with his defeated troops into the city of Xiangping, shuts the gates and holds fast, and the Wei army surrounds the city on all sides. Sima Yi, who in the autumn rain that does not stop for a month beheads the Right Commander Qiu Lian for asking to move the camp, orders the assault on the city when the rain stops and a great star falls from northeast of Mount Shou to southeast of Xiangping. Romance, Ch. 106 §9 · 11–15 · 19–20

When the food in the city runs out and everyone has to slaughter oxen and horses to eat, people all grow resentful and want to behead Gongsun Yuan, offer up the city and surrender. Hearing of this, Gongsun Yuan in haste sends the Chancellor of State Wang Jian and the Imperial Counselor Liu Fu to the Wei camp to ask for surrender, and the two report that if the Grand Commandant will fall back 20 li, ruler and ministers will come of their own accord to surrender. Sima Yi, in a great rage, asks why Gongsun Yuan does not come himself, has the two beheaded and hands their heads to their attendants. Romance, Ch. 106 §21–22

Greatly alarmed, Gongsun Yuan next sends the Palace Attendant Wei Yan to the Wei camp. When Sima Yi ascends to his command tent with his generals lined up on either side, Wei Yan crawls in on his knees, kneels below the tent, begs the Grand Commandant to set aside his thunderous wrath, and reports that on a set day they will first send the heir Gongsun Xiu as a hostage, after which ruler and ministers will bind themselves and come to surrender. Romance, Ch. 106 §22

Sima Yi says that the great essentials of warfare are five: if one can fight, one fights; if one cannot fight, one defends; if one cannot defend, one flees; if one cannot flee, one surrenders; and if one cannot surrender, one simply dies; so what need is there to send a son as a hostage? Sima Yi rebukes Wei Yan and has him go back and report to Gongsun Yuan, and Wei Yan, clutching his head, scurries away like a rat. Romance, Ch. 106 §23

When Wei Yan goes back and reports, Gongsun Yuan, greatly alarmed, secretly confers with his son Gongsun Xiu, picks out a thousand men and horses, and that night, around the second watch, opens the south gate and flees southeast. But before they have gone even 10 li, Sima Yi, with Sima Shi and Sima Zhao, blocks the road, and Hu Zun's troops, Xiahou Ba and Xiahou Wei, and Zhang Hu and Yue Chen surround them on all sides like an iron barrel; Gongsun Yuan and his son dismount and surrender, and are beheaded on Sima Yi's orders. Wei Yan does not appear again in the Romance after this. Romance, Ch. 106 §24–26