Feng Li 馮禮
| Occupation | RNGeneral | Faction | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appears | RN | Biography in | |
| Died | Place of death | NYe County | |
| Cause of death | NKilled in battle Unverified | ||
| Existence | Historical | Mentions | R1 |
Profile
Feng Li was a general under Shen Pei, to whom Yuan Shang had entrusted Ye. In the 9th year of Jian'an (204), when Cao Cao was attacking Ye and digging tunnels, Feng Li opened a sally gate and let in more than 300 of Cao Cao's soldiers, but Shen Pei detected it and from atop the wall struck the palisade gate inside the sally gate shut with great stones, and all who had entered perished. Records, Wei 1 §81Records, Wei 6 §63
In Chen Shou's main text he appears only in this one passage, and neither his reason for opening the gate nor what happened to him afterward is recorded. In the Romance he appears in only one chapter, Chapter 32, and no chapter has his name in its title. The Romance portrays him as the commander of the east gate who, punished by Shen Pei, bears a grudge and surrenders to Cao Cao, and has him die in the earth together with 300 strong men when the sluice gate closes as they come in through a tunnel. Records, Wei 6 §63Romance, Ch. 32 §36–37
In the Records
In the 2nd month of the 9th year of Jian'an (204), Yuan Shang had Shen Pei and Su You hold Ye and again attacked Yuan Tan at Pingyuan. When Cao Cao reached the Huan River, 50 li from Ye, Su You tried to act as an inside collaborator, but the plot leaked; he fought Shen Pei within the city, was defeated, and fled to Cao Cao. Cao Cao attacked Ye and dug tunnels, and Shen Pei countered by digging trenches on the inside. Records, Wei 1 §81Records, Wei 6 §63
At this time Shen Pei's general Feng Li opened a sally gate and let in more than 300 of Cao Cao's soldiers. Shen Pei detected it and from atop the wall struck the palisade gate inside the sally gate with great stones, and when the palisade gate closed, all who had entered perished. Chen Shou's main text does not say why Feng Li opened the gate or what became of him afterward. Records, Wei 6 §63
In the 8th month of that year, Ye was pacified when Shen Pei's nephew Shen Rong, his elder brother's son, opened at night the east gate he was guarding and let in Cao Cao's troops, and Shen Pei was captured and beheaded. Feng Li's name appears in Chen Shou's main text only in the one passage above. Records, Wei 1 §84Records, Wei 6 §66 · 63
In the Romance
In Chapter 32 of the Romance, Yuan Shang has Shen Pei and Chen Lin hold Ji Province and goes to attack Yuan Tan at Pingyuan. Cao Cao has Cao Hong attack Ye first, personally defeats Yin Kai and Ju Hu, and then arrives at Ji Province with his main army. Cao Cao has his three armies build earthen mounds all around the city and also has tunnels dug in secret to attack it. Romance, Ch. 32 §32–36
Shen Pei devises plans for a firm defence and makes the laws very strict. When Feng Li, commander of the east gate, neglects his patrol while drunk, Shen Pei punishes him severely, and Feng Li, bearing a grudge, secretly leaves the city and surrenders to Cao Cao. When Cao Cao asks for a plan to break the city, Feng Li replies that the earth inside the sally gate is thick, so a tunnel can be dug to get in. Romance, Ch. 32 §36
Cao Cao has Feng Li lead 300 strong men and dig a tunnel in the dead of night to get in. Since Feng Li's surrender, Shen Pei has been going up onto the wall in person every night to inspect his troops, and that night, from the tower above the sally gate, he sees that there are no lights outside the city and says that Feng Li must be leading troops in through a tunnel. Shen Pei hastily calls out picked soldiers to carry stones and strike down the sluice gate of the sally gate, and when the gate closes, Feng Li and the 300 strong men all die in the earth. Having suffered losses in this fight, Cao Cao abandons the tunnel plan and withdraws his troops to the banks of the Huan River. Romance, Ch. 32 §37–38
Where the Romance differs
How he surrendered: In Chapter 32 of the Romance, Feng Li neglects his patrol while drunk and is severely punished by Shen Pei, then, bearing a grudge, secretly leaves the city and surrenders to Cao Cao. The Records state only that Shen Pei's general Feng Li opened a sally gate and let in Cao Cao's soldiers, and say nothing of his punishment, his leaving the city to surrender, or his reason for opening the gate. Romance, Ch. 32 §36Records, Wei 6 §63
The way in: In the Romance, following Feng Li's advice, Cao Cao has Feng Li lead 300 strong men and dig a tunnel to get in. In the Records too, Cao Cao dug tunnels and Shen Pei countered by digging trenches on the inside, but Cao Cao's more than 300 soldiers came in through the sally gate that Feng Li opened. Romance, Ch. 32 §36–37Records, Wei 6 §63
How Shen Pei found out: In the Romance, Shen Pei, who has been going up onto the wall every night to inspect, sees that there are no lights outside the city and reasons that they mean to come in through a tunnel. The Records say only that Shen Pei detected it, without explaining how he knew. Romance, Ch. 32 §37Records, Wei 6 §63
Feng Li's death: In the Romance, when the sluice gate closes, Feng Li and the 300 strong men all die in the earth. The Records say only that when the palisade gate closed, 'all who had entered' perished, and do not reveal what became of Feng Li, who had opened the gate. Romance, Ch. 32 §37Records, Wei 6 §63
The east gate: In the Romance, Feng Li is the commander of the east gate, and Shen Rong, who later betrays the city, opens the west gate. The Records do not say which gate Feng Li guarded; the east gate was the one guarded by Shen Pei's nephew Shen Rong, his elder brother's son, and Ye was pacified when he opened it at night and let in Cao Cao's troops. Romance, Ch. 32 §36 · 48Records, Wei 6 §63Records, Wei 1 §84
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.
- LEA4040±0
- STR4040±0
- INT4040±0
- POL3331−2
- CHA3532−3
- VIR2518−7
- ADP3530−5
- SCH3131±0
- DIP3333±0
- DIS3131±0
Abilities shaped by the Romance — where it differs from the Records Differences of 10 or more
No ability differs by 10 or more — the Romance portrays this person much as the Records do.
10 similar abilities — show evidence
RNo direct record — estimated from his being recorded as Shen Pei's generalWei 6 §63
NNo direct record — estimated from his being recorded as commander of the east gateCh. 32 §36
RNo direct record — estimated from his being recorded as Shen Pei's generalWei 6 §63
NNo direct record — estimated from his being recorded as commander of the east gateCh. 32 §36
RNo direct record — estimated from his being recorded as Shen Pei's generalWei 6 §63
NProposed the plan of entering by tunnel, but Shen Pei saw through itCh. 32 §36Ch. 32 §37
RNo direct record — estimated from his being recorded as Shen Pei's generalWei 6 §63
NNo direct record — estimated from his being recorded as commander of the east gateCh. 32 §36
RNo direct record — estimated from his being recorded as Shen Pei's generalWei 6 §63
NNo direct record — estimated from his being recorded as commander of the east gateCh. 32 §36
ROpened a sally gate and let in more than 300 of the enemy Taizu's soldiersWei 6 §63
NNeglected his patrol while drunk, bore a grudge and surrendered to Cao CaoCh. 32 §36
ROpened the sally gate to let Cao Cao's troops in, but Shen Pei detected it and all who had entered perishedWei 6 §63
NWhen punished he left the city and surrendered, then died in the tunnelCh. 32 §36Ch. 32 §37
RNo direct record — estimated from his being recorded as Shen Pei's generalWei 6 §63
NNo direct record — estimated from his being recorded as commander of the east gateCh. 32 §36
RNo direct record — estimated from his being recorded as Shen Pei's generalWei 6 §63
NNo direct record — estimated from his being recorded as commander of the east gateCh. 32 §36
RNo direct record — estimated from his being recorded as Shen Pei's generalWei 6 §63
NNo direct record — estimated from his being recorded as commander of the east gateCh. 32 §36
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 (1)
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