Li Yan 李嚴

In his youth Li Yan became a commandery official and was praised for his ability, and Liu Biao, Governor of Jing Province, had him hold one commandery and county after another. When Cao Cao entered Jing Province, Li Yan, then governing Zigui, went west to Shu, and under Liu Zhang he became Magistrate of Chengdu, where he again won a name for competence. Records, Shu 10 §41

In the 18th year of Jian'an (213) Liu Zhang made Li Yan Protector of the Army (hujun) and had him resist the First Sovereign, Liu Bei, at Mianzhu. The Biography of the First Sovereign records that when Liu Gui and others were defeated at Fu and withdrew to Mianzhu, Liu Zhang again sent Li Yan to supervise the armies at Mianzhu. Li Yan led his men over to the First Sovereign in surrender and became a Lieutenant General (pi jiangjun). Liu Zhang's in-law Fei Guan, who had also joined Li Yan's army, surrendered with him. Records, Shu 10 §41Records, Shu 2 §32Records, Shu 15 §46

When Chengdu was pacified he became Administrator of Qianwei and General Who Promotes Enterprise (xingye jiangjun). His Officer of Merit Yang Hong strongly remonstrated against his plan to move the commandery offices and, when this was not accepted, resigned, and Li Yan recommended him to the province. In the 23rd year of Jian'an (218), while the First Sovereign was in Hanzhong, the bandits Ma Qin, Gao Sheng and others rose at Qi, gathered tens of thousands and reached Zizhong County; without levying any further troops, Li Yan attacked them with 5,000 soldiers of his commandery and beheaded them. When Gao Ding, a chieftain of the non-Han peoples of Yuexi, besieged Xindao County, he also galloped to the rescue and defeated him, and was given the additional title of General Who Supports Han (fuhan jiangjun). Records, Shu 10 §42Records, Shu 11 §28

In the 2nd year of Zhangwu (222) the First Sovereign summoned Li Yan to the Yong'an Palace and made him Prefect of the Masters of Writing. The following year, when the First Sovereign fell gravely ill, Li Yan and Zhuge Liang together received his testamentary edict to assist the young ruler. The Biography of the First Sovereign records that the First Sovereign entrusted his orphan to the Chancellor Zhuge Liang, with the Prefect of the Masters of Writing Li Yan as his second. Li Yan became Central Protector (zhong duhu), commanding the armies inside and outside, and guarded Yong'an. After the First Sovereign died, Yong Kai and others of Nanzhong grew ever more arrogant; the Protector Li Yan admonished him on where his interests lay in a letter of six sheets, but Yong Kai answered with a single sheet. Records, Shu 10 §43Records, Shu 2 §73Records, Shu 13 §20

In the 1st year of Jianxing (223) he was enfeoffed as Marquis of a District (duxiang hou) and given the tally of authority (jiajie) and the post of Superintendent of the Imperial Household (guanglu xun), and in the 4th year (226) he became General of the Front. When Zhuge Liang was about to take the army down to Hanzhong, Li Yan took charge of affairs in the rear, moved his garrison to Jiangzhou and built a great city there, leaving the Protector of the Army Chen Dao in command at Yong'an. In a letter to Meng Da, Li Yan wrote that he and Kongming had together been entrusted with what came after, so that his cares were deep and his responsibility heavy, and Zhuge Liang too wrote to Meng Da that dividing up tasks as smoothly as flowing water was Zhengfang's nature. At Jiangzhou the Gate Commander Wang Chong, who was attached to Li Yan, fell out of his favor and, fearing punishment, surrendered to Wei. Records, Shu 10 §43–44Records, Shu 3 §7Records, Shu 11 §48

In the 8th year of Jianxing (230) he became General of Agile Cavalry. When Cao Zhen aimed at Hanchuan by three routes, Zhuge Liang had Li Yan come to Hanzhong with 20,000 men and made his son Li Feng Supervisor of the Army under the Area Commander of Jiangzhou, entrusting him with affairs in the rear. According to Zhuge Liang's memorial, Li Yan had earlier, when asked to come and guard Hanzhong, listed every kind of difficulty and asked that five commanderies be split off to form a Ba Province with himself as its Inspector, and this time he raised the fact that Sima Yi and others had opened their own administrations (kaifu) and were appointing staff. The following year, before the campaign, Zhuge Liang had Li Yan act in charge of the affairs of the Chancellor's office as Central Protector, and Li Yan changed his name to Ping. Records, Shu 10 §44–45 · 47–48

In the spring of the 9th year of Jianxing (231), when Zhuge Liang was stationed at Mount Qi, Li Ping urged on and supervised the transport of provisions. Between summer and autumn, when the long rains broke the supply line, Li Ping sent the Military Adviser Hu Zhong and the Supervisor of the Army Cheng Fan to convey his intentions and call Zhuge Liang back, and Zhuge Liang withdrew his army. Li Ping then feigned surprise, asking why he had come back so soon when provisions were plentiful, and memorialized the Later Sovereign, Liu Shan, that the army's false retreat was meant to lure the enemy into battle. Chen Shou wrote that he did this to escape his own responsibility and to expose Zhuge Liang's fault in not advancing. Records, Shu 10 §46

When Zhuge Liang produced all the letters and notes Li Ping had written in his own hand from beginning to end, Li Ping, at a loss for words, kowtowed and begged forgiveness for his crime. Zhuge Liang memorialized that since the death of the late emperor Li Ping had cared only for his own household and his reputation and had not concerned himself with the state, and that he had not known his heart was so perverse. In the 8th month, in the autumn of that year, Li Ping was dismissed, made a commoner and moved to Zitong Commandery. Zhuge Liang wrote to Jiang Wan and Dong Yun that Chen Zhen had once said Zhengfang had scales and armor in his belly, but that he had thought it would be enough not to provoke him. Records, Shu 10 §47–49Records, Shu 3 §12Records, Shu 9 §24

In the 12th year of Jianxing (234) Li Ping, hearing that Zhuge Liang had died, fell ill and died. Chen Shou wrote that Li Ping had always hoped that Zhuge Liang would restore him to office and reckoned that his successors would not, and so was stricken with grief and anger. His son Li Feng rose to be Administrator of Zhuti. The record of Fei Guan included in the biography of Yang Xi states that Li Yan was boastful and haughty and did not keep close company even with men of similar age and rank such as the Protector of the Army Fu Kuang, but that he was as familiar with Fei Guan, more than twenty years his junior, as if they had been of the same age. Records, Shu 10 §50Records, Shu 15 §47

In his assessment, Chen Shou said that Li Yan reached high office through his ability in handling affairs, but that, looking at his conduct and bearing, the disasters he invited and the faults he incurred all came from himself. The eulogy included in the biography of Yang Xi said that Zhengfang received the testamentary command and took part in upholding the order of later days, but neither reported to the throne nor worked in concert with others, so that he brought about a breach and was cast out. Records, Shu 10 §74Records, Shu 15 §61