Wei Feng 魏諷
| Occupation | ROfficial · Officer of the Western Section | Faction | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appears | R | Biography in | |
| Born | R? Unverified | Native place | Jiyin Commandery |
| Died | R219 Unverified | Place of death | |
| Cause of death | RExecuted Unverified | ||
| Existence | Historical | Mentions | R21 |
Profile
Wei Feng was a man of Jiyin and served as Officer of the Western Section (xicao yuan) under Zhong Yao, Chancellor of State of Wei. He has no biography of his own in the Records; his rebellion and those implicated in it appear in the Annals of Emperor Wu and in the biographies of Zhong Yao, Yang Jun, Liu Yi, Wang Can and others. Records, Wei 27 §33Records, Wei 1 §169Records, Wei 13 §9
While Taizu (Cao Cao) was away campaigning against Hanzhong, he plotted a rebellion at Ye and was executed. The Annals of Emperor Wu record that in the 9th month of the 24th year of Jian'an (219) the Chancellor of State Zhong Yao was dismissed for his implication in Wei Feng's rebellion. The Capital Commandant Yang Jun was demoted, and the son of Zhang Xiu and the two sons of Wang Can were implicated and executed. Records, Wei 23 §28Records, Wei 1 §165 · 169Records, Wei 12 §38Records, Wei 8 §59Records, Wei 21 §8Records, Wei 14 §78
Wei Feng does not appear in Chen Shou's assessment. Later, Dong Zhao in a memorial and Wang Chang in a letter admonishing his family cited him as an example of a man who threw his age into confusion with falsehood and wickedness and was executed. He does not appear in the Romance. Records, Wei 14 §78Records, Wei 27 §33
In the Records
In a letter admonishing his family, Wang Chang called him 'Wei Feng of Jiyin.' According to the biography of Zhong Yao, Zhong Yao became Grand Judge when the state of Wei was first established and was transferred to Chancellor of State, but a few years later he was implicated in the plot of his Officer of the Western Section, Wei Feng, dismissed by written decree and sent home. The Annals of Emperor Wu record this in the 9th month of the 24th year of Jian'an (219). Records, Wei 27 §33Records, Wei 13 §9Records, Wei 1 §165 · 169
According to the biography of Yang Jun, Wei Feng rebelled at Ye while Taizu (Cao Cao) was campaigning against Hanzhong. The Capital Commandant Yang Jun impeached himself and went to Taizu's field quarters, and believing he was about to be dismissed, he sent the Crown Prince (Cao Pi) a letter of farewell. The Crown Prince was displeased, saying, 'Commandant Yang simply leaves—how excessively lofty!', and Yang Jun was demoted to Administrator of Pingyuan. Records, Wei 23 §28–29
According to the biography of Xu Yi, when Wei Feng and others plotted rebellion and Yang Jun was demoted, Taizu sighed, 'The reason Wei Feng dared to harbor thoughts of rebellion is that among my claw-and-fang servants there was no one to check treachery and forestall plots,' and looked for someone to replace Yang Jun. When Huan Jie recommended Xu Yi, Taizu made Xu Yi Capital Commandant. Records, Wei 12 §38
Many families were implicated in Wei Feng's rebellion. Zhang Xiu's son Zhang Quan was executed for his part in plotting rebellion together with Wei Feng, and his fief was abolished. Wang Can's two sons were also drawn in by Wei Feng and executed, and Wang Can's line came to an end. Records, Wei 8 §59Records, Wei 21 §8
Liu Yi's younger brother Liu Wei had also been drawn in by Wei Feng, so Liu Yi too was liable to be put to death as an accessory. Taizu, saying, 'That Shuxiang was not held guilty for the crime of his younger brother Hu is an ancient rule,' specially pardoned him and transferred Liu Yi to Granary Section Assistant to the Chancellor (cangcao shu). According to the biography of Chen Qun, when Chen Qun spoke to Taizu about this matter, Taizu said, 'Liu Yi is a renowned minister; I too wished to pardon him,' and when Liu Yi thanked him, Chen Qun replied that he had discussed the punishment for the sake of the state, not as a private favor. Records, Wei 21 §59Records, Wei 22 §36
In a memorial setting out the evils of degenerate customs, Dong Zhao, who became Minister over the Masses under Emperor Ming (Cao Rui), cited as examples of those who harmed moral teaching through falsehood the execution of Wei Feng at the end of Jian'an and the beheading of Cao Wei at the beginning of Huangchu. He went on to say that practices such as registering people falsely as members of officials' households so that they could come and go in the forbidden palace were such that even the crimes of Wei Feng and Cao Wei could not exceed them. Records, Wei 14 §78 · 80
In a letter admonishing his family, Wang Chang wrote that recently Wei Feng of Jiyin and Cao Wei of Shanyang had both come to ruin through crookedness and wickedness, having bewitched their age, harbored treachery and stirred up the young. He said that their punishment by the axe had served as a great and clear warning, but that those they had tainted were already many, so one must be careful. Records, Wei 27 §33
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
This person does not appear in the Romance, so only the Records score (Chen Shou’s main text) is given.
- LEA38
- STR35
- INT40
- POL35
- CHA52
- VIR8
- ADP28
- SCH42
- DIP50
- DIS35
Evidence by ability
RNo direct record — estimated from his raising a rebellion at YeWei 23 §28
RNo direct record — estimated from his role as ringleader of a plotWei 12 §38
RNo direct record — estimated from his hatching a plotWei 12 §38
RNo direct record — estimated from his post as Officer of the Western Section in the Chancellor of State's officeWei 1 §169
RBewitched his age and stirred up the young, tainting manyWei 27 §33Wei 21 §59
RCrooked and wicked, he harbored treachery and raised a rebellionWei 27 §33Wei 14 §78
RHis plot was exposed and he was executed, with those implicated punished one after anotherWei 1 §169Wei 8 §59
RNo direct record — estimated from his posing as a man of renownWei 27 §33
RDrew sons of renowned men, such as Wang Can's sons and Liu Wei, into his plotWei 21 §8Wei 21 §59
RNo direct record — estimated from the punishment of the group he drew inWei 21 §59
Records 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.