RNo direct record — estimated from his role as Yuan Shang's Chief of Wu'anWei 1 §81
NCut down with a single stroke by Xu Chu before he could make a moveCh. 32 §34
Yin Kai 尹楷
| Occupation | RNOfficial · Chief of Wu'an | Faction | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appears | RN | Biography in | |
| Cause of death | NKilled in battle Unverified | ||
| Existence | Historical | Mentions | R1 |
Profile
Yin Kai was Chief of Wu'an, the head of Wu'an County. He has no biography of his own in the Records and appears once, in the Annals of Emperor Wu (Records of Wei 1). In the 9th year of Jian'an (204), when Cao Cao attacked Ye, Yin Kai was stationed at Maocheng, keeping open the grain supply route from Shangdang, and in the 4th month of summer he was defeated by troops that Cao Cao led in person. Records, Wei 1 §81
Chen Shou's main text does not record his courtesy name, his origins or what became of him afterwards, and the Records contain no assessment of him. Of the 120 chapters of the Romance he appears only in Chapter 32, and no chapter has his name in its title. Shen Pei proposes to Yuan Shang the plan of stationing him at Maocheng, and when Yin Kai comes out to face the invading Cao Cao, he is cut down and killed with a single stroke by Xu Chu. Records, Wei 1 §81 · 173Romance, Ch. 32 §32 · 34
In the Records
In the 1st month of spring of the 9th year of Jian'an (204), Cao Cao crossed the Yellow River and dammed the Qi River to divert it into the Baigou, opening a grain supply route. In the 2nd month, when Yuan Shang attacked Yuan Tan again, leaving Su You and Shen Pei to defend Ye, Cao Cao advanced to the Huan River and accepted Su You's surrender, then reached Ye and attacked it, building earthen mounds and digging tunnels. Records, Wei 1 §81
At this time Yin Kai, Chief of Wu'an, was stationed at Maocheng, keeping open the grain supply route from Shangdang. In the 4th month of summer, Cao Cao left Cao Hong to attack Ye, led troops in person against Yin Kai, defeated him and returned. He then also attacked and took Handan, which was held by Yuan Shang's general Ju Hu. Records, Wei 1 §81
The Biography of Xu Huang records that, following the account of how the surrender of Han Fan, Prefect of Yiyang, was accepted after Cao Cao besieged Ye and broke Handan, Xu Huang made a separate campaign against Maocheng, setting troops in ambush and falling upon the enemy by surprise to break three encampments. Yin Kai's name does not appear in this passage. Records, Wei 17 §59–60
In Chen Shou's main text, this passage of the Annals of Emperor Wu is the only place where Yin Kai's name appears. His courtesy name, his origins and what happened after his defeat are not recorded, and the Records, including the assessment in the Annals of Emperor Wu, contain no assessment of him. Records, Wei 1 §81 · 173
In the Romance
In Chapter 32 of the Romance, Yuan Shang consults Shen Pei, saying that since Cao Cao's troops are shipping grain into the Baigou, they will surely come to attack Ji Province. Shen Pei advises him to send a dispatch ordering Yin Kai, Chief of Wu'an, to station himself at Maocheng and keep open the grain transport route from Shangdang, and to have Ju Hu, the son of Ju Shou, hold Handan to give support from afar, while Yuan Shang himself advances on Pingyuan and attacks Yuan Tan swiftly. Greatly pleased, Yuan Shang leaves Shen Pei and Chen Lin to defend Ji Province, makes Ma Yan and Zhang Yi (張顗) his vanguard, and goes to attack Pingyuan. Romance, Ch. 32 §32
Yuan Tan reports his peril to Cao Cao, and when Xu You, arriving from Xuchang, asks whether the Chancellor means only to sit here on guard, Cao Cao laughs and replies that he has already worked it out. Cao Cao has Cao Hong advance first to attack Ye, and himself leads a detachment to attack Yin Kai. Romance, Ch. 32 §33
When Cao Cao's troops reach his territory, Yin Kai leads out his troops to meet them. As Yin Kai rides out, Cao Cao says, "Where is Xu Zhongkang?", and Xu Chu answers, comes forward, and gallops straight at Yin Kai. Before Yin Kai can make a move, he is cut down from his horse with a single stroke by Xu Chu, and the rest of his men scatter and flee. Cao Cao calls them all to surrender and then leads his army to Handan, where Ju Hu, coming out to meet him, fights Zhang Liao, is defeated and flees, and is struck by Zhang Liao's arrow and falls from his horse. Romance, Ch. 32 §34–35
Yuan Shang, who has been attacking Pingyuan, hears that Cao Cao has already defeated Yin Kai and Ju Hu and has surrounded Ji Province with a great army, and withdraws his troops to come back to its rescue. In the Romance, these passages in Chapter 32 are the only places where Yin Kai's name appears. Romance, Ch. 32 §38
Where the Romance differs
How he came to be stationed at Maocheng: In Chapter 32 of the Romance, Shen Pei proposes to Yuan Shang the plan of sending a dispatch to station Yin Kai at Maocheng, and Yuan Shang is greatly pleased. The Annals of Emperor Wu in the Records state only that Yin Kai, Chief of Wu'an, was stationed at Maocheng, keeping open the grain supply route from Shangdang, and do not say who sent him there. Romance, Ch. 32 §32Records, Wei 1 §81
Yin Kai's end: In Chapter 32 of the Romance, Yin Kai comes out to face Cao Cao and is cut down and killed with a single stroke by Xu Chu. The Annals of Emperor Wu in the Records state only that Cao Cao attacked Yin Kai in person, defeated him and returned, without saying whether Yin Kai died. This battle does not appear in the Biography of Xu Chu in the Records either. Romance, Ch. 32 §34Records, Wei 1 §81Records, Wei 18 §48–57
The battle at Maocheng: In Chapter 32 of the Romance, the fighting at Maocheng ends with Xu Chu cutting down Yin Kai and Cao Cao calling all his men to surrender. In the Records, the Annals of Emperor Wu state that Cao Cao defeated Yin Kai, and the Biography of Xu Huang states that Xu Huang made a separate campaign against Maocheng, setting troops in ambush and falling upon the enemy by surprise to break three encampments. Romance, Ch. 32 §34Records, Wei 1 §81Records, Wei 17 §60
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 total382 / 1000Rank 718 of 996 · Top 73%Romance total357 / 1000Rank 838 of 1,113 · Top 76%
Romance adaptation index−25Romance total − Records total
- LEA4240−2
- STR4030−10
- INT3835−3
- POL4542−3
- CHA3535±0
- VIR4545±0
- ADP3835−3
- SCH3333±0
- DIP3331−2
- DIS3331−2
Abilities shaped by the Romance — where it differs from the Records Differences of 10 or more
9 similar abilities — show evidence
RStationed at Maocheng, but defeated by Taizu, who attacked him in personWei 1 §81
NLed his troops out to meet the enemy, but when their commander was cut down, his men scatteredCh. 32 §33Ch. 32 §34
RNo direct record — estimated from his role as Yuan Shang's Chief of Wu'anWei 1 §81
NNo direct record — estimated from his role as Chief of Wu'anCh. 32 §32
RStationed at Maocheng, keeping open the grain supply route from ShangdangWei 1 §81
NStationed at Maocheng to keep open the grain transport route from ShangdangCh. 32 §32
RNo direct record — estimated from his role as Yuan Shang's Chief of Wu'anWei 1 §81
NNo direct record — estimated from his role as Chief of Wu'anCh. 32 §32
RNo direct record — estimated from his role as Yuan Shang's Chief of Wu'anWei 1 §81
NNo direct record — estimated from his role as Chief of Wu'anCh. 32 §32
RNo direct record — estimated from his role as Yuan Shang's Chief of Wu'anWei 1 §81
NNo direct record — estimated from his role as Chief of Wu'anCh. 32 §32
RNo direct record — estimated from his role as Yuan Shang's Chief of Wu'anWei 1 §81
NNo direct record — estimated from his role as Chief of Wu'anCh. 32 §32
RNo direct record — estimated from his role as Yuan Shang's Chief of Wu'anWei 1 §81
NNo direct record — estimated from his role as Chief of Wu'anCh. 32 §32
RNo direct record — estimated from his role as Yuan Shang's Chief of Wu'anWei 1 §81
NNo direct record — estimated from his role as Chief of Wu'anCh. 32 §32
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)
AppearsNot present Chapter list →