Zhao Yan 趙彥
| Occupation | RNOfficial · Gentleman Consultant | Faction | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appears | RN | Biography in | |
| Cause of death | RExecuted NExecuted Unverified | ||
| Existence | Historical | Mentions | R1 |
Profile
Zhao Yan is a Gentleman Consultant who appears in Chapter 20 of the Romance. After Cao Cao, on a false charge of collusion with Yuan Shu, has the Grand Commandant Yang Biao thrown into prison and then, at Kong Rong's remonstrance, merely strips him of office and sends him back to his home village, Zhao Yan, indignant at Cao Cao's tyranny, submits a memorial impeaching Cao Cao for the crime of arresting a high minister on his own authority without the emperor's sanction. Cao Cao flies into a rage and at once has Zhao Yan seized and put to death, and there is no one among the hundred officials who does not tremble with fear. Romance, Ch. 20 §9–10
He appears in 2 of the Romance's 120 chapters, Chapters 20 and 22, and no chapter title bears his name. In Chapter 22, the proclamation that Yuan Shao has Chen Lin compose cites his case in listing Cao Cao's crimes. He does not appear in Chen Shou's main text and is recorded only in Pei Songzhi's commentary. Romance, Ch. 22 §10 · 17Records, Wei 6 §50
In the Romance
In Chapter 20 of the Romance, Cao Cao returns to the Chancellor's residence and tells Xun Yu and the others, who are worried that the Son of Heaven has acknowledged Liu Bei as his uncle, that what concerns him is the Grand Commandant Yang Biao, a relative of Yuan Shu. Cao Cao secretly has someone falsely accuse Yang Biao of collusion with Yuan Shu, throws him into prison and has Man Chong conduct the interrogation, but when Kong Rong, Administrator of Beihai, remonstrates, he has no choice but merely to strip Yang Biao of office and send him back to his home village. Romance, Ch. 20 §8–9
At this time the Gentleman Consultant Zhao Yan, indignant at Cao Cao's tyranny, submits a memorial impeaching Cao Cao for the crime of arresting a high minister on his own authority without the emperor's sanction. Cao Cao flies into a rage and at once has Zhao Yan seized and put to death, whereupon there is no one among the hundred officials who does not tremble with fear. When his adviser Cheng Yu urges him to seize this moment to carry out the deeds of a king or hegemon, Cao Cao says that there are still many ministers at court who are the court's mainstays and that he cannot move lightly, and that he will invite the Son of Heaven on a hunt to observe how things stand. Romance, Ch. 20 §10
In Chapter 22, Yuan Shao, on receiving Zheng Xuan's letter, decides to help Liu Bei and attack Cao Cao, and on Guo Tu's advice has his secretary Chen Lin draft a proclamation. Chen Lin completes the proclamation the moment he takes up his brush, and it enumerates Cao Cao's crimes one by one. Following the case of the former Grand Commandant Yang Biao, on whom Cao Cao laid a crime he had not committed and inflicted flogging and the five cruel tortures, it states that the Gentleman Consultant Zhao Yan offered loyal remonstrance and upright words with a righteousness worth accepting, so that even the sage court lent an ear, changed countenance and bestowed additional honors on him, but that Cao Cao, seeking to cut off the path of free speech, arrested him on his own authority and killed him on the spot without even reporting to the Son of Heaven and awaiting his decision. Romance, Ch. 22 §8–10 · 17
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
There is no record in the main text of Chen Shou’s Records, so only the Romance score is given.
- LEA31
- STR31
- INT42
- POL42
- CHA40
- VIR75
- ADP35
- SCH45
- DIP50
- DIS35
Evidence by ability
NNo direct record — estimated from his being a civil official serving as Gentleman ConsultantCh. 20 §10
NNo direct record — estimated from his being a civil official serving as Gentleman ConsultantCh. 20 §10
NNo direct record — estimated from his deedsCh. 22 §17
NNo direct record — estimated from his post as Gentleman ConsultantCh. 20 §10
NNo direct record — estimated from his deedsCh. 22 §17
NImpeached Cao Cao for his tyranny, and a proclamation praised his loyal remonstranceCh. 20 §10Ch. 22 §17
NImpeached the tyrannical Cao Cao and was at once seized and put to deathCh. 20 §10
NNo direct record — estimated from his being a civil official who submitted a memorialCh. 20 §10
NImpeached Cao Cao by memorial; the proclamation says the emperor lent an ear to himCh. 20 §10Ch. 22 §17
NNo direct record — estimated from his deedsCh. 22 §17
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 (2)
AppearsNot present Chapter list →
Related events (1)
- Cao Cao Hunts at Xutian Romance ch. 20 · Appears (Romance scene)
Includes automatic matching from Wikipedia infoboxes and source keywords (unverified).