Lu Xun (Three Realms)

Illustration of a Qing edition of the story of the Three Kingdoms .

Lu Xun ( Chinese  陸遜  /  陆逊 , Pinyin Lù Xùn , W.-G. Lu Hsün ), formerly Lu Yi ( Chinese  陸 議  /  陆 議 ; * 183 ; † 245 ), was a Chinese general of the Wu dynasty during the time the three realms .

Military career

Capture of Jingzhou

→ Main article : Battle of Fancheng

In 208, Sun Quan and Liu Bei defeated the warlords Cao Cao at the Battle of Chibi , halting its southern expansion and consolidating Wu's position under the Three Kingdoms. Liu Bei still did not have their own territory. So Sun Quan gave him the Jingzhou Province until Liu Bei would have subjugated the states of Ba and Shu. In 219, Liu Bei took Ba-Shu but refused to return Jing Province. Sun Quan wondered how he could get his province back.

Lu Xun saw an opportunity to prove himself and discussed a plan with current commander Lu Meng to retake Jing. The Shu commander Guan Yu was famous as a great warrior. He was planning a campaign against the north at that time. Because Lu Meng became ill and Guan Yu's pride was known, the Shu would feel safe and make a surprise attack possible.

Sun Quan was informed of this idea and the plan was set in motion. Lu Xun pretended to take command of the troops. He sent Guan Yu a flattering letter in which he

• confessed his awe of serving as the neighbor of such a great general, and
• said he wanted to rely on Guan Yu's fighting skills.

Guan Yu fell for it and dropped his cover. Lu Meng and Lu Xun then secretly led an army into Jingzhou and snatched the province before Guan Yu realized what was happening. Jingzhou was retaken, and Guan Yu was captured and executed.

The battle of Yiling

→ Main article : Battle of Yiling

When Liu Bei learned of the Wu takeover of Jing Province and the death of Guan Yu, he was angry. He led an army east to reclaim Jing and avenge his brother in arms. Lu Xun was given command of the Wu Army and ordered the attack to be repelled.

Few generals were satisfied with Lu Xun's command. Many of them were hardened veterans from Sun C's day , while Lu Xun was a newcomer and upstart. They wanted to attack Liu Bei on the march and take advantage of the exhaustion of his troops, but Lu Xun refused because Liu Bei had made arrangements and the battle would be too risky. Liu Bei sent some troops ahead to ambush the Wu army. The generals called to fight, but Lu Xun suspected a trap and held it back again.

Lu Xun waited. After a few months of stagnation, he suddenly struck, sending troops ahead with torches to set fire to Liu Bei's camps. Then there was a devastating attack from three sides by all Wu troops. Liu Bei's army was destroyed, Liu Bei himself fled west and died shortly afterwards (223). After this victory, few generals criticized Lu Xun, whose strategy had proven victorious.

The Wu Army prepared to pursue the Shu, but Lu Xun noted that the Wei Emperor Cao Pi would take advantage of this opportunity to attack Wu. He restrained the generals, and indeed, shortly after, Wei led armies against Wu.

Later campaigns

Lu Xun had secured his position as commander in chief of the army and was also given an advisory position to Sun Quan. He was determined to defeat the commander-in-chief of the Wei, and had one of his regional princes fake a rebellion. The Wei general was ambushed by Lu Xun and was defeated.

At a later time, Wu launched a campaign against the north, but one of the main couriers was captured and their plans fell to the Wei. Zhuge Jin , one of the campaign generals, panicked and asked Lu Xun for instructions to withdraw. He did not reply, but played chess and planted beans. Confused Zhuge Jin wanted to find out what Lu Xun was up to. He explained to him that if the army escaped immediately, it would be in chaos and the enemy would easily catch up, pursue and destroy them. By their calm actions, however, the Wei troops would suspect a trick by Lu Xun and therefore hesitate, so that Wu can then withdraw in an orderly manner. So it happened too.

Lu Xun was a well-respected advisor to Sun Quan. He was known for his virtue and humility, as well as his sharp mind. After Sun Quan made himself emperor, he made Lu Xun chancellor.

Inglorious end

Between Sun Quan's sons Sun He (the heir to the throne) and Sun Ba (the prince of Lu) a dispute arose over the succession to the throne. Lu Xun sided with Sun He and asked Sun Quan to appoint Sun He firmly as crown prince, claiming that Sun Bas' power was a threat to the stability of the kingdom. He sent letter after letter, but they were all ignored. He was also released from his position, and Sun Quan repeatedly sent officers to reprimand him. In his grief, Lu Xun fell ill and died at the age of 62.

He was the father of Lu Yan and Lu Kang . Kang carried on his father's legacy and became one of the Wu's last great generals.

Web links

• Lu Xun's historical biography (Engl.)

Note: This article places the family name before the person's first name. This is the usual order in Chinese. Lu is the family name here, Xun is the first name.