Bu Zhi

Bu Zhi (died June or July 247), courtesy name Zishan, was a Chinese military general and politician of the state of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period of China. Originally a scholar of humble background, he became a subordinate of the warlord Sun Quan in the late Eastern Han dynasty and gradually rose through the ranks. Between 210 and 220, he served as the governor of the remote and restive Jiao Province in southern China. During the Battle of Xiaoting/Yiling of 221–222, he quelled local uprisings in Sun Quan's territories in southern Jing Province and maintained peace in the area. After Sun Quan became emperor in 229, Bu Zhi oversaw the Wu armed forces guarding the Wu– Shu border at Xiling (present-day Yichang, Hubei) for about 20 years. During this time, he also gave advice to Sun Quan's first heir apparent, Sun Deng, and spoke up for officials affected by Lü Yi's abuses of power. In 246, he became the fourth Imperial Chancellor of Wu, but died in office in the following year.

Bu Zhi was known for being magnanimous, generous and capable of putting up with indignities – these traits earned him much respect from many people, including his enemies. He was able to hide his emotions well and project a calm and serious demeanour. However, the historian Pei Songzhi criticised Bu Zhi for supporting Sun Quan's fourth son Sun Ba in the succession struggle against Sun Quan's second heir apparent Sun He, and added that this incident left a huge stain on Bu Zhi's good reputation.

Family background

Bu Zhi was from Huaiyin County (), Linhuai Commandery (), which is around present-day Huai'an, Jiangsu. He traced his ancestry to Yangshi (), an aristocrat of the Jin state in the Spring and Autumn period. As Yangshi's estate was located in an area called "Bu" (步; around present-day Linfen County, Shanxi), his descendants adopted "Bu" as their family name. One of Yangshi's descendants was Bu Shusheng (步叔乘; or Bu Shucheng), a disciple of Confucius. Sometime in the early Western Han dynasty, a certain General Bu received the peerage "Marquis of Huaiyin" () from the emperor as a reward for his contributions in battle. Bu Zhi descended from this General Bu, whose marquisate was in Huaiyin County.

Early life

When chaos broke out in central China towards the end of the Eastern Han dynasty, Bu Zhi fled south to the Jiangdong region to avoid trouble. Alone and penniless, he befriended one Wei Jing () from Guangling Commandery () who was around the same age as him. They farmed crops to feed themselves. Bu Zhi tirelessly toiled in the fields in the day and diligently read books at night. He became very well-read and well-versed in various arts and crafts. He was known for being magnanimous, deep thinking, and able to put up with indignities.

Bu Zhi and Wei Jing settled in Kuaiji Commandery (), where they encountered an influential landlord, Jiao Zhengqiang (), who allowed his retainers to behave lawlessly. As Bu Zhi and Wei Jing feared that Jiao Zhengqiang would seize the plot of land on which they farmed, they decided to offer him some of their produce as tribute. When they arrived at his residence, he was asleep so they had to wait outside. After some time, Wei Jing became impatient and wanted to leave, but Bu Zhi stopped him and said, "We came here because we feared he would seize our land. If we come here to visit him and then leave without even meeting him, he might think that we're insulting him and we'll only end up antagonising him." After a while, Jiao Zhengqiang woke up, saw them through the window, and instructed his servants to lay mats on the ground for them to sit outside while he remained indoors. Wei Jing was enraged but Bu Zhi remained calm and composed. When it was time for lunch, Jiao Zhengqiang feasted on tasty dishes and did not invite them to join him. Instead, he had scraps of food served to them in small bowls. Wei Jing, who received only vegetables and mushrooms, was so unhappy that he did not eat at all. In contrast, Bu Zhi finished all the food he got. They then bid farewell to Jiao Zhengqiang and left. Wei Jing later scolded Bu Zhi, "How can you put up with this?" Bu Zhi replied, "We're of lowly status. He treated us in a manner befitting our status. What's there to be ashamed of?"

Service under Sun Quan

Sometime in the 200s, when the warlord Sun Quan held the nominal appointment General Who Attacks Barbarians (), he recruited Bu Zhi to serve as his Chief Scribe (), and later appointed him as the Chief () of Haiyan County (海鹽縣; present-day Pinghu, Zhejiang). After holding office in Haiyan County for a few years, Bu Zhi claimed that he was ill and resigned. He then travelled around the Wu territories with Zhuge Jin and Yan Jun. During this time, he earned himself a fine reputation as a learned man.

In 209, Sun Quan was appointed as acting General of Chariots and Cavalry () and acting Governor () of Xu Province. Bu Zhi returned to serve under Sun Quan as an Assistant in the East Bureau () of the office of the General of Chariots and Cavalry and Assistant Officer in the Headquarters Office () of the Governor of Xu Province. Sun Quan also nominated Bu Zhi as a ''maocai'' ().

Governorship of Jiao Province

In 210, Sun Quan appointed Bu Zhi as the Administrator () of Poyang Commandery (鄱陽郡; around present-day Poyang County, Jiangxi). Within the same year, however, he promoted Bu Zhi to Inspector () of Jiao Province. Bu Zhi was also concurrently appointed General of the Household of Martial Establishment () and put in charge of a military unit comprising over 1,000 elite archers for his mission to Jiao Province.

Since the time of Emperor Ling ( 168–189), Jiao Province, being a remote province in the south, had posed serious problems for the Han central government. The locals, unwilling to submit to Han rule, had caused much trouble for their Han-appointed governors – two governors, Zhu Fu () and Zhang Jin (), were killed while in office.

In the following year, Sun Quan granted Bu Zhi greater authority and promoted him to General of the Household Who Attacks the South (). When Bu Zhi arrived in Jiao Province, Wu Ju, a commandery administrator in the province, pretended to cooperate with him while harbouring ill intentions. Bu Zhi lured Wu Ju into a trap and executed him. His actions shocked the other elites in Jiao Province including the minor warlord Shi Xie, who led his followers to submit to Bu Zhi and pledge allegiance to Sun Quan. The whole of Jiao Province thus came under Sun Quan's control, with Bu Zhi as the governor.

Sometime in the 210s, Yong Kai (), a tribal chief in Yi Province (covering present-day Sichuan and Chongqing), killed Zheng Ang (), a commandery administrator appointed by the warlord Liu Bei. Yong Kai contacted Shi Xie and asked to defect to Sun Quan's side. Shi Xie relayed the message to Bu Zhi, who sent an emissary to meet Yong Kai and accept his allegiance. In recognition of Bu Zhi's achievements, Sun Quan appointed him as General Who Pacifies the Rong () and enfeoffed him as the Marquis of Guangxin ().

Maintaining peace in southern Jing Province

In 220, Sun Quan ordered Lü Dai to replace Bu Zhi as the Inspector of Jiao Province. Bu Zhi then led over 10,000 volunteer troops from Jiao Province to Changsha Commandery (長沙郡; around present-day Changsha, Hunan). About a year later, Liu Bei, the emperor of the state of Shu Han