Yue Yi (), enfeoffed as Lord of Changguo (), was a Chinese military general. He was a prominent military leader of the

State of Yan Yan (; Old Chinese pronunciation: ''*'') was an ancient Chinese state during the Zhou dynasty. Its capital was Ji (later known as Yanjing and now Beijing). During the Warring States period, the court was also moved to another capital at Xia ...

during the

Warring States period The Warring States period in history of China, Chinese history (221 BC) comprises the final two and a half centuries of the Zhou dynasty (256 BC), which were characterized by frequent warfare, bureaucratic and military reforms, and ...

of ancient China. He was the son of the prime minister of the state of

Zhongshan Zhongshan ( zh, c=中山 ), alternately romanized via Cantonese as Chungshan, is a prefecture-level city in the south of the Pearl River Delta in Guangdong province, China. As of the 2020 census, the whole city with 4,418,060 inhabitants is n ...

, but when Zhongshan was destroyed by

King Wuling of Zhao King Wuling of Zhao () (died 295 BCE, r. 325–299 BCE), personal name Zhao Yong, was a ruler of the Zhao state. His reign was famous for one important event: the reforms consisting of "Wearing the Hu (styled) Attire and Shooting from Horseback ( ...

, he was forced to wander from country to country. His talents were recognized by King Zhao of Yan, and he was made a minister. He served with great skill and helped forge alliances with the states of Zhao, Wei, Chu, Han and Qin against the threat posed by Qi. He led the allied armies and crushed the Qi forces. The cruel King of Qi was driven away, and, except for two cities, the entire territory of Qi was brought under control. Soon thereafter, King Zhao of Yan suddenly died. Due to the scheming of

Tian Dan Tian Dan () was a general and nobleman of the major state of Qi during the Warring States period of ancient China. He was known for a spectacular military tactic called "Fire Cattle Columns". After the kingdom was nearly destroyed under the ru ...

of Qi, King Hui of Yan mistrusted him and he fled to the state of Zhao, where he was enfeoffed as Lord of Wangzhu (). His son Yue Jian (樂間) inherited his title Lord of Changguo in Yan.

Popular culture

Yue Yi is one of the 32 historical figures who appear as special characters in the video game '' Romance of the Three Kingdoms XI'' by Koei. In the Chinese classical novel ''

Romance of the Three Kingdoms ''Romance of the Three Kingdoms'' () is a 14th-century historical novel attributed to Luo Guanzhong. It is set in the turbulent years towards the end of the Han dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period in Chinese history, starting in 184 AD and ...

'',

Zhuge Liang Zhuge Liang () (181September or October 234), also commonly known by his courtesy name Kongming, was a Chinese statesman, strategist, and inventor who lived through the End of the Han dynasty, end of the Eastern Han dynasty ( 184–220) and t ...

often compares himself with Yue Yi and

Guan Zhong Guan Zhong (; c. 720–645 BC) was a Chinese philosopher and politician. He served as chancellor and was a reformer of the State of Qi during the Spring and Autumn period of Chinese history. His given name was Yiwu (). ''Zhong'' was his courtes ...

. In the Manga series Kingdom, he was a highly respected Great General of Yan known as "Gaku Ki" and considered as the "Military God" for his feats on the battlefield. In the past, he served as Commander-in-Chief of a Coalition Army that successfully invaded the state of Qi reducing considerably the power of the state.

References

* 史記·卷080·樂毅列傳 * 《 Strategies of the Warring States》：燕二 * 楊寬：《乐毅仕进考》、《乐毅破齐考》，收錄於《乐毅报燕惠王书辨伪》上下两篇（发表于《东南日报》的副刊《文史周刊》） 3rd-century BC Chinese people People of Yan (state) People of Zhao (state) Generals of the Warring States period {{China-mil-bio-stub