Yan Rou () ( 193–220) was a military general of the state of
Cao Wei
Wei () was one of the major Dynasties in Chinese history, dynastic states in China during the Three Kingdoms period. The state was established in 220 by Cao Pi based upon the foundations laid by his father Cao Cao during the end of the Han dy ...
during the
Three Kingdoms
The Three Kingdoms of Cao Wei, Shu Han, and Eastern Wu dominated China from AD 220 to 280 following the end of the Han dynasty. This period was preceded by the Eastern Han dynasty and followed by the Jin dynasty (266–420), Western Jin dyna ...
period of China. He previously served under the warlord
Cao Cao
Cao Cao (; ; ; 15 March 220), courtesy name Mengde, was a Chinese statesman, warlord, and poet who rose to power during the end of the Han dynasty (), ultimately taking effective control of the Han central government. He laid the foundation f ...
in the late
Eastern Han dynasty
The Han dynasty was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China (202 BC9 AD, 25–220 AD) established by Liu Bang and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–206 BC ...
Beijing
Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...
Xianbei
The Xianbei (; ) were an ancient nomadic people that once resided in the eastern Eurasian steppes in what is today Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and Northeastern China. The Xianbei were likely not of a single ethnicity, but rather a multiling ...
tribes in northern China, so he grew up among them and gained their trust over time. In 193, the warlord Gongsun Zan murdered Liu Yu, another warlord who had much prestige in northern China and among the Wuhuan and Xianbei. Liu Yu's son, Liu He (劉和), gathered his father's former subordinates such as Xianyu Fu (鮮于輔), Qi Zhou (齊周), Tian Chou and Xianyu Yin (鮮于銀), and enlisted Yan Rou's help in taking revenge against Gongsun Zan. They fought a battle with Gongsun Zan's forces led by Zou Dan (鄒丹) near the Chaobai River and defeated and killed Zou Dan along with 4,000 enemy soldiers. In 199, the warlord
Yuan Shao
Yuan Shao (, ; died 28 June 202), courtesy name Benchu (), was a Chinese military general, politician, and warlord who lived in the late Eastern Han dynasty. He occupied the northern territories of China during the civil wars that occurred tow ...
also sought Yan Rou's help in building friendly ties with the Wuhuan tribes in northern China.
In 200, during the Battle of Guandu, the warlord
Cao Cao
Cao Cao (; ; ; 15 March 220), courtesy name Mengde, was a Chinese statesman, warlord, and poet who rose to power during the end of the Han dynasty (), ultimately taking effective control of the Han central government. He laid the foundation f ...
, who controlled the Han central government and the figurehead Emperor Xian, contacted Yan Rou and appointed him as Colonel Who Protects the Wuhuan (護烏丸校尉). After Cao Cao defeated Yuan Tan at the Battle of Nanpi in 205, Yan Rou led the Wuhuan and Xianbei leaders in the region to pledge allegiance to Cao Cao. In recognition of Yan Rou's contributions, the Han imperial court awarded him the title of a Secondary Marquis (關內侯). Cao Cao also highly favoured Yan Rou and treated him like a son.
In 206, Yan Rou accompanied Cao Cao on a campaign against the Wuhuan tribes in
You Province
You Prefecture or You Province, also known by its Chinese language, Chinese name Youzhou, was a prefecture (''Zhou (country subdivision), zhou'') in North China, northern China during its imperial era.
"You Province" was cited in some ancient so ...
and served as his guide. Cao Cao defeated the Wuhuan tribes and the warlords Yuan Shang and Yuan Xi at the Battle of White Wolf Mountain in the following year. After the victory, Yan Rou managed to convince all the Wuhuan leaders in You and
Bing
Bing most often refers to:
* Bing Crosby (1903–1977), American singer
* Microsoft Bing, a web search engine
Bing may also refer to:
Food and drink
* Bing (bread), a Chinese flatbread
* Bing (soft drink), a UK brand
* Bing cherry, a varie ...
provinces to submit to Han rule. The Xianbei chieftains Budugen and Kebineng also sent their sons as hostages to Yan Rou to convince him of their allegiance. When Tian Yin (田銀) started a rebellion in Hejian Commandery (河間郡), Kebineng led 3,000 horsemen to assist Yan Rou in suppressing the revolt.
In 220, after Cao Cao's son
Cao Pi
Cao Pi () (late 187 – 29 June 226), courtesy name Zihuan, was the first emperor of the state of Cao Wei in the Three Kingdoms period of China. He was the second son of Cao Cao, a warlord who lived in the late Eastern Han dynasty, but the ...
usurped the throne from Emperor Xian and established the state of
Cao Wei
Wei () was one of the major Dynasties in Chinese history, dynastic states in China during the Three Kingdoms period. The state was established in 220 by Cao Pi based upon the foundations laid by his father Cao Cao during the end of the Han dy ...
, he appointed Yan Rou as General Who Crosses into Liao (度遼將軍).
Family
Yan Rou had a younger brother, Yan Zhi (閻志), who served as the Administrator of Shanggu Commandery (上谷郡; around present-day
Yanqing District
Yanqing District (), formerly known as Yanqing County before 2015, is a District (China), district of the municipality of Beijing located northwest of the city proper of Beijing, 74km away from the city center. The district consists of 3 Subdi ...
,
Beijing
Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...
). When the Xianbei chieftain Suli (素利) was under attack by other Xianbei tribes, Yan Zhi led military forces to help him.
See also
*
Lists of people of the Three Kingdoms
The following are lists of people significant to the Three Kingdoms period (220–280) of Chinese history. Their names in Mandarin pinyin are sorted in alphabetical order.
Fictional characters in the 14th-century historical novel '' Romance o ...
Records of the Three Kingdoms
The ''Records of the Three Kingdoms'' is a Chinese official history written by Chen Shou in the late 3rd century CE, covering the end of the Han dynasty (220 CE) and the subsequent Three Kingdoms period (220–280 CE). It is regard ...
Annotations to Records of the Three Kingdoms
''Annotated Records of the Three Kingdoms'' () by Pei Songzhi (372–451) is an annotation completed in the 5th century of the 3rd century historical text ''Records of the Three Kingdoms'', compiled by Chen Shou. After the fall of the Eastern Jin ...