Lu Yin (Eastern Wu) Explained

Lu Yin
Native Name:陸胤
Office:Commander of the Left Hulin
(左虎林督)
Office1:Area Commander of Xiling
(西陵督)
Monarch1:Sun Xiu
Office2:General Who Pacifies the South
(安南將軍)
Monarch2:Sun Quan / Sun Liang
Office3:Colonel Who Pacifies the South
(安南校尉)
Monarch3:Sun Quan
Office4:Inspector of Jiao Province
(交州刺史)
Monarch4:Sun Quan
Office5:Commandant Who Supervises the Army
(督軍都尉)
Monarch5:Sun Quan
Birth Date:Unknown
Birth Place:Suzhou, Jiangsu
Death Date:Unknown
Children:Lu Shi
Occupation:Military general, politician
Blank1:Courtesy name
Data1:Jingzong (敬宗)
Blank2:Peerage
Data2:Marquis of a Chief Village
(都亭侯)

Lu Yin (third century), courtesy name Jingzong, was a Chinese military general and politician of the state of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period of China. He was the younger brother of Lu Kai and a relative of Lu Xun, who respectively served as the eighth and third Imperial Chancellors of Eastern Wu.

Family background

Lu Yin was from Wu County, Wu Commandery (Chinese: 吳郡), which is present-day Suzhou, Jiangsu. The Lu clan, which he was from, was one of the four most influential clans in Wu Commandery and also in the Jiangdong (or Wu) region at the time. He was the younger brother of Lu Kai and a relative of Lu Xun, who served as the eighth and third Imperial Chancellors of Eastern Wu respectively.[1] [2]

Role in the Sun He–Sun Ba succession struggle

Lu Yin started his career as an Imperial Clerk (Chinese: 御史) and Gentleman in the Selection Bureau of the Imperial Secretariat (Chinese: 尚書選曹郎) during the reign of Sun Quan, the founding emperor of Eastern Wu. Sun He, Sun Quan's third son and heir apparent, heard of Lu Yin's talent and treated him exceptionally well.[3]

Around the 240s, there was a power struggle between Sun He, the Crown Prince, and his fourth brother Sun Ba, the Prince of Lu, over the succession to their father's throne. While Sun He became worried that his father would depose and replace him, Sun Ba became increasingly set on seizing the position of Crown Prince from Sun He.[4] Each of the two princes had a faction supporting him. During this time, Sun Quan considered replacing Sun He with Sun Ba so he privately asked Yang Zhu (Chinese: 楊笁), one of Sun Ba's supporters, about his thoughts on Sun Ba. Yang Zhu sang praises of Sun Ba and nearly convinced Sun Quan to replace Sun He with Sun Ba. A servant who eavesdropped on the private conversation between Sun Quan and Yang Zhu secretly reported what he heard to Sun He.[5]

At the time, Lu Yin had been assigned to a position in Wuchang (武昌; present-day Ezhou, Hubei) and was about to leave the imperial capital, Jianye (present-day Nanjing, Jiangsu). When he went to bid Sun He farewell, Sun He publicly declined to meet him. However, Sun He later disguised himself and sneaked into Lu Yin's carriage to discuss with him how to safeguard his position as Crown Prince. They decided to seek help from Lu Yin's relative Lu Xun, a senior general who later became the third Imperial Chancellor of Wu.[6] Lu Xun then wrote a memorial to Sun Quan to dissuade him from replacing Sun He with Sun Ba. Sun Quan was surprised to receive Lu Xun's memorial and he thought that Yang Zhu revealed the details of their private conversation. When Yang Zhu insisted that he did not, Sun Quan ordered him to find out how Lu Xun knew about it. Yang Zhu then deduced that it must have been Lu Yin who told Lu Xun in Wuchang. Sun Quan then sent a messenger to check with Lu Xun, who confirmed that it was Lu Yin who told him.[7]

Sun Quan then ordered Lu Yin to be arrested and interrogated. While being tortured during interrogation, Lu Yin refused to reveal that it was actually the servant who told them, so as to protect Sun He and prevent him from being implicated. Instead, he lied that it was Yang Zhu who told them about it. Sun Quan then ordered Yang Zhu to be arrested and interrogated as well. Yang Zhu, unable to withstand the torture, falsely admitted that he told Lu Yin. As Sun Quan had already suspected that it was Yang Zhu who leaked the secret, he became even more convinced after hearing Yang Zhu's false confession, so he executed Yang Zhu and released Lu Yin.[8] [9]

Pacifying rebellions in Jiao Province

Lu Yin was later commissioned as a Commandant Who Supervises the Army (Chinese: 督軍都尉) in Hengyang Commandery (衡陽郡; around present-day Xiangtan, Hunan).[10]

In 248, rebel forces in the southern commanderies of Jiaozhi (around present-day Hanoi, Vietnam) and Jiuzhen (九真; around present-day Thanh Hóa, Vietnam) attacked and seized control of cities from their administrators appointed by the Wu government. This triggered a wave of unrest throughout Jiao Province, which Jiaozhi and Jiuzhen commanderies were part of. In response, Sun Quan appointed Lu Yin as the Inspector (Chinese: 刺史) of Jiao Province and promoted him to Colonel Who Pacifies the South (Chinese: 安南校尉) to deal with the unrest.[11]

After assuming office in Jiao Province, Lu Yin managed to placate the locals through acts of kindness and goodwill, and succeeded in gaining their trust and respect. Huang Wu (Chinese: 黃吳), a local chieftain from Gaoliang Commandery (高涼郡; around present-day Yangjiang, Guangdong), led over 3,000 households to surrender to Lu Yin.[12] Lu Yin then led Wu forces southward to pacify the revolts. In order to convince the local tribes of his sincerity towards making peace with them, he distributed large sums of money to the locals. Won over by Lu Yin's generosity, more than 100 local chieftains led over 50,000 households out of the hills to surrender to him and pledge allegiance to Wu. With the surrender of these local tribes, Lu Yin succeeded in restoring peace and stability in Jiao Province.[13]

The Wu government promoted Lu Yin to General Who Pacifies the South (Chinese: 安南將軍) as a reward for his achievements. Lu Yin later led Wu forces to attack rebels in Cangwu Commandery (蒼梧郡; around present-day Wuzhou, Guangxi) and defeated them. Throughout the campaign against the rebels, Lu Yin recruited over 8,000 troops to serve in his army.[14]

In Vietnamese history, Lady Triệu was the one who led the people of Jiuzhen (Cửu Chân) Commandery to rebel against Wu rule. She managed to resist the Wu forces for about five or six months before she lost and decided to take her own life.

Later life

In 258, during the reign of Sun Xiu, Lu Kang was appointed as the Area Commander of Xiling (西陵; around present-day Yichang, Hubei) near the western frontier of Wu. He was also awarded the peerage of a Marquis of a Chief Village (Chinese: 都亭侯). However, he was soon reassigned from the border to serve as a commander of the Left Hulin (Chinese: 左虎林) corps of the Wu army.[15]

Around this time, Hua He, an assistant official in the Palace Secretariat, wrote a memorial to the emperor to praise Lu Yin for his achievements during his decade-long tenure as the governor of Jiao Province and recommend him as a talent to serve in higher positions in the Wu central government.[16]

Family

Lu Yin died in an unknown year. His son, Lu Shi (Chinese: 陸式), inherited his peerage as a Marquis of a Chief Village. Like his father, Lu Shi served as a military officer in Wu and held the positions of Area Commander of Chaisang (柴桑; around present-day Jiujiang, Jiangxi) and General Who Spreads Martial Might (Chinese: 揚武將軍).[17] In 275, the last Wu emperor Sun Hao forced Lu Shi and his relative Lu Yi (Chinese: 陸禕) to relocate from Jianye (present-day Nanjing, Jiangsu) to the remote Jian'an Commandery (建安郡; covering parts of present-day Fujian) in the south.[18] Three years later, Sun Hao recalled Lu Shi back to Jianye and restored him to his previous position and peerage.[19]

See also

References

. Ngô Sĩ Liên. 1479. Đại Việt sử ký toàn thư.

. Trần Trọng Kim. 2005. Việt Nam sử lược. Ho Chi Minh City General Publishing House. Ho Chi Minh City. Vietnamese.

Notes and References

  1. (陸凱字敬風,吳郡吳人,丞相遜族子也。) Sanguozhi vol. 61.
  2. ([陸]胤字敬宗,凱弟也。) Sanguozhi vol. 61.
  3. (始為御史、尚書選曹郎,太子和聞其名,待以殊禮。) Sanguozhi vol. 61.
  4. (吳錄曰:太子自懼黜廢,而魯王覬覦益甚。) Wu Lu annotation in Sanguozhi vol. 61.
  5. (權時見楊笁,辟左右而論霸之才,笁深述霸有文武英姿,宜為嫡嗣,於是權乃許立焉。有給使伏于牀下,具聞之,以告太子。) Wu Lu annotation in Sanguozhi vol. 61.
  6. (胤當至武昌,往辭太子。太子不見,而微服至其車上,與共密議,欲令陸遜表諫。) Wu Lu annotation in Sanguozhi vol. 61.
  7. (旣而遜有表極諫,權疑笁泄之,笁辭不服。權使笁出尋其由,笁白頃惟胤西行,必其所道。又遣問遜何由知之,遜言胤所述。) Wu Lu annotation in Sanguozhi vol. 61.
  8. (召胤考問,胤為太子隱曰:「楊笁向臣道之。」遂共為獄。笁不勝痛毒,服是所道。初權疑笁泄之,及服,以為果然,乃斬笁。) Wu Lu annotation in Sanguozhi vol. 61.
  9. (會全寄、楊笁等阿附魯王霸,與和分爭,陰相譖搆,胤坐收下獄,楚毒備至,終無他辭。) Sanguozhi vol. 61.
  10. (後為衡陽督軍都尉。) Sanguozhi vol. 61.
  11. (赤烏十一年,交阯九真夷賊攻沒城邑,交部搔動。以胤為交州刺史、安南校尉。) Sanguozhi vol. 61.
  12. (胤入南界,喻以恩信,務崇招納,高涼渠帥黃吳等支黨三千餘家皆出降。) Sanguozhi vol. 61.
  13. (引軍而南,重宣至誠,遺以財幣。賊帥百餘人,民五萬餘家,深幽不羈,莫不稽顙,交域清泰。) Sanguozhi vol. 61.
  14. (就加安南將軍。復討蒼梧建陵賊,破之,前後出兵八千餘人,以充軍用。) Sanguozhi vol. 61.
  15. (永安元年,徵為西陵督,封都亭侯,後轉左虎林。) Sanguozhi vol. 61.
  16. (中書丞華覈表薦胤曰:「胤天姿聦朗,才通行絜,昔歷選曹,遺跡可紀。還在交州,奉宣朝恩,流民歸附,海隅肅清。蒼梧、南海,歲有舊風瘴氣之害,風則折木,飛砂轉石,氣則霧鬱,飛鳥不經。自胤至州,風氣絕息,商旅平行,民無疾疫,田稼豐稔。州治臨海,海流秋鹹,胤又畜水,民得甘食。惠風橫被,化感人神,遂憑天威,招合遺散。至被詔書當出,民感其恩,以忘戀土,負老攜幼,甘心景從,衆無攜貳,不煩兵衞。自諸將合衆,皆脅之以威,未有如胤結以恩信者也。銜命在州,十有餘年,賔帶殊俗,寶玩所生,而內無粉黛附珠之妾,家無文甲犀象之珍,方之今臣,實難多得。宜在輦轂,股肱王室,以贊唐虞康哉之頌。江邊任輕,不盡其才,虎林選督,堪之者衆。若召還都,寵以上司,則天工畢脩,庶績咸熈矣。」) Sanguozhi vol. 61.
  17. (胤卒,子式嗣,為柴桑督、揚武將軍。) Sanguozhi vol. 61.
  18. (天冊元年,與從兄禕俱徙建安。) Sanguozhi vol. 61.
  19. (天紀二年,召還建業,復將軍、侯。) Sanguozhi vol. 61.