Yue Jin

Yue Jin (died 218),^[1] courtesy name Wenqian, was a military general serving under the warlord Cao Cao in the late Eastern Han Dynasty. He was noted as much for his short stature as for his valour and ferocity on the battlefield. Yue Jin participated in most of Cao Cao's early military exploits, and gained multiple successes in the campaigns against Lü Bu, Liu Bei and remnants of the Yellow Turban rebels and the Yuan clan of northern China. He was particularly praised as a capable vanguard, but his most famed accomplishment came with his supporting role in the defence of Hefei against the advances of Sun Quan's forces at the Battle of Xiaoyao Ford in 214.

Chen Shou, the author of the Records of the Three Kingdoms, considered Yue Jin among the Five Elite Generals, along with Zhang Liao, Yu Jin, Zhang He and Xu Huang, and referred to him as the most ferocious of all Cao Cao's generals.

Early life

Yue Jin was a native of Wei (衛國), Yangping (陽平), which is in present-day Qingfeng County, Henan. He was small-sized and short but was known for his courage. When he first came to serve under the warlord Cao Cao, he was appointed as a clerk who handled administrative affairs in camp. Later, when Cao Cao was raising troops to join the campaign against Dong Zhuo, Yue Jin was tasked to recruit soldiers for Cao's camp, in which he brought back 1,000 men from his hometown. For his effort, Yue Jin was put into test as an acting Major (司馬) and Formation Breaking Commandant (陷陣都尉).^[2]

Solidifying Cao Cao's position

The warlord Lü Bu stormed Cao Cao's base, Yan Province, when the latter was away on a campaign against Tao Qian, the Governor of Xu Province. Yue Jin and Cao Hong were assigned to lead the vanguard when Cao Cao's army returned to take back Yan Province. Cao Cao and Lü Bu fought several bitter battles around Puyang (濮陽), resulting in mainly defeats for Cao, but Yue Jin's merit in those battles was still recognised by his supervisor. Yue Jin also participated in Cao Cao's battles against Zhang Chao (張超) at Yongqiu (雍丘) and Qiao Rui at Ku (苦), in which he served as the vanguard and was the first to break the enemy's defences in both battles. He was thus granted the title of "Marquis of Guangchang Village" (廣昌亭侯), and became highly valued in Cao Cao's camp.^[3]

Between 197 and 198, Yue Jin followed Cao Cao to subdue Zhang Xiu, who feigned surrender and defeated Cao at the Battle of Wancheng. Much hardships were experienced during the campaign, but Yue Jin, along Yu Jin, was recorded to have earned merit during the battles. Due to the fact that Zhang Xiu was backed by Liu Biao, the Governor of Jing Province, Cao Cao realised Zhang could not be taken care of within a short period of time. Under the rationale that Liu Bei was asking for help in Xiaopei to fight Lü Bu, Cao Cao finally relinquished his war against Zhang Xiu, and sent envoys to ask the latter to form an alliance, which Zhang agreed upon the term that a marriage be arranged between the two families. During the siege of Xiapi, Yue Jin led a separate command and defeated Lü Bu's deputy general outside the city before he joined the encirclement.^[4]

After Lü Bu's defeat and death, Cao Cao focused on preparation to the upcoming war with Yuan Shao (who was still his ally then), and Yue Jin was assigned to the border. When the warlord of Bing Province, Zhang Yang, vacillated on the predicament upon choosing Cao Cao or Yuan Shao as his ally, his subordinate Yang Chou murdered him and took his head to Cao; but another general, Sui Gu, vindicated his lord when Yang Chou was on his way to Xuchang. In order to merge Zhang Yang's remnants, Yue Jin intercepted Sui Gu when the latter attempted to go back north, and successfully hunted down his prey and took control of the Bing Province troops. He then brought his troops to join Cao Cao's eastern campaign against Liu Bei, who had just killed Che Zhou, the Governor of Xu Province, and taken control of the province. Within a very short time, Liu Bei was defeated, and his aide, Guan Yu, was captured alive. Yue Jin was promoted to 'Colonel Who Attacks Bandits' (討寇校尉) for his achievements.^[5]

Cao Cao's northern campaign

Skirmishes

Yue Jin had also participated in the pivotal Battle of Guandu, in which Cao Cao pitched his forces against those of his rival Yuan Shao. Before Cao Cao led the main army to the frontline, Yue Jin was assigned several thousand soldiers to reinforce Yu Jin at Yan Ford (延津; north of present-day Yanjin, Henan). After rendezvousing with Yu Jin, they selected 5,000 elite soldiers composed of infantry and cavalry, and raided Yuan Shao's detached encampments along the Yellow River southwest from Yan fortress. They snaked up as far as Ji (汲; 25 li southwest of present-day Weihui, Henan), and crossed the river to raid Huojia (獲嘉; southeast of present-day Huojia, Henan) to the north.^[6] In all, they had set fire to some 30 enemy camps, killed thousands of enemies, captured several thousand men alive, and forced the surrender of some 20 generals, including He Mao (何茂) and Wang Mo (王摩).^[7]

Major engagements

However, the war was far from over because the ones that Yue Jin destroyed were just some expendable pawns of the powerful northern regime of Yuan Shao. Cao Cao then ordered Yu Jin to camp at Yuanwu (原武; present-day Yuanyang, Henan), and summoned Yue Jin back to his side. A series of battles were fought, and several famed generals of Yuan Shao had been killed, but the latter still possessed a huge army, which applied much pressure to Cao Cao. The war had been dragging on for months, and Cao Cao's supplies nearly depleted. When Cao Cao thought about relinquishing resistance, he received a piece of intelligence concerning the whereabouts of his enemy's food storage, guarded by Yuan Shao's general Chunyu Qiong. Determined to bet on the information, he picked Yue Jin as his vanguard in this desperate mission, and sneaked their way to Wuchao (烏巢; in present-day Yanjin, Henan) with a 5,000-strong mixed force composed of mainly horsemen. Under the cover of night, they were unopposed until they arrived the enemy encampment, where they set a fire upon. Chunyu Qiong attempted to fight back with his larger force, but was slain by Yue Jin in the chaos. The success of this raid in Wuchao enabled Cao Cao to overcome his archrival when Yuan Shao was out of stock.^[8]

After the ultimate defeat and subsequent death of Yuan Shao, Cao Cao marched his troops northwards into Ji Province (冀州) and You Province to stamp out Yuan Shao's heirs and supporters. Cao Cao's progress was checked at the Battle of Liyang (黎陽; northeast of present-day Xun County, Hebi, Henan), where the war entered a stalemate when the two forces fought on the open field.^[9] Yue Jin then targeted the unit of Yuan Shang's general, Yan Jing (嚴敬), and had it routed. The defeat of Yan Jing frightened the Yuan brothers, who went back into the city and fled during the night. Yue was promoted to acting-'Guerrilla General' (游擊將軍). He then followed Cao Cao to besiege Ye city, and had it breached. During the Battle of Nanpi, Yuan Tan personally led a counteroffensive, and inflicted considerable damage to the elite mounted force of Cao Cao – the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry (虎豹騎). Nevertheless, Yue Jin climbed the city wall and opened the east gate, and the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry took its revenge by taking Yuan Tan's head.^[10]

In 206, Cao Cao wrote a memorial to Emperor Xian, praising the efforts of Yue Jin, Yu Jin and Zhang Liao in the campaigns in northern China. Yue Jin was promoted to 'General Who Breaks and Charges' (折衝將軍) by the Han imperial court in recognition of his contributions.^[11]

Winding-up

When a local gentry and relative to the Yuans, Gao Gan, reneged on his surrender and revolted, Yue Jin was despatched to suppress the rebellion. He outflanked Gao Gan by adopting a circuitous route to the north of Gao's position.^[12] However, Gao Gan outmanoeuvred his opponent by retreating to Hu Gate (壺關; in present-day Huguan County, Shanxi), where he relied on its strong defence. Several battles were fought on the field, resulting in defeats on Gao Gan's side, but Hu Gate remained defiant, and Yue Jin was unable to take it alone. When the reinforcement led by Cao Cao arrived, they breached the fortress and had every defenders killed. Then, Yue Jin and Li Dian were assigned as vanguards to strike the pirate, Guan Cheng (管承), who was defeated by them and forced to surrender later. As Jing Province (covering present-day Hubei and Hunan) had yet to be pacified, Cao Cao ordered Yue Jin to garrison at Yangzhai (陽翟) later.^[13]

War with Sun Quan

After Cao Cao successfully congregated central and northern China, he assembled a grandiose force upon the Yangtze River, only to be destroyed by the southeastern warlord, Sun Quan, who formed an alliance with Liu Bei. The result of the Battle of Red Cliffs would lead to the emergence of the three major powers in the Three Kingdoms period after the fall of the Eastern Han Dynasty.

Battle of Jiangling

As a result of the disastrous defeat at the Red Cliffs, Cao Cao's huge army was scattered around the northern plain above the Yangtze River. Yue Jin was ordered to station inside the city of Xiangyang, in anticipation of Zhou Yu's counterstrike. When the enemy general Guan Yu was attempting to cut the connection between Jiangling and Xiangyang, he was stymied by Yue Jin, who led his army out and defeated him. During Guan Yu's second attempt to block the waterway of Xiangyang, Yue Jin again spiked Guan Yu on the water at Xiakou.^[14]

The war dragged on and Cao Cao's side had suffered high casualties in the battles. Knowing Cao Cao's position in Nan Commandery became worse, Yue Jin raised an army in Xiangyang and hurried down to Jiangling, where he attacked and won several skirmishes over the forces of Liu Bei. Yue Jin forced the barbarians of southern Jing Province to surrender, and mimicked Guan Yu's infiltration strategy to attack Du Pu (杜普) and Liang Da (梁大), the respective Chiefs of Liu Bei's territories Linju (臨沮) and Jingyang (旌陽). Du Pu and Liang Da were unable to repel Yue Jin, and were totally routed.^[15]

Battle of Xiaoyao Ford

After Cao Cao lost the Battle of Jiangling in 208, Sun Quan attacked Hefei, prompting the former to personally led reinforcements to the scene. Yue Jin was specifically granted the staff of authority on the way to Hefei.^[16] After receiving intelligence that Cao Cao had come in person, Sun Quan retreated, and Yue Jin, alongside Zhang Liao and Li Dian were left for the defence of Hefei fortress with 7,000 soldiers. Later, Sun Quan led 100,000 naval forces and advanced to Hefei. The 300,000 strong army of Xiahou Dun was unable to hinder Sun Quan's progress. Following a direct order from Cao Cao, Xue Ti (薛悌) led a relief force into the city, and also served as a monitoring system to the three generals who were not in good terms with each other. Yue Jin was ordered to stay behind to defend the city with the strategist, Xue Ti (who actually assumed a higher command than Zhang Liao, and was there to ensure that the three generals executed Cao Cao's orders), while Li Dian and Zhang Liao led a force of 800 men out to meet the enemy. Sun Quan lost two generals on the first encounter, but his forces managed to force Zhang Liao and Li Dian back into the fortified citadel.

However, Sun Quan's forces were unable to climb the high walls of Hefei fortress, and were subsequently infected with a plague. Thus, Sun Quan grudgingly withdrew; in order to avoid being infected, Sun only had 1,000 troops with him on the northern part of Xiaoyao Ford (逍遥津). This piece of news was received by Zhang Liao, who immediately led several thousand elite cavalry to pursue the enemy commander. During the chaos, Sun Quan was nearly killed if not saved by his general Ling Tong, and the siege of Hefei came to a complete victory for Cao Cao's side. Yue Jin was then promoted to General of the Right (右將軍) for his contributions in the miraculous defence of Hefei.^[17]

Death

Yue Jin died in 218, but his cause of death was not documented in historical records. He was given the posthumous title of "Marquis Wei" (威侯), which literally means the "awe-inspiring marquis".^[18]

Descendants

Yue Jin's son, Yue Lin, inherited his father's decisiveness and determination and was eventually promoted to Governor of Yang Province. Yue Lin was later succeeded by his son Yue Zhao (樂肇).^[19]

In fiction

Yue Jin is featured as a character in Luo Guanzhong's historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms, which dramatises the events leading to, and during the Three Kingdoms period. However, his role in the novel was largely downplayed, and his achievements in battle were not as prominent as those described in his historical biography. He often appeared together with Li Dian.

Yue Jin first appeared in chapter 5, in which he joined Cao Cao's forces when the latter was rallying an army to participate in the campaign against Dong Zhuo.^[20] In chapter 11, when Cao Cao was at war with Lü Bu, Yue Jin engaged Lü Bu's general Zang Ba in a duel but neither of them could defeat his opponent after fighting for more than 30 rounds.^[21] In chapter 23, Cao Cao praised four of his generals (Zhang Liao, Xu Chu, Yue Jin and Li Dian) in front of Mi Heng, saying that the four of them "possessed unwavering courage and surpassed Cen Peng (岑彭) and Ma Wu (馬武)." (Cen Peng and Ma Wu were two prominent generals who served under Emperor Guangwu of Han)^[22]

Yue Jin was also described to be a skilful archer in the novel. There were two incidents which showcased his skill: in chapter 12, he fired an arrow at Lü Bu's general Cheng Lian (成廉) and killed in the latter;^[23] in chapter 33, he killed Yuan Tan's adviser Guo Tu with a single arrow shot when the latter was attempting to escape after his defeat.^[24]

In chapter 53, during a battle against Sun Quan's forces, Yue Jin was described as "armed with only a sword and on horseback, he charged towards Sun Quan like a bolt of lightning, and raised his sword and slashed down when he reached his target." Sun Quan's subordinates Song Qian and Jia Hua (賈華) used their jis to block Yue Jin but their jis were split apart by Yue Jin's swords, so they used the handles to hit Yue Jin's horse.^[25]

In chapter 68, in an engagement after the Battle of Xiaoyao Ford, Yue Jin duelled with Sun Quan's general Ling Tong for more than 50 rounds but neither of them won. Cao Xiu then fired an arrow at Ling Tong, which hit the latter's horse, causing Ling to be thrown off his horse. Yue Jin then moved in for the kill, but before he could slay Ling Tong, he was hit in the face by an arrow fired by Gan Ning. Both sides then rushed forth to rescue their respective generals. Cao Cao later ordered Yue Jin to be carried into his tent for medical treatment.^[26] Yue Jin did not appear again in the novel after chapter 68.

Modern references

Yue Jin is first introduced as a playable character in the eighth instalment of Koei's Dynasty Warriors video game series.

See also

• Five Elite Generals
• List of people of the Three Kingdoms
• List of Dynasty Warriors characters

Notes

References

• Chen Shou (2002). Records of the Three Kingdoms. Yue Lu Shu She. ISBN 7-80665-198-5. 
• Luo Guanzhong (1986). Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Yue Lu Shu She. ISBN 7-80520-013-0. 
• Lo Kuan-chung; tr. C.H. Brewitt-Taylor (2002). Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Tuttle Publishing. ISBN 0-8048-3467-9.