Qu Yi ( 190s; died 196-199) was a military general serving under 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 to ...

during the late

Eastern Han dynasty The Han dynasty (, ; ) was an imperial dynasty of China (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD), established by Liu Bang (Emperor Gao) and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–207 BC) and a warr ...

of China.

Life

Qu Yi was from Liang Province and was familiar with the military strategy of the

Xiongnu The Xiongnu (, ) were a tribal confederation of nomadic peoples who, according to ancient Chinese sources, inhabited the eastern Eurasian Steppe from the 3rd century BC to the late 1st century AD. Modu Chanyu, the supreme leader after 20 ...

and Qiang nomads. Qu Yi originally served under Han Fu. During this time,

was also expanding his influence among the Han military elites; Han Fu was deeply jealous of this and thus reduced his troops' rations. This caused Qu Yi to rebel; he then defeated the troops sent by Han Fu. It was this time that Qu Yi was recruited under Yuan Shao's wing. In the

Battle of Jieqiao The Battle of Jieqiao, also known as the Battle of Jie Bridge, was fought between the warlords Yuan Shao and Gongsun Zan in 191 in the late Eastern Han dynasty. It was the first significant clash of arms between the rival warlords in the contes ...

, Qu Yi took the high position of controlling the central army. During this battle, Qu Yi slew Yan Gang (嚴綱) and was a great asset to Yuan Shao's army. However, this would also be his downfall. It is said that Qu Yi was arrogant and was eventually purged by Yuan Shao. Qu Yi's last recorded campaign was in 195, where he defeated

Gongsun Zan Gongsun Zan () (before 161 - April or May 199), courtesy name Bogui, was a Chinese military general, politician, and warlord who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty. Life Little is known of Gongsun Zan's early life. He and Liu Bei stu ...

at Baoqiu, and killed at least 20000 of Gongsun Zan's troops. After this defeat, Gongsun Zan retreated to Yijing, where he fortified his position and forced Qu Yi into a stalemate lasting more than a year. By then, Qu Yi's troops had ran out of supplies; a few thousands troops deserted. Gongsun Zan seized the opportunity and counter-attacked, resulting in a great victory.(兴平二年，破瓒于鲍丘，斩首二万余级。瓒遂保易京，开置屯田，稍得自支.相持岁余，麹义军粮尽，士卒饥困，余众数千人退走。瓒徼破之，尽得其车重。) ''

Book of the Later Han The ''Book of the Later Han'', also known as the ''History of the Later Han'' and by its Chinese name ''Hou Hanshu'' (), is one of the Twenty-Four Histories and covers the history of the Han dynasty from 6 to 189 CE, a period known as the Later ...

'', vol. 73

In ''Romance of the Three Kingdoms''

In the 14th-century historical 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 ...

'', Qu Yi was killed in the Battle of Jieqiao by

Zhao Yun Zhao Yun ( ) (died 229), courtesy name Zilong (), was a military general who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty and early Three Kingdoms period of China. Originally a subordinate of the northern warlord Gongsun Zan, Zhao Yun later came ...

during the counterattack by Gongsun Zan's army. Historically, it was unknown if Zhao Yun and Qu Yi ever met each other, as it is unknown if Zhao Yun joined Gongsun Zan before or after the Battle of Jieqiao. Qu Yi's importance in history was downplayed in the novel to enhance the importance of other characters.

References

* Chen, Shou (3rd century). ''

Records of the Three Kingdoms The ''Records or History of the Three Kingdoms'', also known by its Chinese name as the Sanguo Zhi, is a Chinese historical text which covers the history of the late Eastern Han dynasty (c. 184–220 AD) and the Three Kingdoms period (220– ...

'' (''Sanguozhi''). * Luo, Guanzhong (14th century). ''

'' (''Sanguo Yanyi''). * Pei, Songzhi (5th century). ''

Annotations to Records of the Three Kingdoms Annotations to 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 leaving his native land, Pei ...

'' (''Sanguozhi zhu''). 2nd-century births Year of death unknown Generals under Yuan Shao Executed Han dynasty people People executed by the Han dynasty {{China-mil-bio-stub

Life

In ''Romance of the Three Kingdoms''

See also

References