Wu Can (died 245),

courtesy name A courtesy name (), also known as a style name, is a name bestowed upon one at adulthood in addition to one's given name. This practice is a tradition in the East Asian cultural sphere, including China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam.Ulrich Theobald ...

Kongxiu, was an official of the state of

Eastern Wu Wu ( Chinese: 吳; pinyin: ''Wú''; Middle Chinese *''ŋuo'' <

Eastern Han Chinese

: ''*ŋuɑ''), known in h ...

during the

Three Kingdoms The Three Kingdoms () from 220 to 280 AD was the tripartite division of China among the dynastic states of Cao Wei, Shu Han, and Eastern Wu. The Three Kingdoms period was preceded by the Han dynasty#Eastern Han, Eastern Han dynasty and wa ...

period of China.

Early life and service under Sun Ce

Wu Can was from Wucheng County (烏程縣),

Wu Commandery Wu Commandery was a commandery of imperial China. It covers parts of the contemporary Northern Zhejiang and Southern Jiangsu. The capital of Wu commandery was Wu (today's Suzhou). Major counties of Wu commandery include Wu (county), Yuhang county, ...

(吳郡), which is part of present-day Huzhou,

Zhejiang Zhejiang ( or , ; , also romanized as Chekiang) is an eastern, coastal province of the People's Republic of China. Its capital and largest city is Hangzhou, and other notable cities include Ningbo and Wenzhou. Zhejiang is bordered by Jiang ...

. He was born sometime in 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 ...

from a poor family and his father died when Wu Can was young. When he was still a child, a woman saw him and told his mother, "Your son will become a high-ranking government official in the future." Around the 190s, Wu Can served as a minor officer under

Sun He Sun He (224 – November or December 253), courtesy name Zixiao, was an imperial prince of the state of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period of China. He was the third son of Sun Quan, the founding emperor of Wu. In 242, he became the cro ...

(孫河), the Chief (長) of Qu'e County (曲阿縣) and a relative of the warlord

Sun Ce Sun Ce () () (175–200), courtesy name Bofu, was a Chinese military general, politician, and warlord who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. He was the eldest child of Sun Jian, who was killed during the Battle of Xiangyang w ...

, who controlled

and many territories in the Jiangdong region. Sun He was impressed by Wu Can so when Sun He was elevated to the status of a general and was allowed to set up his own office, he appointed Wu Can as the Assistant (丞) of Qu'e County and promoted the latter to a Chief Clerk (長史) later. Although he was of humble origin, Wu Can became known for being very competent in his duties and his fame was on par with other officials who were also from Wu Commandery, such as

Lu Xun Zhou Shuren (25 September 1881 – 19 October 1936), better known by his pen name Lu Xun (or Lu Sun; ; Wade–Giles: Lu Hsün), was a Chinese writer, essayist, poet, and literary critic. He was a leading figure of modern Chinese literature. W ...

and Bu Jing (卜靜). He caught the eye of

Gu Shao Gu Shao ( 188–218), courtesy name Xiaoze, was an official serving under the warlord Sun Quan in the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. Family background Gu Shao's ancestral home was in Wu County, Wu Commandery, which is present-day Suzhou, Ji ...

, a noted judge of character, and became his friend while the celebrated expert on physiognomy Zheng Yu Sun Ce died in 200 CE and was succeeded by his younger brother,

Sun Quan Sun Quan (, Chinese: 孫權) (183 – 21 May 252), courtesy name Zhongmou (), posthumously known as Emperor Da of Wu, was the founder of the Eastern Wu dynasty, one of the Three Kingdoms of China. He inherited control of the warlord regime es ...

, who maintained control over the Jiangdong lands.

Service under Sun Quan

In 209, after Sun Quan was nominally appointed General of Chariots and Cavalry (車騎將軍) by the Han central government, he named Wu Can as his Registrar (主簿). Wu Can was later given greater responsibilities, serving as the Prefect (令) of Shanyin County (山陰縣; present-day

Shaoxing Shaoxing (; ) is a prefecture-level city on the southern shore of Hangzhou Bay in northeastern Zhejiang province, China. It was formerly known as Kuaiji and Shanyin and abbreviated in Chinese as (''Yuè'') from the area's former inhabitants. ...

) and as Colonel Who Advises the Army (參軍校尉).

Battle of Dongkou

In 222, Wu Can participated in the

Battle of Dongkou The Battle of Dongkou was a naval battle fought between October 222 and January 223 between forces of the state of Cao Wei and the Kingdom of Wu during the Three Kingdoms period of China. The battle concluded in a Wu victory. Background Af ...

against Eastern Wu's rival state,

Cao Wei Wei ( Hanzi: 魏; pinyin: ''Wèi'' <

Middle Chinese

: *''ŋjwei^C'' <

. He accompanied the Wu generals

Lü Fan Lü Fan (died 228), courtesy name Ziheng, was a Chinese military general and politician serving under the warlord Sun Quan during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. He continued serving in the state of Eastern Wu during the early Three King ...

He Qi He Qi (died 227), courtesy name Gongmiao, was a military general serving under the warlords Sun Ce and Sun Quan during the late Eastern Han dynasty, and later in the state of Eastern Wu during the early Three Kingdoms period of China. He was es ...

and others to resist the Wei forces led by

Cao Xiu Cao Xiu (died 29 September 228?), courtesy name Wenlie, was a Chinese military general of the state of Cao Wei in the Three Kingdoms period of China. A distant younger relative of the warlord Cao Cao, Cao Xiu started his career in the late Easte ...

. There was stormy weather at the time so the Wu ships became separated from each other when the connecting ropes broke. Some of the ships drifted towards the Wei base and ended up being captured by the enemy while others capsized and threw their sailors overboard. Wu Can and another officer, Huang Yuan (黃淵), were on one of the larger ships which managed to prevail in the storm. The sailors on the ship refused to allow the survivors in the water on board because they feared that their ship would sink due to overloading, so they brandished their weapons at the survivors who were attempting to climb on board. However, Wu Can and Huang Yuan gave orders to their men to save as many survivors as possible. When the men were reluctant to follow orders due to fear of overloading, Wu Can said, "If the ship sinks, we'll all die together! We shouldn't abandon those who are in need of help." Through their efforts, Wu Can and Huang Yuan succeeded in rescuing more than 100 survivors.

Later career

After the Battle of Dongkou, Wu Can was appointed as the Administrator (太守) of

Kuaiji Commandery Kuaiji Commandery (Chinese: t , s , p ''Kuàijī Jùn''), formerly romanized as K'uai-chi Commandery, was a former commandery of China in the area of Hangzhou Bay. When first established, its capital was at Wu (present-day ...

along the southern shore of

Hangzhou Bay Hangzhou Bay, or the Bay of Hangzhou (), is a funnel-shaped inlet of the East China Sea, bordered by the province of Zhejiang and the municipality of Shanghai, which lies north of the Bay. The Bay extends from the East China Sea to its head ...

. He wanted to recruit a reclusive hermit, Xie Tan (謝譚), to serve in the Wu government but Tan refused, claiming that he was ill. Wu Can remarked, "The Dragon displays its divine power through its movements; the Phoenix proves its worth through its cries. Why should one remain hidden in the far reaches of the sky or remain submerged in the depths of the sea?" Raising many troops, he was made General of the Household of Illustrious Righteousness (昭義中郎將) and joined the Wu general

Lü Dai Lü Dai (161 – 21 October 256), courtesy name Dinggong, was a military general of the state of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period of China. Born in the late Eastern Han dynasty, Lü Dai started his career as a minor official in his h ...

in attacking rebels, credited with capturing Li Huan from Luling. In 229, Sun Quan declared himself emperor and established the state of Eastern Wu. Throughout the remaining years of his career, Wu Can held the following offices consecutively: Colonel of a Cavalry Garrison (屯騎校尉), Minister Steward (少府) and Crown Prince's Tutor (太子太傅).

Downfall and death

In the 240s, a power struggle broke out between Sun Quan's sons

and

Sun Ba Sun Ba (before 235 - September or October 250), courtesy name Ziwei, was an imperial prince of the state of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period of China. He was the fourth son of Sun Quan, the founding emperor of Eastern Wu. Life Sun Ba ...

; both of them fought for the succession to their father's throne. Wu Can sided with and spoke up for Sun He, whom he regarded as the legitimate heir apparent. He attempted to persuade Sun Quan to have Sun Ba relocated away from the imperial capital Jianye to Xiakou (夏口; in present-day

Wuhan Wuhan (, ; ; ) is the capital of Hubei, Hubei Province in the China, People's Republic of China. It is the largest city in Hubei and the most populous city in Central China, with a population of over eleven million, the List of cities in China ...

Hubei Hubei (; ; alternately Hupeh) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, and is part of the Central China region. The name of the province means "north of the lake", referring to its position north of Dongting Lake. The prov ...

) and have Yang Zhu (楊笁), an official who supported Sun Ba, reassigned to another position outside Jianye. Wu Can also maintained close contact with the senior general

, who was stationed in Wuchang (武昌; present-day

Ezhou Ezhou () is a prefecture-level city in eastern Hubei Province, China. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 1,079,353, of which 695,697 lived in the core Echeng District. The Ezhou - Huanggang built-up (''or metro'') area was home ...

, Hubei), keeping Lu Xun informed on events. Sun Ba and Yang Zhu responded to this threat to their positions, attacked Wu Can who was subsequently arrested for his correspondence with Lu Xun , imprisoned and eventually executed.

Appraisal

Chen Shou Chen Shou (; 233–297), courtesy name Chengzuo (), was a Chinese historian, politician, and writer who lived during the Three Kingdoms period and Jin dynasty of China. Chen Shou is most known for his most celebrated work, the ''Records of the ...

, who wrote Wu Can's biography in the ''

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– ...

'', appraised Wu and

Zhu Ju Zhu Ju (194–250), courtesy name Zifan, was an official and military general of the state of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period of China. A son-in-law of Wu's founding emperor Sun Quan, Zhu Ju served briefly as the fifth Imperial Cha ...

as follows, "Wu Can and Zhu Ju met with unlucky fates and died in the name of righteousness. What a pity!"(評曰： ... 吾粲、朱據遭罹屯蹇，以正喪身，悲夫！) ''Sanguozhi'' vol. 57.

References

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

'' (''Sanguozhi''). * * 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''). * Sima, Guang (1084). ''

Zizhi Tongjian ''Zizhi Tongjian'' () is a pioneering reference work in Chinese historiography, published in 1084 AD during the Northern Song dynasty in the form of a chronicle recording Chinese history from 403 BC to 959 AD, covering 16 dynast ...

''. {{DEFAULTSORT:Wu, Can Year of birth unknown 245 deaths Sun Ce and associates Eastern Wu politicians Officials under Sun Quan Politicians from Huzhou Han dynasty politicians from Zhejiang Political office-holders in Zhejiang Executed Eastern Wu people