Yan Baihu () was a bandit leader active in the Wu or Jiangdong region 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

"Baihu" was not Yan's real name, but a nickname given to him due to his physical prowess or skin colour; thus his name should be translated as "White Tiger Yan". According to 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– ...

'', Yan Baihu held gigantic influence among the

Shanyue The Shanyue (山越) were an ancient conglomeration of upland Yue hill tribes living in what is today the mountainous regions of Southern China and Northern Vietnam during the Han dynasty. Since the Southern part of China was not yet controlle ...

tribes and even Han officials in the Wu area. When

Liu Yao Liu Yao (died 329), courtesy name Yongming, was the final emperor of the Xiongnu-led Han Zhao dynasty of China. He became emperor in 318 after most other members of the imperial Liu clan were massacred by Jin Zhun in a coup. However, the empir ...

was appointed as Governor of

Yang Province Yangzhou, Yangchow or Yang Province was one of the Nine Provinces of ancient China mentioned in historical texts such as the ''Tribute of Yu'', ''Erya'' and ''Rites of Zhou''. Name There are four different theories regarding the origin of the ...

, he approached Yan Baihu to bribe him for support against the warlord

Yuan Shu Yuan Shu () (died July or August 199), courtesy name Gonglu, was a Chinese military general, politician, and warlord who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty. He rose to prominence following the collapse of the Han central government in 189 ...

, who had a large army in the

Huai River The Huai River (), Postal Map Romanization, formerly romanization of Chinese, romanized as the Hwai, is a major river in China. It is located about midway between the Yellow River and Yangtze, the two longest rivers and largest drainage basins ...

valley. After 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 ...

defeated Liu Yao at the beginning of a series of conquests in the Jiangdong region, Yan Baihu successfully re-established or even increased his private army to tens of thousands, composed of elite Shanyue fighters, to prepare a final showdown with Sun Ce. Besides being the head of a loose confederation of bandits and local officials, Yan Baihu formed an alliance with another warlord,

Wang Lang Wang Lang may refer to: *Wang Lang (Xin dynasty) (died 24), warlord during the Xin-Eastern Han transition *Wang Lang (Cao Wei) (died 228), minor warlord during the late Han period who became an official of Cao Wei *Wang Lang Market, in Bangkok Noi, ...

, who had enough provisions to account for all of the alliance's soldiers. Despite Yan Baihu's preparations, Sun Ce was able to outwit Wang Lang and took his supply base through tactics; with no supplies, Yan Baihu and Wang Lang were easily defeated by Sun Ce. Yan Baihu then fled into the hills, where he continued to encourage the Shanyue people to oppose Sun Ce's rule over the Jiangdong territories. Yan Baihu at least lived up to the time of Sun Ce's death.

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 ...

'', Yan Baihu was attacked by

and then fled to

to seek help. While seeking the aid of Wang Lang, however, his army was defeated by

Ling Cao Ling Cao (died 203) was a Chinese military general serving under the warlords Sun Ce and Sun Quan during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. He was the father of Ling Tong. He was killed by Gan Ning after his ambush at Xiakou. Service under ...

and his son,

Ling Tong Ling Tong () (189–217), courtesy name Gongji, was a Chinese military general serving under the warlord Sun Quan during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. He started his service under Sun Quan when he was still a teenager and, throughout his ...

. During Yan Baihu's retreat, Dong Xi caught up with him and slew him. Dong Xi then sent Yan Baihu's head in a box to Sun Ce.

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''). {{DEFAULTSORT:Yan, Baihu Han dynasty warlords

Life

In ''Romance of the Three Kingdoms''

See also

References