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 ...
Ziyu, was a Chinese military general and politician of the state of
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.
Life
Zhou Fang was from Yangxian County (),
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, ...
, which is around present-day
Yixing
Yixing () is a county-level city administrated under the prefecture-level city of Wuxi in southern Jiangsu province, China, and is part of the Yangtze River Delta. The city is known for its traditional Yixing clay ware tea pots. It is a pene-excla ...
,
Jiangsu
Jiangsu (; ; pinyin: Jiāngsū, Postal romanization, alternatively romanized as Kiangsu or Chiangsu) is an Eastern China, eastern coastal Provinces of the People's Republic of China, province of the China, People's Republic of China. It is o ...
. He was known for being well-read and studious in his youth. When he reached the age of adulthood, he was nominated as a ''
xiaolian
Xiaolian (; literally "filial and incorrupt"), was the standard of nominating civil officers started by Emperor Wu of Han in 134 BC. It lasted until its replacement by the imperial examination system during the Sui Dynasty. In Confucian philosophy ...
'' (civil service candidate) to serve in the local commandery office. Around the time, one Peng Shi () had rallied several supporters in Qiantang County () and formed a bandit gang to terrorise the locals.
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 ...
, the warlord who ruled the territories in Jiangdong at the time, appointed Zhou Fang as the Chancellor (相; i.e. chief administrative officer) of Qiantang County to deal with Peng Shi. Within 10 days, Zhou Fang eliminated Peng Shi and the bandits, and was promoted to serve as the Commandant of the West District () in Danyang Commandery ().
In January or February 226, one Peng Qi () started a rebellion in Poyang Commandery (). Sun Quan appointed Zhou Fang as the Administrator () of Poyang Commandery and tasked him and
Hu Zong
Hu Zong (183–243), courtesy name Weize, was a government official, writer, poet and military general of the state of Eastern Wu in the Three Kingdoms period of China.
Early life
Hu Zong was from Gushi County, Runan Commandery (), which is in ...
() with putting down the rebellion. Zhou Fang and Hu Zong succeeded in their mission and captured Peng Qi alive and sent him as a captive to Sun Quan. For his efforts in quelling the revolt, Zhou Fang was promoted to Colonel of Illustrious Righteousness ().
In 228, Zhou Fang became the central figure in the
Battle of Shiting
The Battle of Shi'ting (literal meaning "stone pavilion") was fought between the states of Cao Wei and Eastern Wu in 228 during the Three Kingdoms period of China. The battle concluded with a Wu victory.
Battle
The Wu king Sun Quan ordered Zho ...
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 ...
, the Wei commander, who fell for his ruse and led some 100,000 troops to attack Wan County (皖縣; present-day
Qianshan County
Qianshan is a county-level city in the southwest of Anhui Province, People's Republic of China; it is under the jurisdiction of the prefecture-level city of Anqing. It has a population of 570,000 and an area of . The government of Qianshan County ...
,
Anhui
Anhui , (; formerly romanized as Anhwei) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, part of the East China region. Its provincial capital and largest city is Hefei. The province is located across the basins of the Yangtze River ...
). Along the way, Wu forces led by
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 Zhou Fang ambushed Cao Xiu and his army and dealt them a crushing defeat with several thousands of casualties. In recognition of Zhou Fang's contributions in the battle, Sun Quan promoted him to Major-General () and awarded him the title of a Secondary Marquis ().
When bandit forces led by Dong Si () raided Yuzhang () and Linchuan () commanderies, the Wu officers
Wu Can
Wu Can (died 245), courtesy name Kongxiu, was an official of the state of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period of China.
Early life and service under Sun Ce
Wu Can was from Wucheng County (烏程縣), Wu Commandery (吳郡), which is part ...
and
Tang Zi
Tang Zi ( 225–262) was a military general of the state of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period (220–280) of China. In 258, he defected to Wu's rival state, Cao Wei, and became a general under Wei.
Life
Tang Zi was from Licheng Comman ...
led 3,000 troops to attack them but could not breach their base. Zhou Fang came up with a plan by sending a spy to assassinate Dong Si, after which Dong Si's brother led the other bandits to willingly surrender to Wu forces.
Zhou Fang served as the Administrator of Poyang Commandery for about 13 years until his death (probably in early 239Since Peng Qi's rebellion occurred in early 226, Zhou Fang was appointed Administrator of Poyang Commandery around the same period. Thus by calculation, his death date should be in early 239.). During his tenure, he governed fairly and justly. His son,
Zhou Chu
Zhou Chu (; 236?–297), courtesy name Ziyin (), was a Western Jin-era Chinese general. He was the son of Zhou Fang, a famous Eastern Wu general.
Zhou Chu had a reputation for uprightness and integrity and once indicted the Prince of Liang, S ...
Lists of people of the Three Kingdoms
The following are lists of people significant to the Three Kingdoms period (220–280) of Chinese history. Their names in Mandarin pinyin are sorted in alphabetical order.
Fictional characters in the 14th-century historical novel ''Romance of ...
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– ...
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 ...