Bu Zhi

Bu Zhi (died June or July 247),[a][2] courtesy name Zishan, was a Chinese military general and politician of the state of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period of China.

[3] Originally a scholar of humble background, he became a subordinate of the warlord Sun Quan in the late Eastern Han dynasty and gradually rose through the ranks.

During the Battle of Xiaoting/Yiling of 221–222, he quelled local uprisings in Sun Quan's territories in southern Jing Province and maintained peace in the area.

After Sun Quan became emperor in 229, Bu Zhi oversaw the Wu armed forces guarding the Wu–Shu border at Xiling (present-day Yichang, Hubei) for about 20 years.

Bu Zhi was known for being magnanimous, generous and capable of putting up with indignities – these traits earned him much respect from many people, including his enemies.

Sometime in the early Western Han dynasty, a certain General Bu received the peerage "Marquis of Huaiyin" (淮陰侯) from the emperor as a reward for his contributions in battle.

[5] When chaos broke out in central China towards the end of the Eastern Han dynasty, Bu Zhi fled south to the Jiangdong region to avoid trouble.

[8] Bu Zhi and Wei Jing settled in Kuaiji Commandery (會稽郡), where they encountered an influential landlord, Jiao Zhengqiang (焦征羌),[c] who allowed his retainers to behave lawlessly.

As Bu Zhi and Wei Jing feared that Jiao Zhengqiang would seize the plot of land on which they farmed, they decided to offer him some of their produce as tribute.

Bu Zhi was also concurrently appointed General of the Household of Martial Establishment (立武中郎將) and put in charge of a military unit comprising over 1,000 elite archers for his mission to Jiao Province.

[19] In the following year, Sun Quan granted Bu Zhi greater authority and promoted him to General of the Household Who Attacks the South (征南中郎將).

[20] His actions shocked the other elites in Jiao Province including the minor warlord Shi Xie, who led his followers to submit to Bu Zhi and pledge allegiance to Sun Quan.

[21] Sometime in the 210s, Yong Kai (雍闓), a tribal chief in Yi Province (covering present-day Sichuan and Chongqing), killed Zheng Ang (正昂), a commandery administrator appointed by the warlord Liu Bei.

In recognition of Bu Zhi's achievements, Sun Quan appointed him as General Who Pacifies the Rong (平戎將軍) and enfeoffed him as the Marquis of Guangxin (廣信侯).

During this time, some local tribes in Wuling Commandery (武陵郡; around present-day Changde, Hunan) in southern Jing Province rebelled against Sun Quan's rule.

[25] In 229, after Sun Quan declared himself emperor and established the state of Eastern Wu, he appointed Bu Zhi as General of Agile Cavalry (驃騎將軍) and the nominal Governor (牧) of Ji Province.

[27] In his reply to Sun Deng, Bu Zhi named 11 notable officials serving in Jing Province – Zhuge Jin, Lu Xun, Zhu Ran, Cheng Pu, Pan Jun, Pei Xuan (裴玄), Xiahou Cheng (夏侯承), Wei Jing (衞旌), Li Su (李肅), Zhou Tiao (周條) and Shi Gan (石幹) – and appraised them individually.

He also advised Sun Deng to refrain from micromanaging, and instead learn from great rulers such as Duke Huan of Qi and Emperor Gao of Han, who delegated the task of governing their empires to their premiers (e.g. Guan Zhong, Xiao He).

Even officials like Zhu Ju, a high-ranking general, and Gu Yong, the Imperial Chancellor, fell victim to Lü Yi's malice.

Throughout this entire saga, Bu Zhi wrote to Sun Quan numerous times, recommending him to rehabilitate Lü Yi's victims and defending those who were wrongly accused.

The conflict had a polarising effect on Sun Quan's subjects and led to the emergence of two opposing factions: On one side, Lu Xun, Zhuge Ke, Gu Tan, Zhu Ju, Teng Yin, Shi Ji, Ding Mi (丁密) and Wu Can believed that Sun He was the rightful heir apparent so they supported him.

[37] Bu Zhi once wrote a memorial to Sun Quan to tell him that he heard from Wang Qian (王潛) and other defectors that the Wei forces were planning to fill up the Yangtze River with sandbags and launch an attack on the Wu-controlled territories in Jing Province.

Some years later, he told Lü Fan and Zhuge Ke: "Every time I read Bu Zhi's memorial, I can't stop laughing.

[43] Bu Ji was put in charge of supervising military affairs in Jiangling (江陵) and awarded the following appointments: General of the Left (左將軍); Regular Mounted Attendant (散騎常侍); and Administrator (太守) of Lujiang Commandery (廬陵郡).

[44] Bu Xuan was appointed as an Official Who Concurrently Serves in the Palace (給事中) and General Who Declares Might (宣威將軍), and enfeoffed as a Marquis of a Chief District (都鄉侯).

Lu Kang succeeded in his mission – he drove back the Jin forces, retook Xiling, and captured and executed Bu Chan.

Later in the chapter, he voices his objection to Sun Quan putting Lu Xun in command of the Wu army to resist Liu Bei's invasion.