Lu Xun

Who was Lu Xun?

Lu Xun, style name Boyan, was a military general and politician of the state of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period. He started his career as an official under the warlord Sun Quan in the late Eastern Han Dynasty, steadily rising through the ranks until 219, when he assisted Sun Quan's general Lü Meng in an invasion of Jing Province, which led to the defeat of Liu Bei's general Guan Yu. In 222, he served as the field commander of the Wu armies in the Battle of Xiaoting against the forces of Liu Bei and scored a decisive victory over the enemy. Lu Xun reached the pinnacle of his career after this battle as he was highly regarded by Sun Quan, who promoted him to even higher positions and bestowed upon him unprecedented honours. Throughout the middle and the later parts of his career, Lu Xun oversaw and managed both civil and military affairs in Wu while participating in some battles against Wu's rival state Wei from time to time. In his final years, Lu Xun became involved in a succession struggle between Sun Quan's sons, and he fell out of Sun Quan's favour. He managed to retain his appointment as Chancellor — an office he assumed in 244 — but died a year later in anger and frustration. Lu Xun's role in the Wu government was likened to that of a custos morum as he believed firmly in and upheld Confucian ethics and values — from providing constant and timely advice to Sun Quan to exercise benevolence and consider the welfare of the people to vehemently objecting to Sun Quan's idea of replacing his legitimate heir apparent in favour of another son.