Zhu Ran

Who was Zhu Ran?

Zhu Ran, courtesy name Yifeng, birth name Shi Ran, was a military general of the state of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period. Despite being a childhood friend of Wu's founding emperor, Sun Quan, he was never tasked with important position nor assignment before Lü Meng's invasion of southern Jing Province in 219, wherein he assisted in capturing the enemy commander Guan Yu. Following the Battle of Xiaoting, Wu's rival state, Cao Wei, launched a three-pronged strike on Wu's northwestern, middle, and eastern borders. Zhu Ran was sent to the northwestern border, where he defended the city of Jiangling with only 5,000 troops against an enemy force about ten times greater. He rose to fame and became feared throughout Wei. He then participated in a series of military operations against Wei, during which he defeated several enemy units, but the overall objectives had never been met. Before his death, Zhu Ran was granted authority to oversee matters within the army.