Yang Xi (Three Kingdoms)


Yang Xi, courtesy name Wenran, was an official of the state of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms period of China. He is best known for writing the Ji Han Fuchen Zan, a collection of praises of notable persons who served in the Shu Han state. Chen Shou, the third-century historian who wrote the Records of the Three Kingdoms, extensively quoted and annotated Yang Xi's collection.

Life

Yang Xi was from Wuyang County, Qianwei Commandery, which is present-day Pengshan District, Meishan, Sichuan.
At a young age, Yang Xi was already quite well known in Shu. His fame put him on par with others such as Cheng Qi from Baxi Commandery, Yang Tai from Ba Commandery, and Zhang Biao from Shu Commandery. Yang Xi also often praised Cheng Qi as the most brilliant among the four of them. Zhuge Liang, the Imperial Chancellor of Shu, recognised and appreciated their talents.
When Yang Xi was in his 20s, he started his career as a scribe in the administrative office of Yi Province before rising to the position of a junior judicial officer. While in office, he reviewed and cleared difficult cases and earned praise from his colleagues for his appropriate handling of cases. He was later promoted to serve as Chief Clerk in the Imperial Chancellor's office under Zhuge Liang.
Following Zhuge Liang's death in 234, Yang Xi became an official in the selection bureau of the imperial secretariat. Later, he became an assistant officer in the headquarters office under Jiang Wan, who was then the Inspector of Yi Province. After Jiang Wan rose to the position of General-in-Chief, he reassigned Yang Xi to be an official in the east bureau of his office. Yang Xi later consecutively served as an army adviser to the General of the Household of the South, an assistant to the Area Commander of Laixiang, and Administrator of Jianning Commandery.
Some time later, due to poor health, Yang Xi quit his post at Jianning Commandery and returned to the Shu capital Chengdu, where he served as Army Supervisor Who Protects the Army until he recovered. He was then appointed as the Administrator of Zitong Commandery, and later recalled back to Chengdu again to serve as Colonel of Trainee Archers. While he was in office, Yang Xi gained a reputation for maintaining an honest, prudent, simple and minimalist approach towards performing his duties.
In 257, Yang Xi accompanied the Shu general Jiang Wei on a military campaign against Shu's rival state, Wei, and participated in the battle against Wei forces at Mangshui. Yang Xi had all along been sceptical and suspicious of Jiang Wei. When he got drunk, he often cracked jokes and poked fun at Jiang Wei.
Although Jiang Wei appeared to tolerate Yang Xi for ridiculing him, he actually bore a grudge against Yang Xi and wanted to get back at him. After the Shu army returned from the campaign, someone reported Yang Xi to the Shu imperial court for his disrespectful behaviour. As a result, Yang Xi was removed from office and reduced to the status of a commoner. Yang Xi died a few years later in 261.

Appraisal

Apart from his simple and minimalist approach towards work, Yang Xi was also known for being curt and terse when he spoke to others. He neither tried to be tactful with his words nor exchanged pleasantries and gifts with his colleagues. When he wrote letters and documents, he rarely wrote beyond one piece of paper. However, he maintained close ties with his friends, and was known for treating people with sincerity and kindness.
Yang Xi was a close childhood friend of Han Yan and Li Tao, who were from Baxi Commandery. After they grew up, only Yang Xi made it to a career in the government. Han Yan could not serve because of his poor health while Li Tao, who initially made it too, was later dismissed from office for misconduct. Despite what happened to them, Yang Xi still treated them like his close friends and even provided them financial aid and helped them in their daily lives.
Around the time, many people said that the Shu official Qiao Zhou lacked talent and did not respect him much. Only Yang Xi regarded Qiao Zhou highly. He even once said: "Like us, the later generations can never be as good as this great man." Because of this, Yang Xi earned praise from others who also recognised Qiao Zhou for his talent.

''Ji Han Fuchen Zan''

In 241, Yang Xi wrote the Ji Han Fuchen Zan, a collection of praises of notable persons who served in Shu. Chen Shou, the third-century historian who wrote the Records of the Three Kingdoms, extensively quoted and annotated Yang Xi's collection.
As the Ji Han Fuchen Zan was written in 241, it did not contain information about notable persons from Shu who died after that year. When he was writing Yang Xi's biography in the Sanguozhi, Chen Shou added information on the notable persons who died after 241 at the end of the Ji Han Fuchen Zan so as to allow readers to have a rough understanding of these persons' lives.
A list of persons whom Yang Xi praised in his Ji Han Fuchen Zan :