Talented commander. Killed Han Xuan and surrendered his territory to Liu Bei.
Officer Details
Wade-Giles: Wei Yen (Wên-ch‘ang)
Simplified Chinese: 魏延 (文长)
Pronunciation: Wei4 Yan2 (Wen2chang2)
Birthplace: Yi Yang City
(Presently Tong Bo in He Nan Province)
Rank and Titles
General of the Standard; General Who Maintains Distant Lands in Peace, Governor of Hanzhong; General Who Suppresses the North; Marquis of a Chief Village (AD 223); Major of the Prime Minister, Inspector of Liangzhou (AD 227); Advisor of the Front Army, General Who Conquers the West, Marquis of Nanzheng (AD 230)
Fact vs. Fiction
Differences Between Fact and Common Fiction
- Wei Yan never killed Han Xuan to save Huang Zhong.
(Han Xuan surrendered Changsha of his own accord.) - In fact, there is no historic record of Wei Yan having ever been a general of Liu Biao or Han Xuan. He was originally a mere common soldier.
- Wei Yan served under Zhang Fei for a brief period before Liu Bei took Han Zhong, and was highly respected by Zhang Fei for his intelligence.
- Wei Yan did not slay the fictional Cao Zun.
- Wei Yan did not slay Wang Shuang historically.
Literary Appearances
Romance of the Three Kingdoms: 41, 53, 55, 56, 60–65, 70–72, 81, 85–97, 99–104, 105
Search Results
- Let’s Say Wei Yan Was Chosen to Be a 5 Tiger….
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05/11Replies:17 - Why Do People Think Wei Yan is So Great?
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10/07Replies:16 - Wei Yan
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01/07Replies:19 - Would It Be Better if Wei Yan Was One of the Five Tigers?
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03/05Replies:58 - Wei Yan
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07/04Replies:73 - What Was Wei Yan’s Intention Before Death?
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08/03Replies:40 - Wei Yan’s Plan to Take Changan
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06/03Replies:69 - How Would You Justify Wei Yan’s Actions?
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04/03Replies:22 - Why Wei Yan over Zhang Fei?
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02/03Replies:24 - Unfair Treatment of Wei Yan!
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02/03Replies:26 - Wei Yan
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07/02Replies:376