[ Served Gongsun Yuan. Defeated by Sima Yi. In novel, fell in a duel against Xiahou Ba.
Officer Details
Wade-Giles: Pei Yen
Simplified Chinese: 卑衍
Rank and Titles
Commander
Literary Appearances
Romance of the Three Kingdoms: 106
Sanguozhi: Wei 8
Biography
Appointed as Commander by Gongsun Yuan, Bei Yan took part in the army that attacked Wei. On hearing that Wei’s Hu Zun had camped at Liaodong, Gongsun Yuan sent Bei Yan with eighty thousand troops to camp at Liaosui alongside Yang Zuo. They surrounded their camp with a wall seven miles in circumference and placed thorny barriers outside the rampart. It seemed very secure.
Sima Yi made a dash for Xiangping and Bei Yan, on seeing the danger of losing that base, broke up the camp and pursued. At the River Ji, Bei Yan was ambushed by Xiahou Ba and Xiahou Wei so he fled to Gongsun Yuan at Shoushan Mountain. In the next battle, Bei Yan reviled the Wei army “You rebels! Do not try trickery, but dare you fight in the open?” Xiahou Ba accepted the challenge and cut down Bei Yan after a few rounds, Gongsun Yuan’s army was defeated.