Yan Jun

Yan Jun (birth and death dates unknown), courtesy name Mancai, was an official of the state of Eastern Wu in the Three Kingdoms period.

Yan Jun was from Pengcheng (彭城), which is in present-day Xuzhou, Jiangsu. He was known for being very studious since he was young and was well versed in Confucian classics. When chaos broke out in central China towards the end of the Han dynasty, he migrated to Jiangdong (southeastern China), where he met and befriended other famous scholars such as Zhuge Jin and Bu Zhi. He was known for being sincere, honest and committed to everything he did.

Sometime in the 3rd century, Yan Jun was recommended by Zhang Zhao to serve under the warlord Sun Quan, who controlled the territories in Jiangdong. Sun Quan appointed him as a Cavalry Commandant (騎都尉) and Assistant Officer (從事中郎). When Sun Quan's general Lu Su died in 217, Sun wanted to let Yan Jun replace Lu and take charge of the military garrison at Lukou (陸口; around present-day Jiayu County, Xianning, Hubei). The other officials congratulated Yan Jun on his new appointment, but Yan firmly declined to accept it and said, "I'm only a simple scholar and I'm unfamiliar with military affairs. If I take up this appointment which I'm not suited for, there will be regrets later." He spoke very sincerely – to the point of breaking down in tears. Sun Quan then asked him to try riding on a horse, but he fell off after getting on the horse's back, so Sun decided to not let him replace Lu Su. Yan Jun received praise for being candid about his abilities.

In 229, after Sun Quan declared himself Emperor and established the state of Eastern Wu, he appointed Yan Jun as Minister of the Guards (衞尉) and sent him as an emissary to Wu's ally state, Shu Han. In Shu, Yan Jun met and received high praise from the Shu chancellor Zhuge Liang. He was known for being generous as he did not keep the gifts and rewards he received from others and instead distributed them among his relatives and close friends. Liu Ying (劉穎), a scholar from Guangling, was an old friend of Yan Jun. Sun Quan heard about Liu Ying's talent and wanted to recruit Liu to serve him but Liu declined on the grounds that he was sick. Not long later, Liu Ying's younger brother, Liu Lue (劉略), died in office while serving as the Administrator (太守) of Lingling Commandery (零陵郡), so Liu Ying travelled to Lingling to attend the funeral. Sun Quan concluded that Liu Ying was feigning illness so he ordered Liu's arrest. When Yan Jun heard about it, he rushed to Lingling to inform Liu Ying and brought Liu with him to meet Sun Quan and apologise. Sun Quan was so furious that he dismissed Yan Jun but did not punish Liu Ying. After some time, Yan Jun was recalled to serve in the Wu government and was appointed as the Prefect of the Masters of Writing (尚書令). It is not known when he died, but it was recorded in the Wu Shu (吳書; Book of Wu) that he died at the age of 78 (by East Asian age reckoning). He had two sons: Yan Kai (嚴凱) and Yan Shuang (嚴爽). Yan Kai also served in the Wu administration and his highest appointment was Minister Steward (升平少府).

Yan Jun wrote two books – Xiao Jing Zhuan (孝經傳) and Chao Shui Lun (潮水論). His discussions with Pei Xuan (裴玄) and Zhang Cheng on the historical figures Guan Zhong and Ji Lu were also spread around.