During the Three Kingdoms period at the end of the Han Dynasty, the official positions of military generals from high to low were roughly as follows: generals (great generals) (great simas) → generals of hussars→ generals of the hussars→ generals of the guards→ four generals of the left and right→ generals of the four marches→ generals of the four towns→ generals of Si'an→ generals of Siping→ generals of the miscellaneous generals → partial generals. Among them, as far as the generals of the Four Expeditions (Zhengdong, Zhengxi, Zhengnan, and Zhengbei) were concerned, they were not only more common official positions during the Three Kingdoms period, but also had a higher status because they were in charge of the conquests, that is, they were basically famous military generals at that time. For the general of Zhengbei mentioned in this article, it was established in the three kingdoms of Wei Shu and Wu. As far as Eastern Wu is concerned, there are three generals in history who have conquered the North. So, the question is, Eastern Wu had three "Generals of the Northern Expedition": Lu Kang was on the list, and who were the other two?
1. Land resistance
Lu Kang (226–274), courtesy name Youjie, was a native of Wu County, Wu County (present-day Suzhou, Jiangsu Province). A famous general of the State of Wu during the Three Kingdoms period. In the ninth year of Chiwu (246), after Lu Xun's death, Sun Quan made Lu Kang a general of the Lijie Zhonglang. In the first year of Jianxing (252), Sun Quan died, Sun Liang succeeded to the throne, and Bai Lu kang was made a general of Fenwei. In the second year of Taiping (257), the Wei general Zhuge Shi rebelled against Wei and surrendered to Wu in Shouchun. In this regard, the Eastern Wu Emperor Sun Liang worshipped Lu Kang as the Governor of Chaisang and went to Shouchun to receive reinforcements. Because of his military achievements, Lu Kang was promoted to the rank of general of Zhengbei. In this regard, in the author's opinion, Cao Wei is exactly in the north of Eastern Wu, so the general of Eastern Wu's conquest of the North naturally needs to compete with Cao Wei. As far as Lu Kang is concerned, it is clear that he has not lived up to this mission.
In the second year of Yong'an (259), Lu Kang was made a general of the Zhen Army, and the town guarded Xiling (西陵, northwest of present-day Yichang, Hubei) to defend against Cao Wei's attack. In August of the first year of the Phoenix Dynasty (272), Sun Hao summoned the general Zhaowu and the governor of Xiling. Bu Xian, who had been the general of Xiling Town for several generations, was summoned, thinking that he was derelict in his duties and afraid of being slandered, so he raised the city to jin in September, thus breaking out the Battle of Xiling. In this battle, although the Western Jin side had a large number of troops, it also gained the internal response of stepping in. However, Lu Kang still defeated the Western Jin army and eliminated Bu Xian, the traitor. In this regard, in the view of many historians, the victory in the Battle of Xiling objectively continued the existence of Eastern Wu, prompting the Western Jin Dynasty to spend longer to prepare for the Battle of Wu.
In March of the second year of the Phoenix (273), Lu Kang was worshipped by the Eastern Wu emperor Sun Hao as the Grand Sima and Jingzhou Mu. During the Three Kingdoms period, Sima Da could be said to be the highest official position of a military general, such as Cao Xiu, the Grand Sima of Cao Wei, and Jiang Huan, the Grand Sima of Shu Han. In the third year of the Phoenix (274), Emperor Wu of Jin reinstated Wang Mao as the Assassin of Yizhou and ordered him to build a large number of warships in Bashu and train sailors. This seriously threatened the State of Wu. Some ministers are deeply concerned. In July, Lu resisted serious illness.
In the autumn of the same year, Lu Kang died of illness and his son Lu Yansi. Lu Yan, together with Lu Jing, Lu Xuan, Lu Ji, and Lu Yun, led the lu resistance troops. Among them, Lu Ji and Lu Yun were famous literary figures in the Western Jin Dynasty. In this regard, in the view of many historians, after the death of Lu Kang, the State of Wu no longer had a good general. In November of the third year of the Tianji Dynasty (279), the Jin army cut down Wu, and the Jin general Wang Mao led a large army of water and land down the river, and its operational strategy was exactly the same as that of Lu Kang. Therefore, it is very obvious that in the history of Eastern Wu, Lu Xun and Lu Kang father and son can be described as the most outstanding father and son celebrities.
Second, Zhu Ran
Zhu Ran (182–249), whose original name was Shi Ran (施然), was a native of Danyang (present-day Anji, Zhejiang). A famous general of the State of Wu during the Three Kingdoms period, he was the nephew of Zhu Zhi, the Marquis of Biling. According to historical records such as the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Zhu Ran was adopted as an adopted son by Zhu Zhi in his early years, and he befriended Sun Quan during his studies. In this regard, in the author's opinion, Zhu Ran can be regarded as Sun Quan's confidant. On this basis, after Sun Quan took power, Zhu Ran successively served as Yu Yao Ling, Shanyin Ling, Linchuan Taishou, and Jia Fold Chong Colonel, leading the army to pacify the mountain thieves. He accompanied Lü Meng to capture and kill Guan Yu, and used his merits to move the general Zhaowu to the marquis of Xi'an. After Lü Meng's death, Zhu Ran took the place of Lü Meng to guard Jiangling.
In the first year of Huang Wu's reign (222), Liu Bei went on an eastern expedition and attacked Yidu, Zhu Ran led 5,000 men and Lu Xun to fight against Liu Bei, and together with Lu Xun and Han Dang broke Liu Bei in Zhuoxiang, Zhu Ran attacked Liu Bei's forwards and cut off Liu Bei's back road, so Liu Bei was defeated and returned to the White Emperor. General Bai Zhengbei and Marquis of Yong'an. After the Battle of Yiling, the State of Wei did indeed take the opportunity to attack Wu. In the face of Cao Wei's army, the northern general Zhu Ran could not hold out, and Cao Zhen, Xiahou Shang, Zhang Gao and other Wei generals besieged Jiangling for six months, and Zhu Ran "shocked the enemy country" from then on. After that, Zhu Ran attacked Jiangxia and Fancheng successively, but without success; and both expeditions were successful. Finally, the officers were the Left Grand Sima and the Right Army Division. In the twelfth year of Chiwu (249), Zhu Ran, a famous general of Eastern Wu, died of illness at the age of sixty-eight. For Zhu Ran's illness and death, Sun Quan was very sad and mourned for his sufu.
3. Lu Kai
Lu Kai (198-269), courtesy name Jingfeng, was a native of Wu County, Wu County (present-day Suzhou, Jiangsu Province). During the Three Kingdoms period, he was a heavy minister of the State of Wu, the nephew of Lu Xun, the chancellor, and the brother of Sima Lu Kang. According to the Chronicle of the Three Kingdoms and other historical records, in the fifth year of Chiwu (242), Lu Kai appointed Dan'er Taishou (儋爾太守), and together with the general Nie You (聂友) led 30,000 troops into Zhuya and Dan'er Counties. In this battle, Lu Kai was able to be worshiped by Sun Quan as a lieutenant of Bai Jianwu because of his military achievements. In the second year of Wufeng (255), Lu Kai again led an army to attack the mountain thief Chen Yi at Lingling, and successfully beheaded Chen Yi, and because of his meritorious service, he served as the governor of Baqiu and the general of The Partial, and was given the title of Marquis of Duxiang. For the partial general, it can be regarded as the entry of the military general, for example, after Guan Yu killed Yan Liang, he was named a partial general by the Eastern Han Court.
According to the Chronicle of the Three Kingdoms and other historical sources, in the first year of Yong'an (258), Sun Liang, the prince of Huiji, was deposed and succeeded by Sun Xiu. After Sun Xiu ascended the throne and became emperor, Lu Kai changed his name to the general of Zhengbei, false festival, and remotely led Yuzhou Mu. Therefore, it is very obvious that, like Lu Kang's brother, Lu Kai also held the official position of general of Zhengbei. In the first year of Yuan Xing (264), Emperor Wu jing died of illness and was succeeded by Sun Hao, and Lu Kai was renamed the Grand General of Zhenxi, the Governor of Baqiu, the Governor of Jingzhou, and the Marquis of Jiaxing.
In the first year of Jianheng (269), Lu Kai was seriously ill, and Sun Hao sent a zhongshu to Dong Chao to ask Lu Kai what his last words he wanted to confess, and Lu Kai advised Sun Hao, the emperor. It is worth noting that Sun Hao was actually very dissatisfied with Lu Kai's repeated blunt advice and even disobedience to his will, and coupled with He Ding's many malicious slanders, he was even more resentful of him. However, Lu Kai was always a heavy courtier, and it was difficult to punish him with the laws of Eastern Wu, and his brother Lu Kang was also a general of the State of Wu at that time, so he could only tolerate it. In the third year of the Phoenix (274), Lu Kang died. The following year, Lu Kai's family was moved by Sun Hao to Jian'an County. From this, it is very obvious that the characteristics of Sun Hao's retribution naturally made Eastern Wu deviate from Germany, which also accelerated the process of Eastern Wu's demise to a certain extent.