Family background

Lu Xun's original given name was "Yi" (議), hence he was sometimes referred to as "Lu Yi" in older historical records. He was born in a family of high social status in Wu County, Wu Commandery, which is present-day Suzhou, Jiangsu. His grandfather Lu Yu (陸紆) and father Lu Jun (陸駿) served as officials in the government of the Eastern Han dynasty. The Lu clan, which he was from, was one of the four most influential clans in Wu Commandery and also in the Jiangdong region at the time.

As he was orphaned at a young age, Lu Xun was raised by his granduncle, Lu Kang (陸康), who served as the Administrator (太守) of Lujiang Commandery (廬江郡) under the Han government. Lu Kang was originally on friendly terms with the warlord Yuan Shu, but relations between them soured after Lu Kang broke ties with Yuan Shu when the latter declared himself emperor – an act deemed treasonous against the Han emperor. When Lu Kang heard that Yuan Shu was planning to attack Lujiang Commandery, he immediately sent Lu Xun and his relatives back to Wu Commandery for their safety. After Lu Kang died from illness during the siege of Lujiang, Lu Xun became the new head of the Lu family because he was older than Lu Ji (Lu Kang's son) in terms of age, even though Lu Ji (陸績) was one generation older than him.

Early career

As a county-level official

In the early 200s, when Lu Xun was 20 years old, he came to serve the warlord Sun Quan, who was nominally a subject of the Han emperor, but had full autonomy in governing the territories in Jiangdong he inherited from his elder brother, Sun Ce. Lu Xun started his career as a minor officer in Sun Quan's office. He later became a Foreman Clerk in the East and West Bureaus and the Tuntian Commandant of Haichang (海昌屯田都尉; jurisdiction in present-day Haining, Zhejiang), before he was appointed as a county-level official. When the county was plagued by consecutive years of drought, Lu Xun opened up the granaries and distributed food supplies to the people, and promoted agriculture. The people benefited from his policies. At the time, there were many households in Wu, Kuaiji, and Danyang commanderies who were hiding from the government because they wanted to evade taxes and conscription. Lu Xun had them tracked down, registered and resettled. Some able-bodied young men were drafted for military service while others were recruited for agricultural labour.

Eliminating bandit forces

Early in his career, Lu Xun joined Sun Quan's forces in eliminating bandits in the Jiangdong territories who had been terrorising the region for years and posed serious threats to Sun Quan's administration. He organised a militia to attack the bandits led by Pan Lin (潘臨) in Kuaiji Commandery, passing through treacherous territory and pacifying those who stood in his way. The number of troops under his command increased to over 2,000. When another bandit chief, You Tu (尤突), caused trouble in Poyang County, Lu Xun led an army to attack the bandits and achieved success. He was commissioned as Colonel Who Establishes Might (定威校尉) and ordered to garrison at Lipu County.

Lu Xun once advised Sun Quan to eliminate local bandit forces in Jiangdong first because they would hinder him in his aims to achieve supremacy over China. Sun Quan heeded Lu Xun's words and appointed him as a Commandant of the Right Section (右部督) under him. Fei Zhan (費棧), a bandit chief in Danyang Commandery, had received an official appointment from Cao Cao, a leading warlord who was also the de facto head of the Han government. Cao Cao had secretly instructed Fei Zhan to instigate the Shanyue tribes in Jiangdong to cause trouble for Sun Quan. In response, Sun Quan sent Lu Xun to attack Fei Zhan. Lu Xun had a much smaller army as compared to Fei Zhan, but he deceived the enemy into thinking that he had more troops. He prepared more flags and banners, spread out his war drums, ordered his men to sneak into the valleys at night and beat the drums loudly, so as to create an illusion of an overwhelming army. He emerged victorious over Fei Zhan.

Lu Xun sent his troops into the three commanderies in eastern Jiangdong, where he drafted many able-bodied young men for military service while the less physically fit ones were recruited for agricultural labour. He drafted tens of thousands of soldiers in total. He also cleared the region of opposing forces before returning to a garrison at Wuhu.

Conflict with Chunyu Shi

Chunyu Shi (淳于式), the Administrator of Kuaiji Commandery, once accused Lu Xun of oppressing and disturbing the common people. When Lu Xun travelled to Wu Commandery to meet Sun Quan and explain himself, he praised Chunyu Shi for being an excellent civil official. Sun Quan was puzzled so he asked Lu Xun, "Chunyu Shi made accusations against you, yet you praise him. Why?" Lu Xun replied, "Chunyu Shi was concerned about the people's welfare when he made accusations against me. If I rebuked him, I'll be violating my principles. This is something I won't do." Sun Quan said, "This is something a person with good morals will do and something which ordinary people aren't capable of doing."

Invasion of Jing Province

Planning for the invasion

Around 215, about six years after the Battle of Red Cliffs, Sun Quan had territorial disputes with his ally, Liu Bei, over southern Jing Province. Tensions between them nearly escalated to the point of armed conflict. However, after tense negotiations between Lu Su (Sun Quan's representative) and Guan Yu (Liu Bei's representative), both sides eventually agreed to divide southern Jing Province between their respective domains along the Xiang River. Guan Yu guarded Liu Bei's territories in southern Jing Province while Lü Meng was in charge of Sun Quan's.

In 219, Lü Meng came up with a plan to help Sun Quan seize control of Liu Bei's territories in Jing Province. He pretended to be sick and asked for permission to return to Jianye to seek medical treatment. Sun Quan played along by pretending to approve his request. Lu Xun went to visit Lü Meng and said, "Guan Yu is near the border. How can we remain far behind the border and not worry about having to guard against him?" Lü Meng replied, "What you've said is true, but I'm seriously ill now." Lu Xun then said, "Guan Yu is proud of his own valour and he scorns others. He may have made great achievements, but he's overly conceited. Besides, he's heading north and he has never seen us a threat. When he knows you're sick, he'll definitely lower his defences. If we attack him when he lowers his guard, we can capture him. I came here to discuss with you a plan to attack him." Lü Meng replied, "Guan Yu is known for his bravery and ferocity in battle, and he's a formidable foe. Besides, he's in control of Jing Province. He governs with virtue and has made great accomplishments, while the morale of his army is at its peak. It won't be easy to defeat him."

Succeeding Lü Meng

When Lü Meng arrived in Jianye, Sun Quan asked him, "Who can replace you?" Lü Meng responded, "Lu Xun is careful and thoughtful. He has the ability to shoulder this important responsibility. Based on my observations of him, I believe he's capable of taking up greater responsibilities in the future. Besides, he's relatively unknown, so Guan Yu won't be wary of him. This can't be better. If he's appointed, our enemies will be unaware of our intentions, while we can assess our strengths better and seek an opportunity to launch the attack." Sun Quan followed Lü Meng's suggestion and commissioned Lu Xun as a Lieutenant-General and Inspector of the Right Section (右部督) to replace Lü Meng in Jing Province.

When Lu Xun arrived at Lukou (陸口; at Lushui Lake near present-day Chibi, Hubei) to assume his new office, he wrote to Guan Yu to flatter him:

Later, after Guan Yu defeated Yu Jin at the Battle of Fancheng, Lu Xun wrote a letter to Guan again to flatter him and put him off guard:

Invasion and pacification of Jing Province

Upon receiving the letters, Guan Yu saw that Lu Xun showed humility and expressed his desire to rely on him, so he felt at ease and lowered his guard. When Lu Xun heard about it, he wrote a report to Sun Quan and provided crucial details on how to defeat Guan Yu. Sun Quan secretly sent an army to invade Jing Province, with Lü Meng and Lu Xun leading the vanguard force. Lü Meng employed infiltration tactics to disable the watchtowers set up by Guan Yu along the Yangtze River, rendering them unable to warn Guan Yu about Sun Quan's advances, and then swiftly conquered Guan Yu's key bases in Jing Province – Gong'an County and Nan Commandery (南郡; around present-day Jiangling County, Hubei). For his contributions to the successful conquest of Jing Province, Lu Xun was appointed as the Administrator (太守) of Yidu Commandery (宜都郡; around present-day Yidu, Hubei), promoted to General Who Pacifies the Border, and enfeoffed as the Marquis of Hua Village. Fan You (樊友), the previous Administrator of Yidu Commandery under Guan Yu, abandoned his post and fled, while the officials and tribal chiefs in the commandery surrendered to Lu Xun. Lu Xun ordered official seals to be carved from gold, silver or bronze, and presented to these officials and tribal chiefs. This took place in around January 220.

Even after Sun Quan's forces successfully conquered southern Jing Province, there were still some areas which were still controlled by Liu Bei's forces or other hostile forces, so Lu Xun had to pacify those regions. He sent his subordinates Li Yi (李異), Xie Jing and others to lead 3,000 troops to attack Liu Bei's officers Zhan Yan (詹晏) and Chen Feng. Li Yi led the naval forces while Xie Jing commanded the land army. They sealed the critical routes and defeated Zhan Yan and captured Chen Feng. They then attacked Deng Fu (鄧輔) and Guo Mu (郭睦), the Administrators of Fangling Commandery (房陵郡) and Nanxiang County respectively, and defeated the enemy. Wen Bu (文布) and Deng Kai (鄧凱), two influential men in Zigui County, rallied thousands of local tribesmen to form an army to attack Lu Xun in the west. In response, Lu Xun sent Xie Jing to attack them. Wen Bu and Deng Kai were defeated and they fled west to the state of Shu Han (founded by Liu Bei in 221). Lu Xun successfully induced Wen Bu into defecting to Sun Quan's side.

Aftermath

Throughout these campaigns in Jing Province, Lu Xun had killed, captured or recruited tens of thousands of enemies. In recognition of Lu Xun's efforts, Sun Quan promoted him to Right Protector-General, General Who Guards the West, and promoted him from a village marquis to a county marquis under the title "Marquis of Lou" (婁侯). Sun Quan was very pleased with Lu Xun and wanted to specially honour him. However, even though Lu Xun already held the rank of a general and a marquis title, he still had to go through the standard protocol of receiving a recommendation from the chief administrating officer in his home province. Hence, Sun Quan ordered Lü Fan, the Governor of Yang Province, to "backdate" Lu Xun's service record by stating that he had previously employed Lu Xun as an aide-de-camp and recommended him as a maocai (茂才).

At the time, there were many educated men in Jing Province who had either obtained positions in the civil service or were unemployed, so Lu Xun wrote a proposal to Sun Quan: Sun Quan accepted Lu Xun's proposal.

Battle of Xiaoting

Historical background

In late 220, Cao Pi forced Emperor Xian to abdicate the throne in his favour and ended the Han dynasty. He declared himself emperor and established the state of Cao Wei to replace the Han dynasty, marking the start of the Three Kingdoms period. Two years later, Liu Bei proclaimed himself emperor and established the state of Shu Han as a successor to the Han dynasty and to challenge Cao Pi's legitimacy. Sun Quan agreed to submit to Cao Pi's rule and received the title of a vassal king, King of Wu" (吳王). However, in late 222, he declared independence from the Cao Wei regime but retained his title "King of Wu".

Early stages

In early 222, Liu Bei personally led the Shu army to attack Sun Quan and retake his lost territories in southern Jing Province. Sun Quan appointed Lu Xun as Grand Chief Controller (大都督) and put him in command of 50,000 troops to resist the enemy, with Zhu Ran, Pan Zhang, Song Qian, Han Dang, Xu Sheng, Xianyu Dan (鮮于丹), Sun Huan and others serving as his subordinates. The Shu army passed through Wu Gorge (巫峽), Jianping (建平) and Lianping (連平) until they arrived on the outskirts of Yiling (夷陵; present-day Yichang, Hubei), where they laid siege and built several camps. Liu Bei bribed the local tribes in Yiling with gold and silk to support him. He appointed Feng Xi (馮習) as his Chief Controller, Zhang Nan as the vanguard, and Fu Kuang (輔匡), Zhao Rong, Liao Chun (廖淳) and Fu Rong as the controllers of the various divisions. He also sent Wu Ban to lead a few thousand men to construct camps on flat ground and provoke the Wu forces into attacking them.

When the Wu generals wanted to respond to the enemy's taunts, Lu Xun said, "This must be a trick. We should observe first." Earlier on, when the Shu army first arrived at Yiling, the Wu generals wanted to attack the enemy, but Lu Xun objected and said, "Liu Bei is leading an army east to attack us and his army's morale is very high. Besides, his forces are based in high and mountainous terrain, so it's difficult for us to attack them. Even if we manage to win, we cannot completely defeat them. If we suffer any setback, our morale will be greatly affected and this isn't a small issue. Now, we should raise our troops' morale and make plans while waiting for changes in the situation. If we're on plains and flat ground, we should be worrying about sustaining heavy losses in skirmishes and charges. However, since the enemy is on mountainous terrain, they can't carry out an all-out assault because they're sandwiched between wood and rocks. We should take advantage of this weakness of theirs." The Wu generals did not understand Lu Xun's reasoning and thought that he feared the enemy so they were very disgruntled with him.

When Liu Bei realised that his plan to lure Wu forces into attacking him had failed, he led the 8,000 troops out of the valley, where they had been waiting in ambush earlier. When Lu Xun heard about it, he told his subordinates, "The reason why I didn't follow your suggestions to attack the enemy is because I suspected there was something fishy about it." He then wrote a report to Sun Quan:

Burning of the Shu camps

The Wu generals said, "We should have attacked Liu Bei in the initial stages. Now, he has advanced further in by 500-600 li and we have been locked in a stalemate for seven to eight months. He has reinforced all his crucial positions, so even if we attack them it will yield nothing." Lu Xun replied, "Liu Bei is cunning and experienced. In the initial stage, his army was very focused and its morale was very high, so we couldn't defeat them then. Now, however, since it has been quite some time, they are already weary, low on morale, and out of ideas. Now is the time for us to launch a multi-pronged assault on them."

Lu Xun then targeted one enemy camp and attacked it but failed to capture it. The Wu officers complained, "We're sacrificing our soldiers' lives for nothing." Lu Xun replied, "I have devised a strategy for defeating the enemy." He then ordered his men to carry a pile of straw each and launch a fire attack on the enemy. Upon the commencement of the fire attack, Lu Xun led all the Wu units on an all-out assault on the Shu forces. The Shu generals Zhang Nan and Feng Xi, and the tribal king Shamoke (Liu Bei's ally) were killed in battle, while the Wu forces destroyed over 40 Shu camps.

The Shu officers Du Lu (杜路), Liu Ning and others surrendered when they saw they had no chance of escaping. Liu Bei and his remaining troops retreated to the Ma'an Hills, where they continued to be fiercely assaulted by Wu forces from all directions. At the same time, landslides occurred at the Ma'an Hills and caused the Shu forces to suffer thousands of casualties. Liu Bei fled at night and ordered his men to pile up their armour and set them on fire to create barriers for the pursuing enemy. By the time Liu Bei reached the safety of Baidicheng, all his boats, military equipment and supplies had been captured by Wu forces. The dead bodies of Shu soldiers floated in the river and obstructed its flow. Liu Bei was extremely upset and furious with his defeat. He exclaimed, "Is it not the will of Heaven that I must be humiliated by Lu Xun?"

Incidents during the battle

During the preliminary stages of the Battle of Xiaoting, Sun Huan had led a separate force to attack the Shu vanguard force at Yidao (夷道) but ended up being besieged by the enemy. He requested for reinforcements from Lu Xun but was denied. The other Wu officers said, "General Sun is a relative of our lord. He's under siege, so shouldn't we help him?" Lu Xun replied, "He has the support of his men, his base is well defended, and he has sufficient supplies. There's nothing to worry about. When my plans are set in motion, even if we don't go to his aid, the siege on him will automatically be lifted." After the Wu victory, Sun Huan came to see Lu Xun and said, "Earlier on, I was indeed very resentful when you refused to help me. But now, after the victory, I see you have your own way of doing things."

Many of the Wu officers who participated in the battle had either served in Wu since Sun Ce's time or were relatives of the Sun family, so they viewed themselves highly and were unwilling to follow Lu Xun's orders. Lu Xun placed his sword on the desk and said, The Wu officers began to show greater respect towards Lu Xun after the Wu victory, which was largely due to his strategies.

When Sun Quan heard about this incident, he asked Lu Xun, "Why didn't you report to me about the generals refusing to follow your orders?" Lu Xun replied, Sun Quan laughed and praised Lu Xun. Lu Xun was promoted to General Who Assists the State, appointed as Governor (牧) of Jing Province, and had his marquis title changed to "Marquis of Jiangling" (江陵侯).

Aftermath

After Liu Bei had retreated to Baidicheng, Xu Sheng, Pan Zhang, Song Qian and other Wu generals suggested to attack Baidicheng and capture Liu Bei. When Sun Quan asked Lu Xun for his opinion, Lu, along with Zhu Ran and Luo Tong, said that when Cao Pi amassed his forces and seemed like he was going to help Wu attack Shu, he was actually harbouring sinister intentions, so they should be cautious, abandon their pursuit of Liu Bei, and return to Wu. Not long later, Cao Pi led the Wei armies to invade Wu from three directions.

When Liu Bei heard of the Wei invasion of Wu, he wrote to Lu: "The enemy (Wei) is at Jiangling now. If I launch another attack again, in your opinion, do you think I will succeed?" Lu Xun replied:

Liu Bei died in 223 and was succeeded by his son, Liu Shan, as the emperor of Shu. Zhuge Liang became Shu's head of government and he made peace with Wu and reestablished the Wu–Shu alliance against Wei. Sun Quan granted permission to Lu Xun to reply to Zhuge Liang on his behalf, and had a duplicate of his own official seal made and sent to Lu's office. Whenever Sun Quan wrote to Liu Shan and Zhuge Liang, he would allow Lu Xun to read the letters, make the appropriate modifications, stamp his official seal on them and have them delivered to Shu.

Battle of Shiting

In 228, Sun Quan instructed Zhou Fang, the Administrator (太守) of Poyang Commandery (鄱陽郡), to pretend to defect to Cao Xiu, the Grand Marshal of Wei, and lure Wei forces to attack Wu. Cao Xiu fell for the ruse and led his armies to attack the Wu garrison at Wan County (皖縣; present-day Qianshan County, Anhui). Sun Quan granted Lu Xun a yellow ceremonial axe, appointed him as Grand Chief Controller (大都督) again, and put him in command of six Wu armies and the imperial guards to resist the Wei invaders. Lu Xun thus had the authority to act on Sun Quan's behalf. Sun Quan even waved a ceremonial whip and ordered all his subjects to pay their respects to Lu Xun.

When Cao Xiu realised he had been deceived by Zhou Fang, he felt humiliated but decided to continue the campaign anyway because he had superiority in numbers and his troops were well-trained. During the Battle of Shiting, Lu Xun remained in the central command, with Zhu Huan and Quan Cong leading the armies on his left and right flanks respectively. Their three armies advanced together and defeated Cao Xiu's forces lying in ambush and drove them further northward until Jiashi (夾石). They killed and captured thousands of enemies and obtained much of the enemy's livestock, equipment and supplies. Cao Xiu died of illness after returning to Wei. Lu Xun and the victorious Wu forces returned to Wuchang (武昌; present-day Ezhou, Hubei), where Sun Quan held a grand reception for them. Sun Quan instructed his servants to shield Lu Xun with his imperial parasol when he entered or left the palace, and rewarded Lu Xun with many gifts. The honours Lu Xun received were unprecedented in his time. He moved to Xiling County (西陵縣; present-day Xiling District, Yichang, Hubei) after that.

Mid career

In 229, after Sun Quan declared himself emperor and established the state of Eastern Wu in Wuchang (武昌; present-day Ezhou, Hubei), he appointed Lu Xun as Senior General-in-Chief and Right Protector-General (右都護). That year, Sun Quan embarked on an inspection tour of Jianye in the east, leaving behind his crown prince Sun Deng, his other sons, and some high-ranking officials in charge of Wuchang. Lu Xun was instructed to assist Sun Deng and oversee all civil and military affairs in Jing Province and three other commanderies.

Treatment of Sun Lü and Sun Song, and criticism of Liu Yi

At the time, Sun Quan's second son Sun Lü, the Marquis of Jianchang, enjoyed watching duck fights so he had a small shed built in front of the main hall of his residence to stage duck fights. When Lu Xun heard about it, he reprimanded Sun Lü sternly, "Marquis, you should be spending time reading the classics and enriching yourself with knowledge. Why are you doing this?" Sun Lü immediately had the shed torn down. Sun Song (孫松; Sun Yi's son), the Colonel of Trainee Archers (射聲校尉), who was one of Sun Quan's favourite relatives, allowed his men to fool around in camp and did not maintain good military discipline. Lu Xun punished Sun Song's subordinates by having their heads shaved.

Xie Jing admired Liu Yi's discourse on punishment before civility. Lu Xun chided Xie Jing, "The idea of civility before punishment has been long promulgated and espoused. Liu Yi is wrong when he distorted the teachings of ancient sages through his sly manipulation of words. You're serving in the Crown Prince's residence, so you should advocate the principles of benevolence and righteousness in order to promote moral virtues. Ideas (like Liu Yi's) should never be discussed again."

Memorial on current affairs

Even though Lu Xun was stationed far away from the Wu capital, he was still very concerned about his state. He once wrote a memorial on current affairs to Sun Quan:

Advising Sun Quan against the Yizhou and Zhuya campaigns

When Sun Quan was planning to send armies to conquer Yizhou (夷州; present-day Taiwan) and Zhuya (朱崖; present-day Hainan), he asked Lu Xun for his opinion. Lu Xun wrote a memorial to Sun Quan, advising him against the campaigns: Sun Quan ignored Lu Xun's advice and launched the campaigns. Lu Xun's predictions were right as the losses incurred by Wu in the conquests outweighed the gains.

Advising Sun Quan against the Liaodong campaign

In 237, the Liaodong warlord Gongsun Yuan rebelled against Wu's rival state Wei and allied with Wu, but broke the alliance later. Sun Quan was angered and he wanted to personally lead an army to attack Liaodong. Lu Xun wrote another memorial to dissuade Sun Quan from the campaign: Sun Quan heeded his advice.

Xiangyang campaign

In 234, when Sun Quan led a 100,000 strong army to attack the Wei fortress of Xincheng at Hefei, he ordered Lu Xun and Zhuge Jin to lead another 10,000 troops to attack the Wei city of Xiangyang. Lu Xun sent a close aide, Han Bian, to deliver a report to Sun Quan. On the journey back, Han Bian was captured by a Wei patrol. When Zhuge Jin received news of Han Bian's capture, he became fearful so he wrote to Lu Xun: "His Majesty has withdrawn his forces. The enemy has captured Han Bian and they know our situation. The rivers have dried up so we should make a hasty retreat." Lu Xun did not respond, and he instructed his men to plant turnips and peas, while he played weiqi and other games with his officers as though nothing had happened. Zhuge Jin said, "Boyan possesses intelligence and strategy, he knows what he's doing." He came to see Lu Xun, who told him, "The enemy knows that His Majesty has withdrawn his forces, so they have no worries and will concentrate their attacks on us. Besides, they have already stationed troops at critical positions and are poised to strike. Hence, we should remain composed and calm our men, after which we will have a change of plans and prepare to withdraw. If we display signs of retreat now, the enemy will think that we are afraid and will definitely attack us, resulting in defeat for us."

Lu Xun then secretly conveyed his plan to Zhuge Jin and ordered him to supervise the fleet of vessels on which they would sail back to Wu, while he gathered his troops and headed towards Xiangyang. The Wei forces had been wary of Lu Xun all this while so they immediately retreated back into the city when they saw Lu Xun's army approaching. Lu Xun organised his men in an orderly manner and instructed them to pretend to prepare for an attack on Xiangyang. By then, Zhuge Jin and the fleet had shown up, so Lu Xun and his forces progressively retreated to the vessels and left. The Wei forces in Xiangyang did not dare to make any move.

Raid in Shiyang

On their journey back to Wu, the fleet passed by Baiwei (白圍), where Lu Xun announced that they would be getting off their vessels to go ashore for a hunting expedition. However, he actually gave secret orders to his subordinates Zhou Jun (周峻) and Zhang Liang to lead their men to attack Xinshi (新市), Anlu (安陸) and Shiyang (石陽) counties in Jiangxia Commandery (江夏郡). Outside Shiyang County, the common people were going about their daily activities in the marketplace when Zhou Jun and his men showed up. The people immediately packed up everything and attempted to rush to safety behind the city walls. The Wei soldiers in Shiyang wanted to close the city gates but the civilians were blocking the way, so they killed some people and forced the gates to be shut. Zhou Jun and his men killed and captured over 1,000 civilians in Shiyang. The captives were resettled in Wu. Lu Xun gave orders to his men, forbidding them from harassing the people. Those captives who had their families with them were given due attention and care while those who lost their loved ones during the raid were provided with food and clothing and treated well before they were sent home. Many people were so touched by Lu Xun's acts of kindness that they decided to move to Wu territory. When news of Lu Xun's kindness spread to the neighbouring regions, two Wei officers, Zhao Zhuo and Fei Sheng (斐生), and a tribal king, Meiyi (梅頤), led their followers to join Lu Xun. Lu Xun generously distributed rewards to them.

Criticism

The historian Pei Songzhi, who annotated Lu Xun's biography in the Records of the Three Kingdoms, condemned the raid on Shiyang County and said it was totally uncalled for. He commented:

In response to Lu Xun's "acts of kindness" after the raid, Pei Songzhi remarked:

Later career

Eliminating Lu Shi

Lu Shi (逯式), the Administrator (太守) of the Wei-controlled Jiangxia Commandery (江夏郡), often led his men to cause trouble at the border between Wu and Wei. When Lu Xun heard that Lu Shi could not get along with Wen Xiu (文休), a son of the veteran Wei general Wen Ping, he came up with a plan to stop Lu Shi. He pretended to have received a letter from Lu Shi and wrote a "reply" as such: "I can sense your sincerity and sorrow when you told me you have disagreements with Wen Xiu. You said both of you cannot exist together and you intend to defect to my side. I have delivered your letter to my lord and will gather my men to welcome you. You should make preparations soon and inform us of the date of your defection." He then left the "reply" letter at the border, where it was picked up by Lu Shi's men. When Lu Shi heard about it, he became afraid and immediately sent his family to the Wei capital Luoyang. His subordinates became distrustful of him and eventually he was dismissed from office.

Criticism

Commenting on this incident, the historian Pei Songzhi wrote:

Suppressing rebellions in Wu

In 237, Zhou Zhi (周祗), a General of the Household (中郎將), wanted to recruit soldiers from Poyang Commandery (鄱陽郡) so he sought Lu Xun's opinion. Lu Xun believed that the people in Poyang were very restless and should not be recruited for military service because they might rebel. Zhou Zhi ignored Lu Xun's advice and persisted. As Lu Xun predicted, the people in Poyang started a rebellion under the leadership of Wu Ju and they killed Zhou Zhi and seized control of many counties. The people in the nearby Yuzhang (豫章) and Luling (廬陵) commanderies had a history of being rebellious, so they responded to Wu Ju's call and joined the revolt. Lu Xun led his forces to suppress the rebellion and succeeded in forcing Wu Ju and the rebels to surrender. He recruited over 8,000 men into his army and pacified the three commanderies.

Incident of Lü Yi

At the time, Lü Yi, the supervisor of the audit bureau, was abusing his powers. Lu Xun and the Minister of Ceremonies (太常), Pan Jun, expressed their worries about Lü Yi's behaviour to Sun Quan, to the point of shedding tears. After Lü Yi's crimes were exposed later, Sun Quan had him executed and deeply regretted not listening to Lu Xun and Pan Jun.

Advice to Sun Quan on governance

Xie Yuan and Xie Gong, proposed implementing changes to policies to increase government revenue, so Sun Quan sought Lu Xun's opinion on this issue. Lu Xun argued,

Chancellorship

Sometime between 27 January and 25 February 244, Lu Xun succeeded Gu Yong as the Imperial Chancellor (丞相) of Wu. Sun Quan's imperial edict read:

Role in the succession struggle

There were vacancies in the appointments available in the estates (or offices) of two of Sun Quan's sons: Sun He, the Crown Prince and Sun Ba, the Prince of Lu. Many officials nominated their relatives to fill up these positions in the hope of building connections with the princes. When Quan Cong told Lu Xun about this, Lu Xun said that many of the nominated candidates were actually not up to standard. He argued that those officials were actually promoting nepotism and pursuing their own interests. He also worried that if those officials' relatives turned out to be incompetent, it could lead to serious problems in the administration. Lu Xun also foresaw that conflict was bound to break out between the two princes because they were equally influential and had their own factions supporting them. He believed that a power struggle between the princes would be detrimental to Eastern Wu's prosperity and stability. Quan Cong's son, Quan Ji (全寄), became a close aide to Sun Ba and helped him in his fight against Sun He. Lu Xun wrote to Quan Cong to warn him: "If you don't learn from Ma Midi and choose to let (Quan) Ji have his way, you'll bring disaster upon yourself and your family." Quan Cong ignored Lu Xun's advice and their relationship became strained.

When there were rumours that Sun He could no longer secure his position as Crown Prince, Lu Xun wrote a memorial to Sun Quan: "The Crown Prince is the legitimate heir apparent so he should have a foundation as solid as hard rock. The Prince of Lu is a vassal and a subject of the state, so he should receive less favours than the Crown Prince. If both of them know their places, Your Majesty and all your subjects will have peace. I humbly kowtow and beg Your Majesty, to the point of bleeding (from my forehead), to (re)consider this issue carefully." He wrote several memorials to Sun Quan and even requested to leave Wuchang (武昌; present-day Ezhou, Hubei) and go to the capital to speak up on this problem. Sun Quan denied him permission. Lu Xun's maternal nephews Gu Tan, Gu Cheng (顧承) and Yao Xin (姚信), who supported Sun He during the succession struggle, were sent into exile. Wu Can, the Crown Prince's Tutor (太子太傅), who had been exchanging letters with Lu Xun, was imprisoned and later executed.

Death and aftermath

Sun Quan repeatedly sent emissaries to Wuchang (武昌; present-day Ezhou, Hubei) to reprimand Lu Xun for interfering with the succession. Lu Xun died on 19 March 245 in anger and frustration at the age of 63 (by East Asian age reckoning). Lu Xun was a thrifty man. When he died, he left behind little or no wealth for his family. Sometime between 258 and 264, Sun Xiu, the third Wu emperor, awarded Lu Xun the posthumous title "Marquis Zhao" (昭侯; literally "illustrious marquis").

The succession struggle concluded in 250 – five years after Lu Xun's death – with Sun Quan deposing Sun He and replacing him with Sun Liang, and forcing Sun Ba to commit suicide. Many officials who were involved in the conflict (i.e., supported either Sun He or Sun Ba) met with unhappy ends.

In the winter of 251, about half a year before his death, Sun Quan regretted what he did to Lu Xun. When he was sending off Lu Xun's son Lu Kang back to Chaisang (柴桑), with tears in his eyes he told Lu Kang, "Previously, I believed slanderous rumours and failed to understand your father's well-meaning advice. I've let you down. I've burnt all the documents containing the allegations against your father so that nobody can ever see them."

Appraisal

When Ji Yan proposed introducing drastic reforms in the Wu administration (which included the dismissal of many officials he deemed incompetent), Lu Xun cautioned Sun Quan against that and accurately predicted that it would lead to problems. Lu Xun once told Zhuge Ke, "I respect those who are superior to me in status; I assist those who are subordinate to me. I see you behave arrogantly in front of those superior to you, and you belittle those subordinate to you. This isn't the way to build a stable career." In another incident, Yang Zhu became famous in his youth, but Lu Xun predicted that he was doomed to failure, so he advised Yang Zhu's elder brother, Yang Mu, to break ties with Yang Zhu. Lu Xun's prediction came true as Yang Zhu later got into trouble during the Sun He-Sun Ba succession struggle.

The historian Chen Shou, who wrote Lu Xun's biography in the Records of the Three Kingdoms, commented on Lu Xun as such: "Liu Bei was a hero of his time and many people feared him. Lu Xun, then in his prime years and relatively unknown, managed to defeat Liu Bei. Lu Xun's brilliant strategies, when combined with Sun Quan's recognition of his talent, resulted in the accomplishment of a great task. Lu Xun was loyal, honest and sincere. He died worrying about his state's future, and was perhaps an important pillar of his state."

Family and relatives

Sometime after 216, when Lu Xun was commissioned as Colonel Who Establishes Might (定威校尉). Under Sun Quan's arrangement, Lu Xun married the eldest daughter of Sun Quan's elder brother and predecessor Sun Ce.

Lu Xun's eldest son, Lu Yan (陸延), died at a young age. Lu Xun's marquis title was inherited by his second son, Lu Kang (陸抗), who became a prominent general in Eastern Wu during the reign of the last Wu emperor Sun Hao. Lu Kang had six sons: Lu Yan (陸晏), Lu Jing (陸景), Lu Xuan (陸玄), Lu Ji (陸機), Lu Yun (陸雲) and Lu Dan (陸耽).

Lu Xun's younger brother, Lu Mao, also served as an official in Eastern Wu.

Lu Ji, a son of Lu Xun's granduncle Lu Kang (陸康), was one of the 24 Filial Exemplars and served as an official under Sun Quan.

Lu Kai, a relative of Lu Xun, served as the ninth Imperial Chancellor of Eastern Wu.

In Romance of the Three Kingdoms

Lu Xun appeared as a character in the historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms by Luo Guanzhong, which romanticises the historical events before and during the Three Kingdoms period. His most significant moment in the novel, apart from his role in the Battle of Xiaoting, is a fictional encounter he had after the battle.

In popular culture

Lu Xun is featured as a playable character in Koei's Dynasty Warriors video game series, as well as Warriors Orochi, a crossover between Dynasty Warriors and Samurai Warriors. He also appears in Koei's strategy game series Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

In the trading card game Magic: The Gathering, there is a card called "Lu Xun, Scholar General" in the Portal Three Kingdoms set.

He was played by the actor Shao Feng in the 2010 Chinese television series Three Kingdoms.

生平

吳郡士族

陸遜出自吳郡陸氏，東漢光和六年（183年）出生，少孤，兒時隨其從祖父廬江太守陸康，後軍閥袁術自九江遣孫策謀攻廬江，陸康與之戰于廬江達兩年，因缺糧致陸氏宗族損耗大半。為避戰禍，陸康令人攜幼子陸績及從孫陸遜返回吳郡。陸遜長於從父陸績數歲，幫助他綱紀門戶。當時，陸績及其外甥顧邵以博覽書傳齊名，陸遜、張敦、卜靜次之。

仕於孫吳

東漢建安八年（203年），陸遜21歲，投入孫權旗下，歷任東西曹令史，後在海昌擔任屯田都尉，行縣長之職務。當時縣裡連年旱災，陸遜開倉分穀於貧民，並監督縣裡的農業發展，深深得到當地百姓的信賴。當時吳郡、會稽郡、丹楊郡多有山越盜賊潛匿，陸遜上疏陳述平定山越的利益，請求由他去征討。這其中尤其是會稽山賊大帥潘臨，危禍當地多年。陸遜率軍平亂，所到之處皆順服之，此時其部曲已有二千餘人。建安二十一年（216年）鄱陽賊帥尤突作亂，陸遜同賀齊多次討之，拜定威校尉，軍屯於利浦。

議見兵勢

孫權將孫策之女許配予陸遜，並多次拜訪論天下時務。陸遜建議孫權：「現今群雄如弈棋，貪殘之人窺望伺探，欲戰勝敵人，平定禍亂（指孫權領地內的山越），大家得要同舟共濟。當今山越賊寇仍然在地方作亂，我們若要拓展更多的領地必進處處受阻、困難重重。如無法安定內部問題，對外開拓難有所作為。吾建議應擴大兵源，並從中取其精銳。」孫權納其良策，拜陸遜為其帳下之右部督，統領宿衛兵，又授給陸遜棨戟，讓他都督會稽、鄱陽、丹楊三郡。

當時丹楊賊帥費棧接受曹操的印綬，煽動山越作為內應，孫權便遣陸遜討伐。陸遜知道費棧部眾多於他所率兵馬，便巧施計謀，佈署其軍旗和鼓於四周，潛軍在黑夜中的山谷中，時機一到便擊鼓而前進攻，敵軍頓時膽怯，以為四面八方皆是官兵，費棧與其部眾登時分崩離析。陸遜之後揮軍平定揚州東部三郡的賊寇，經此役得到精兵數萬人，將其中健強體擴者補充兵員，羸弱者納入充實戶口，抒解當時吳國人口與兵力不足的問題，後回軍屯兵於蕪湖。

當時會稽太守淳于式上表告陸遜違法徵用民眾。陸遜返回知道此事後，認為淳于式意在養民，實為佳吏，孫權為陸遜的長者風範甚為佩服。

初露鋒芒

東漢建安二十四年（219年），關羽討魏將曹仁於樊城，留兵將守備公安、南郡。吳都督呂蒙意欲用計偷襲荊州，便稱病前往建業。時年37歲的陸遜前往見之。謂曰：「羽矜其驍氣，陵轢于人。始有大功，意驕志逸，但務北進，未嫌于我，有相聞病，必益無備。今出其不意，自可禽制。（關羽憑藉其驍勇，目中無人。立了大功便驕矜自大，他只專注於北進，未對我國有所戒心，聽聞將軍稱病，必定更削除對我軍的防備，之後出其不意攻之，便可擒拿關羽。）」呂蒙為不洩露軍情，假意稱關羽是無法圖謀的，不過呂蒙回到建業，便推薦以「意思深長，才堪負重」、但「未有遠名」的陸遜，孫權便拜陸遜為偏將軍右部督，替代呂蒙的位置。

陸遜於陸口到任後，便寫信向關羽示弱，使其對吳失去戒心。關羽不虞有詐，調荊州守軍北攻樊城，削弱荊州守備。建安二十四年十一月（219年末），孫權乃潛軍奇襲，使陸遜與呂蒙為前部，立即攻克了公安、南郡，陸遜領宜都太守，拜撫邊將軍，封華亭侯。呂蒙追殺關羽的同時，陸遜由別路進軍，攻破房陵、南鄉等處，劉備手下的宜都郡守樊友、房陵太守鄧輔、南鄉太守郭睦、秭歸大姓文布、鄧凱或敗或逃，諸城長吏及蠻夷君長皆降，使得關羽經由三峽退入益州及劉備發兵救援的道路斷絕。時荊州士人初降服，仕路不通，陸遜便上疏孫權曰：「今荊州始定，人物未達，臣愚慺慺，乞普加覆載抽拔之恩。令並獲自進，然後四海延頸，思歸大化。」此一舉措成功拉攏部分荊州人士的歸附，攏絡了荊州人心，已經逃到劉備陣營為將的文布在陸遜誘導下率眾投降。這也間接造成日後劉備征吳時難以成功策動荊州各勢力響應蜀軍的原因之一。孫權後封陸遜為右護軍、鎮西將軍，進封婁侯，官職已在呂蒙之上。

孫權想要彰顯陸遜的功德，雖然陸遜已經是將軍，獲得封爵，依然想讓他擔任揚州舉人，于是令揚州牧呂範徵辟陸遜為別駕從事，舉茂才。

夷陵揚名

蜀漢章武元年、魏黃初二年（221年），劉備為奪回荊州並報關羽被殺之仇，親率大軍伐吳。孫權遣使求和不成，只得向魏國稱臣，表明願意修好，以免魏國趁機偷襲，同時命陸遜為大都督，假節，整軍應戰。

翌年（222年）二月，蜀軍進軍至夷陵、秭歸一帶（今湖北宜昌），連營數百里，並得武陵五谿蠻土著部族的支援，聲勢浩大。蜀軍頻繁挑戰，吳軍手下將領皆亟欲出戰，但陸遜堅守不出，陸遜深知蜀軍銳氣正盛，同時長江三峽地段陸路崎嶇、水路驚險，又是下游作戰，地形對吳軍的防禦和後勤供應較為不利，於是陸遜決心實施戰略後撤，便先令吳軍退至夷陵、猇亭一帶，據守有利地形，堵住三峽河口。吳軍退出三峽後，後勤運輸大為改善，於平地紮營，吳軍持續堅守不戰，靜觀其變，再尋機決戰。兩軍相持達半年之久，直至六月氣候正值酷暑，蜀軍疲憊、鬥志鬆懈，又因暑熱，移入密林結營，陸遜才開始反擊。

陸遜利用火攻，火燒連營，同朱然等部協作，封鎖江面，扼守夷陵道，全線出擊，克營40餘座，蜀軍「舟船、器械，水、步軍資，一時略盡，屍骸塞江而下」。馮習、張南、傅肜、馬良、王甫、蠻將沙摩柯等將皆被吳軍斬殺，駐守江北的黃權因退路被斷，無法回到蜀地，不得已只好率麾下部隊投降魏國。劉備遭到慘敗後，連夜率餘部退至白帝城。

吳國眾將見機不可失，向陸遜請求繼續追擊，但陸遜認為「曹丕集結大軍到此。假借幫助吳王征討劉備，實在懷有奸心，我決定回軍江陵。」果然過不了多久，魏帝曹丕便假借合攻蜀軍之名，向吳國入侵，但見吳軍早有準備，便自行退兵。劉備當時聽到曹丕兵分三路攻東吳，便寫信給陸遜問道：「如今曹丕已開拔進軍至江陵，若我再次向孫權用兵，將軍（指陸遜）將如何應付呢？」陸遜回信，曰：「蜀軍剛剛才打了敗仗，元氣大傷，應當遣使求和，切勿窮兵黷武。若不這麼做的話，恐怕會招來另一個滅頂之災，若是執迷不悟跑來送死，這次就不再客氣了。」戰後孫權加封陸遜為輔國將軍，改封江陵縣侯，鎮守西陵。

言聽計從

劉備不久後去世，蜀漢丞相諸葛亮秉政，再度積極謀合孫劉聯盟，使孫劉消除之間的敵對關係。之後凡吳、蜀關係處理，孫權都先徵求陸遜意見；給蜀的文書，也先給陸遜看，有意見陸遜可代改後再發出。孫權還專門刻了他的大印，交給陸遜，供他日常處理吳、蜀間的事務所用。

吳黃武五年（226年），陸遜因駐守的地方缺糧，上表命令諸將廣開農田。孫權回覆說：「主意很好！即日起我父子親自領受一份農田，用給我駕車的八條牛分拉四犁耕作，雖然比不上古聖賢所作，也可以與大家一樣同等勞動。」陸遜上表勸孫權廣施恩德、減輕刑罰，放寬田賦的徵收，停止戶稅的收稽。孫權表示二人情義特別不同，榮辱與共。于是孫權命令有關主管官員寫好全部的法令條款，派郎中褚逢送給陸遜和諸葛瑾過目，讓他們如果覺得有什麼不妥當之處，就手增削修改。

石亭禦魏

吳黃武七年（228年），魏大司馬曹休大舉進攻吳國，鄱陽太守周魴與孫權密謀後，到曹營詐降，曹休中計，以十萬步騎朝向皖城接應。孫權賜給陸遜黃鉞，督朱桓、全琮、周魴等部共九萬人迎戰曹休。孫權親自執鞭扶他上馬，百官朝他下跪，為此戰助威。這就如同古時候的賢王在派遣將軍出戰時，跪在將軍的車前，手扶車輪說：「城內由我來治理；城外就只能靠將軍治理了。」

曹休既知受騙，自恃兵馬精多，遂交戰。陸遜自為中部，令朱桓、全琮為左右翼，三路進軍，雙方決戰於石亭，大敗曹休，一舉擊潰魏國十萬兵馬，斬獲萬餘，獲車乘萬輛，魏軍軍資器械略盡。曹休幸得逃脫，然而不久後就憤恨而死。

陸遜回軍，受到孫權極大榮寵，贈送自己的車蓋給他，命左右覆蓋陸遜，脫下鉤絡帶親自給陸遜戴上，贈給陸遜繒彩、丹漆。孫權為群僚召開酒宴，酒酣，讓陸遜跳舞，又脫下所穿的白鼯子裘贈給他，並與陸遜對舞。等到陸遜回西陵，又贈給他御船。

教導皇子

吳黃龍元年（229年），孫權在武昌稱帝，在大將軍之上又設置上大將軍，地位高于三公。陸遜被拜為上大將軍、右都護。同年孫權東巡建業，留太子孫登、皇子及尚書九官等在武昌，讓陸遜輔佐太子，並掌管荊州及揚州豫章等三郡事務，主持吳軍國大事。

孫權令陸遜教育諸位皇子公子。當時孫權次子孫慮喜好鬥鴨，陸遜嚴肅地說：「君侯應當勤讀經典，增加自己的新知，玩弄這些東西有什麼用？」孫慮當即就拆毀了鬥鴨欄。射聲校尉孫松是孫權弟弟孫翊的兒子，在公子中最親近孫權，他不整軍紀，放縱士兵，陸遜當著他的面將他的手下罰以剃光頭髮。孫松曾有小過失，陸遜當面斥責他，孫松臉色看起來不服氣，陸遜看到他臉色稍緩和，問：「你不因我粗鄙，多次來訪，以明過失，我便順從你的來意進盡忠言，為什麼你卻臉變色？」孫松笑答：「我只是也為自己的過失而生氣，哪裡敢有抱怨？」太子孫登的賓客南陽人謝景稱讚劉廙先刑後禮的理論，陸遜呵斥謝景說：「禮治優于刑治，久為歷史所証明，劉訥以瑣屑的狡辯來歪曲先聖的教誨，完全是錯誤的。您如今在東宮侍奉，應當遵奉仁義以顯揚善言，像劉廙之談不必講了。」

智變規慮

吳嘉禾三年（234年）孫權北征，派上大將軍陸遜與大將軍諸葛瑾攻襄陽。陸遜派親戚韓扁懷揣奏疏上報朝廷，返回途中，在途中遇到敵人，抓獲了韓扁。諸葛瑾聽後，十分恐慌，寫信給陸遜說：「大駕已還，敵人得到韓扁，將我們的虛實全部打聽清楚了。而且河水快乾了，最好是趕快離去。」陸遜接報後並未作答覆，卻催促人種葑豆，與眾將領下棋射箭遊戲，一如平常。諸葛瑾知道後說：「陸伯言足智多謀，他這樣做一定自有考慮。」於是親自來見陸遜。陸遜說：「敵人知道大駕已還，再不用為此籌謀，便專心對付我們。如今敵人已經守衛了要害之處，兵將已經出動，我們自己應當首先鎮定自如以穩住部隊，然後再巧施計謀，退出此地。如果今天就向敵人表明我們要走，敵人會以為我們害怕了，必然會來威逼我們，那就是必敗之勢了。」於是二人秘密定計，令諸葛瑾坐鎮舟船，陸遜率領全部兵馬向襄陽進發。敵人素來懼怕陸遜，見陸遜要攻襄陽，立即退回城中。諸葛瑾便引船而出，陸遜慢慢整頓好隊伍，大張旗鼓地走上船。敵人不知究竟，反而不敢追擊，於是陸遜全軍安然退出。陸遜撤軍到白圍 ，偷偷派遣周峻、張梁等攻打江夏郡的新市、安陸、石陽，周峻等率兵進攻石陽時，恰逢大量石陽百姓在城外集市進行交易，周峻等人突然到來，嚇得百姓紛紛入城，城門過於擁擠無法關閉，魏軍守衛只能殺死堵在城門的百姓，強行關閉城門。周峻等斬殺以及俘虜共計千餘人，隨後陸遜對俘虜而來的百姓給予撫卹保護，令兵士不得幹擾欺侮；若有帶家眷前來者便派人看照；失去家人者則給予衣服糧食等資源慰勞並讓他們回家，有人因此受到感動傾慕而相攜歸附。鄰近的人們也因此心向陸遜，江夏功曹趙濯、弋陽備將斐生及夷王梅頤等等皆率其黨羽兵士前來依附，陸遜便拿出所有財物贍恤照料他們。

又因魏國江夏太守逯式領有兵馬，對東吳邊境頗有危害，陸遜知情他與魏國將領文聘之子文休不合，便假裝寫了封回信給逯式，道：「得到您的來信，知道您與文休相處上有嫌隙，勢不兩立，所以打算來依附我國，我會盡速將您的來信秘密呈報給朝廷，並招集兵士人馬前來相迎。您應當盡快做好暗中整備，並告知歸附時間。」，吳軍將此信放在兩國邊境之上，被魏國士兵給撿拾到，逯式得知後擔心受怕，便趕緊將妻兒送還洛陽。自此之後逯式的部下不再親近信任於他，不久後便被罷官免職。

太子之爭

吳赤烏七年（244年），顧雍死後，陸遜被委任為丞相，主持三公的事務，並繼續擔任荊州牧右都護等職務領武昌事。但不久陸遜被捲入太子孫和與魯王孫霸間的皇儲派系爭奪。全琮子全寄與魯王交好，陸遜因而寫信給全琮，勸全琮學習金日磾殺掉全寄以免為家門招禍，全琮不聽，引發兩人間的間隙。

據《吳錄》記載，孫權私下召見楊竺，楊竺支持孫霸，認為孫霸有文武英才，應為嫡嗣。於是孫權打算立孫霸，廢孫和。當時有給使藏于孫權的床下偷聽，將此事告知了孫和；孫和害怕被廢，與正要去武昌的御使陸胤（陸遜族子）密議，欲請陸遜上疏表諫，不久陸遜上疏陳述：「太子正統，宜有磐石之固，魯王藩臣，當使寵秩有差，彼此得所，上下獲安。」

陸遜上表了三四次，又請求至建業面見皇帝，欲口述嫡庶之分，但不被允許。孫權追查密議洩露一事，先後將楊竺、陸胤收押審問。而陸遜外甥顧譚、顧承、姚信，都因為親附太子以及先前芍陂之戰戰後封賞被全琮父子誣陷而被流放，太子太傅吾粲因數次和陸遜書信來往，下獄死。

孫權很憤怒，多次遣中使批評陸遜。陸遜因此而心生憤恚，於吳赤烏八年（245年）去世，享年63歲，死後家裡沒有剩餘的財產。《大事記續編》載陸遜自殺，《晉春秋》、蕭方等《三十國春秋》載陸遜自縊。

陸遜之子陸抗被孫權任命為建武校尉，領父兵五千人。陸抗葬父後，還都謝恩，孫權令中使以楊竺告陸遜的二十條罪狀責問陸抗，陸抗一一答辯，孫權漸漸消除對陸遜的憤怒。

太元元年（251年），孫權認識到自己的錯誤，在陸抗去建業治病時，流著淚對他認錯，並下令焚毀問訊陸遜的文件。

特徵

• 陸遜性格忠誠耿直，出言無私，在朝為官恭敬肅穆，為人素儉知足。孟宗曾違法棄官奔喪，雖與陸遜無關但仍為其請求減刑。

• 陸遜有較為濃厚的儒家思想（未有相關文獻指出），他在上書中多次勸說放寬徭役，育養士民。他批評謝景贊同曹魏劉廙先刑後禮的法家思想，主張禮治優于刑治。

• 陸遜對後輩較為嚴厲，並不因他人出生高貴而改變態度。孫松為吳國宗室不整軍紀，陸遜仍然將其親信處以髡刑甚至當面斥責。孫慮貴為皇子，在陸遜的嚴厲要求下戒掉了鬥鴨的愛好。

• 陸遜掌握孫權的印璽負責對蜀外交，又教導孫權諸子，這在中國曆史上是罕見的，可見孫權對其十分信賴。其後陸遜雖因派系鬥爭激怒孫權，但去世後得到了孫權的道歉。其孫陸機亦為孫權寫過誄文（孫權252年去世，陸機261年誕生）。

歷任官職

東曹令史→西曹令史→海昌縣令・屯田都尉→定威校尉→帳下右部督→偏將軍右都督→宜都太守・撫邊將軍・華亭侯→右護軍・鎮西將軍・婁侯→（上將軍・列侯→別駕從事・茂才）→大都督 （夷陵之戰）→輔國將軍・荊州牧・江陵侯→ 大都督 （石亭之戰）→上大將軍・右都護 · 荊州牧 · 江陵侯→丞相 · 右都護 · 荊州牧 · 江陵侯

家族

祖輩

• 陸續，字智初，會稽會駕、揚州別駕。陸續從小是孤兒，後來在郡府做戶曹史。當年年歲荒飢，太守尹興派他在城邑的都亭中給百姓分發稀飯。他察看民眾，詢問姓名。事情結束後，尹興問他能夠吃到稀飯的人有多少，他不假思索回答說有六百餘人，還分別說出他們的姓名，沒有差錯。尹興覺得他非比尋常。刺史巡視本部召見了陸續，徵召為別駕從事。因病辭官，回到郡里任門下掾。陸續生有三子：陸稠（廣陵太守）、陸逢（樂安太守）、陸褒（名士）。陸稠，字伯蠃，東漢時任荊州刺史，後代號荊州枝。陸逢，漢尚書右僕射、樂安侯，後代號樂安枝。樂安，古縣名，為今山東省博興縣。陸逢五子：陸涉、陸表、陸瓊、陸昊、陸招，號樂安枝。陸表生漢海鹽縣令陸穰，字子仁。陸穰生陸恢，晉諫議大夫。陸恢生永興縣令陸弘，號諫議枝。

• 陸褒，字叔明，陸續少子，「有志操」，努力踐行，愛好學習，不貪慕榮華富貴和虛名，朝廷多次徵召為官都不就。第三子為陸紆，第四子陸康。

• 陸紆，字叔盤，東漢城門校尉，敏淑有思學。

父

• 陸駿，字季才，官至九江都尉。淳懿信厚，為邦族所懷。

妻

長沙桓王孫策之女，由孫權許配給陸遜為妻。

弟

• 陸瑁，（？―239年），字子璋，又字仲言，陸駿次子，官至議郎、選曹尚書。

姐妹

• 陸氏，嫁豫章太守顧邵，生顧譚、顧承。

• 陸氏，嫁姚敷，生姚信。

子

• 陸延，長子，早卒。

• 陸抗，次子，大司馬、荊州牧。孫策外孫，在父親死後繼承其爵位，為東吳後期著名的大臣和將領。

孫

• 陸晏，（？—280年3月23日）字士升，陸抗長子，裨將軍、夷道監。274年陸抗死後統領其部分兵士。280年晉軍伐吳，晉軍將領王濬攻破夷道（今湖北省宜都市）時將其殺害。

• 陸景，（250年—280年3月23日），字士仁，陸抗次子，尚公主孫皓妹，俱張承外孫也。拜騎都尉、中夏督，封毗陵侯。274年陸抗死後統領其部分兵士，拜偏將軍、中夏督。與兄一起為晉將王濬所殺。

• 陸玄。

• 陸氏，陸機姐，嫁顧雍同族顧悌子顧謙。《宋書·顧覬之傳》：「顧覬之，字偉仁，吳郡吳人也。高祖謙，字公讓，晉平原內史陸機姊夫。」

• 陸機，（261年－303年），字士衡，陸抗五子。274年陸抗死後統領其部分兵士。西元303年時任西晉大將軍司馬穎右司馬、平原內史、後將軍、河北大都督。西晉時期文學家、書法家，現存其文集以及中國最早的名人書法真跡《平復帖》。304年，在八王之亂被誣謀反，遭司馬穎下令夷三族，立河北枝。

• 陸氏，陸抗女，陸雲姐，嫁顧雍之子顧穆之子顧榮。陸雲著《贈顧驃騎二首·思文》乃描寫其姐與顧榮結為伉儷時的場景。

• 陸雲，（262年－303年），字士龍，陸抗六子，西晉時為清河內史，被司馬穎滅族。

• 陸耽，陸抗七子，西晉時為平東祭酒，被司馬穎滅族。

• 陸氏，陸抗幼女，273年-274年間夭折，現存陸機文《吳大司馬陸公少女哀辭》。

評價

• 孫權：「此誠長者之事，顧人不能為耳。」（《三國志·吳書·陸遜傳第十三》）「公瑾雄烈，膽略兼人，遂破孟德，開拓荊州，邈焉難繼，君今繼之。」（《三國志·吳書·周瑜魯肅呂蒙傳》）、「昔伊尹隆湯，呂尚翼周，內外之任，君實兼之。」「孤與君分義特異，榮戚實同，來表雲不敢隨眾容身苟免，此實甘心所望於君也。」（《三國志·吳書·吳主傳》）、「伯言常長於計校，恐此一事小短也。」

• 呂蒙：「陸遜意思深長，才堪負重，觀其規慮，終可大任。而未有遠名，非羽所忌，無復是過。」（《三國志·吳書·陸遜傳第十三》）

• 陳壽：「劉備天下稱雄，一世所憚，陸遜春秋方壯，威名未著，摧而克之，罔不如志。予既奇遜之謀略，又嘆權之識才，所以濟大事也。及遜忠誠懇至，憂國亡身，庶幾社稷之臣矣。抗貞亮籌幹，鹹有父風，奕世載美，具體而微，可謂克構者哉！」（《三國志·吳書·陸遜傳第十三》）「遜雖身在外，乃心於國。」（《三國志·吳書·陸遜傳》）「邵字孝則，博覽書傳，好樂人倫。少與舅陸績齊名，而陸遜、張敦、卜靜等皆亞焉。」（《三國志·吳書·張顧諸葛步傳》）「權嘉遜功德，欲殊顯之，雖為上將軍列侯，猶欲令曆本州舉命，乃使揚州牧呂范就闢別駕從事，舉茂才。」（《三國志·吳書》）

• 劉備：「吾乃為遜所折辱，豈非天邪！」

• 賈詡：「孫權識虛實，陸議見兵勢。」（《三國志·魏書·賈詡傳》）

• 孫桓：「前實怨不見救，定至今日，乃知調度自有方耳。」（《三國志·吳書·陸遜傳》）

• 諸葛瑾：「伯言多智略，其當有以。」（《三國志·吳書·陸遜傳》）

• 孫登：「陸遜忠勤於時，出身憂國，謇謇在公，有匪躬之節。」（《三國志·吳書·吳書五子傳》）

• 曹丕：「彼有人焉，未可圖也。」（《三國志·吳書·吳主傳》）

• 步騭：「丞相顧雍、上大將軍陸遜、太常潘濬，憂深責重，志在謁誠，夙夜兢兢，寢食不寧，念欲安國利民，建久長之計，可謂心膂股肱，社稷之臣矣。」（《三國志·吳書·張顧諸葛步傳》）

• 傅玄：「及權繼其業，有張子布以為腹心，有陸議、諸葛瑾、步騭以為股肱，有呂范、朱然以為爪牙，分任授職，乘間伺隙，兵不妄動，故戰少敗而江南安。」

• 徐眾評：「雍不以呂壹見毀之故，而和顏悅色，誠長者矣。然開引其意，問所欲道，此非也。壹奸險亂法，毀傷忠賢，吳國寒心，自太子登、陸遜已下，切諫不能得，是以潘濬欲因會手劍之，以除國患，疾惡忠主，義形於色，而今乃發起令言。若壹稱枉邪，不申理，則非錄獄本旨；若承辭而奏之，吳主儻以敬丞相所言，而複原宥，伯言、承明不當悲慨哉！」（《三國志·吳書·張顧諸葛步傳》）

• 陸機：「我大皇帝，以奇蹤襲於逸軌，叡心發乎令圖，從政咨於故實，播憲稽乎遺風，而加之以篤固，申之以節儉，疇咨俊茂，好謀善斷，東帛旅於丘園，旌命交于塗巷。故豪彥尋聲而響臻，志士希光而影騖，異人輻輳，猛士如林。於是張昭為師傅，周瑜、陸公、魯肅、呂蒙之疇入為腹心，出作股肱。」；「漢王亦馮帝王之號，率巴、漢之民，乘危騁變，結壘千里，志報關羽之敗，圖收湘西之地。而我陸公亦挫之西陵，覆師敗績，困而後濟，絕命永安。續以灞須之寇，臨川摧銳，蓬籠之戰，孑輪不反。由是二邦之將，喪氣摧鋒，勢衄財匱，而吳藐然坐乘其弊，故魏人請好，漢氏乞盟，遂躋天號，鼎峙而立。西屠庸蜀之郊，北裂淮漢之涘，東苞百越之地，南括群蠻之表。於是講八代之禮，蒐三王之樂，告類上帝，拱揖群後。虎臣毅卒，循江而守，長戟勁鎩，望飆而奮。庶尹盡規於上，四民展業于下，化協殊裔，風衍遐圻。乃俾一介行人，撫巡外域，臣象逸駿，擾於外閒，明珠瑋寶，輝於內府，珍瑰重跡而至，奇玩應響而赴，輶軒騁於南荒，衝輣息於朔野，齊民免幹戈之患，戎馬無晨服之虞，而帝業固矣。」；「吳蜀脣齒之國，蜀滅則吳亡，理則然矣，夫蜀蓋籓援之與國，而非吳人之存亡也。何則？其郊境之接，重山積險，陸無長轂之徑；川阨流迅，水有驚波之艱。雖有銳師百萬，啟行不過千夫；軸艫千里，前驅不過百艦。故劉氏之伐，陸公喻之長蛇，其勢然也。」（《辯亡論》）

• 桓溫：「東都郊廟日將曛，江左英風最出群。吳將雄韜重運火，漢皇驍騎枉屯雲。兩州似共龍盤國，一世原尊鳥喙君。家德幸傳羊陸話，厥孫華彩續氤氳。」（《王臣八章》之三）

• 裴松之：「遜慮孫權以退，魏得專力於己，既能張拓形勢，使敵不敢犯，方舟順流，無複怵惕矣，何為複潛遣諸將，奄襲小縣，致令市人駭奔，自相傷害？俘馘千人，未足損魏，徒使無辜之民橫罹荼酷，與諸葛渭濱之師，何其殊哉！用兵之道既違，失律之凶宜應，其祚無三世，及孫而滅，豈此之餘殃哉！」

• 袁宏：「伯言蹇蹇，以道佐世，出能勤功，入能獻替。謀寧社稷，解紛挫銳，正以招疑，忠而獲戾。」（《三國名臣序贊》）

• 蕭子顯：「柳世隆勢居中夏，年淺位輕，首抗全師，孤城挑攻，臨埤授策，曾無汗馬，勍寇乖沮，力屈于高墉，亂轍爭先，降奔郢路，陸遜之破玄德，不是過也。」

• 許嵩：「性忠梗，出言無私，立朝肅如也。」「為人素儉知足。」（《建康實錄·卷二》）

• 王維：「夜火人歸富春郭，秋風鶴唳石頭城。周郎陸弟為儔侶，對舞前溪歌白紵。」

• 高適：「隱隱摧鋒勢，光光弄印榮。魯連真義士，陸遜豈書生。」

• 劉禹錫：「三千三百西江水，自古如今要路津。月夜歌謠有漁父，風天氣色屬商人。沙村好處多逢寺，山葉紅時覺勝春。行到南朝征戰地，古來名將盡為神。」

• 項安世：「周瑜方奏凱，陸遜遂成名。一覺華胥夢，千年戰國情。」

• 蘇轍：「陸遜之于孫權，高熲之于隋文，言聽計從，致君于五伯矣。」（《苕溪漁隱叢話·東坡五》）

• 蘇轍：「至于長洲之濱，故城之墟，曹孟德、孫仲謀之所睥睨，周瑜、陸遜之所騁騖，其流風遺蹟，亦足以稱快世俗。」（《黃州快哉亭記》）

• 張耒：「周瑜陸遜久寂寞，千年北客嘲吳語。莫徒彩筆雲錦張，要是寶劍蛟龍舞。」（次韻答天啟）

• 洪邁：「孫吳奄有江左，亢衡中州，固本于策、權之雄略，然一時英傑，如周瑜、魯肅、呂蒙、陸遜四人者，真所謂社稷心膂，與國為存亡之臣也。」

• 陳亮：「又二百餘年，遂為三國交據之地，諸葛亮由此起輔先主，荊楚之士從之如雲，而漢氏賴以複存于蜀；周瑜、魯肅、呂蒙、陸遜、陸抗、鄧艾、羊祜皆以其地顯名。」

• 林光朝：「當時稱之為長才無或異辭者，吳有周瑜、魯肅、呂蒙、陸遜，蜀有諸葛孔明，是皆一方雋才也。」（《艾軒集·卷四》）

• 蕭常：「遜工于制勝，而謬于謀國；知襲關羽以取荊州，而不知佐漢以定中原，才有餘而知不足故也。」（《蕭氏續後漢書》）

• 郝經：「雲長萬人之敵而呂蒙襲取，昭烈一世之雄而陸遜摧破，漢之義師不複東征，祗保梁益，吳遂蹈跨荊揚。操不可圖，丕乃禪代，曹氏遂有中國，而天下三分，殆非人謀，亦天意也。蒙好謀能斷，軍旅之間，折節問學，終于文武備足，有國士之風。遜一旦為大帥，能昭果毅，使諸將聽服，獨當一面，遂成雋功。非有過人之材能若是乎？至于忠誠懇至，憂國忘身，庶幾社稷之臣。遜死而蒙嗣遂廢，貽禍于後，防責齎恨，不瞑九泉，權真負遜也哉！」「子明識斷，駸駸遒敏，學問略奇，足繼公瑾。伯言靜鷙，卻敵安疆，虎臥國門，威深大江。」（《續後漢書》）

• 陳元靚：「伯言佐吳，功名光代。作相江東，護軍關外。 出入殿門，曾張御蓋。今遇聖朝，圖形斯在。」（《事林廣記·後集·卷四》）

• 任昂：「蜀祀秦守李冰，附以漢守文翁、宋守張詠。密縣祀太傅卓茂。鈞州祀丞相黃霸。彭澤祀丞相狄仁傑，皆遺愛在民。李龍遷祀于隆州，謝夷甫祀于福州，皆為民捍患。吳丞相陸遜以勞定國，宜祀于吳，以子抗、從子凱配。元總管李黼立祀江州，元帥余闕立廟安慶，皆以死勤事。從闕守皖，僉家殉義者，有萬戶李宗可，宜配享闕廟。」

• 馮夢龍：「陸遜多沉慮，籌無不中。」「長者之言。」

• 王義山：「某仰惟某官學通六藝，忠貫三精，其謀略則荀攸、賈詡之密，其經濟則周瑜、魯肅之英，其吟嘯則謝安、庾亮之雅，其牧御則羊祜、陸遜之仁。」（《稼村類稿》）

• 羅貫中：「坐帳談兵按六韜，安排香餌釣鯨鰲。三分自是多英俊，又顯江南陸遜高。」「陸遜運良籌，能分吳國憂。揮毫關將墮，焚鎧蜀王羞。功業昭千載，聲名播九州。至今巫峽地，草木尚添愁。」「持矛舉火破連營，玄德窮奔白帝城。一旦威名驚蜀魏，吳王寧不敬書生。」（《三國演義》）

• 王世貞：「陸伯言一少年書生，受脤而據諸將之上，揮麈揚策，破天下之所憚服以為英雄。如昭烈者，若拉枯朽。然後勝北兵、奠南服、國無亡鏃、算不遺籌、其孔明之流亞歟。」（《王弇州崇論卷之四》）

• 陳子龍：「自漢以後，文武漸分，然猶有虞詡、諸葛亮、周瑜、陸遜、司馬懿、羊祜、杜預、溫嶠、謝玄、韋睿、崔浩、李靖、裴行儉、郭元振、裴度、李德裕、韓琦、李綱、虞允文之徒奮策儒素建功閫外，為時宗臣。彼豈必有摶虎之力，射鵰之技哉？不過深明古今之事，能決機宜之便耳。」（《安雅堂稿·卷四》）

• 《通鑑輯覽》：「孫吳人才，周瑜而後，當推陸遜。白圍之戰，持以鎮靜，實不可及。若瑾之舉措驚皇，適足僨事耳。」（《欽定四庫全書薈要》）

• 成海應：「陸遜猇亭之績, 殆周瑜之於赤壁也. 憑荊州上流之勢而臨之, 三吳將淪矣. 是以悉力防禦, 卒能克之, 然吳魏方劃江而守之. 魏不能越江而取吳, 吳不能越江而取魏者, 諒彼材有所限, 只可相保境而已, 不可以進取也. 伯言身兼將相之任, 其指陳於其君者, 皆任賢去讒, 安固國本諸事, 卒以此憤恚致命, 可謂有忠貞之節, 不徒一將之材也.」（『硏經齋全集續集』 10冊, 史論, 陸遜）

總評

• 陸遜是繼周瑜、魯肅、呂蒙之後又一個聲望頗高、功績卓著的將領。他智勇兼備，武能安邦，文能治國，並且品格高尚。孫權把他比做成湯之伊尹和周初之姜尚。

• 軍事才能主要表現在他足智多謀善于用兵。在討伐山越暴亂時，他巧設疑兵，多建部隊番號，乘夜進入山谷，到處鳴起軍號鼓角之聲，造成有幹軍萬馬的聲勢，從心理上瓦解了叛軍。然後一鼓作氣勇猛進擊，終于用很少的兵力平息了幾萬人的山越暴亂。

• 巧奪荊州一戰，利用關羽驕傲自大的弱點，以卑下的言辭寫信吹捧關羽。使關羽完全喪失警惕，全力對付曹操。這樣，呂蒙才得以兵不血刃輕取荊州。

• 夷陵之戰是中國曆史上後發制人、疲敵制勝的著名戰例。作為吳軍主帥的陸遜統觀兩軍主客觀態勢，確定誘敵深入，集中兵力，後發制人，相機破敵的戰略。並充分利用地勢及天候等有利條件，巧施火攻，一舉擊敗蜀軍。大獲全勝後，又適時停止追擊，使曹魏無隙可乘，戰略全局運籌周密，堪稱用兵奇略。又根據敵強我弱的實際情況，採取了誘敵深入、疲敵師志的戰略方針。劉備十萬之眾來勢兇猛。陸遜則主動放棄大片土地和戰略要地，把五、六百里的山區讓給蜀軍。待蜀軍銳氣頓減之時，陸遜巧用火攻大獲勝利。從指揮藝術上說，作為一軍之帥，陸遜的確是善于審時度勢，做到了知己知彼，能準確捕捉戰機，出奇制勝。

• 雖置身行伍，卻還有一套治國安民的謀略。他任海昌屯田都尉時，政績明顯，深受百姓擁戴。他從當地土地貧瘠且連年乾旱的實際出發，一方面開倉賑濟貧民，一方面「勸課農桑，鼓勵生產」，「百姓蒙賴」，稱他為「神君」。他還曾上書孫權，對國家的嚴法苛刑提出批評，指出：「峻法嚴刑，非常王之隆業，有罰無恕，非懷遠之弘規」。他建議孫權要像西漢劉邦那樣輕刑便民，用黃老之法治理國家，要儘量少動幹戈，務以養本保民為要，只有與民休息輕徭薄賦才能富國強兵，統一天下。這些主張說明陸遜並非一介武夫，而是一個文武兼備的政治家、軍事家。

藝術形象

動漫遊戲

• 真三國無雙系列 / 無雙OROCHI系列（光榮公司開發，野島健兒配音）

• 三國志

• 三國演義

• 《三國殺》

• 《蒼天航路》（王欣太）

• 《火鳳燎原》（陳某）:設定於官渡之戰篇時登場，當時已是陸家總綱，捨棄陸康被殺之仇來扶助孫策，救出在徐州被袁方刺客追殺的司馬懿，派手下潛伏於太平道，並裏應外合生擒私通黃祖的許貢

• 《神魔之塔》

影視

• 《諸葛亮》（1985年）：由關偉倫飾演

• 《三國演義》（1992年，中國中央電視台電視劇集）：由高飛飾演

• 《關公》（1996年，中華電視公司電視劇）：由楊仲恩飾演

• 《武聖關公》（2004年，中國中央電視台電視劇）：由夏陽陽飾演

• 《三國》（2010年，高希希導演）：由邵峰飾演

• 《軍師聯盟》（2017年，中國電視劇）：由盧星宇飾演

後世地位

• 宋代歐陽修、宋祁等撰寫的《新唐書·卷十五·志第五·禮樂五·吉禮五》中提到，唐代時禮儀使顏真卿曾經向皇室建議，在武成廟中，除武成王姜太公及十哲外，再追封古代名將六十四人，並為他們設廟享奠，當中就包括「吳丞相婁侯陸遜」。同時代被列入廟享名單的只有諸葛亮（十哲）、關羽、張飛、張遼、周瑜、呂蒙、鄧艾、陸抗而已。

• 同樣，元代脫脫等撰寫的《宋史·卷一零五·志第五十八·禮八·吉禮八》提及宋代宣和五年時，皇室依照唐代慣例，為古代名將設廟，七十二位名將中亦包括陸遜。

註釋