Bu Zhi (died June or July 247), courtesy name Zishan, was a Chinese military general and politician of the state of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period of China. Originally a scholar of humble background, he became a subordinate of the warlord Sun Quan in the late Eastern Han dynasty and gradually rose through the ranks. Between 210 and 220, he served as the governor of the remote and restive Jiao Province in southern China. During the Battle of Xiaoting/Yiling of 221–222, he quelled local uprisings in Sun Quan's territories in southern Jing Province and maintained peace in the area. After Sun Quan became emperor in 229, Bu Zhi oversaw the Wu armed forces guarding the Wu–Shu border at Xiling (present-day Yichang, Hubei) for about 20 years. During this time, he also gave advice to Sun Quan's first heir apparent, Sun Deng, and spoke up for officials affected by Lü Yi's abuses of power. In 246, he became the fourth Imperial Chancellor of Wu, but died in office in the following year.
Bu Zhi was known for being magnanimous, generous and capable of putting up with indignities – these traits earned him much respect from many people, including his enemies. He was able to hide his emotions well and project a calm and serious demeanour. However, the historian Pei Songzhi criticised Bu Zhi for supporting Sun Quan's fourth son Sun Ba in the succession struggle against Sun Quan's second heir apparent Sun He, and added that this incident left a huge stain on Bu Zhi's good reputation.
Family background Bu Zhi was from Huaiyin County (), Linhuai Commandery (), which is around present-day Huai'an, Jiangsu.(步隲字子山，臨淮淮陰人也。) Sanguozhi vol. 52. He traced his ancestry to Yangshi (), an aristocrat of the Jin state in the Spring and Autumn period. As Yangshi's estate was located in an area called "Bu" (步; around present-day Linfen County, Shanxi), his descendants adopted "Bu" as their family name. One of Yangshi's descendants was Bu Shusheng (步叔乘; or Bu Shucheng), a disciple of Confucius. Sometime in the early Western Han dynasty, a certain General Bu received the peerage "Marquis of Huaiyin" () from the emperor as a reward for his contributions in battle. Bu Zhi descended from this General Bu, whose marquisate was in Huaiyin County.(吳書曰：晉有大夫揚食采於步，後有步叔，與七十子師事仲尼。秦漢之際有為將軍者，以功封淮陰侯，隲其後也。) Wu Shu annotation in Sanguozhi vol. 52.
Early life When chaos broke out in central China towards the end of the Eastern Han dynasty, Bu Zhi fled south to the Jiangdong region to avoid trouble. Alone and penniless, he befriended one Wei Jing () from Guangling Commandery () who was around the same age as him. They farmed crops to feed themselves. Bu Zhi tirelessly toiled in the fields in the day and diligently read books at night.(世亂，避難江東，單身窮困，與廣陵衞旌同年相善，俱以種瓜自給，晝勤四體，夜誦經傳。) Sanguozhi vol. 52. He became very well-read and well-versed in various arts and crafts. He was known for being magnanimous, deep thinking, and able to put up with indignities.(吳書曰：隲博研道藝，靡不貫覽，性寬雅沈深，能降志辱身。) Wu Shu annotation in Sanguozhi vol. 52.
Bu Zhi and Wei Jing settled in Kuaiji Commandery (), where they encountered an influential landlord, Jiao Zhengqiang (), who allowed his retainers to behave lawlessly. As Bu Zhi and Wei Jing feared that Jiao Zhengqiang would seize the plot of land on which they farmed, they decided to offer him some of their produce as tribute. When they arrived at his residence, he was asleep so they had to wait outside. After some time, Wei Jing became impatient and wanted to leave, but Bu Zhi stopped him and said, "We came here because we feared he would seize our land. If we come here to visit him and then leave without even meeting him, he might think that we're insulting him and we'll only end up antagonising him."(會稽焦征羌，郡之豪族，人客放縱。隲與旌求食其地，懼為所侵，乃共脩刺奉瓜，以獻征羌。征羌方在內卧，駐之移時，旌欲委去，隲止之曰：「本所以來，畏其彊也；而今舍去，欲以為高，祗結怨耳。」) Sanguozhi vol. 52. After a while, Jiao Zhengqiang woke up, saw them through the window, and instructed his servants to lay mats on the ground for them to sit outside while he remained indoors. Wei Jing was enraged but Bu Zhi remained calm and composed. When it was time for lunch, Jiao Zhengqiang feasted on tasty dishes and did not invite them to join him. Instead, he had scraps of food served to them in small bowls. Wei Jing, who received only vegetables and mushrooms, was so unhappy that he did not eat at all. In contrast, Bu Zhi finished all the food he got. They then bid farewell to Jiao Zhengqiang and left. Wei Jing later scolded Bu Zhi, "How can you put up with this?" Bu Zhi replied, "We're of lowly status. He treated us in a manner befitting our status. What's there to be ashamed of?"(良乆，征羌開牖見之，身隱几坐帳中，設席致地，坐隲、旌於牖外，旌愈恥之，隲辭色自若。征羌作食，身享大案，殽膳重沓，以小盤飯與隲、旌，惟菜茹而已。旌不能食，隲極飯致飽乃辭出。旌怒隲曰：「何能忍此？」隲曰：「吾等貧賤，是以主人以貧賤遇之，固其宜也，當何所恥？」) Sanguozhi vol. 52.
Service under Sun Quan
Sometime in the 200s, when the warlord Sun Quan held the nominal appointment General Who Attacks Barbarians (), he recruited Bu Zhi to serve as his Chief Scribe (), and later appointed him as the Chief () of Haiyan County (海鹽縣; present-day Pinghu, Zhejiang).(孫權為討虜將軍，召隲為主記，除海鹽長， ...) Sanguozhi vol. 52. After holding office in Haiyan County for a few years, Bu Zhi claimed that he was ill and resigned. He then travelled around the Wu territories with Zhuge Jin and Yan Jun. During this time, he earned himself a fine reputation as a learned man.(吳書曰：歲餘，隲以疾免，與琅邪諸葛瑾、彭城嚴畯俱游吳中，並著聲名，為當時英俊。) Wu Shu annotation in Sanguozhi vol. 52.
In 209, Sun Quan was appointed as acting General of Chariots and Cavalry () and acting Governor () of Xu Province.Zizhi Tongjian vol. 66. Bu Zhi returned to serve under Sun Quan as an Assistant in the East Bureau () of the office of the General of Chariots and Cavalry(... 還辟車騎將軍東曹掾。) Sanguozhi vol. 52. and Assistant Officer in the Headquarters Office () of the Governor of Xu Province. Sun Quan also nominated Bu Zhi as a maocai ().(吳書曰：權為徐州牧，以隲為治中從事，舉茂才。) Wu Shu annotation in Sanguozhi vol. 52.
Governorship of Jiao Province In 210, Sun Quan appointed Bu Zhi as the Administrator () of Poyang Commandery (鄱陽郡; around present-day Poyang County, Jiangxi). Within the same year, however, he promoted Bu Zhi to Inspector () of Jiao Province. Bu Zhi was also concurrently appointed General of the Household of Martial Establishment () and put in charge of a military unit comprising over 1,000 elite archers for his mission to Jiao Province.(建安十五年，出領鄱陽太守。歲中，徙交州刺史、立武中郎將，領武射吏千人，便道南行。) Sanguozhi vol. 52.
Since the time of Emperor Ling ( 168–189), Jiao Province, being a remote province in the south, had posed serious problems for the Han central government. The locals, unwilling to submit to Han rule, had caused much trouble for their Han-appointed governors – two governors, Zhu Fu () and Zhang Jin (), were killed while in office.(交州刺史朱符為夷賊所殺，州郡擾亂。 ... 朱符死後，漢遣張津為交州刺史，津後又為其將區景所殺， ...) Sanguozhi vol. 49.
In the following year, Sun Quan granted Bu Zhi greater authority and promoted him to General of the Household Who Attacks the South (). When Bu Zhi arrived in Jiao Province, Wu Ju (吴巨), a commandery administrator in the province, pretended to cooperate with him while harbouring ill intentions. Bu Zhi lured Wu Ju into a trap and executed him.(建安十五年，孫權遣步隲為交州刺史。隲到，燮率兄弟奉承節度。而吳巨懷異心，隲斬之。) Sanguozhi vol. 49. His actions shocked the other elites in Jiao Province including the minor warlord Shi Xie, who led his followers to submit to Bu Zhi and pledge allegiance to Sun Quan. The whole of Jiao Province thus came under Sun Quan's control, with Bu Zhi as the governor.(明年，追拜使持節、征南中郎將。劉表所置蒼梧太守吳巨陰懷異心，外附內違。隲降意懷誘，請與相見，因斬徇之，威聲大震。士燮兄弟，相率供命，南土之賔，自此始也。) Sanguozhi vol. 52.
Sometime in the 210s, Yong Kai (), a tribal chief in Yi Province (covering present-day Sichuan and Chongqing), killed Zheng Ang (), a commandery administrator appointed by the warlord Liu Bei. Yong Kai contacted Shi Xie and asked to defect to Sun Quan's side. Shi Xie relayed the message to Bu Zhi, who sent an emissary to meet Yong Kai and accept his allegiance. In recognition of Bu Zhi's achievements, Sun Quan appointed him as General Who Pacifies the Rong () and enfeoffed him as the Marquis of Guangxin ().(益州大姓雍闓等殺蜀所署太守正昂，與燮相聞，求欲內附。隲因承制遣使宣恩撫納，由是加拜平戎將軍，封廣信侯。) Sanguozhi vol. 52.
Maintaining peace in southern Jing Province In 220, Sun Quan ordered Lü Dai to replace Bu Zhi as the Inspector of Jiao Province. Bu Zhi then led over 10,000 volunteer troops from Jiao Province to Changsha Commandery (長沙郡; around present-day Changsha, Hunan). About a year later, Liu Bei, the emperor of the state of Shu Han, launched a military campaign to attack Sun Quan in retaliation against Sun Quan's seizing of his territories in Jing Province in late 219. This subsequently led to the Battle of Xiaoting/Yiling of 221–222. During this time, some local tribes in Wuling Commandery (武陵郡; around present-day Changde, Hunan) in southern Jing Province rebelled against Sun Quan's rule. Sun Quan ordered Bu Zhi to lead troops to Yiyang County (益陽縣; east of present-day Yiyang County, Hunan) to guard against attacks from the rebels.(延康元年，權遣呂岱代隲，隲將交州義士萬人出長沙。會劉備東下，武陵蠻夷蠢動，權遂命隲上益陽。) Sanguozhi vol. 52.
Even after Sun Quan's forces defeated Liu Bei at the Battle of Xiaoting/Yiling in mid 222, there was still much unrest in Lingling (零陵; around present-day Yongzhou, Hunan) and Guiyang (桂陽; around present-day Chenzhou, Hunan) commanderies in southern Jing Province. Bu Zhi led his troops to quell the uprisings and restored peace in the region.(備旣敗績，而零、桂諸郡猶相驚擾，處處阻兵；隲周旋征討，皆平之。) Sanguozhi vol. 52.
In 223, Sun Quan promoted Bu Zhi to General of the Right () and Left Protector of the Army (), and changed his marquis title to "Marquis of Linxiang" (). In 226, he granted greater powers to Bu Zhi and ordered him to move to a garrison at Oukou ().(黃武二年，遷右將軍左護軍，改封臨湘侯。五年，假節，徙屯漚口。) Sanguozhi vol. 52.
Service in the state of Eastern Wu In 229, after Sun Quan declared himself emperor and established the state of Eastern Wu, he appointed Bu Zhi as General of Agile Cavalry () and the nominal Governor () of Ji Province. In the following year, he reassigned Bu Zhi to Xiling (西陵; present-day Xiling District, Yichang, Hubei) and replace Lu Xun as the military commander guarding the border between Eastern Wu and its ally state, Shu Han. He was relieved of his nominal gubernatorial appointment of Ji Province later.(權稱尊號，拜驃騎將軍，領兾州牧。是歲，都督西陵，代陸遜撫二境，頃以兾州在蜀分，解牧職。) Sanguozhi vol. 52.
Advice to Sun Deng Around the time, Sun Quan's heir apparent, Sun Deng, who was stationed in Wuchang (武昌; present-day Ezhou, Hubei), was actively networking with many people. He wrote to Bu Zhi, seeking his advice on whom he should talk to first because he knew little about the officials in Eastern Wu.(時權太子登駐武昌，愛人好善，與隲書曰：「夫賢人君子，所以興隆大化，佐理時務者也。受性闇蔽，不達道數，雖實驅驅欲盡心於明德，歸分於君子，至於遠近士人，先後之宜，猶或緬焉，未之能詳。傳曰：『愛之能勿勞乎？忠焉能勿誨乎？』斯其義也，豈非所望於君子哉！」) Sanguozhi vol. 52. In his reply to Sun Deng, Bu Zhi named 11 notable officials serving in Jing Province – Zhuge Jin, Lu Xun, Zhu Ran, Cheng Pu, Pan Jun, Pei Xuan (), Xiahou Cheng (), Wei Jing (), Li Su (), Zhou Tiao () and Shi Gan () – and appraised them individually. He also advised Sun Deng to refrain from micromanaging, and instead learn from great rulers such as Duke Huan of Qi and Emperor Gao of Han, who delegated the task of governing their empires to their premiers (e.g. Guan Zhong, Xiao He). He also urged Sun Deng to attract as many talents as possible to join him.(隲於是條于時事業在荊州界者，諸葛瑾、陸遜、朱然、程普、潘濬、裴玄、夏侯承、衞旌、李肅、周條、石幹十一人，甄別行狀，因上疏獎勸曰：「臣聞人君不親小事，百官有司各任其職。故舜命九賢，則無所用心，彈五絃之琴，詠南風之詩，不下堂廟而天下治也。齊桓用管仲，被髮載車，齊國旣治，又致匡合。近漢高祖擥三傑以興帝業，西楚失雄俊以喪成功。汲黯在朝，淮南寢謀；郅都守邊，匈奴竄迹。故賢人所在，折衝萬里，信國家之利器，崇替之所由也。方今王化未被於漢北，河、洛之濵尚有僭逆之醜，誠擥英雄拔俊任賢之時也。願明太子重以輕意，則天下幸甚。」) Sanguozhi vol. 52.
Saving officials from Lü Yi's abuses of power