Zhao Yan (171 – July or August 245), courtesy name Boran, was a government official and military general of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of China. He previously served under the warlord Cao Cao during the late Eastern Han dynasty.
Early life Zhao Yan was from Yangzhai County (), Yingchuan Commandery (), which is present-day Yuzhou, Henan.(趙儼字伯然，潁川陽翟人也。) Sanguozhi vol. 23. When chaos broke out in central China towards the end of the Eastern Han dynasty, Zhao Yan fled south to Jing Province (covering present-day Hubei and Hunan), where he met Du Xi and Po Qin (). The three of them became close friends, pooled their wealth together, and helped each other out financially.(避亂荊州，與杜襲、繁欽通財同計，合為一家。) Sanguozhi, vol. 23.
Zhao Yan shared equal fame as Xin Pi, Chen Qun and Du Xi, who like him were also from Yingchuan Commandery. They were collectively referred to as "Xin, Chen, Du and Zhao".(初，儼與同郡辛毗、陳羣、杜襲並知名，號曰辛、陳、杜、趙云。) Sanguozhi vol. 23.
Service under Cao Cao In 196, the warlord Cao Cao received Emperor Xian, who was previously held hostage by other warlords, and brought him to his base in Xu (許; present-day Xuchang, Henan), which became the new Han imperial capital. The figurehead emperor and the Han central government thus came under Cao Cao's control. When Zhao Yan heard about it, he told Po Qin: "Cao Cao's actions are in line with the will of Heaven and the people. He will definitely be able to restore order and peace to Huaxia. I have found my calling."(太祖始迎獻帝都許，儼謂欽曰：「曹鎮東應期命世，必能匡濟華夏，吾知歸矣。」) Sanguozhi vol. 23. In the following year, a 26-year-old Zhao Yan brought along his fellow townsfolk to Xu to join Cao Cao. Cao Cao appointed him as the Chief () of Langling County (朗陵縣; southwest of present-day Queshan County, Henan),(建安二年，年二十七，遂扶持老弱詣太祖，太祖以儼為朗陵長。) Sanguozhi vol. 23. the capital of Yang'an Commandery ().
As the Chief of Langling County After Zhao Yan assumed office, he saw that Langling County had a high crime rate and that criminals behaved lawlessly because of poor law enforcement. He then started a crackdown on crime by arresting several high-profile criminals, putting them on trial, and sentencing them to death accordingly. While the criminals were put on death row, Zhao Yan wrote to his superior to seek clemency on their behalf. After his superior approved, Zhao Yan pardoned and released the criminals. In doing so, he successfully tempered justice with mercy.(縣多豪猾，無所畏忌。儼取其尤甚者，收縛案驗，皆得死罪。儼旣囚之，乃表府解放，自是威恩並著。) Sanguozhi vol. 23.
When an uncle of the wife of Li Tong, the Commandant of Yang'an Commandery, committed an offence in Langling County, Zhao Yan arrested him, found him guilty and sentenced him to death. At the time, as Li Tong's appointment was higher than Zhao Yan's, he had the authority to overturn Zhao Yan's decision and spare his wife's uncle. Li Tong's wife knew that, so she tearfully pleaded with her husband to intervene and save her uncle. Li Tong, however, refused to intervene because he saw that as an abuse of power, so his wife's uncle lost his head. Instead of holding a grudge against Zhao Yan over this incident, Li Tong respected him for his righteousness and became close friends with him.(通妻伯父犯法，朗陵長趙儼收治，致之大辟。是時殺生之柄，決於牧守，通妻子號泣以請其命。通曰：「方與曹公勠力，義不以私廢公。」嘉儼執憲不阿，與為親交。) Sanguozhi vol. 18.
Suggesting a tax exemption Around the year 200, when the Battle of Guandu broke out between Cao Cao and his rival Yuan Shao, Yuan Shao sent spies to infiltrate the various commanderies in Yu Province, then under Cao Cao's control, and induce their peoples to turn against Cao Cao and defect to his side. Most of the commanderies agreed to support Yuan Shao; only Yang'an Commandery () refused.(時袁紹舉兵南侵，遣使招誘豫州諸郡，諸郡多受其命。惟陽安郡不動， ...) Sanguozhi vol. 23.
When Li Tong, the Commandant of Yang'an Commandery, pushed the locals to pay their due taxes,(... 而都尉李通急錄戶調。) Sanguozhi vol. 23. Zhao Yan warned him that doing so would only fuel the people's resentment and make them more likely to defect to Yuan Shao.(儼見通曰：「方今天下未集，諸郡並叛，懷附者復收其緜絹，小人樂亂，能無遺恨！且遠近多虞，不可不詳也。」) Sanguozhi vol. 23. Li Tong then explained his concern: "Yuan Shao and [Cao Cao] are currently locked in a stalemate, and many commanderies and counties have defected to the enemy side. If we fail to deliver tax revenue to the imperial court, I am afraid they will think that we are trying to sit on the fence and waiting to join whichever side that wins the war."(通曰：「紹與大將軍相持甚急，左右郡縣背叛乃爾。若緜絹不調送，觀聽者必謂我顧望，有所須待也。」) Sanguozhi vol. 23. Zhao Yan replied: "Your analysis of the situation is spot on. However, I think we should carefully weigh the costs and benefits while refraining from collecting taxes for the time being. I am willing to help you solve this problem."(儼曰：「誠亦如君慮；然當權其輕重，小緩調，當為君釋此患。」) Sanguozhi vol. 23.
Zhao Yan then wrote to Xun Yu, the official in charge of Xu (許; present-day Xuchang, Henan), the imperial capital, while Cao Cao was away at the frontline. He wrote: "The people of Yang'an Commandery ought to pay their due taxes to the government. However, it is too risky to deliver tax revenue to the imperial capital at the moment because bandits and enemy forces might rob the convoy along the way. Our people are poor. Many neighbouring commanderies and counties have defected to the enemy. The situation is very unstable now. This is a critical moment. The people of Yang'an Commandery have thus far remained loyal despite being in such a dangerous situation. By giving out small rewards to those who remain loyal, you can motivate them to maintain their loyalty under difficult circumstances. Rewarding goodness is a form of motivation to the righteous; those who excel in the art of governance know that it is best to let the people keep their wealth. I think that the imperial court can exempt (Yang'an Commandery) from taxes this time, as a gesture of kindness and to reward the people for their loyalty."(乃書與荀彧曰：「今陽安郡當送緜絹，道路艱阻，必致寇害。百姓困窮，鄰城並叛，易用傾蕩，乃一方安危之機也。且此郡人執守忠節，在險不貳。微善必賞，則為義者勸。善為國者，藏之於民。以為國家宜垂慰撫，所歛緜絹，皆俾還之。」) Sanguozhi vol. 23. Xun Yu replied: "I will report this to Lord Cao and issue an official notice to Yang'an Commandery to return the collected tax revenue to the people." Zhao Yan's suggestion proved effective as the people were so happy with the tax exemption that they remained loyal to Cao Cao.(彧報曰：「輒白曹公，公文下郡，緜絹悉以還民。」上下歡喜，郡內遂安。) Sanguozhi vol. 23.
Zhao Yan was subsequently summoned to Xu to serve as a Registrar () under Cao Cao, who then held the position of Minister of Works () in the Han central government.(入為司空掾屬主簿。) Sanguozhi vol. 23.
The Weilue recorded that Li Tong considered defecting to Yuan Shao's side during the Battle of Guandu, just like many other officials under Cao Cao. However, Zhao Yan managed to persuade him to remain loyal to Cao Cao. After the Battle of Guandu, Cao Cao's forces broke into Yuan Shao's office and found several documents detailing exchanges between Yuan Shao and spies/defectors from Cao Cao's side. When Cao Cao looked through the documents, he saw that Li Tong was not among those who had secret contact with Yuan Shao, and deduced that Zhao Yan must have stopped Li Tong. He then remarked, "This must be Zhao Boran's doing."(魏略曰：太祖北拒袁紹，時遠近無不私遺牋記，通意於紹者。儼與領陽安太守李通同治，通亦欲遣使。儼為陳紹必敗意，通乃止。及紹破走，太祖使人搜閱紹記室，惟不見通書疏，陰知儼必為之計，乃曰：「此必趙伯然也。」) Weilue annotation in Sanguozhi vol. 23. The historian Pei Songzhi noted that the Weilue account contradicted Cao Cao's biography in the Sanguozhi, which recorded that Cao Cao did not look through the documents and immediately ordered them to be burnt. He believed that the Sanguozhi account was the correct one.(臣松之案魏武紀：破紹後，得許下軍中人書，皆焚之。若故使人搜閱，知其有無，則非所以安人情也。疑此語為不然。) Pei Songzhi's annotation in Sanguozhi vol. 23.
As a military coordinator In the 200s, three of Cao Cao's top officers – Yu Jin, Yue Jin and Zhang Liao – were respectively stationed at Yingyin (潁陰; in present-day Xuchang, Henan), Yangzhai (陽翟; present-day Yuzhou, Henan) and Changshe (長社; east of present-day Changge, Henan) counties. As all three of them were headstrong and strong-willed, they had difficulties working with each other. Cao Cao thus appointed Zhao Yan as an army adviser to assist the three of them in managing their relations with each other and persuade them to cooperate. Over time, due to Zhao Yan's efforts, the three officers got along better with each other.(時于禁屯潁陰，樂進屯陽翟，張遼屯長社，諸將任氣，多共不協；使儼并參三軍，每事訓喻，遂相親睦。) Sanguozhi vol. 23.
In 208, when Cao Cao led a military campaign to conquer Jing Province (covering present-day Hubei and Hunan), he appointed Zhao Yan as the acting Administrator () of Zhangling Commandery (章陵郡; around present-day Zaoyang, Hubei). Later, just before the Battle of Red Cliffs, he reassigned Zhao Yan to serve as Army Protector and Commandant (), whose role was to coordinate the movements of the units commanded by the following seven officers: Yu Jin, Zhang Liao, Zhang He, Zhu Ling, Li Dian, Lu Zhao () and Feng Kai ().(太祖征荊州，以儼領章陵太守，徙都督護軍，護于禁、張遼、張郃、朱靈、李典、路招、馮楷七軍。) Sanguozhi vol. 23.
Military service in Guanzhong In 211, following his victory over a coalition of northwestern warlords at the Battle of Tong Pass, Cao Cao appointed Zhao Yan as his Registrar () again, but promoted him to be the Administrator of Fufeng Commandery (扶風郡; around present-day Xingping, Shaanxi) shortly after.(復為丞相主簿，遷扶風太守。) Sanguozhi vol. 23. He also reorganised about 5,000 troops who used to serve under the northwestern warlords and put them under the command of Yin Shu (), one of his generals. He then appointed Zhao Yan as the Army Protector of Guanzhong () to supervise the various military units stationed in the Guanzhong region.(太祖徙出故韓遂、馬超等兵五千餘人，使平難將軍殷署等督領，以儼為關中護軍，盡統諸軍。) Sanguozhi vol. 23.
When some Qiang and other non-Han Chinese tribes caused trouble in the Guanzhong region, Zhao Yan and Yin Shu led their troops to attack the tribes and defeated them at Xinping Commandery (新平郡; around present-day Bin County, Shaanxi).(羌虜數來寇害，儼率署等追到新平，大破之。) Sanguozhi vol. 23. Later, a peasant Lü Bing () declared himself a general, gathered some followers, and started a rebellion in Chencang (陳倉; east of present-day Baoji, Shaanxi). Zhao Yan and Yin Shu then led their troops to attack the rebels and succeeded in quelling the rebellion.(屯田客呂並自稱將軍，聚黨據陳倉，儼復率署等攻之，賊即破滅。) Sanguozhi vol. 23.
Suppressing a mutiny Around the time, Yin Shu received orders to draft 1,200 men from the Guanzhong region into military service, and send them to Hanzhong Commandery. When the newly recruited soldiers bid farewell to their families in Guanzhong, Zhao Yan noticed that many of them looked upset and distraught.(時被書差千二百兵往助漢中守，署督送之。行者卒與室家別，皆有憂色。) Sanguozhi vol. 23. On the day Yin Shu left with the 1,200 recruits, Zhao Yan was worried that something bad would happen so he brought along 150 men and followed Yin Shu and the 1,200 recruits to the Xie Valley (), where he comforted the recruits and warned Yin Shu to take precautions. After that, he and his 150 men turned back and stayed overnight at the residence of Zhang Ji, the Inspector of Yong Province (covering parts of present-day Shaanxi and Gansu).(署發後一日，儼慮其有變，乃自追至斜谷口，人人慰勞，又深戒署。還宿雍州刺史張旣舍。) Sanguozhi vol. 23.
In the meantime, after Yin Shu and the 1,200 recruits had travelled about 40 li, some of the recruits started a mutiny because they were unwilling to leave their families behind in Guanzhong and go to Hanzhong. Yin Shu went missing during the chaos.(署軍復前四十里，兵果叛亂，未知署吉凶。) Sanguozhi vol. 23. Among the 150 men whom Zhao Yan had brought along, they were either old friends or relatives of the 1,200 recruits. When Zhao Yan's 150 men received news of the mutiny, they became very restless and started readying themselves for a fight.(而儼自隨步騎百五十人，皆與叛者同部曲，或婚姻，得此問，各驚，被甲持兵，不復自安。) Sanguozhi vol. 23.