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Lu Kang
Wu general, son of Lu Xun, who held the middle Yangtze against Jin, crushed Bu Chan's defection at Xiling in 272 and traded courtesies with his opponent Yang Hu
At dusk on a hilltop, a large tent stands open with a table holding a map marked with small stones inside, a saddled horse tethered outside, and fire stands burning; campfires dot the river plain below, and one tiny sentry stands on the slope.
Also known as Zi Youjie
Lu Kang, courtesy name Youjie, was a son of the Wu chancellor Lu Xun by a daughter of Sun Ce. When his father died in disgrace in 245, the twenty-year-old Lu Kang took command of his troops; called to court and confronted with twenty charges against Lu Xun, he answered each one until Sun Quan relented. He rose to general and took charge of Xiling on the middle Yangtze. In 272, when the Xiling commander Bu Chan went over to Jin, Lu Kang ringed the city with siege lines, defeated the Jin relief army under Yang Zhao, forced Yang Hu to withdraw, and took Xiling and executed Bu Chan. The History of Jin (Jinshu) records that he and Yang Hu exchanged envoys across the border, each accepting wine or medicine from the other without suspicion. Made grand marshal and governor of Jing province in 273, he died the following autumn; his sons Lu Ji and Lu Yun later won fame as writers in Jin.
Life and times
Dates 226 CE–274 CE