Ministers › Diplomat / Envoy
Xinyuan Yan
Guest general of Wei sent into besieged Handan to urge Zhao to honour Qin as emperor, until Lu Zhonglian changed his mind.
On a road beside a desert gateway, a camel train carries a lidded chest and rolled bundles while travellers walk along the path; a large sailing ship lies in the harbour at the right, a stone waymark stands by the road, and dunes and mountains fill the distance.
Also known as Xinyuan Yan (variant writing in the Shiji)
- Roles
- Diplomat / Envoy
Xinyuan Yan, written with a variant surname in the Shiji, was a guest general of Wei in the late Warring States period. After the battle of Changping, when Qin besieged the Zhao capital Handan, King Anxi of Wei, fearing Qin, halted Jin Bi's relief army at Dangyin and slipped Xinyuan Yan into Handan to urge Zhao, through Lord Pingyuan, to join in honouring King Zhao of Qin as emperor. Lu Zhonglian of Qi sought him out and set out the dangers of submitting to Qin; Xinyuan Yan bowed twice, apologised and dropped the proposal. He is Lu Zhonglian's interlocutor in 'Lu Zhonglian Refuses to Honour Qin as Emperor'.
Life and times
Dates Dates unknown; active during the siege of Handan (259–257 BCE)