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Nan Jiyun
Tang officer under Zhang Xun who broke out of besieged Suiyang to seek relief, cut off a finger in protest and died refusing surrender.
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 Nan Ba (Eighth Nan)
- Roles
- Commanders
Nan Jiyun of Dunqiu in Weizhou, eighth among his siblings and so called Nan Ba, was a poor boatman skilled in riding and archery. During the An Lushan Rebellion he joined Zhang Xun and became one of his best officers. When starving Suiyang was besieged, he fought his way out to beg relief from Helan Jinming at Linhuai; Helan, jealous of Zhang, refused troops and tried to keep him, but Nan cut off a finger in protest and returned to the city. Captured when it fell in 757, he heeded Zhang's cry that a man may die but must not yield to injustice, and was killed beside him. Han Yu's Postscript records these scenes.
Life and times
Dates Birth unknown; died 757 CE