Jiang Ji 蔣濟

Biography
In 209 A.D., Sun Quan had been besieging Hefei for some time. Cao Cao sent Zhang Xi to relieve the siege; he gave him 1,000 cavaliers and permission to levy troops as he marched. Aide-de-Camp of Yang province Jiang Ji suspected reinforcements would not arrive for some time. He secretly spoke with the Inspector of Yang and told him 40,000 reinforcement troops were already at Xulü (雩婁) (approx. 120 km west of Hefei). The Inspector believed Jiang Ji's report and sent the Master of Records to receive Zhang Xi and dispatched three messengers to Hefei to inform the defenders of the good news. One of the messengers managed to enter the city, but the other two were captured. Sun Quan believed the reports, burned his camp, and withdrew.

After Cao Cao had been beaten back at Chibi, he retreated back north. Cao Cao was afraid that Sun Quan would raid the lands north of the river and wanted to pull the villagers back then implement a scorched-earth policy as he had done against Yuan Shao at Guandu. However, Jiang Ji said to him: "At that time, your soldiers were weak and the enemy were strong: had you not shifted the people you would certainly have lost them. Since the defeat of Yuan Shao, your authority makes the empire tremble and no-one would think of opposing you. Yet it is only human nature that men should love their land. They will not be pleased if you move them about, and I am sure they will become restless." But Cao Cao would not heed his advice. The populace was indeed dissatisfied at being ordered to move. More than 100,000 households from Lujiang, Jiujiang, Qichun and Guangling defected to Wu and fled east across the Yangzi river, only Huan city (150 km south of Hefei in Lujiang) remained loyal to Cao Cao.

Later when Jiang Ji came to Ye city, where Cao Cao had retreated to after his defeat, with dispatches. Cao Cao received him warmly and said: "I only wanted to keep the people safe from the enemy, but instead I drove them away!" He then enfeoffed Jiang Ji as Grand Administrator of Danyang.

In 219 A.D., Guan Yu besieged Fan Castle. Guan Yu's attack was so fierce that Cao Cao was considering relocating the capital from Xu city. Junior Clerk in the Department of the West Jiang Ji and Major to the Army of the Chancellor Sima Yi both said to him: "Yu Jin and his comrades were destroyed by the floods, they were not lost in war, and there is yet no real harm to the great plans of our state. Liu Bei and Sun Quan may appear to be close allies, but they have private disagreements. Guan Yu has ambitions, and Sun Quan will never allow him to achieve them. Send a man to encourage Sun Quan to close on his rear, and promise in return to enfeoff him with all land south of the Yangzi. Then the siege of Fan will certainly be broken." As it turned out, Sun Quan did attack Guan Yu's rear and Guan Yu was forced to retreat.

Service Under Cao Pi
When Cao Pi acceded to the throne of Wei, he appointed Jiang Ji to be Chief Clerk to the Chancellor. And when Cao Pi assumed the imperial throne, Jiang Ji was elevated to General of the Household of the East.

Around this time, Cao Pi had written an edict to Xiahou Shang which gave him authority to reward of punish people as he saw fit, without consulting the throne. That such power could be in the hands of anyone other than the Emperor worried Jiang Ji, he said to Cao Pi: "I have heard words that could bring doom to the dynasty." Cao Pi demanded an explanation, so Jiang Ji elaborated: "The Shu expressly warns against displaying terrors and conferring favours. The ancients saw to it that 'a son of Heaven does not speak playfully.' I beg you Majesty to reject upon this." Thereupon, Cao Pi understood and rescinded the edict.

In 222 A.D., Cao Pi invaded Wu, Jiang Ji was assigned to assist Commander-in-Chief Cao Ren seize Ruxu Fortress. Cao Ren had already successfully emptied the fortress by spreading misinformation which made him arrogant, this was exasperated by the enemy defender, Zhu Huan, who put up a false showing of weakness to make Cao Ren lower his guard. Cao Ren held his main forces back and let his son besiege Ruxu and also dispatched generals Chang Diao and Wang Shuang to capture a river islet housing the families of the Wu soldiers. This upset Jiang Ji, he was well versed in naval warfare and saw the situation to be unfavourable. He told Cao Ren: "Wu rebels occupy the west bank and their boats are arrayed upstream of ours. To let our troops enter the islet under such circumstances is like courting death." Cao Ren refused to heed Jiang Ji's warning and the Wei forces on the river were heavily defeated.

Jiang Ji was appointed to the office of the Masters of Writing.

In 225 A.D., Cao Pi wanted to |attack Guangling. He had attempted to seize it the previous year but was scared off by a ruse. But having built an even larger army he wanted to try again. Jiang Ji tried to warn Cao Pi that the weather was too unfavourable and the water route difficult to navigate, but Cao Pi did not heed his advice. The weather was so cold the Jiang river was partially frozen; and the thousands of Wei warships were trapped and no battle could be made. It was suggested that the soldiers be left behind to set up agricultural colonies, but Jiang Ji opposed the idea. He told him that with the lake to the east and the Huai river to the north, it would be far too easy for Wu to raid the colonies once the ice thawed. Cao Pi agreed and move the ships to Jing lake to wait on standby.

Cao Pi left and entrusted the ships to Jiang Ji, they lined the lake for hundreds of li. He built dikes to gather lake water at the rear of the ships, then broke them open so the flooding waters would float the ships back into the Huai river and thus they were able to return north.

On 24th Feb. 226 A.D., Cao Pi returned to Luoyang, Jiang Ji had managed to beat him back. Cao Pi praised Jiang Ji's talent, saying: "One cannot help but learn from experience. Before, I would have thought to burn half the ships in the lake. Here, you had a later start than I and have brought them all, reaching Qiao at practically the same time as I. From now on, in my plans for campaigns against the rebels, give me your best thought and discussion."

Service Under Cao Rui
When Emperor Cao Rui acceded the throne, Jiang Ji was ennobled as a secondary marquis.

In 228 A.D., Cao Xiu was duped into coming to Shiting. The entire expedition was fraught with perils and many advisors thought Cao Xiu's actions unwise. Jiang Ji memorialised the court, saying: "Cao Xiu has penetrated deeply into enemy territory and faces Sun Quan's elite troops. And waiting upstream is Zhu Ran, looking to cut Cao Xiu's rear. I do not see any profit in this." The Wei forces came to Huan (皖) and the Wu forces to Anlu (安陸), and Jiang Ji sent another memorial: "Enemy forces are manoeuvring in the west which means they intend to unite with the forces in the east. You should immediately command the various troops to rush in reinforcements." Cao Xiu's forces were badly routed and forced to abandon all their equipment to escape, reinforcements saved them from total destruction.

In Oct. 232 A.D., it was found that Gongsun Yuan was secretly exchanging envoys with Wu. Cao Rui elected Tian Yu to take punitive measures against him. Jiang Ji admonished the Emperor's actions, saying: "The states that would not conquer us, and the subjects that would not invade our territory or rebel against us, in general should not be attacked without serious premeditation. If they are attacked and yet cannot be controlled, we are only driving them to become our enemies. Therefore it is said, 'When tigers and wolves are in the road, do not pay attention to foxes and badgers; first remove the greater menaces, and the minor ones will disappear of themselves."

He continued, saying: "Now they of the region on the other side of the sea [Liaodong] have been serving China most humbly for generations and have annually selected their officials Filially Pious and Incorrupt, who have not been remiss in their duties and offering of tribute. Those who discussed their affairs have commended them. Should we with a single stroke win our victory, the State will not be profited by obtaining their people, nor will it contribute to our wealth by obtaining their resources. But should it turn out to be unsatisfactory, we will only make them resent and lose faith in us." The Emperor ignored Jiang Ji and sent Tian Yu anyway. Tian Yu could achieve nothing and the entire campaign was a waste.

In the beginning of 233 A.D., Man Chong devised a new strategy that involved tearing down the fortress at Hefei and moving it farther inland. Jiang Ji thought it would further weaken Wei's image (after the loss to Gongsun Yuan), so advised the Emperor against it, saying: "By first demonstrating our weakness to the world, and then destroying the city walls of Hefei at the raising of the rebels' darts, we will be defeating ourselves without the enemy's attacking us. If things reach such a stage, there will be no end of rout. We must by all means defend our positions north of the Huai river." Hearing this, the Emperor did not approve Man Chong's plan. However, Man Chong wanted to give a false show of weakness to entice Wu to invade again. Master of Writing Zhao Zi thought this plan had merit so it was in the end approved.

Jiang Ji was promoted to Military Protector of the Palace.

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