Qin and Han · Warlord and Rebel

Yan Cen 延岑

Attested AD 25 - AD 36

Passages: 5
Chapters: 1
Histories: 1

Overview

Yan Cen was a warlord and Rebel.

Other names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Alternate name	Yan Ya	延牙	Yan Ya

Life and dates

Attested activity

AD 25 to AD 36 建武初
Dated from the passage context · Book of Later Han 34, passages 10, 44, 46

Places and affiliations

At Wudang 武當 · Relation Traveled to
Directly stated · Book of Later Han 34, passage 46

Events and relationships

Withdrew to Wudang to avoid omen
Military · Commander
Directly stated · Book of Later Han 34, passage 46

Source notes

From Yan Cen 延岑 · To Yan Ya 延牙
Directly stated · Book of Later Han 34, passage 17

References in the histories

Book of Later Han, Chapter 34Volume 30a: Biographies of Su Jing; Yang Hou · 5 passages

初，延岑護軍鄧仲況擁兵據南陽陰縣為寇，而劉歆兄子龔為其謀主。 Earlier, Deng Zhongkuang—protector-general to the warlord Yan Cen—had seized Yinxian in Nanyang as a rebel stronghold, with Liu Xin’s nephew Liu Gong as his principal adviser.

聞郡前權時屈節，北面延牙，乃後覺悟，棲遲養德。 I hear your prefect once bent the knee to Yan Cen, then saw the light and withdrew to nurture his moral standing.

流星狀似蚩尤旗，或曰營頭，或曰天槍，出奎而西北行，至延牙營上，散為數百而滅，奎為毒螫，主庫兵。 A meteor like Chiyou’s banner—called "camp head" or "sky lance"—rose from Kui, streaked northwest to Yan Cen’s camp, broke into hundreds of sparks, and died; Kui stands for poison sting and armory stores.

此二變，郡中及延牙士眾所共見也。 Everyone in the district and Yan Cen’s troops saw both phenomena.

是故延牙遂之武當，托言發兵，實避其殃。 So Yan Cen withdrew toward Wudang under the pretext of mobilizing—actually fleeing Heaven’s warning.