Qin and Han · King of Dongyue who rebelled against Han

Yu Shan 餘善

First attested BC 136; died BC 110

Passages: 17
Chapters: 4
Histories: 3

Overview

Yu Shan was a king of Dongyue who rebelled against Han.

Other names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Posthumous name	Martial Emperor	武帝	Wudi

Life and dates

Death

BC 110 元封元年冬
Killed
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 114, passage 68

Attested activity

BC 110 元封元年冬
Dated from the passage context · Records of the Grand Historian 114, passages 60, 68
BC 112 元鼎五年
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 114, passage 47
BC 111 元鼎六年秋
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 114, passage 52
BC 135 建元六年
Dated from the passage context · Records of the Grand Historian 114, passages 26, 30
BC 135 to BC 110 漢武帝時
Directly stated · Book of Chen 19, passage 189
BC 136 to BC 135 閩越內訌時
Dated from the passage context · Records of the Grand Historian 113, passage 43

Family

Sibling of Ying (郢)
younger brother 弟 · Uncertain siblings
younger brother 弟
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 114, passage 30; Records of the Grand Historian 113, passage 43

Key source chapters

Career and standing

King of Dongyue 東越王
BC 135 建元六年 · Appointed
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 114, passage 46
Assumed
BC 111 元鼎六年秋 · Self proclaimed emperor
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 114, passage 55
Assumed
BC 135 建元六年 · Self proclaimed king
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 114, passage 43

Places and affiliations

Polity Name Dongyue 東越 · Relation Ruled
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 114, passage 46

Works and attributed material

BC 112 元鼎五年
Memorial · Author · Paraphrased
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 114, passage 47
Speech · Speaker · Direct quotation
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 114, passages 30-35

Events and relationships

Killed and surrendered
Political · Actor · With Ying (郢)
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 113, passage 43
Killed Ying
BC 135 建元六年 · Assassination · Perpetrator · With Ying (郢)
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 114, passage 37
Offered 8000 troops
BC 112 元鼎五年 · Military · Offered ally · With Yang Pu (楊僕)
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 114, passage 47
Plotted to kill Ying
BC 135 建元六年 · Political · Conspirator · With Ying (郢)
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 114, passages 30-35
Rebelled and blocked Han roads
BC 111 元鼎六年秋 · Military · Rebel leader
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 114, passage 52
Secretly contacted Nanyue
BC 112 元鼎五年 · Diplomatic · Double dealer · At Jieyang 揭揚
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 114, passage 48

Show 1 more source-backed claim

Relationship · Type elder-brother · Target King of Minyue (閩越王)
Directly stated · Book of Han 74, passage 85

Assessments and attributes

Assessment committed the greatest treason · Mode historian-judgment Speaker Sima Qian (司馬遷)
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 114, passage 81
BC 111 元鼎六年秋
Item imperial seal inscribed 'Martial Emperor' 「武帝」璽 · Relation Carved
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 114, passage 55

References in the histories

Search passages

History

17 passages

Book of Chen, Chapter 19Volume 19: Shen Jiong; Yu Li; Ma Shu · 1 passage

歷觀前古，鑒之往事，子陽、季孟，傾覆相尋，餘善、 Looking through antiquity and taking mirror from past affairs, Ziyang, Jimeng, overturn followed in succession; Yu Shan and

Book of Han, Chapter 74Volume 64a: Yan, Zhu, Wuqiu, Zhufu, Xu, Yan, Zhong, Wang, and Jia 1 · 2 passages

是時，漢兵遂出，末逾領，適會閩越王弟餘善殺王以降。 The Han host had not yet crossed the mountains when Yu Shan, the king of Minyue's brother, murdered his sovereign and surrendered.

閩王以八月舉兵於冶南，士卒罷倦，三王之眾相與攻之，因其弱弟餘善以成其誅，至今國空虛，遣使者上符節，請所立，不敢自立，以待天子之明詔。 In the eighth month the king of Minyue rose south of Ye, but his troops were spent; the allied kings fell on him and his younger brother Yu Shan finished the deed. The kingdom stands leaderless: envoys have brought the seals and ask you to name a successor—they dare not enthrone themselves without your word.

Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 113Treatise on the Nanyue · 1 passage

兵未踰嶺，閩越王弟餘善殺郢以降，於是罷兵。 Before the Han forces had even crossed the mountain passes, King Ying's younger brother Yu Shan killed him and surrendered. The campaign was thereupon called off.

Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 114Treatise on the Eastern Yue · 13 passages

其弟餘善乃與相、宗族謀曰：「王以擅發兵擊南越，不請，故天子兵來誅。 His younger brother, Yu Shan, conspired with the chancellor and their kinsmen, saying: 'The king attacked Nanyue without imperial permission, and that is why the emperor's armies have come to punish him.

餘善已殺郢，威行於國，國民多屬，竊自立為王。 Having killed Ying, Yu Shan's authority spread across the land. The people rallied to him in great numbers, and he secretly proclaimed himself king.

天子聞之，為餘善不足復興師，曰：「餘善數與郢謀亂，而後首誅郢，師得不勞。」 When the emperor learned of this, he decided it was not worth mobilizing the army again on account of Yu Shan, remarking: 'Yu Shan plotted rebellion alongside Ying time and again, yet in the end he was the first to bring Ying to justice, sparing our forces the trouble.'

因立餘善為東越王，與繇王并處。 And so Yu Shan was made the King of Dongyue, to rule alongside the King of Yao.

至元鼎五年，南越反，東越王餘善上書，請以卒八千人從樓船將軍擊呂嘉等。 In the fifth year of the Yuanding era, when Nanyue rebelled, Yu Shan, the King of Dongyue, submitted a petition offering to lead eight thousand troops to join the General of the Towered Ships in the campaign against Lu Jia and his allies.

元鼎六年秋，餘善聞樓船請誅之，漢兵臨境，且往，乃遂反，發兵距漢道。 In the autumn of the sixth year of the Yuanding era, Yu Shan learned that the General of the Towered Ships had petitioned for his execution and that Han forces were massing on the border. He rose in open rebellion, sending his troops to block the roads leading into his territory.

餘善刻「武帝」璽自立，詐其民，為妄言。 Yu Shan had an imperial seal carved bearing the title 'Martial Emperor' and declared himself sovereign, deceiving his people with extravagant claims.

故越衍侯吳陽前在漢，漢使歸諭餘善，餘善弗聽。 The former Marquis of Yueyan, Wu Yang, had been residing at the Han court. The Han sent him back to reason with Yu Shan, but Yu Shan refused to listen.

及橫海將軍先至，越衍侯吳陽以其邑七百人反，攻越軍於漢陽。 When the General Who Crosses the Sea was the first to arrive, the Marquis of Yueyan, Wu Yang, turned against Yu Shan with seven hundred men from his estate and attacked the Yue army at Hanyang.

從建成侯敖，與其率，從繇王居股謀曰：「餘善首惡，劫守吾屬。 He joined with the Marquis of Jiancheng, Ao, and his officers, and together with the King of Yao, Ju Gu, they plotted, saying: 'Yu Shan is the chief offender; he has coerced and detained us and our dependents.

今漢兵至，眾彊，計殺餘善，自歸諸將，儻幸得脫。」 Now that the Han armies have come in force, let us kill Yu Shan and surrender to the Han generals—perhaps we will be fortunate enough to save ourselves.'

乃遂俱殺餘善，以其眾降橫海將軍，故封繇王居股為東成侯，萬戶； They killed Yu Shan and surrendered their forces to the General Who Crosses the Sea. For this, the King of Yao, Ju Gu, was enfeoffed as the Marquis of Dongcheng with a fief of ten thousand households;

然餘善至大逆，滅國遷眾，其先苗裔繇王居股等猶尚封為萬戶侯，由此知越世世為公侯矣。 Yet though Yu Shan committed the greatest treason, destroying the kingdom and relocating its people, descendants of the royal line such as the King of Yao, Ju Gu, were still enfeoffed as marquises with ten thousand households. From this we know that the Yue generation after generation held the rank of duke or marquis.