Huan Yi (Shuxia)

Huan Yi, courtesy name Shuxia was a military general and musician of the Jin dynasty (266–420). He was a very popular administrator among the people of Yuzhou, from his early days of Prefect of Huainan to Inspector of the province. He participated in the famous Battle of Fei River in 383, fighting alongside Xie Xuan as they repel Former Qin forces. Apart from his involvement in the government, what Huan Yi was most known for was his contribution in music. It is believed that he was the original composer of the popular guqin composition "Mei Hua Sannong (3 Variations on the Plum Blossom)".

Huan Yi
桓伊
Inspector of Yuzhou (豫州刺史)
In office
374 (374) – 384 (384)
MonarchEmperor Xiaowu of Jin
Personal details
BornUnknown
Died391
RelationsHuan Bucai (brother)
Huan Xuan (clansman)
ChildrenHuan Suzhi
FatherHuan Jing
Courtesy nameShuxia (叔夏)
Posthumous nameLie (烈)

Administrative and military career

Huan Yi was from Zhi County (銍縣, in present-day Anhui province) as a clansman to Huan Xuan, a prominent Eastern Jin general during the early years of its establishment. He was appreciated by the likes of Wang Meng and Liu Tan and went on to handle various military affairs before serving Jin's Grand Marshal Huan Wen. Huan Yi was chosen to become Prefect of Huainan to protect Jin's borders from the growing Former Qin power. Huan Yi managed his responsibility well so the court extended his control over parts of Yuzhou and Yangzhou and made him General Who Establishes Might.[1]

Huan Yi fought during Yuan Zhen's Rebellion in 370. He and Huan Shiqian were tasked in intercepting Qin forces from reaching Shouchun. The two of them routed Zhang Ci and Wang Jian (王堅) at Shiqiao (石橋, around present-day Lu'an, Anhui), allowing Huan Wen to quell the rebellion in 371.[2] In 374, Huan Yi was made Commander of military affairs in Yuzhou and also Inspector of Yuzhou. Huan Yi administered the province for ten years, being well-respected by its populace for his fair and competent treatment of them.[3]

In 383, the Heavenly King of Qin, Fu Jian held a major invasion against Jin. Huan Yi was working together with Xie Xuan when the numerically superior Qin army met with Jin's. Through Xie Xuan and Xie An's deception, the Qin army was tricked into a disorganised retreat. Huan Yi and Xie Xuan charged at the retreating Qin forces, leaving thousands of them dead. The battle sealed the fate of Qin, as many of Fu Jian's generals would betray him and established their own state.[4]

After the battle, Huan Yi would collect a total of 600 armors of the fallen Qin soldiers throughout the rest of his life. Long before his death, he made a list of people he wanted to present themselves to the court with the armors he collected. Huan Yi believed that this would help in Jin's unification process in case he dies before he lived to see the day.[5]

The following year in 384, Huan Wen's brother, Huan Chong passed away. The court decided to have Huan Yi succeed his position of Inspector of Jiangzhou. Upon inspection of the towns in Jiangzhou, Huan Yi noticed that it required reforms since Qin no longer posed a threat. He informed the court that Jiangzhou was suffering from a famine. He proposed that the small counties be merged, rice debts be exempted and that Jiangzhou's prefectural government office be moved to Yuzhang (豫章, in present-day Nanchang, Jiangxi). The people of Jiangzhou deeply loved Huan Yi for clearing their famine issues.[6]

Late into his life, Huan Yi became General Who Protects the Army and he received 2,000 men from the General of the Right to serve among his staff. Huan Yi passed away in 391 while in office. He posthumously appointed as General of the Right and given the posthumous title of 'Lie (烈)'.[7] His tomb is located on Shima Street (石馬街), Caijiafang (蔡家坊) in Nanchang.

Music

Huan Yi was very talented in music with the flute being his forte. Huan Yi's bamboo flute was said to be the "Ke Ting Di (柯亭笛)", a famous flute made by the Han dynasty intellectual Cai Yong. He was also said to be the composer of "Mei Hua Sannong (梅花三弄)". As the story goes, the calligrapher Wang Huizhi was travelling to the capital when he met Huan Yi along the way. Wang asked him play his flute, so Huan Yi performed the song with his flute before leaving without a word.[8] The original scores for the flute does not exist today but was supposedly later adapted for the guqin by Yan Shigu during the Tang dynasty.

There is another story that highlights his musical talents that takes place in 383. Xie An hated his son-in-law Wang Guobao who was greedy and abusive in power so he had his daughter divorce him. However, Wang was a close associate to Emperor Xiaowu and Xie An's recent actions made the relationship between the two tense, much to Xie An's disappointment. At a banquet, Huan Yi was sitting next to Xie An when the emperor called him up to perform his flute. Huan Yi first asked the emperor to have his jester perform the flute for him and was permitted. However, the jester could not play, so Huan Yi asked for the court singer instead. She could not play either so Huan Yi asked the emperor one last time to call for the jester's servant, who was skilled at the flute.[9]

Once he had all three of them, Huan Yi performed the "Poem of Complaint (怨詩)" by Cao Zhi from the period of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms. The poem was Cao Zhi's way of showing resentment to the emperor, who was his brother Cao Pi. It focuses on the hardships of a minister, making an allusion to King Wu of Zhou and his brother, Dan, Duke of Zhou. Xie An realised that he was the subject of Huan Yi's chosen poem and began to cry. He got up and praised Huan Yi while the emperor can only look in shame.[9]

References
  1. (時苻堅強盛，邊鄙多虞，朝議選能距捍疆場者，乃授伊淮南太守。以綏禦有方，進督豫州之十二郡揚州之江西五郡軍事、建威將軍、曆陽太守，淮南如故。) Book of Jin, Volume 81
  2. (苻堅乃使其將王鑒、張蠔等率兵以救瑾，屯洛澗，先遣精騎五千次於肥水北。溫遣桓伊及弟子石虔等逆擊，大破之，瑾眾遂潰，生擒之，並其宗族數十人及硃輔送於京都而斬之，所侍養乞活數百人悉坑之，以妻子為賞。) Book of Jin, Volume 98
  3. (伊在州十年，綏撫荒雜，甚得物情。) Book of Jin, Volume 81
  4. (融等攻壽春，晉遣都督謝石、徐州刺史謝玄、豫州刺史桓伊、水陸七萬。) Annals of the Sixteen Kingdoms, Volume 4
  5. (　初，伊有馬步鎧六百領，豫為表，令死乃上之。表曰：「臣過蒙殊寵，受任西籓。淮南之捷，逆兵奔北，人馬器鎧，隨處放散。于時收拾敗破，不足貫連。比年營繕，並已修整。今六合雖一，餘燼未滅，臣不以朽邁，猶欲輸效力命，仰報皇恩。此志永絕，銜恨泉壤。謹奉輸馬具裝百具、步鎧五百領，並在尋陽，請勒所屬領受。」詔曰：「伊忠誠不遂，益以傷懷，仍受其所上之鎧。」) Book of Jin, Volume 81
  6. (伊在州十年，綏撫荒雜，甚得物情。桓沖卒，遷都督江州荊州十郡豫州四郡軍事、江州刺史，將軍如故，假節。伊到鎮，以邊境無虞，宜以寬恤為務，乃上疏以江州虛秏，加連歲不登，今餘戶有五萬六千，宜併合小縣，除諸郡逋米，移州還鎮豫章。詔令移州尋陽，其餘皆聽之。伊隨宜拯撫，百姓賴焉。在任累年，徵拜護軍將軍。以右軍府千人自隨，配護軍府。卒官。贈右將軍，加散騎常侍，諡曰烈。) Book of Jin, Volume 81
  7. (子肅之嗣。卒，子陵嗣。宋受禪，國除。伊弟不才，亦有將略。討孫恩，至冠軍將軍。) Book of Jin, Volume 81
  8. (王子猷出都，尚在渚下。舊聞桓子野善吹笛，〈續晉陽秋曰：「左將軍桓伊善音樂，孝武飲燕，謝安侍坐，帝命伊吹笛。伊神色無忤，既吹一弄，乃放笛云：『臣於箏乃不如笛，然自足以韻合歌管。臣有一奴，善吹笛，且相便串，請進之。』帝賞其放率，聽召奴。奴既至，吹笛，伊撫箏而歌怨詩，因以為諫也。」〉而不相識。遇桓於岸上過，王在船中，客有識之者云：「是桓子野。」王便令人與相聞云：「聞君善吹笛，試為我一奏。」桓時已貴顯，素聞王名，即便回下車，踞胡床，為作三調。弄畢，便上車去。客主不交一言。) Shishuo Xinyu, Volume 23
  9. (時謝安女婿王國寶專利無檢行，安惡其為人，每抑制之。及孝武末年，嗜酒好內，而會稽王道子昏ＪＴ尤甚，惟狎昵諂邪，於是國寶讒諛之計稍行於主相之間。而好利險詖之徒，以安功名盛極，而構會之，嫌隙遂成。帝召伊飲宴，安侍坐。帝命伊吹笛。伊神色無迕，即吹為一弄，乃放笛云：「臣於箏分乃不及笛，然自足以韻合歌管，請以箏歌，並請一吹笛人。」帝善其調達，乃敕禦妓奏笛。伊又云：「禦府人於臣必自不合，臣有一奴，善相便串。」帝彌賞其放率，乃許召之。奴既吹笛，伊便撫箏而歌《怨詩》曰：「為君既不易，為臣良獨難。忠信事不顯，乃有見疑患。周旦佐文武，《金縢》功不刊。推心輔王政，二叔反流言。」聲節慷慨，俯仰可觀。安泣下沾衿，乃越席而就之，捋其須曰：「使君于此不凡！」帝甚有愧色。) Book of Jin, Volume 81
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