| NAME | |
|---|---|
| Chinese Name | 乐羊, 樂羊, Yuè Yáng |
| Other name | Nhạc Dương |
| INFORMATION | |
| Born | c. 450 BC |
| Birth Place | State of Wei (魏国; nước Ngụy) |
| Died | c. 390 BC |
| Death Reason | Old age |
| FAMILY | |
| Relatives | |
| CAREER | |
| Allegiance | State of Wei |
Yue Yang (乐羊, Nhạc Dương; fl. 400 BC), was a formidable military general of the State of Wei during the early Warring States period, famed for conquering the State of Zhongshan and celebrated as the ancestor of the legendary conqueror Yue Yi (Yue Yi).
Appointed by Marquis Wen of Wei (Marquis Wen of Wei) to lead the expedition against Zhongshan, Yue Yang besieged the fortified capital. During the protracted siege, the desperate defenders of Zhongshan captured Yue Yang’s son Yue Shu, boiled him alive into meat soup, and dispatched a steaming pot of the broth to Yue Yang’s tent to break his resolve. In an act of terrifying, unyielding iron fortitude, Yue Yang sat before his officers, calmly drank the entire bowl of his son’s meat broth, and wiped his mouth, crying: ‘Zhongshan has slain my son; now nothing shall stay my hand!’
Galvanized by their commander’s chilling determination, the Wei army launched an overwhelming assault, breaching the walls and annihilating the State of Zhongshan. Marquis Wen rewarded Yue Yang with the fief of Linghou, but perceptively remarked to his chancellor: ‘Yue Yang ate the flesh of his own son for me; who is there in this world he would not devour for ambition?’ Yue Yang lived in honored retirement in Linghou, establishing the martial prestige of the Yue lineage.
Role in History (Shiji & Han Feizi)
Han Feizi (vol. 7, Yu Lao): “Yue Yang drank the soup of his son to conquer Zhongshan. Marquis Wen rewarded his merit, but doubted his heart; for he who spares not his own flesh will spare no lord.”
Records of the Grand Historian (Shiji, vol. 80, Biography of Yue Yi): “Yue Yang conquered Zhongshan for Wei; Marquis Wen granted him Linghou, establishing the glorious line of the Yue clan.”
Yue Yang — Historical & Literary Timeline
c. 406 BC
Commissioned by Marquis Wen
Entrusted with the Wei army to conquer the distant State of Zhongshan.
c. 406 BC
The Boiling of His Son
Drinks his boiled son’s broth before his army to demonstrate unbreakable resolve.
406 BC
The Conquest of Zhongshan
Breaches Zhongshan’s defenses, annexing the kingdom into Wei.
Post-406 BC
Lord of Linghou
Enfeoffed with Linghou, retiring with military glory.
Key Relationships
Family
- Son & Martyr Yue Shu (乐舒): Boiled alive by Zhongshan defenders.
- Descendant Yue Yi (乐毅, Nhạc Nghị): Supreme general who conquered seventy cities of Qi.
Friends
- Founding Monarch Marquis Wen of Wei (魏文侯): Ruler who recognized his military genius and granted him Linghou.
Enemies
- Rival Kingdom State of Zhongshan (Zhongshan Wu Gong): Conquered and annexed by Yue Yang.
Other
- Philosopher Scribe Han Feizi (韩非子): Analyzed the political psychology of Yue Yang’s sacrifice.
In Han Feizi
The Chilling Resolution
"He wept not before the steam of his son's bowl; he swallowed the bitter broth that his banners might plant themselves upon the citadel."
Historical Nuance
Yue Yang's act is one of the classic moral paradoxes of Legalist statecraft: absolute loyalty to the state achieved through the absolute violation of natural human bonds.
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