Contents
Biography & Historical Record
Li Feng, courtesy name Anguo, was a highly influential and morally upright high-ranking official of the Cao Wei state during the late Three Kingdoms period. Hailing from Longxi Commandery, he was the son of Li Yi, a former Commandant of the Guard (Weiwei). Documented in Chen Shou’s official dynastic history Records of the Three Kingdoms (Sanguozhi – Book of Wei, Biography of Li Feng) and Sima Guang’s Zizhi Tongjian, Li Feng was celebrated for his immense intellectual caliber and administrative integrity, becoming a central pillar of the Wei imperial court under Emperors Cao Rui and Cao Fang.
Rising through the imperial bureaucracy with remarkable speed, Li Feng held prestigious titles including Director of the Secretariat (Zhongshu Ling) and Master of Writing (Shangshu Puye), wielding significant political influence over the imperial administration. As the Sima clan, led by Sima Yi and later his son Sima Shi, methodically tightened their stranglehold on the imperial court following the Gaoping Tombs Incident, Li Feng emerged as a primary leader of the faction loyal to the Cao imperial house. He sought to preserve the traditional authority of the emperor against the encroaching military dictatorship of the Sima regency.
In 254 AD, realizing that the survival of the Cao lineage necessitated the removal of the Sima family, Li Feng entered into a desperate secret pact with high-ranking loyalists, including the Empress’s father Zhang Ji and the esteemed scholar Xiahou Xuan. The alliance planned a bold court coup to depose Sima Shi and install Xiahou Xuan as the grand authority, thereby restoring actual governance to the Emperor. However, the conspiracy was discovered. Sima Shi summoned Li Feng to the palace for interrogation. Facing Sima Shi’s immense power, Li Feng refused to submit or provide names of his co-conspirators. Instead, he boldly denounced the Sima family as treacherous usurpers plotting to destroy the state. Enraged by this defiance, Sima Shi ordered Li Feng’s immediate execution. He was subjected to the horrific ‘extermination of three familial generations’ (chu di tam toc), a brutal purge that wiped out his entire lineage, including his daughter Li Wan, who was famously married to the Sima faction’s own future pillar, Jia Chong, and was subsequently sent into long-term exile.
Role in Romance of the Three Kingdoms
In Luo Guanzhong’s classic 14th-century historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Li Feng is depicted as a noble, tragic figure representing the final attempt by loyal ministers to purge the Sima clan from the Wei court. While the novel places more emphasis on martial narratives, Li Feng’s political struggle serves as a grim marker of the irreversible decline of the Cao Wei regime under the Sima family’s absolute rule.
Li Feng (李豐) — Historical Timeline
Administrative Eminence in Cao Wei
Serves as Director of the Secretariat and Master of Writing; becomes a respected leader of the loyalist faction resisting the growing influence of the Sima clan.
Failed Conspiracy & Execution under Sima Shi
Conspires with Xiahou Xuan and Zhang Ji to depose Sima Shi; plot revealed, Li Feng is arrested, defies interrogation, and is executed along with three generations of his family.
Key Relationships
Family
- Li Yi (李仪, Lý Nghi) — Father; former Commandant of the Guard (Weiwei) in the Wei administration.
- Li Wan (李婉, Lý Uyển) — Daughter; married to the future Jin official Jia Chong (贾充, Gia Trùng), later exiled after the purge of Li Feng’s family.
Friends
- Xiahou Xuan (夏侯玄, Hạ Hầu Huyền) — Prominent Wei official and scholar; co‑conspirator with Li Feng in the 254 plot to overthrow Regent Sima Shi.
- Zhang Ji (张既, Trương Ki) — Imperial physician and father of the Empress; allied with Li Feng in the same 254 conspiracy against the Sima regency.
Enemies
- Sima Shi (司马师, Tư Mã Thư) — Regent of Cao Wei who uncovered the 254 coup attempt, interrogated Li Feng and ordered his execution and the extermination of three generations of his family.
- Sima Yi (司马懿, Tư Mã Dịch) — Patriarch of the Sima clan whose earlier consolidation of power set the stage for Li Feng’s opposition and eventual martyrdom.
Other
- Cao Fang (曹芳, Tào Phương) — Emperor of Cao Wei (254 AD); Li Feng acted to protect his reign by attempting to remove the Sima regents.
- Jia Chong (贾充, Gia Trùng) — Official of the Sima faction and son‑in‑law through marriage to Li Wan; his position underscores the tragic personal cost of Li Feng’s purge.
In Novel
Chapter 106
- Li Feng (Wei) (李丰, Lý Phong): Li Feng is a Wei court official who becomes involved in the political struggle surrounding Sima Yi’s control of the state. He is associated with the opposition to Sima Yi and is eventually accused of conspiracy. Sima Yi has him arrested and executed together with other suspected conspirators.
History
Summary
- Li Feng (Wei) (李丰, Lý Phong) was a Cao Wei court official who became involved in a political conspiracy against the Sima family.
Political Background
- Li Feng served at the Wei court during the reign of Emperor Cao Fang, when Sima Shi exercised increasing political control.
- He was associated with officials who sought to limit Sima influence.
Conspiracy and Execution
- In 254, Li Feng became involved in a plot connected with Xiahou Xuan and Zhang Ji to remove Sima Shi from power.
- The conspiracy was discovered, and Li Feng was arrested and executed together with his associates.
Classification
- Historical.